Disclaimer; I own Slingblade and the plot. That's it.
Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.
Ulysses
Chapter 4
Complications
by Switchblade X
Slingblade awoke just as the sky was beginning to turn gray with the first rays of sunlight. She had actually slept these last few hours, which was a welcomed relief.
Silverbolt was still asleep.
She looked up at him and smiled. She'd known a 'bot named Silverbolt once; he had been her best and first Autobot friend. But, she'd lost track of the Aerialbot Commander once the reformatting had started. She looked closer at the Maximal who lay beside her. …Could this be…?
No, surely not. The Silverbolt that she had known had been absolutely terrified of heights, though he hid it well; this Maximal loved heights. …But, Silverbolt had next to no memory of his life prior to the Beast Wars; for all she knew, his name could just be a coincidence.
…However, there were a few personality traits that were similar; wanting to do the right thing, and worrying more about his teammates than himself were two big ones. Still, though, they weren't completely the same. The Autobot Silverbolt had a sense of honor, but it didn't include going easy on femmes; then again, Slingblade and Arcee were the only femmes that had fought in the Great War, and Arcee hadn't exactly been on the front lines like Slingblade had.
Silverbolt shifted a bit and tightened his arms around her, but he didn't awaken.
Oh, Primus. This is such déj vu! she thought.
After the War had been over for quite some time, the Autobots had assigned teams to seek out pockets of Decepticon resistance; she had been put on a team with Silverbolt and two rookies that she didn't know. One night they had returned to base, and everyone had gone to their respective rooms for a recharge session. She'd awakened from a nightmare screaming just like she had last night. This had jolted the rest of the base awake, but the first 'bot into her room had been Silverbolt; he had sprung her lock and had held her until she calmed down. Then, he had spent the rest of the night with her just to make sure that she was all right.
And, to make things even creepier, she had been the first one to wake up in the morning, he had still been asleep, he had still been holding her, and he had shifted exactly like the Maximal Silverbolt had. She was even being held the same way!
The Autobot Silverbolt hadn't taken to her right off the bat, but once he did, they were inseparable. The Maximal Silverbolt had taken to her right off the bat, but he talked with her and interacted with her like he had known her for a good portion of his life.
The Maximal Silverbolt was a lot older than he appeared; although he hid it well, sometimes his true age was reflected in his optics, especially if he was tired. When this happened, he looked like he was as old as she was, which was pretty old. The Autobot Silverbolt would be her age if he was still alive.
Oooookay, this is getting just a bit too weird. she thought. …But, this could always just be a coincidence.
Just like your return to Earth? asked the other voice that occupied her demented mind. This voice, unlike her creator's, didn't harass her; it just creeped her out when she really didn't need it. It also gave her someone to talk to when she was alone. This isn't a coincidence, Slingblade; it's fate. There is something about this planet that ties in to your destiny; that's why you're here again. There's also something about Silverbolt that ties in to your destiny. Perhaps that's why you two met in the first place.
This is way too weird. she thought. The odds of him being the same guy are, like, a zillion to one! Not to mention the odds of him being on this mission as well!
There's still that one chance. Think about it, Slingblade; the odds of you returning to Earth were a zillion to one, as were the odds of you surviving the crash of your stasis-pod. Both of those things happened, so why couldn't this be the same 'bot?
Hey, it could just be a name. Both Optimus Primal and Megatron took their names from great leaders, so why couldn't he?
You don't believe that.
No. Not really.
I didn't think so.
At that exact moment, Silverbolt awoke. It wasn't really noticeable: just a slight change in his breathing.
As his vision cleared, Silverbolt looked down at Slingblade, who smiled up at him. I've done this before. he thought. I don't know when or where, but I have done this before. "Good morning."
"Hey."
"I see you slept through the rest of the night."
"Yeah. Thanks for staying with me." Dear sweet Primus, we're saying the same things that we did all those years ago!
"No problem."
"I owe you one."
He shook his head, "Think nothing of it."
"But-"
"Slingblade, it's no big deal. Now, if you don't mind…"
She moved back so he could get up.
This is too strange. Silverbolt thought, crawling off of the bunk and stretching. Every bit of this has happened to me before, but where? And when?
Slingblade got up and stretched. Her entire spine popped, followed closely by her shoulders, knees, and fingers.
He shuddered, "That's disgusting."
