LAAAAAAA! *sings horribly* I've finally finished this slagging chapter! It only took forever aka 3 hours (but it's long, so that's why). The gears in my head were spinning crazily and this popped out because of said gear-spinning. We're getting towards the end now; probably a few more chapters left. *cries* I'm really enjoying myself writing this fic. BUT ANYWAY...read on, comment, subscribe, do yer thang, etc.
DISCLAIMER (it's almost as bad as the "favorite color" question on quizilla): No, I DO NOT own Transformers. Hasbro does. However, I do own Jade. I OWN HER. Bee-otch.
Chapter Six – Lullaby
Already, five hours had passed since Jade remembered that her cell phone was still a possible cry for help. The sun had begun to set, spilling fiery colors across the clouded sky like a painted canvas. Jade had watched the vibrant colors burn above her ceiling windows as she fiddled with the phone at her feet.
She may be somewhat knowledgeable of technological repairs, but she was no expert. In five hours, all Jade had managed to do was jiggle some wires, remove a green microchip and unintentionally crack the front LED screen when she pressed too hard on it while doing the first two things. She still wasn't quite sure what was wrong with it, although she surmised that it had to do with being in Starscream's cockpit during her kidnapping. "The bastard must have shocked it or something," Jade told herself quietly. "Fucking asshole."
But the cell phone was, quite possibly, the girl's last hope of finding help. If she could use basic signaling with it, such as morse code, she could send out an S-O-S to someone, anyone. Sadly, the fact of the matter was that Jade had no idea how to get the damn thing working. If an electromagnetic pulse was the cause for the malfunction, there was a hefty chance she wouldn't get it working again.
"Fuck!" she yelled, barely taking into account that Megatron and the Seeker could probably hear her, although the D-Con commander was probably in the middle of giving his subordinate a pounding, since that's all the Seeker seemed to be useful for.
Nothing was going well for her. Every muscle, bone and tendon ached to the core. Her right shoulder was particularly pained, although it acted up on the slightest whim. It had been damaged during the battle at Mission City. Coincidentally, Starscream had been the cause, but that was another story.
Her head hurt. The knuckles on her left hand throbbed. Her cracked rib caused sharp stabs through her chest with every breath. The punctures on her arms-while no longer bleeding-pulsed where the Energon had seeped into them. Her throat was sore from so much screaming. Her stomach was nauseous, although lack of food could have also been the cause. Her mouth was dry and she was beginning to loose her ability to sweat and cool herself off from dehydration. To sum things up, Jade felt physically drained.
Hope was still very much alive within her, but she knew that could only last for so long before even it began to dwindle. Help had to come soon or it was going to be too late. That made Jade feel mentally drained as well, so she tacked that onto her list of drains.
After a long time spent just staring at the dismembered cellular device, Jade slumped down against the wall near the metal pipes. Her mind kept dragging her to dream-like places in an attempt to get the weak human to fall asleep. While sleep sounded wonderful at that moment, Jade knew it wasn't going to come easy, if at all. The phone couldn't be abandoned, she was hungry, and above all else, she was thirsty. A cold glass of ice water entered her thoughts, but Jade knew she'd be happy to have a simple drop.
That was when the hangar bay lit up brilliantly. Jade's flinched, suddenly afraid the Deceptions were coming for her. But when a crackle of thunder followed moments later, her frantic heart immediately calmed down. It started back up once she heard the familiar sound of pitter-patter against the windows.
Rain.
No, water!
Jade was on her feet in an instant, though her balance was shaky and she gave herself a head-rush. Gotta break a window, she thought and searched the ground around her for something to throw. There was her cell phone, but there was no way she was going to toss that.
After several minutes of wandering weakly around the room, Jade came up empty-handed and sighed. There wasn't really a chance of her actually being able to throw something up high enough to break the windows above. But it was still a hope worth having.
"Just my luck," she said, frowning. "Always my luck."
Another flash of lightning and Jade looked up to see something streaking across the sky. Too big to be a bird, Jade's brows wrinkled in confusion. The object looked vaguely familiar. Megatron? She questioned.
Thunder boomed and rattled the windows. Jade swore she could feel it rumble the earth beneath her feet. However, that could have just been Starscream as he stormed into the hangar.
With a start, Jade became frantic. There were cell phone pieces scattered all over the floor and Starscream was sure to find them.
