"He lost an arm but got a different one back," Bee chuckles, "And we got the children back with no trouble."
Sonica joins him as she rests her head against her hand propped up on her bended knees, "That explains why Knockout was rummaging through parts storage."
She sits beside her stasis chamber with the communicator leaning back against her lap. Arcee answered this time as they are in the middle of a refuel after they dropped off the children at their homes. All of them, save Ratchet, sit together at a table tucked in a side room past the vaults. Their glasses are full of the energon she shared with them from Chicago.
"I'm surprised he lives," Arcee add turning the communicator towards her.
Sonica's smile is at ease as she feels as though she sits with them inside the base, "He lives because I interfered."
The leery kind of attention she gets from Optimus, is in a single side stare. The others glance between him and Sonica.
"What?" Her smile is forced to stay, "I know how to pick my fights."
"Why though?" Bulkhead turns his hand next to his glass, "Starscream's a jerk."
She waves a hand, "I don't disagree with you there. I figured keeping him around might be an advantage. He keeps Megatron busy...for the...small part...but a part we wouldn't have if he was terminated."
Optimus sets his glass down, "What's the true reason, Sonica?"
She thinks about it and her smile disappears, "What other reason do you think I have?"
"The one that's bothering you,"
"Look, what's done is done. I did what I felt was right. My body may be young, but my spark is not. I'm getting a bit hacked by bots not taking me seriously. I mean...that's what I aim for here, but that doesn't mean bots can run me over. I'm not vermin, I'm Doradus. I am something important and they needed to see that."
"I'm not questioning your decision, Sonica."
She snaps out of it and looks at him apologetically.
"I do believe you did what you felt was right. I only asked to remind you that you can be honest with us."
Sonica sighs and rubs at her forehead, "I'm sorry." She pauses and reflects on the sounds of his cries. "I just...couldn't stand to hear his screams and ignore them. In that moment, all I could think was, not another of my kin- I couldn't save Cybertron but I can save my kind."
She rubs her eyes with the heels of her palms, "I'm starting to regret it. Because of this, Starscream might seem like a weak spot, or a bargaining chip for my information. I've hinted that I can heal others and I'm feeling as much dread as I did listening to someone get beaten. I'm such an idiot."
Optimus, unexpectedly, smiles and it brightens the room. "I understand why you feel like it may have been a mistake. Decepticons don't take mistakes lightly but their rules are hard to understand. I believe it is pressure you feel, not regret. Kindness is part of you and uncoincidentally, so is intelligence and strength."
Her mouth hangs open and her spark is exposed but warmed. She wants to smile but his words touched so deep that she's too overwhelmed to do so. "Thank you...thank you so much Optimus. That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."
He nods pleasantly, "Stay strong, Sonica. Remember why you are there. It's not just about keeping secrets, but if that's more important to you, feel free to return to us at any time."
The smile makes its way as she nods, "Yes, you're right. Thank you again."
She sighs, "If there were a bigger word for 'thank you', I would say it."
There's a sweet pause as she glances over the Autobots, feeling like the luckiest Doradus ever. Friends like these are so rare and she somehow stumbled upon this many of them.
Bumblebee leans in and takes up most of the screen, "I can't hold it anymore. You can heal people?"
"Oh, right. I didn't tell you yet, did I?"
Arcee pushes him back, "Move, Bee, let her tell."
Bulkhead gets comfortable and Optimus finishes his drink.
"Alright," Bee shimmies in his seat, "Go."
Alone in his quarters, Starscream flexes the fingers on his new arm and sighs. If he's going to rule the Decepticons, he needs to be smarter with the dark energon. But after that embarrassing fiasco, does he even care for dark energon?
How does it work so well for Megatron but not him? Isn't he bloodthirsty enough? Strong enough?
He scowls.
Foolish enough?
Dark energon may be impressive but it makes bots crazy. Megatron is a great example: who stays near a space bridge while it's blowing up? Did he think he could save his army?
And Starscream fell for it too. One strong bot is no army- what was he thinking would come from that? All he can think of is how angry he was that Skyquake refused his leadership... the whole 56 megacycles of it. It was so painfully short-lived.
The three stellar cycles he had while Megatron buzzed around space was a bliss he never knew he desired. That was a taste of approval, respect, and freedom he didn't get from their Master. He wants it back. He wants the respect back.
Starscream sets the dark energon on his desk for now. When he's ready to go back out, he'll toss it into Megatron's stash of the slag. He can have it.
He frowns at the broken shard and makes a rude gesture that it so deserves. It's only slightly satisfying.
The other thing that's bothering him is the subject he's been trying to avoid: Sonica's rescuing him.
He doesn't want to know why she did that. He doesn't want to care that she did anything at all. Besides, whatever she did really hurt. As much as he wants to ask, he doesn't want to know. It's a constant conflict that he wants to ignore.
"As Doradus, I deem Starscream worth saving and keeping."
And that won't stop echoing in his head either. Of course, he's worth saving; he's talented, witty, and an excellent warrior, flyer, and commander. Keeping him should've never been a question in the first place. There are many things Megatron would not have been able to accomplish without his ideas and availability.
Well... he thinks as he glances around his room, acting a little lost, ...at least someone besides myself thinks so.
If she meant it.
What did she have to gain by doing that?
Duh, now he owes her.
Honestly, he should just walk up and demand that she explain.
No, no, he doesn't need to know. He doesn't need her laughing in his face or shrugging and saying she was bored (Yeah, that sounds like her). There's no need to get his hopes up for nothing.
If he wants hope, he can keep it to himself. Back to the more tangible thing: leadership of the Decepticons. As long as that scrap works for Megatron, he's harder than ever to defeat.
Too bad Sonica can't do anything about the dark energon. If she could, perhaps there could be a way to convince her to terminate him or even enslave him. Eh, that so far-fetched that it could be considered crazy. He doesn't have anything to purchase her services anyways.
He sits on his bed.
So why did she save him? What was worth saving and keeping?
