Sonica had another one of those dreams again. Yeah. More ominous warnings about staying off the earth and not saying why.
She plans to listen; Doradus the First isn't known for being humorous. So why does her power-down need to be continuously interrupted? She may not ever know.
Sitting up, she stretches and stands; waiting for the intercom to click on and Starscream to gurgle more chores at her. As she arches back to loosen her plating, she remembers it may not happen anymore. Megatron is back.
Yay.
That could explain why she slept as well as she did despite the nightmare; for once, she wasn't being watched.
"Sonica,"
She leaps in midair and ejects the small gun from her thigh. The voice came from somewhere near the door. She aims there as she lands. Ready to fight.
Long fingers poke through the smoke.
Did she fire? She doesn't remember firing...
She squints at the fingers, "STARSCREAM?"
"Commander, to you,"
"By the slaggin' smelting pit, what in the glitching AllSpark are you doing in my fraggin' room?" Her glare flattens as she wonders how he got in without waking her, "You're so creepy!"
The smog clears a little with some of his waving that she can see the hole in her cabinet. She's going to have to find more paint-care kits and jewelry.
He sputters as he makes his way into the clearing, where she's slumping in shock over blowing up her things.
"I'm not..."
"Why are you like this?" She interrupts, "You make me incinerate my stuff. I hope you intend to replace those."
"Sonica..."
"By Unicron's horns, Knockout is going to be pissed."
He opens his mouth to speak but she cuts him off again.
"He liked the wax I had. I kept it in my stasis pod from Cybertron."
He pauses of his own accord this time, to make a face at her, "You were stored away with wax?"
She glares at him from under her brow, "Are you going to tell my why you startled the slag out of me, or do I stick my foot up your aft?"
"Excuse you, Sonica. I think you should apologize for almost blasting me with your tiny, but powerful, gun. After that, you can tell me what other abilities you're hiding from me."
There's a long pause.
"I can get my foot so high, you'll have a new spike out of your forehead. That's just one of my hidden..."
He waves and mutters over her, "No, no, no, blast it all, Sonica. Stop trying to be funny..."
"...This is a threat..."
"Not with your aluminum body,"
"Frag you; now I wish I hadn't missed."
"I am your commanding officer."
"You're as much my supervisor as Megatron is my number one fan..."
"Oh Primus, stop trying to be funny."
"...Right- can you stop being creepy? Why can't I power-down...?"
"Will you shut your fragging mouth?" He gets in her face.
She leans in closer, "Ten nanokliks; explain."
There's a string of tense silence. He purposefully goes over ten nanokliks before he speaks. "What do you want from me?"
"An explanation..."
"No, why did you save me?"
Her optics widen and her whole demeanor changes.
Starscream scrutinizes her gaze for any hint of a joke. None. She meant it? He can ask then; what did she see? He hesitates. His mouth won't move.
Sonica blinks a couple times, her brow creases, and she shrugs.
He scolds himself.
"Why...wouldn't I save you?"
That was nice. He's not prepared for this sort of response. What does he do? The panic irritates him. He defaults.
"Good question. Of course I'm worth it. I just had to make sure it wasn't a joke."
She shifts her weight to one leg, "If you knew you were worth it, why ask?"
Frag. He thinks quickly and ends up stuttering, "Like I said...I had to make sure it wasn't a joke. You know, humor isn't my thing; especially not from you."
"I don't go that far for humor. I know my limits as well as I know my fights."
He chuckles but it's nervous. He noticed. He hates that. "I don't really think you know how to pick your fights. You stepped on Megatron's toes and one day, he'll be stepping on you."
Her optics slide to his shoulder and she raises a brow. He's covered in earth dust; that's not from her cabinet.
"What?" He presses, and she looks at him.
Knockout told her about Megatron's little fieldtrips and it's now that she realizes why he had randomly brought it up: they weren't expecting Starscream to come back.
"I see a mech who adapts to whatever life throws at him. You think on your feet and when your intentions are...defined...you excel in the many things you do. I see someone who cares about those under him, like Breakdown, even when you black mail them. You do so to keep yourself safe...you've had to adapt to that too."