"Human!" he snarled viciously.
Jade ran back to the wall and dove into one of the long metallic tubes lying there.
"It's just you and me now."
Judging by his tone, Jade assumed he had a sick smile on his face. Her heart was racing faster than a wild stallion, but with a few moments of deep breathing, it quieted down. "What do you mean it's just us?" she asked when her strength returned.
"Lord Megatron has taken some time off for a few hours. He left me in charge of babysitting you." The Seeker startled the human when his metal face appeared at one end of the tube.
Jade yelped and scooted out. She eyed the scarring marks across the Decepticon's chest and said, "Looks like I'm not the only who has issues with him."
Starscream growled and unconsciously touched his sore wounds. They were already healing, but they still hurt like a glitch. "Do not compare me to you, fleshling!" His hand went back, as thought about to smack the human stepping back from him. However, his fist simply closed and he slowly lowered it. It would be a waste of time anyway.
Sighing heavily, Jade swallowed. Damn, she needed water. Without even realizing it, her eyes quickly went up to the windows above and then back to Starscream, who followed her gaze upwards.
He chuckled. "Thirsty, are we?"
With a growl, Jade retaliated. "Fuck you."
Starscream simply continued laughing. Then his attention was caught by the pieces of something scattered along the back wall of the hangar. "What are you doing?" he asked seriously, all laughing aside.
Eyes suddenly wide, Jade backed up. "Nothing."
"Lier! What are you doing?" he asked again, more forcefully.
"It doesn't matter because it doesn't work anyway!" Jade didn't mean to shout, but she was pissed about the cell not functioning and pissed that she hadn't hid the pieces from the Decepticon. Of course, she had no warning of his arrival. The blasted D-Con snuck in during a thunderclap.
Starscream said something in Cybertronian and stepped over the human to get to the scattered phone bits. With a sudden grin back on his face, he looked over his shoulder at Jade. Then his foot came down heavily and all parts of the phone were obliterated.
Jade knew it was coming and as much as she wanted to scream and curse and fight, she held her tongue and just stood there, wavering slightly from tiredness.
"Oops," said the Seeker as he turned back to the human captive. "My bad."
"Thanks. You saved me the time of doing that myself. The damn thing wasn't going to work anyway." Jade spoke in hopes of pissing off Starscream by making him believe he had actually helped her out.
Not surprisingly, it had worked. "Well now there's no chance at all for you, is there?"
Jade glared.
"Too bad. It would have been a real pleasure destroying more of your Autobot friends."
She knew he was speaking of the twins—Skids and Mudflap. This was his way of provoking her to do something she'd regret. It wasn't going to work.
"Not even the Autobots could tolerate those lousy pieces of scrap. How was it that you could?" Starscream was slowly making a circle around Jade as he spoke.
"I've got a bigger heart than most, so that's why. They were annoying, but then so are you. And you don't see me pulling my hair out while you're around, do you?" she said sarcastically.
Starscream wasn't amused.
"But who are you to brag about killing the Autobots? Your ass got handed to you by Prime back in that forest. I bet Megatron beat the shit out of you then, too. He screws with you a lot, doesn't he?"
That struck a chord. In an instant, Starscream rushed Jade, causing her to drop to the ground. His mind was on fire and he was about to do something terrible, but before he could end the human, she spoke up.
"I know a way to get back at him!" she cried, trembling. When the Seeker didn't move, she repeated, "I know how to get back at Megatron."
"Do you now?" Starscream said, backing up. "I'm listening."
Jade was back on her feet. Her body was on the verge of crumbling upon the cold concrete, still and weakened by lack of fluids and food and pained by the Energon still coursing through her system. But she refused to let herself drop. Maybe if she remained strong for a little while longer, she could strike a deal with the Air Commander before her. It was a long shot, but she had to try. That was all she could do then-try. "And I'd be happy to tell just as soon as you do something for me."
Starscream laughed. "A favor? For you? Ha! I can find my own way to get back at the old fool!"
"Fine! Good luck with that then." And Jade turned her back on Starscream. She made her way back to her phone and began picking up the tiny, crushed pieces.
Very few tense moments passed before Starscream cracked. He wanted to see if perhaps this human had a clever way of ridding Megatron or the very least, pissing him off. He didn't say a word, but simply growled unhappily.
Jade looked back. "Does that mean you want to hear what I have to say?"
