Chapter 43

Soundwave was waiting for Starscream when he strode into the main command chamber, rotating his shoulders as his body settled back into upright mode. He nodded once to the dark blue mech, who opened his chest panel. Rumble tumbled out, transforming smoothly as he fell, both feet hitting the surface of the table. Frenzy was right behind him. On the other side of the table, Thundercracker stood with his arms folded across his broad chest, his crimson gaze sweeping the scene in silent witness.

Alexis was sitting cross-legged on the empty table, swamped in a dark grey hoodie. She was staring straight ahead, her fingers in her mouth, visibly anxious. Her eyes, large with apprehension, flicked up to Starscream, who seated himself, tapping his long fingers on the table.

'Frenzy contacted you, I presume.'

She nodded once, licking dry lips, her voice almost a whisper. 'Yes.'

He leaned forward. 'You don't have to be here. Go and rest, if you wish. Let me…'

She shook her head this time, and he knew it was pointless to argue with her. He spoke to Soundwave without looking round.

'Are you connected?'

'Affirmative,' intoned Soundwave.

Starscream beckoned Rumble forward imperiously. 'I was halfway to the training camps when you called. This had better be good, Rumble. Well?'

Rumble was wearing a hunted and nervous look, opening and shutting his fists agitatedly. 'Stritho is trying to make contact. I… I dunno what to do…'

'You will do exactly as you are told, and nothing else,' said Starscream coldly. His gaze found Frenzy, who had lolloped up to Alexis and flopped down clumsily next to her. He drummed his fingers once more. 'And what are you doing here, exactly?

Frenzy jumped, startled, then began scrabbling to his feet. 'Forgive me, Lord, I was merely…'

'Let him stay,' said Alexis quietly. 'Please.'

After a long pause, Starscream sat back. 'Very well.' He narrowed his optics at Frenzy. 'Keep your trap shut, or I will shut it for you permanently.'

Frenzy made a swift zipping motion across his mouth and nodded hastily.

Starscream turned his attention to Rumble. 'You will open your com-link and address Stritho. Pretend that nothing is amiss: you are still on his side, and I remain completely unaware of your treachery. I want you to get as much information out of him as you can. Everyone else here, remain silent and do not interfere. Understood?'

Alexis nodded, slipping her arm through Frenzy's and huddling slightly closer to him, taking deep breaths.

'You okay?' Frenzy muttered.

She nodded, shivering and tightening her elbow's grip on his. Beside them, Rumble's optics flickered apprehensively.

'But… but what if he guesses that I'm not…'

'Then I will not be very happy,' said Starscream smoothly, leaving no need for either of them to elaborate. 'Time to put your acting skills to the test, Rumble.'

'But I-'

Rumble was cut off as a low, displeased voice filled the chamber - Stritho. Soundwave had patched the feed through to the large screen flanking one wall.

'Rumble. It's about time. I'm not used to being kept waiting.'

Rumble squared his shoulders, his optics flickering as the feed connected. At the back of his brain he could feel the prickling sensation of Soundwave's feed tethering to his own, joined by the additional presence of Starscream. His voice betrayed none of his nerves as he spoke. 'Oh shush your whining, Stritho. You think I've nothing better to do than sit around waiting for your beck and call?'

'My scans indicate you are back on Cybertron,' growled the Lithonian.

'Yeah, no thanks to you,' Rumble shot back. To his own pleasant surprise, he was finding it surprisingly easy to slip into his usual surly persona. After all, if he presented anything less, Stritho would surely suspect. '... you promised me you'd offer me passage off Cybertron and away from Starscream. Instead I'm back here!'

'Don't blame me for your own incompetence, casseticon!' growled Stritho. 'I don't have time for your snivelling. Is your com-link secure?'

Rumble slowly turned on the spot, staring up at Soundwave and Starscream. 'Uh… yeah. Of course it is.'

'You don't sound very sure. If you're lying to me... then you will suffer the very worst punishment you can imagine.'

'That'll be a good trick if you can do it,' muttered Rumble sarcastically.

'What do you mean by that? You doubt my words, you insolent little…'

'Starscream's punishment, if he catches me, will be worse than anything you can dish out,' said Rumble. The stone-cold honesty of that statement was only illustrated by Starscream's presence inside his head, probing into his every thought. He winced, and glanced up behind him once more. Starscream narrowed his optics, unimpressed, and flicked his finger at him dismissively. Rumble turned back towards the screen. It glowed and flickered as the data from the call flashed across it at lightning speed - Soundwave was recording every word and simultaneously attempting to track Stritho's location. Rumble jumped as Starscream's voice growled in his head.

'Keep him talking. Show him your loyalty.'

The last word was a sardonic sneer, and Rumble shuddered as Stritho spoke again, sounding grudgingly conciliatory.