He looks away, glaring at the floor, then glancing about her room as he knocks a fist on his leg. His wings droop slightly and his feet shuffle under his posture which can't pick a pose.
Sonica watches him and her spark starts to melt. He's cute when he's flustered but she can't stand his struggle any longer.
"Hey,"
"What?" He snips.
"Thank you,"
Starscream's expression wrinkles, "For what?"
Her trademark smile of sass returns, "For the replacement of my things." She gives him no time to retort and ushers him out the door. "Go on now, get a team together. It'll be a long list once I sift through the wreckage."
The doors to her room open and she pushes him out. He didn't really fight her. Maybe he was a little grateful. Sonica didn't know and didn't bother to find out; now that he's relaxed a little at her shrewd dismissing.
"Have a good day, I accept your apology..."
He balks but she continues.
"And if you try another stunt like that again, I will charge you for the additional items I shove into all your orifices." She flutters her fingers at him before the doors slam in front of him.
She sighs, but smiles.
...Remember why you're there...
Sonica is here to help unite the segregated kin, through the kindness Prime sees in her. There's still a long ways to go, assuming it's possible, but it seems it can be, because there's something in Starscream that wasn't there when they met.

It's the first conversation she has had with Megatron since she saved Starscream. All it is, is numbers for the quantities of the mines she had been working on. Almost spontaneously, he will ask about the ones that she currently works on and then change it to one from months ago.
She stands tall and keeps her answers short and to the point, and waits until he finishes or asks a heavy, off-topic question. Surely, an explosion is approaching, right?
Not only did she stop him from executing "justice", but whispers are going around about Starscream exiting her room earlier. Rumor has made up some freaky stuff... It probably stems from the workers who are presently patching the small crater in her wall where her cabinet used to be.
Of course, firing kinetic energy doesn't usually burn, just impounds. There aren't scorch marks to tell them it was blaster fire. These Cons must be bored with a love for drama.
She answers another one of Megatron's mining questions and barely smothers her sigh.
It's coming. She knows it. Her answers get shorter and she barely makes complete sentences; and it's not just because of the dark energon leaking out of him like a stench.
Let's move it along and get it over with, she has plans to sulk in Knockout's office and listen to him tell her he told her so.
However, Breakdown shows up. He's holding his fingers and stands awkwardly at the start of the floating platform where she and Megatron stand.
"You dare come back empty handed?"
"No sir," He states and turns around.
Sonica reels, "Oh Primus! You didn't quite kill the thing on your back! It's still moving!"
Arachnid glares at her as there are some smothered chuckles.
She changes gears and kicks back her bold honesty. The dark energon is making this hard, they can't know she already hates the spider. "Oh, it's...my bad."
Megatron ignores it all, "It's been some time."
"What can I say? It's good to be back."
Even your puns are bad, Sonica thinks to herself.
Orders are given to get the two detached then Arachnid can go to an old room on the south side of the ship; far away from Sonica's, thankfully. When Megatron is done with orders, everyone returns to the usual stations. Only she, watches Breakdown walk down the hall to Knockout's lab. She wants to go with him but glances at Megatron while he reads something on the screens.
"Permission to be dismissed, sir?"
"No, I have a few more questions."
She tries not to look disappointed but doesn't try hard enough to completely hide it. Part of being a good liar is looking like you're not hiding or lying. She did well despite the proximity to the dark stuff.
"Firstly," he begins without looking at her, "do you have abilities to read one's character?"
Spontaneous. Weird.
"Perhaps a few skills more than the average bot. Why?"
"I'm asking the questions."
Too easily, she rolls her eyes. Her discipline is slipping. This needs to be fast. "Apologies."
"Why are you here with me, and not with Optimus whom you may have more in common?"
"I was captured."
"It was too easy. You came here on purpose by allowing your capture."
"Very perceptive, Megatron." A cynical smirk grows from the dark energon's touch, "As Doradus, the Autobots are worthy sparks. I'm here to search for others just as worthy."
He raises a brow; even he must know that was a little too honest.
Defaulting to her authority...not a good sign.