She shrugged, "Normal morning routine." And then, she re-popped the vertebra in her neck.
"Yuck."
She grinned at him, and did it again.
"Our bones aren't supposed to do that, you know."
"Mine do."
"I noticed." He opened her door and let her exit first. "Your body does a lot of things that it's not supposed to." he continued, walking with her to the elevator that would take them to the hallway that led to the command center.
"Oh? Like what?"
"Last night. …Or was it this morning? …Anyway, you cried while in robot mode. We can't cry unless we're in beast mode; we don't have tear ducts."
She shrugged, "My creator had a sick sense of humor."
"…Oh. Sorry."
"Ah, it's okay. You didn't know."
"Mornin' folks." Rattrap said, as he and Cheetor caught up with the duo.
"Good morning." Silverbolt smiled.
"Mornin', gents." Slingblade replied, pressing the elevator button.
"Are you feelin' any better, Blade?" Cheetor asked.
"Yeah. I'm really sorry about last night, you guys; I have frequent nightmares."
"Don' worry 'bout it." Rattrap said. "We all got our quirks. I'm jus' glad it was a bad dream dat woke you up instead 'a somethin' else." He nodded toward Dinobot's room, "Or, should I say some-one else."
Slingblade shrugged as the elevator doors opened and everyone piled in, "I'm not gonna worry about him, and neither should you guys. Besides, what's the worst he could do?"
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Dinobot stared absently out his window, wondering how long 'until further notice' was. He hated being cooped up inside, and Optimus knew it.
This is Slingblade's fault. he thought. Everything that's happened to me since that day has been her fault. I should have killed her when I had the chance.
You would've regretted it. said his conscious. Just like you regret attacking her last night.
His conscious was right; he did regret attacking her. His anger had gotten the best of him yet again, and someone had gotten hurt.
At least she fought back. he thought. Anyone else would have just laid down and taken it. His hand drifted to his back, which was still a little sore from where she had tried— and almost succeeded— to take a chunk out of him. At least she fought back.
He wanted to apologize to her, but once again, his pride and Predacon programming prevented him from doing so. The Maximals are making you soft, Dinobot. he told himself. You don't need to apologize to a female! In fact, she should apologize to you for screwing up your life.
Dinobot had never really liked femmes; he didn't have much faith in them, and was more than a little uneasy around them. And, he definitely didn't approve of them being involved in any kind of conflict.
Slingblade had been the only femme in the Decepticon Army. She had clawed her way steadily up the chain of command until she had reached the rank of general.
And not just any general; a general that Megatron himself had deemed worthy of notation. Sometimes when he had meetings with his generals, Megatron would ask for Slingblade's opinion first. Not that he ever listened to anyone's opinion but his own. Megatron trusted Slingblade more than some of his other generals; he knew she wasn't stupid enough to double-cross him, even if she disagreed with him ninety-percent of the time. Which was why Slingblade's regiment had been one of the lucky ones: they had been left behind to "hold down the fort" on Cybertron while the Great War carried over to Earth.
Dinobot ought to know; he had been a lieutenant general in Slingblade's regiment. She had relied on his ability to strategize more than once, and had trusted him almost to a fault. And he had trusted her. In fact, she was the only female that he had ever trusted.
The fact that she didn't recognize him shocked him a bit, but then again, he had changed a lot since the Great War. As had she.
Slingblade used to be absolutely vicious in battle, even if she did double as a medic. On more than one occasion, she had led the charge on Autobot cities, slaughtering anyone in sight, including innocent bystanders. The only time she wasn't fierce, cold, and ruthless was when she was patching up one of her own. Now, though, she acted as though she had always been a Maximal. The Autobots had softened her up considerably.
He chuckled; Slingblade thought that he had been born long after the Great War and was several hundred years younger than her, but in reality he was two and a half years older than her. Perhaps he should tell her. …Nah, letting her think that he was just another Predacon was too much fun.
He yawned. After Slingblade had screamed, he hadn't been able to sleep. He knew about his former commander's nightly nightmares, but he didn't know what caused them. All he knew about her was; she'd had a rough childhood, had a little brother out there somewhere that she was looking diligently for, but would probably never find, and had defected after the war for reasons only she knew.
Even though he had become used to her nightmares, this last one had caused him some concern; this one seemed to be worse than any nightmare she'd ever had before. And, even though he would never admit it, he still cared for her; it worried him to see her in such a state of distress. Had he not been confined to quarters, he probably would have been the first one to her door.