'Hmm. I suppose you have a point…'

'Of course I have,' said Rumble. 'I have no alliance with Starscream. Let's get to the point, Stritho. What do you want? You've got your human slaves, after all.'

'No quite yet,' said Stritho with dark satisfaction. 'But those idiotic fleshy vermin are indeed within my reach, despite the Autobot's efforts. It is our other comrade, Silas, who has found himself without his prize. You made him a promise, Rumble.'

'What? No I didn't!'

'You were supposed to be the key that would lead to the Decepticon Alexis!' Stritho growled. 'Silas will not be content with a string of data from a failed experiment. He wants that human girl. Thanks to your intel she was within our grasp!'

Rumble cringed, and this time he didn't dare look behind him. 'That wasn't part of the original deal,' he said, managing to keep his voice from faltering. 'I was told that I would be providing information on Decepticon weaponry, not on Alexis. You tortured me to get hold of that information.'

He stumbled as a giant finger cuffed him from behind. Starscream's voice arrived in his head once more.

Enough. Get back to Stritho. Find out where he is.

'Uh… where are you?'

Stritho chuckled darkly. 'And why would I tell you, Casseticon?'

'Because I presume I'm comin' to join you, of course,' Rumble said. 'I don't wanna waste another klik on this rock under Starscream. Besides, what if he's onto me? You want me spilling all your precious secrets to him, huh?'

Stritho laughed mockingly again. 'Nice try. You don't have any secrets, small-fry,' he taunted. 'None that will lead your master to me, anyhow. No, I need you on Cybertron a little longer, my friend. Stick close to the human girl. You are the only vital link we have, so you stay put. Watch and wait for another opportunity. She'll be back in our clutches before long, and then Silas will ensure you'll get your reward.'

Rumble winced again and gritted his teeth. The weight of three other mechs in his head was becoming unbearable. His clenched fists trembled with the stress as he spoke again with effort. 'Okay but… when do I make my move? And where do I bring her?'

'Who says you'll be doing the bringing, hm?' Stritho sounded darkly amused. 'You'll have your part to play, casseticon. Earth is no longer an option, not with the forcefield down and Autobots crawling across the surface. I'll need time to organise a suitable alternative. In the meantime, you WAIT. I'll be watching you.'

'But, I-'

The screen powered down with a whine, the flickering data vanished. A hush descended. Stritho had cut the feed before Rumble could finish. The little blue cassette looked up. 'Is… is he gone?'

Starscream nodded once. 'It would seem so,' he said darkly.

Rumble felt a dizzying release of pressure inside his mind as both Starscream and Soundwave withdrew. His shoulders slumped and he staggered, almost falling. 'Thank Primus…'

His hands went to his head, clutching the sides of his helmet. 'Three of you… in my head... at once… Ow...'

Alexis scooted forward. 'Sit down.' As the blue cassette nodded weakly and obliged, she placed a hand on his arm. 'You did really well.'

She glanced up at Starscream, who sat staring straight ahead, his mouth pinched into a small scowl, his right hand curled into a fist. He sat unmoving, but Alexis could sense the quiet, simmering rage behind his stillness. She flinched when he spoke.

'Soundwave.'

'My lord.'

'Tell me that wasn't a completely wasted exercise.'

The head of Decepticon communications paused. The whole room turned to stare at the towering blue mech, and when he spoke, Alexis let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in.

'Affirmative. Signal detected.'

As Rumble drew up his knees, muttering and still clutching his head, Starscream rose to his feet, stalking over to the screen. Thundercracker drew back to make room as Soundwave tapped on the panel, summoning a glowing, spinning map of the stars.

'Signal detected. But not a location?' queried Starscream.

'Negative. Signal scrambled and intermittent. Emanating from the Monoceros Ring.'

Thundercracker groaned. 'Seriously… you couldn't narrow it down more than that?'

Soundwave merely looked at him. Alexis rose onto her knees, shielding her eyes from the glare of the screen. 'What? What's the Monoceros Ring?'

'No wonder he's difficult to trace,' chirped Frenzy. He waved an arm. 'The Monoceros Ring is a scattering of planets and chunks of rock right on the edge of the galaxy. You could get lost in there forever.'

Starscream rubbed his chin. 'How very like a coward, to flee to a far-flung dump on the edge of nowhere.'

'Stritho's M.O. is teleportation,' rumbled Thundercracker. 'He could be hopping around from place to place in that maze of rubble. It's gonna be impossible to catch him.'

'Difficult, but not impossible,' replied Starscream. 'We have to assume Stritho is ignorant of our advantage. We now have a signature. Thundercracker, divert seventy percent of our elite intelligence forces onto the search effort.'

'I'll oversee it personally,' said Thundercracker.

