She woke from a long nap and stepped out into a commotion. The troupes are dashing about and there's gunfire...and the ringing and scraping of swords?
A soldier is running up the hallway towards her.
"What happening?"
"Nothing. Shut yourself in and lock the doors. Don't come out until things are quiet."
Some barreling footsteps roll like thunder from the direction the soldier is headed. He doesn't get far past her room before he's cut down.
A blade stops just before her face from the side.
Carefully, she puts her raised hands into view as a mostly white Autobot glides out and around to see her. His optics lock on her; waiting.
Her optics are wide too; a new Autobot! Do they know he's here? He needs off the ship, if they're going to find him.
In her lowest volume, she asks: "Looking for a way out?"
He doesn't answer but she takes it as a yes.
"Left, second right, straight ahead. That will take you to the flight deck up top."
He doesn't keep the low volume though, "How 'bout I take you with me? Just to make sure it ain't a trap."
"I just want you off the ship."
"Come 'ere."
She keeps her hands up and moves out in front of him.
"Lead the way."
She starts with a brisk walk and he keeps up without a problem. As they travel the directions she gave, she wrestles with wanting to tell him she's on his side, but she can't be sure Soundwave isn't listening somewhere.
He sees his way out but ushers her forwards, pushing the point on a less protected part of her back and puncturing it a little.
"Ow."
"Are you really that delicate?"
"You don't trust your eyes?" She feels his glare.
"The Decepticons must really indulge themselves with you on board."
"Yeah, they really do."
"I don't need to know." He pokes her again, but doesn't leave a hole this time, "Move."
Sonica walks out and finds Starscream there with his armada in neat lines.
"Why hasn't he opened their ground bridge?" He stomps.
Of course, this sarcastic Autobot has an answer. "Maybe he got the warm-fuzzies and decided to switch sides."
Oh, so Makeshift is at work right now. Starscream can be slick; too bad it's already blowing up in his face.
Starscream's optics widened before he took aim, "How? How did you escape?"
"Your guards have gigabytes for brains." He sets the blade at her neck, "Open the ground bridge and let us pass. Then maybe you'll keep your little treasure here."
Sonica has a decision to make: does she fire the tiny gun camouflaged in her thigh and stay with the Decepticons, or does she stay this Autobot's hostage and spend some time with friends?
Autobots. She needs a real break.
The white bot tightens his hold and presses it closer; the sharp side shadowed by her jaw.
She tenses, partly on purpose, "Just do as he says, Starscream, I'll be fine."
The Autobot makes a face, she hears it in his tone, "Gross, did I pick your conjunx out of all the slime on this boat?"
He laughs, "Sure. We'll go with that; just because you have no idea what she really is. She's mine for a reason, Autobot Wheeljack."
Sonica gives Starscream a sly smile; she can still make this work. When she returns, she'll say she attempted to discover the Autobot base.
Besides that, Wheeljack watches her now. She can't pull her gun in time, even if she wanted to.
A ground bridge opens.
Starscream's smile changes to a grin, "Last chance, Autobot. Let her go and face us."
Her options changed; Makeshift did his job after all. Sonica puts her hand in place to grab her gun and she prepares the right hit.
This gun has collected every form of impact she's experienced, into energy bullets. She doesn't want to blow him away, but stun him. The gun is tiny enough, the hit will match the appearance.
Sonica ejects it from her leg, angles it backwards, and fires in a nanoklik.
Wheeljack jumps back. The impact bullet pushes his left side backwards, but he stays on his feet. Hardy bot, this one.
She runs to Starscream's side.
"FIRE!"
He hold onto her as Wheeljack plows through the mass. For every body that drops, Wheeljack has swung his double blades several times. Starscream sees that the battle isn't going well, and shoves her for the door.
"Barricade yourself, NOW!"
She runs to the door and they shut behind her. With angry stabs of her finger on the keypad, the door locks. Then she covers her face. Hopefully the Autobots are alright. That's all she can do, hope. She can't be there to be sure that they are.
The sight of Starscream's cut lip was promising. Though it no longer bleeds, the exposed energon is still out where she can practically smell it.
He's walking into the medical center where Knockout finishes patching up the small hole in her back.
"Did we find it?" She lifts herself up.
Starscream tenses, almost hisses, "No."
She lowers back down, to look sad, then tilts her head, "I sense your cut lip. Are you alright otherwise?"
His red optics lock on hers, "Don't take my previous words seriously, Sonica. You shouldn't have been there in the first place. How did he find you?"