"A traitor," he leans over her, "Is worthy to you?"
"As you just learned," She glares, "I see things differently than you do." Blinking slowly, she reigns it in, "Sir."
"In what world, including the Autobots', is a traitor worth healing, but not a great leader stuck in comatose?"
She pushes back, "You still had dark energon inside you. I couldn't heal you."
His optics narrow. The answer fits but he doesn't like it; he's sure that means something.
"May I be dismiss-?"
"No,"
She feels she's being pulled in and her resistance weakens.
"I need to know one more thing," Megatron growls, "What do you do with these worthy sparks you mentioned?"
Sonica fights herself to focus through the flowing dark ribbons that caress her face. It plucks at her anger at the same time it draws her in. It's just as tempting to press herself against his chest, as it is to pull the shard right out of him...to keep it to herself and be the Destroyer's favorite.
"Answer me,"
Her hand almost plunges into his chest, but she tosses her head instead. It's just enough to snap her most of the way out of it. "My little secret, Megatron."
With the little control she has left, she turns and walks away; shoving past Arachnid who gives her a judging look.
Sonica pays no attention. Her only thought is to get somewhere safe, get somewhere that helps her control this...
Her anger still hums and tickles her hands in the worst way. To ground herself, she watches her feet, something with a pattern and is easy to think about. Simplicity will calm her, and reality will bring her down.
Of course, she runs into someone. Can't they watch where they are going? She can't be the only one stepping out of the way. This is the worst thing to happen to her right now.
She startles seeing Starscream.
Sonica shakes her head, "Your materializing-out-of-nowhere, needs to stop. I could take your head off before I know it's you."
He frowns, "What's wrong?"
"Don't bother. It's the Decepticon way. I'll handle this myself."
He keeps her from leaving, "Look, I don't do this for just anyone. If you have a complaint, spill it. I owe you, after all."
"No, you don't...expect my stuff. After that, call it even. Let me go."
"Where are you headed?"
"I don't know," She throws her hands up then ducks under his arm, "Just...elsewhere!"
Sonica doesn't realize he followed her until she sees Knockout's optics shift from her, to someone behind her.
She slumps, "I told you, I'm fine."
Knockout tilts his head, "What's going on?"
Breakdown peeks out from the storage closet, "Sonica? Are you upset?"
Why? Why is she still angry? The dark energon she destroyed eons ago didn't have this effect on her so why?
And these mechs...they're being nice, and not only does she uncharacteristically dislike it but she can't tell them the truth. They can't know.
"For crying out loud, Sonica," Starscream rolls his eyes and clasps her shoulder, "Stop acting like some stoic, tough bot, it doesn't suit your painfully eccentric personality."
She freezes. The pulse within his hand is loud in her audio receptors. The energon twists and turns in his veins and tubes, matching his sparkbeat's flow. The pure energon Primus gave them; blue and full of life. The anger evaporates and her being relaxes in a quiet sigh.
Starscream glances at Knockout and Breakdown who look as confused as he does. He moves to turn her around, but she hold his hand down.
The three of them exchange glances again; uncertain and surprised.
"Sonica?" Knockout waves a hand in front of her face.
Curious about the affect Starscream's contact has on her, she takes Knockout's hand.
Their optics are wide as they follow her gentle hold to where she sets his hand on her face. She keeps it there, against her cheek, and leans into his touch. Their pulses have different patterns but it's music to her ears. Her anger fades like steam and leaves cooled condensation behind.
She smiles and relaxes deeper. This. this is her cure against dark energon.
Starscream slumps, "Does anyone, at any time, ever understand femmes? I feel I've witnessed why no one would."
Sonica laughs at his comment and they watch wearily.
"The plot thickens," Knockout comments.
It takes a couple moments before she can speak, "Sorry, I'm sorry. I...don't know if I can explain. Your pulses are...sobering...in a way. Does that make sense?"
Their expressions say, "no".
"And you think I'm creepy."
Is there any reason not to tell them? As Optimus reminded her, it's not just about keeping secrets. If this is her cure against dark energon, they should know. If not, they could accidentally make a psycho out of her- and one psycho is enough, they don't need two...or three. Arachnid makes two- Sonica would make three.