'Soundwave, I want that recording subjected to deeper analysis. Stritho is no fool, but his arrogance will give us an opening. And he's still in the thrall of this Silas, whoever that is. He thinks he's given us nothing, but we have enough to make a start.'

'Yes, Lord Starscream.'

'Alexis.'

Alexis had remained where she was when the call ended. At the sound of her name she looked up. Starscream regarded her steadily, one hand tapping his chin, the other resting on the table. He opened his mouth - then hesitated, struggling to find the right words.

'I'm going to be placed under guard, right?' she said heavily. As he continued to watch her, she marvelled at how the events of the last couple of days had been like a holiday from reality - the return to the safety of Cybertron, seeing Lucy and Sari again, and the magical, dizzy night where for once she'd had Starscream truly to herself. Even the very recent dispiriting visit to the slave barracks now felt like a flashback to a simpler time. She sighed, and nodded once, plunging her hands into her sleeves. 'It's okay. I get it.'

The softness of Starscream's tone caught her off guard, and her mouth opened as she looked up at him. 'No decisions have been made yet.' When she didn't reply, he continued. '...But we cannot turn away from the facts. Events are moving ever faster. And this latest development only…'

'I know, I know,' she interrupted, feeling a pang of impatience immediately followed by regret - every word out of her mouth lately sounded bratty and childish. Thundercracker and Soundwave, perhaps sensing now was the time to leave, began to slip out. As he passed, Soundwave held out his hand for his subordinates. Rumble crawled aboard, only too happy to sink into welcome oblivion in his master's chest cavity. Frenzy hesitated, glancing between him and Alexis, but an impatient jerk of Soundwave's finger sent him scrabbling to join his brother. Wid a nod to the Decepticon leader, Soundwave tipped both cassettes into the panel in his chest. The door hissed closed.

Starscream sank back into the chair, placing his head in his hands, avoiding Alexis' eye. The glowing map out of the outer reaches of the galaxy was still rotating softly on the corner of her vision. Swivelling away from Starscream, Alexis scowled at it. That smug, scheming bastard Stritho was out there somewhere, waiting for millions of helpless, silly people to fall right into his trap. Who knew what awful fate awaited them? And for the millionth time... just where the fuck was this Silas guy? Not for the first time, she silently fumed that after all that had happened, they really were no closer to solving anything. No closer to finding Silas, or stopping Stritho, or helping the humans, who any day now would vanish, ripped away from their homes and pitched into slavery or worse. The bad guys just keep on winning!

Suddenly she gasped, and in one smooth motion stood upright, turning to face Starscream. 'That's it!'

Starscream dragged his fingers down over his face, dropping them onto the surface. 'What?' he growled, ill-temperedly.

Alexis bit her lower lip, her heart racing, her eyes bright. Shaking her hands free of the oversized hoodie sleeves, she balled her fists, and felt the sudden urge to jump up and down. Starscream was eyeing her suspiciously. She tried, and failed, to suppress a smile. Pacing slowly forwards, she gathered speed as the pieces fell, as if by magic, into place inside her head.

It's perfect. It's absolutely perfect. How did I not think of this before. It's been right in front of me, all this time… Fuck me, I'm a genius!'

She whirled round, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. Starscream tilted his head, frowning. He sat up straight, his optics glowing at her, as if trying to see right inside her mind. 'What?' he asked again, quietly, his voice taking on a calculating, dangerous edge. 'What are you plotting?'

She took a deep breath. 'Nothing. Nothing. It's just… well, I think I've come up with something that will keep everyone happy.'

Well, sort of.

She smiled at him: an open, innocent, wholesome smile. He narrowed his optics even further, and got to his feet, swamping her in his towering shadow. 'Alexis,' he said warningly. '...You have something up your sleeve. And you're going to tell me what it is.'

She held up her hands playfully, allowing the cuffs to slide back. 'No tricks. Just an idea.'

When he didn't move she sighed. 'Sit down, big guy.' As he sat once more, she followed suit, folding her legs beneath her and leaning forwards eagerly. 'Okay. So. After today, what do you think is the best course of action?'

Starscream raised his eyebrows. 'You're asking me?'

She gestured with one hand. 'Gut feeling, don't over-think it, just… what would you do?'

'Lock you up,' he said immediately, his expression remaining unaltered as she leaned back. 'Grab you, right now, and secure you somewhere comfortable and safe, safe, safe.'

On the last word he leaned down, his face feet from hers, his hands spread out on either side. Alexis inhaled deeply through her nose, raising her head to meet his glare. 'You asked,' he said calmly.

She nodded concedingly as he sat back up. '...O….kay. Fair enough. I should have expected that, I suppose. What about those things you said back in the training pit? About not wanting to lock me away?'

'Fuck what I said in the training pit,' he replied immediately. 'Circumstances are a little different since then.' He glared at her again, daring her to argue back. As usual she surprised him with her response.