He didn't want to hate Slingblade, but found that he couldn't keep from it. First off, she had abandoned her own kind; that was strike one. Then, she had screwed up his one chance at redemption; that was strike two. And now, she had Optimus mad at him, which had resulted in his confinement. Strike three.
But, that one little part of him that still cared about her wouldn't allow the rest of him to declare her out. That one part was begging him to give her another chance.
Slingblade was one of the few 'bots that he had called 'friend'. He couldn't just turn his back on her completely, could he?
Megatron was your friend for a long time, and look at what happened; you're now mortal enemies. he reminded himself.
Slingblade's different, though. his conscious protested. You know for a fact that she would never treat you like Megatron did.
Oh, really? he challenged. Then why did she defect? Why did she deny me my redemption? Is that not betrayal?
His conscious didn't have an answer for that.
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"Uh, Rhinox? What're you doing?" Cheetor asked.
Rhinox had been lying on his back under a computer console, half of his body draped in the darkness that lurked behind the metal that encased the wiring of this computer as well as the rest of the computers that occupied the command center. He had slid out of the little hole and sat up when the quartet had entered the room. "A wire came loose under this thing." he explained. "I was trying to hook it back up, but my fingers are too big."
"Let me do it; my fingers are small." Slingblade volunteered.
"You'll have to take a panel off; this hole's not big enough for both of us." He held up a screwdriver.
She took the tool, knelt beside him, and went to work removing the panel that was beside his hole. That done, she lay down on her back, scooted under the console, and waited for Rhinox to do the same.
"See that green wire?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"It's supposed to connect to that outlet right there." He pointed to a small hole in front of them. "I've hooked this wire back up a hundred times, but it just won't stay. I guess I can't hook it up right because of the size of my fingers."
She reached up and took hold of the little green wire, then guided it to the hole.
"Be careful, you might get shocked." Rhinox said, just as she pushed the wire into the outlet.
Sparks flew and Slingblade screamed.
"Get 'em outta dere!" Rattrap yelled. He and Cheetor pulled Rhinox out by his feet, and Silverbolt went for Slingblade.
As soon as he was out, Rhinox scrambled over to Slingblade, who had smoke rising from her body. "Slingblade! Slingblade, can you hear me?"
Her optics flickered a few times, then lit up. "Whooooa." she said. "That was great! Can I do it again?"
A collective sigh of relief went through her male comrades.
"No." Rhinox answered as he climbed to his feet and helped her up. "But thanks for your help."
She shrugged, "Hey, no problem. That was fun."
"Yep, her circuits are fried." Rattrap decided.
"Dude, I've been struck by lightning before; that little jolt was nothing." She paused for a moment, then smiled, "Awww, how cute! You care!"
Rattrap snorted, "Peh! Hardly! I jus', y'know, don' want us ta lose a soldier, dat's all."
"Admit it, Rattrap, deep down you really do like me."
"I do not."
"Do too."
"Do not."
"Do too."
"Do not!"
"Do too."
"Do not!"
"I can keep this up all day. Do too."
"So can I. Do not."
"All right, that's enough!" Rhinox interrupted. "Slingblade, come with me to the lab; I need to check you out just to be safe."
Obediently, she followed him. "Do too." she mouthed over her shoulder before exiting the command center.
"Femmes!" Rattrap exclaimed, throwing up his hands as he knelt down and began to put the panels that Rhinox and Slingblade had removed back in their places.
Cheetor chuckled, "She was just messin' with ya, Rattrap."
"Yeah, I know." He finished with the panels and stood up, "Airazor was never like dat."
"Everyone is different, Rattrap." Silverbolt said, opening the roof hatch and transforming. "If you'll excuse me, I have a patrol route to run." And with that, he lifted off and disappeared into the sky.
It took Cheetor and Rattrap all of ten seconds to remember that Silverbolt didn't have to leave for patrol for another two hours.
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"Well, it looks like you're okay." Rhinox said, watching Slingblade jump down from the examination table.
"Good." she replied.
"Yes, good." Optimus agreed, "I'd hate to lose a warrior because of something as small as a shock." He had met Rhinox and Slingblade on his way to the command center and had followed them to the lab, wanting to know if Slingblade would be all right.