"Can...can I have my hand back?" Knockout asks as kindly as he can.
She is feeling better, "Thanks for letting me borrow it."
"Sure."
"Well? What about mine?"
She pats Starscream's hand and he removes it.
Breakdown leans slightly towards her, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I am now," She nods and delves into detail.
Their attentions pique the whole brief summary of what she experienced while standing too close to Megatron for too long. At the end, they not only accepted her story, but understood.
Breakdown is the first to offer with open arms, "If it happens again, come to me, Sonica. I'm bigger and should be more effective."
"Just don't scratch her paint. She doesn't have any more of that good wax."
Starscream's countenance flatlines and Sonica is the only one that laughs.

She puts the communicator in its disguised place under her stasis chamber with extra care, moving slow, and letting out a deep sigh from the depths of her air systems.
First, Starscream disappears, then Arcee tells her that he wanted to join their side...until she chased him away. To top it off, Arachnid is somehow first lieutenant despite her incredible blunder leaving Starscream behind. Megatron's yelling at her eased Sonica's anger but the ship is much quieter without the stilted wingnut.
Sonica is surprised how much she misses him. She got a little attached.
He'll be fine though; no doubt. The resources at his digit-tips are plenty. He's not going to burn out of energon or drop into a sinkhole. He's too smart for that.
But it does hurt her spark to know that he could've been an Autobot...he could've...
However, there's little time to mope over it. Megatron is in a frenzy to fine more dark energon.
Yippee.
There's additional excitement as well: each time Megatron zones out into a vision, she feels it, and it seems to happen a lot- that it happens at all, feels like a lot.
The first time was while she stood right in front of him. It was the vision telling him that the planets were aligning. The dark energon links, in its own twisted way, to Unicron, similar to how silver energon connects to Primus. When the shard in Megatron's body connects to Unicron, it acts like a wide tractor beam. No matter how far apart she and Megatron are, the connection hits him and the whole ship. She'll cease up like he does until the vision is done with him.
She's quite sure Soundwave noticed but she played it cool so well he hasn't said anything to Megatron yet. She knows because the dark warlord still scurries about the ship muttering to himself and shouting orders with more ferocity that usual. If he knew, surely, he would say something or keep her around for a psychotic angle.
For now, they think she's safe from the dark energon as long as it's hidden away in Megatron's spark chamber or under the ship. As long as they are sure that it'll kill her otherwise, they won't use it against her. Hopefully, the visions don't reveal her lie. If it does, she thankfully has a cure to counter it and if Megatron leans of this, Sonica will have to leave. She will not be used as a weapon.
The only left to prepare against is Arachnid. Most of her plans with interacting with her are in need of alterations and most of those are pushing questionable lines. Until Sonica figures this out, she is just ignoring her. Arachnid doesn't care all that much. One time, she did try to strike up a conversation and Sonica blew her off. That little gesture poked some buttons, and that would be fine if she decided on the plan to antagonize the spider in the name of protecting Megatron.
There are a lot of benefits in that angle including the affirmation of Sonica being a great judge of character. If 'Scream decides to come back, he would be able to because of the evidence provided. On the flip side, she becomes Meg's little pet when she can't stand to be around him...in more definitions of that phrase than one.
She could decide to send mixed messages to Arachnid; friend or foe, none will know. But if she angers the spider, that could grow into an approved and supervised fist fight.
The concern is not whether or not Sonica can live through it; orange energon makes great armor when it "freezes" by fusing its molecules.
The worry is revealing orange energon and her warrior side. That could further inspire them into making her a weapon as well as get them interested in the other types.
If it did come to a fist fight, she could avoid using orange energon by simply seizing the energon in Arachnid's body but that's crossing a personal and moral line. Even though what she did to Bee while Megatron possessed him was justified, it has yet to stop bothering her- on top of her failure to stop Megatron's return. She does not want to do that again, no matter who it is, and she cannot afford another major failure.
Sonica is lucky that Megatron doesn't remember his time in Bee's body; he would've learned the Autobot's location AND a few clues towards the extent of her powers.