'You just said fuck,' she said, a mischievous grin on her face.

'Sometimes the eloquence of human curse-words are appropriate,' he growled. 'Don't try to distract me. You're looking far too pleased with yourself to be fine with me shutting you away. In case you haven't noticed, I am trying very hard to devise a plan that doesn't leave you without your precious freedom, even though we both know that would be the simplest solution. Are you saying you would acquiesce to this arrangement?' He raised his eyebrow, leaning forward again. 'You did propose such a thing, back on the ship, when we were en route from Earth.'

'I was in a bad place,' she said calmly, and he narrowed his optics. 'Don't. Be. Flippant. Tell me your plan, and what's more, Alexis, tell me all of it.'

Oh, in your dreams, lover.

Out loud, she said: 'Well. The thing is, it is logical to make sure I have proper protection. Now that we know this Silas is still after me.'

She looked up. He opened his palm, inviting her to continue.

Alexis began to pace slowly back and forth. 'I was thinking… I could assemble my own team. A group of people around me at all times, accompanying me on any travels…'

'Travels?' He regarded her with weary amusement. 'Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you?'

Alexis bit down a retort. If she was going to pull this off, she couldn't afford to antagonise Starscream or push her luck too far. '...Well, one thing at a time,' she said slowly, lowering her eyes and clasping her hands together. 'But, are you on board with that idea?'

'Assemble your own team,' he repeated. He sounded unsure. Alexis lifted her head. 'Arcee, I was thinking. Sari. Frenzy. Rumble…'

'Rumble?' Starscream sat back, bringing a hand to his com-link. 'High grade, in here, now.' Only a few seconds later, the door opened, and a drone hurried in, presenting Starscream with a cube, bowing low. Starscream dismissed him without taking his gaze off Alexis. 'I have a feeling I'm going to need a drink inside me. Why Rumble?'

'Because,' said Alexis, resuming her pacing. 'Stritho has instructed him to stick by me. It will make sense if he's part of the group, and will deflect suspicion. And also, he doesn't really like me that much. He'll be sure to report back to you on my every move.'

She glanced up. Starscream was tapping his mouth with his fingers, thinking.

Come on, please… please…

'Alright,' he said, though he still didn't sound sure. 'You have a little gang around you, people you know you can trust, to watch out for your well-being. I want to personally sign off the final list, when you present it to me.'

She inwardly winced. Not ideal, but I'll iron out any creases when I get to them. 'Thank you,' she said out loud.

'That's it? That's the only idea you looked so ecstatic about a moment ago?'

'I want to formally train to fight better, in both forms,' she added quickly. 'And I want my own weapon.'

He frowned, and she held her breath. 'I can't deny the wisdom behind that request,' he said slowly. 'Your own weapon? You have the Blaster…'

'But I want something that's truly mine,' she argued. 'The Blaster is ours… and you've got the Star Sabre. I want something all of my own, something that's made just for me.' She stepped forwards, laying her hands on his forefinger. 'I don't ask you for much, my lord,' she said quietly, and inwardly grinned as his optics glowed. She knew he privately liked it when she called him that. Man, I'm a manipulative bitch when I want to be, she marvelled as he nodded. You're playing with fire, Alexis my girl, but then, you've always liked it that way…

'Very well,' he said, and she beamed at him, stepping into his offered palm. He raised her to his face. 'That's all of it? All of your thoughts?'

Not even close. I haven't even started.

'For now, yes.'

He grunted, satisfied, then brought her closer to him. 'You're mine, for all of tonight,' he growled. 'We will both put that slime-bucket Stritho out of our minds, just for tonight. Fly out with me.'

'Yes,' she said immediately.

He nodded. 'Good. Then afterwards you will accompany me to your surprise welcome-home feast I'm not supposed to tell you about.'

She gaped… then erupted into laughter, swiping at him. 'Starscream!'

He tilted his head, grinning. 'Skywarp's idea. Pretend to look surprised. You're my very own mistress of Deception, after all.'

As he strode out with her, she gave a tiny unseen grimace. That last remark seemed to hit a little too close to home. Did he suspect her motives? He probably suspects something. Alexis knew that Starscream would never, ever admit it out loud, but part of her was certain that maybe, just maybe, he liked it that way.

This chapter was an absolute BITCH to write, like wading through treacle. UK is in full lockdown so I don't even have the excuse of a busy social life!

We are nearly at the end of Part One of this story. Sorry for the long gaps - I am very sleepy at the moment due to treatment which is not the best mindset for writing!

I am doing a creative writing course online at the moment and really enjoying it, I am learning a lot. I have never taken any writing classes in my life so it's about time.

Hope all is well. Thank you so much to those that leave reviews, I love all of them and all of you!