"Uh..." She shyly states that she simply poked her her out, curious about the noise. "And for the record, I know you weren't serious."
"If you can figure that out, why didn't you have the mind to lock the doors until one of ours comes for you?"
"Because I can defend myself?" She lazily shrugs.
Starscream rolls his eyes and sets a hand on his hip, "Yes, that tiny gun I now know you have?"
She smiles, "Yes. My tiny gun."
He scowls, unconvinced.
"It got him to let go, didn't it?"
"Sonica," He snaps, "What I want out of this discussion is that you know full-well to hide yourself, when and if, the Nemesis is invaded. Am I clear?"
She fakes a touched expression as she gets off the table, "Aw, you really care."
He leans in close, almost touching her, "I want your abilities, Doradus. That's the reason I care at all."
"I know that," Her optics follow him as he withdraws, "You're the norm, Lord Starscream. Not many bots have cared for me as me, and I'm used to that."
She left the room with the last say. Those facts stung this time. Despite all the times she's thought it and said it, it still hurts.
But there's one cure she has for that, and they're on the other side of the communicator.
She hides in her washroom this time, to avoid Soundwave's invisible eyes, and brings it out.
The screen blinks, but there's only the dull silver of a face plate.
"Jackie, put it down."
"Huh? What is it?" The new Autobot's optics suddenly take up the screen, staring right into hers. "WHOA!"
The background swirls. The device sounds like it's being smacked around and Bee almost squeals. She gets glimpses of his hands before his round eyes fill the view.
"Sorry about that, Sonica."
She giggles, "Good catch, teach."
Bee's tone grumbles, "Really, it was just luck."
"Luck that we wouldn't have needed if Wheeljack had not picked it up," Ratchet gripes.
"I accidentally hit a button. I was makin' sure I didn't break it."
Bumblebee looks back down at the communicator, "Hello, Sonica!" He waves and she waves back.
"Who in the AllSpark is that?"
"The femme I was telling you about, Jackie. That's Sonica."
"Wait, what? So she's not Starscream's conjunx?"
The balks are almost as verbal as the protests and choking noises.
"The correct term to you, fan-blades, is double agent." She smirks, "Glad you made it to base safely."
Bee turns the device and Wheeljack stands in the center. Bulkhead stands a little behind him.
"Um..." Wheeljack rubs his head, "Sorry 'bout...all that."
She laughs, "Totally fine. That exchange deepened my cover and I'm not offended."
"'You...alright?"
"Yep," She does a few short nods, "We have a new medic with a strict eye like Ratchet's. You probably can't tell it's there. I'm guessing, of course. I can't really see it."
Bulkhead turned to Wheeljack, but it was a distinct turn- like pointing a finger- and Wheeljack could feel it.
"What?"
"What did you do?"
Sonica laughs, "Nothing a badaft wouldn't do. It's all good."
For a moment, she and the new guy look at each other and the story becomes something like an inside joke. He gives her an approving smirk.
"Did you stab her?" Bee growls suspiciously.
He glances at the scout but decides to acknowledge her, instead, "So, how does a powerful ancient like you live in a delicate little figure?"
"I'll take that as a yes..."
She almost ignores Bee's conclusion, but Ratchet turned around; staring sternly. She was quick to describe the minor injury and dismiss it. Sheesh, it barely bled.
He ends up asking her the same questions Starscream did: why doesn't she upgrade? She gives the same answers. After that, the group sort of took turns exchanging stories. Wheeljack and Bulkhead had some eventful times as Wreckers. There were some intense situations they described and could now laugh about. She loved every detail. Arcee joined in for a bit near the end.
Sonica doesn't have any stories like that...at least, not yet. Most of her friends are one with the AllSpark.
When they gradually ran out of stories, they began asking her some questions.
"Have you figured out the meaning of life yet?" Wheeljack was partly joking.
A comfortable smile spreads to either side of her head, "I think that may be the first time I've been asked that. Hm..." she thinks a little, "I believe life is what you make it to be. You give life meaning and purpose. The best way, as I've observed, is through others. Aside from wisdom, they are all you take with you when you go offline."
A stunned silence follows, and she giggles. They weren't expecting such a serious answer.
"You know what?" Arcee folds her arms as she stands on the other side of Wheeljack from Bulkhead, "I like that. It makes sense."
"I have so much to think about," Bee droops.
"I think I need to come up with better questions," Wheeljack shuffles in place, "That one was too easy."
Sonica laughs. It feels good.