And this all stems from avoiding and ignoring Arachnid?
Yeah...okay then.
She continues weighing the options as she follows Breakdown around for all his errands for Knockout...which actually translates to: Knockout doesn't like to feel stared at or supervised.
Breakdown told her why. A muffler-headed perfectionist of a professor would lean over his shoulder all the time and pace while he studied. Knockout's punching this guy got him transferred to something else.
"Ah, that's why he's a science-y dipstick and a cosmetologist. He's inspiring. I wasn't allowed to hit anyone. Life is unfair."
Breakdown thought that was funny and it's now an inside joke.
That exchange was a while ago, though. Sonica is working out the details of how to handle things. It would be nice to keep Breakdown and Knockout as friends even if she's revealed.
"Sonica,"
She flinches as Breakdown waves a hand in front of her face.
"There you are. Lord Megatron is summoning you."
Any enthusiasm she may have had, drops, "Oh."
"You were really out of it. Where'd you go?"
"Not far enough, evidently."
A laugh rolls from his large chest as they start walking, "I don't know. That looked pretty far to me. Any further and I'd think you were offline."
She shrugs, "That wouldn't have been such a bad thing."
"Yes, it would. I would miss your perfect cynicism."
"Blast it. I thought Knockout had that covered. Now I have to stick around and pick up his slack."
They part ways at the medical wing and she walks to the bridge.
Megatron has his back to her as she enters. He stares at screens filled with news casts and reports about commotions on earth's surface. Some of these reports are brought up by Soundwave who stands at Megatron's side. Arachnid stands at the other side, also with her back to Sonica.
When Soundwave turns to look at her, Megatron knows she's there. "See all this, Sonica?"
"I do," She stops just behind him.
Arachnid greets her with a condescending smirk. Sonica judgingly stares back.
"Are you not bothered by it?"
"Should I be?"
He pauses for a nanoklik, "You don't care about the Humans?"
"They aren't my kin." She states flatly.
"And you're not worried about the Autobots?"
"They can handle themselves. Is that all you wanted to ask?"
"One more question,"
She lets her sigh out slowly and quietly.
"Did you know that Unicron constitutes the earth?"
His words sink into her mind and the dreams spin like a reel behind her eyes: Stay off the planet or we will perish! We've been here before. ...Sediment and armor...
"Oh," she nods awkwardly, "that explains my dreams."
Megatron whirls around, "And does it explain why you're still alive?"
"Not really."
"No more lies, Sonica." He leans over her, "Give me the truth, NOW."
The dark energon aura hits her and her self discipline staggers. She stares up at him, "Firstly, it's plausible that the sediment and other minerals diluted the already weak contact between me and the dark energon. I am more connected to life-giving energon than the knock-off you carry. Second, only Doradus the First has met Unicron so it wasn't like I was about to recognize him under my feet. Third, I was often in proximity of the Matrix, which, as a source of life and light, countered my undiscovered exposure."
"If I want science, I'll ask someone else. The truth, Sonica."
Soundwave steps in behind her and Megatron yells something inches from her face. The tainted air brushes her cheek and neck.
Her vision blurs as someone takes the controls and blocks the view. The last thing she sees is the floor under her feet. "What's your brain for? Trunk space? I told you some of the truth, figure the rest out on your own... Unicron will like me best..."
Sonica leaps for Megatron's chest with a screeching hiss. Soundwave wraps his arms around her waist. Her fingers just get under Megatron's outer plating before Soundwave yanks her back. They get a glimpse of her violet eyes before they flicker back to a disoriented blue.
An intrigued grin begins to climb up one side of his mouth as Sonica relaxes some. Her optics still lack focus, so she closes them and leans back onto Soundwave's shoulder. Her manual air systems push and pull; her chest rises and falls.
Megatron cackles lightly.
Her brow puckers and defeat is clear in her grimace.
His cackle rises, more and more as she stays there, unmoving.
"Finally, I get the truth."
At last, she picks up her head, "Now that you know, you would be wise to stay away from me."
Megatron's smile is a mock of gratitude, "I must be worthy after all."