"Uh, Big Bot?" Cheetor asked over Optimus' commlink.
"What is it, Cheetor?"
"Silverbolt doesn't have to leave for patrol for another two hours, right?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"He left for 'patrol' a few minutes ago. Rattrap managed to track his signal." He faltered.
"…And?"
"He's headed toward Predacon territory."
"WHAT?!"
"We've also picked up a Predacon energy signature in that area. Dunno who it is, yet. …You don't think he's a spy, do you?"
"I…I don't know, Cheetor. …I hope not."
"What're we gonna do, Optimus?" Rhinox asked. "Somebody needs to go after him."
"I'll go." Slingblade volunteered. "I'm in the mood to slag somebody all of a sudden. I'll need a gun, though."
"Are you up to it?" Optimus asked.
"Hell yeah."
"All right. But, be careful; we don't know who that Predacon is. For all we know, it could be Rampage."
"I fear no 'bot."
"Let's hope so. Grab a gun before you leave the base; I'll have Rattrap transmit the coordinates to you. Now, get going; we can't waste time."
She snapped to attention and saluted— "Yes, Sir!"— then transformed and rushed out of the lab.
"You don't think…?" Rhinox trailed off.
"I hope not, Rhinox." Optimus replied wearily. "I hope not."
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"You stink."
Silverbolt blinked, "I do?"
"Yeah." She sniffed his shoulder, "You smell like…Slingblade."
"Oh, that. There was an…accident…at the base this morning. Slingblade was nearly electrocuted."
She chuckled, "Really?"
He nodded.
"Typical Maximal clumsiness."
"You were a Maximal. You still are, deep down."
She sighed, "Bowser, for once can you lay off of that subject? I just want to spend a few hours with you, that's all."
"As you wish, m'lady."
"Thank you." She sat down on the grass, and watched him do the same.
Today's meeting place was a forest that served as the no man's land between the borders of Maximal and Predacon territory. Blackarachnia had been the one who found this little clearing that had a small stream running through it.
Silverbolt leaned against the tree that they were sitting beneath, and looked up at the sun that was filtering down through the leaves.
"We'll both be in a heap of slag if anybody ever found out about this." Blackarachnia said, snuggling into his side and resting her head on his shoulder.
"I would suffer any punishment for you." he replied, wrapping his arms around her.
She smiled, then froze when she saw two bright green eyes staring at them through the bushes.
"What is it?" Silverbolt asked.
"A snoop." she answered, nodding toward the eyes. "Go see who it is."
As soon as Silverbolt stood up, the eyes disappeared as their owner made a headlong dash through the dense foliage.
Both Silverbolt and Blackarachnia gave chase.
Is that Dinobot? Blackarachnia wondered, noticing the vague outline of a velociraptor in front of them. No, Dinobot doesn't have green eyes. Most of the time. And he wouldn't have run from us. So that leaves-
Silverbolt tackled the raptor, and wrestled it to the ground.
Slingblade transformed, throwing him off of her.
Blackarachnia slid to a stop beside Silverbolt, who was sitting on the ground, staring up at the so-called snoop.
There were tears in Slingblade's optics.
"I can explain-" Silverbolt started, not daring to stand. He was interrupted by Slingblade leveling a pistol that had come from the armory at Blackarachnia.
"How could you?" Slingblade whispered, the tears falling onto her blue cheeks and sliding down her face.
"I-"
"Silverbolt, I thought you had more sense than this!" She was quickly becoming angry. "I thought you knew better!"
"Slingblade-"
The ex-Decepticon turned her ever-building wrath upon Blackarachnia, "Get away from him."
Without even thinking about it, Blackarachnia stepped away from Silverbolt. The tone of Slingblade's voice was rather unnerving: low and dangerous.
"Silverbolt…" She faltered, "Tell me you're not selling us out."
"Never!" He slowly stood up and approached her.
"Then what the hell is she doing here?"
"…I can't tell you."
"Then…you are selling us out!"
"No!"
"Slag her!" Blackarachnia shouted. "Or I will."
Before anyone else could react, Slingblade snapped off a shot at the ground in front of Blackarachnia's feet, making the she-spider fall onto her back. "Shut up!" she commanded.
Blackarachnia looked up at the other femme and found herself facing an angry Decepticon general. She didn't say another word.
"I trusted you." Slingblade whispered, turning to go.
Silverbolt grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Then in a low voice he said, "I'm trying to convince Blackarachnia to join us. Deep down, she's good. I know she is. All I have to do is bring that out."
She snorted, "You're in over your head."
"Maybe. But it'll be worth it in the long run if I can just get through to her."
The raptor's steely gaze flicked between Silverbolt and Blackarachnia. "I should so report this."
"No, please!" He gripped both of her hands in desperation, "Slingblade, I beseech you, please say nothing of this! If anyone ever found out about this…"
Her face had settled into a mask of anger a long time ago, and it didn't look like it was going to waver any time soon.
"Please, Slingblade! I beg you, say nothing!" He dropped to his knees, "Please!"
She gave both of them a look that would've made even Dinobot cringe and shy away.
She's going to kill us. Blackarachnia thought.
"All right." Slingblade finally growled. "But, if I'm questioned about this too much, I'm not going to keep my mouth shut."
Silverbolt stood up and hugged her tightly, "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."
"Yeah…sure." she replied, her tone somewhat hurt. "Whatever makes you happy, Silverbolt." She pulled away from him, fresh tears beginning to spill out onto her cheeks.
"Slingblade?" he asked, beginning to reach for her again.
"DON'T!" she yelled, yanking away from him like she thought he was going to hurt her. Then softer, "Don't. Just…do whatever it is you're gonna do and don't get caught. Or worse." And with that, she transformed and headed back toward the Axalon, going as fast as her legs would allow.
"Slingblade!" Silverbolt called, taking a step forward.
"Let her go." Blackarachnia said, putting a claw on his shoulder.
He hung his head, "I…I think I hurt her."
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"Well?" Optimus asked as soon as Slingblade exited the elevator.
"False alarm." she answered, never taking her optics off of the floor.
"Are you okay?" He looked closely at her.
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"What's wrong, Slingblade?" Rhinox asked.
"Nothing." she answered. "Nothing and everything." Before either one of them could say anything, she left the command center in a run, heading down the hallway that would lead to the elevator, which would take her to her quarters.
Optimus looked to Rhinox, who only shrugged.
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Dinobot was jolted out of a nap when Slingblade's door slammed shut. What the…? he wondered, raising up on his bunk.
All of a sudden, music began to blare from the room beside his. He recognized the song to be Wait And Bleed by a human group called Slipknot. Where did Slingblade get human music? He only recognized this band because of some data that he had stumbled across while searching through the Axalon's databanks for information on Earth. The data had been stored in a long-forgotten file, and he had only opened it because it sounded interesting. So, where did she get-
Something hit the wall beside his head. Instinctively he ducked, then realized that it was Slingblade's fist that had hit the wall. She must be angry.
The music got louder and the bumps and bangs became more frequent and closer together. She must be really mad. Slingblade never turned her music up this loud unless she was mad; and when that happened, it was best out stay out of her way. He and the rest of her regiment had learned this valuable lesson the hard way.
This went on for quite some time; the music steadily became heavier and darker, and the impacts became harder.
Primus Almighty! he thought. Whoever pissed her off did a really good job of it.
Suddenly, a blue fist with purple and black forearm armor following it came through the wall just above his head.
Dinobot jumped. This small action caused him to fall off of his bunk, and he didn't dare get back up until she had moved away. Then, he crawled up onto his bunk and peeked through the hole.
Slingblade's walls were full of fist- and body-sized dents. And she wasn't done yet. She roared, then threw herself against the wall that separated her room from Silverbolt's as hard as she could.
Dinobot flinched at the resulting crunch and thump.
She collapsed to the floor, panting hard and staring up at the ceiling with blood lust still blazing in her optics. She lay there for a long time, her entire body shaking with the rage that she wanted to release but didn't have the energy to.
What has gotten into her? he wondered. I haven't seen her this mad since Starscream was murdered. …Rather, since Starscream's body was destroyed. …Hmmm…
It was then that he noticed the tears that were streaming down the sides of her face.
Slowly, Slingblade pushed herself up into a sitting position, and proceeded to silently release what rage she had left. "RrrrrrrrrAAAAAAAAHHH!" she roared, "FUCK!" Her fists connected with the floor one last time, and she slumped, the last of her anger spent.
Her audio player stopped, and the following silence was deafening.
He sat down on his bunk, and leaned against the wall, keeping his optics on the hole a few inches away. "Dare I inquire as to whom has incited the wrath of the Almighty Slingblade?" he asked, secretly glad that there was a wall between them. Not that it would do much good if she got really mad…
"Someone I care about." she replied, standing up and walking over to her bunk. She sounded weary.
He heard her sit down and lean against the wall. "I see. And that someone is…?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"I'm sworn to secrecy."
"Slingblade, do you honestly think I am that stupid? Silverbolt has done something that has angered you. And by the looks of things, he did a pretty good job of it."
"How do you know it's Silverbolt?"
"Oh, please. You and I hate each other, you're not that close to Rhinox or Optimus, you and Rattrap don't trust each other, although you get along well enough, and even though you like Cheetor, you see him as nothing more than an inquisitive child. That leaves Silverbolt, and the two of you are so close it sickens me."
"Damn. Am I that obvious?"
"Quite."
She didn't respond, but he heard her shift.
"So…what did he do?"
She sighed heavily, "Have you ever been betrayed?"
Irony, thou art punctual. "Yes. Several times."
"By someone you were really close to?"'
"Yes. …You saw him with Blackarachnia, didn't you?"
"How did-"
"Each time he comes in from patrol, he reeks of her. This only started after Rampage entered the fray."
"Why didn't you report it?"
"I didn't have enough proof. Plus, it would look like I was trying to dishonor him if I was proven false."
"Oh."
"But, you saw it with your own optics. You can turn him in on charges of treason."
"I can't!"
"Why not?"
"…He's my friend. I can't just betray him like that."
You betrayed me. More than once. How am I any different from Silverbolt?
"Besides, he's trying to talk her into joining us."
He sighed, "Oh, you are naive. Slingblade, you know Blackarachnia; do you honestly think she's going to defect?"
"You never know."
"Primus, what have the Autobots done to you? Blackarachnia is a female version of Starscream! There is no way in hell she'll join us!"
"You don't know that! And Starscream was a friend of mine, thank you very much."
"You adored that traitor, didn't you?"
"So what if I did? He was my friend."
"Try telling him that. You might've thought have thought of him as a friend, but he didn't return the feeling. He might've said 'Hello.' every now and then, but that was it. He didn't like you any more than he did anyone else."
"How do you know?"
"I know more about you than you think I do."
"Have you been hacking into my personal files?"
"No; I respect your privacy, believe it or not. Besides, it would be a waste of my time. I already know enough to blackmail you."
"You slag-suckin' son of a-"
He laughed, "Foolish girl! I do not sink to such levels! Blackmail can backfire, after all."
"Don't fuck with me, Dinobot; I'm not in the mood."
"I'm not trying to anger you, Slingblade, although it is quite fun. I'm just trying to calm you down before you go medieval on somebody."
"You're not doing a very good job."
"I can see that."
She sighed, "Sorry; I didn't mean that. I'm just really pissed-off right now."
"I know. …You're jealous, aren't you?"
"No."
"Slingblade…"
"All right, yes! Yes, I'm jealous! But, I'm more hurt than jealous. I mean, I thought he had more sense than that, you know?"
"Silverbolt's mind works in mysterious ways."
"Tell me about it."
"You wanted him for yourself."
She heard the sneer in his voice. "Yes."
"But, he was already taken. That angered you."
"That didn't anger me near as much as the identity of the 'bot who had taken him. What does he see in her, anyway?"
"I have no idea. He sees something, though."
"Yeah."
There was a long silence.
"Dinobot?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For last night. And for getting you into trouble. …And for screwing your life up. …And for being a bitch to you. …And for anything else I did to you but can't remember right now."
"I…feel that I must also apologize. I…haven't exactly been the friendliest and most hospitable of 'bots. …I owe you my life, and I have treated you like slag. I tried to kill you, and I've made your life miserable since you got here. I regret all of that, and I apologize for it."
Carefully, she stuck her hand through the hole. "Apology accepted and returned."
"Same here." He shook her hand.
"Let's start over, okay?"
"Agreed."
She tightened her grip on his hand, "Hi. I'm Slingblade."
He did the same, "Greetings. I am Dinobot."
Author's Note; Yes, yes, I know; I didn't give anyone time to review Chapter 3. Sorry about that: I just had to post this chapter after I finished it! Anyway, please R & R. (I'm desperate, people!) More to come!