Another growl.
"Break that window," she said simply as she dropped the cell chunks and pointed up. "That's all you have to do. Break it and I'll tell you how to get even with Megatron."
"What a stupid request."
"Do it or it'll be the silent treatment."
"Stupid human," grumbled the Seeker as he raised his arm up and fired a couple rounds of his projectile weapon at the above windows.
Jade inhaled sharply as they exploded into thousands of small fragments that fell towards the ground. They shattered in every direction upon impact. Instantly, rain began to fall into the hangar room. Quicker than ever, Jade stepped over the glass shards, her mouth agape. Once the cool, refreshing liquid touched her tongue, her body twitched with excitement. It trembled as drops dribbled down her throat, cooling it and soothing the pain away. Suddenly, luck seemed a little more on her side.
A smile as big as the Grand Canyon crossed Jade's lips and she closed her eyes happily. Water splashed over them and down her neck. It washed the crusted blood off her arms and rinsed away the dust from her curly locks that rested on her shoulders. Had there been enough water in her body, Jade would have cried, but even her tear ducts were dried out.
Nearly five minutes of nonstop drinking went by until Jade's thirst was finally quenched. Her stomach spoke out gladly, happy that it finally had something in it. Now that her body had been slightly re-energized, Jade felt a bit of life flowing back into her.
"Thank you," she said gratefully and sincerely, a little out of breath from all the excitement and from that fact that she barely took time to breathe during those five minutes of gulping down water.
"Now tell me your idea. I'm sure it's going to, oh, how would you humans say it? Suck? But I'll let you humor me anyway."
"Whatever," she remarked. "My plan's kinda simple. You don't want Megatron to win, right? You want to win."
Starscream eyed the human carelessly but with interest. "Right."
"Then I suggest you do exactly what Megatron doesn't want you to do."
The Seeker blinked.
"Calm down, Screamer. Your enthusiasm is too much." Jade's sarcasm laced her words like a poison.
"Do not call me 'Screamer'!" asserted Starscream viciously. He hated nicknames.
Jade took a small step away from the Air Commander. She wanted to let him know she wasn't trying to threaten him or something, but she also wanted to stay under the rain-produced waterfall that was washing down her body and drenching her clothes. "Woah, calm down. Sorry." Sorry? She asked herself? Sorry? Who apologizes to a Decepticon? She inwardly smacked herself.
Starscream growled as he thought for a moment. How simple an idea! Do the opposite of what Megatron wants of him and that'll be that! Right? Sort of. "What exactly would be against what Megatron wants?"
"Er, well, he wants to kill me in an effort to prove to the Autobots that Decepticons will always be better."
The Seeker nodded. Damn straight the Decepticons were better! He mused.
"The opposite of killing me is…" she paused, motioning for Starscream to answer.
He laughed. "You want me to let you escape? Haha! You're sadly mistaken, human."
Jade frowned. "You wanted my idea; I gave it to you. By letting me go, Megatron will be pissed and any ounce of happiness in his cold, little Spark will be crushed. If you want old Megs to be a happy camper, then by all means, don't do anything. But if you're serious about getting back at him, maybe you should consider what I said." She took another drink to avert her eyes from the terrifyingly calm Decepticon before her. "It'll be the small things like this that matter when you're in charge."
He simply eyed Jade. In charge, huh? He liked how that sounded. In some strange way, her idea was relatively good. Ridiculously simple, but good. By being defiant, Starscream wins and Megatron looses. Starscream may get an aft-whooping because of it-Primus, he hated those aft-whoopings-but he wouldn't be obeying his "master". He obeyed no one.
"Fine."
Jade choked on a mouthful of water upon hearing the simple word. She pulled her head forward, away from the waterfall, and asked, "What?"
"Fine. Don't think that I'm doing this to help you because I'm not! This is for me and only me. You're just a pawn in my game."
A very happy pawn. "You're really going to let me go?"
Starscream rolled his red optics and turned away.
"Wait!" cried Jade from behind him. She hurried up to the Decepticon and stepped in front of him, bringing the large mech to a halt. "Where are you going? What about the whole setting me free thing?" Panic flooded her voice.
"I can't let you escape while Megatron is gone. The fault will be less on me if he is here when you get away. Understand, fleshling?"
Jade did and she nodded. God, she just wanted out of there. Patience, she told herself. While it was foolish to trust a bad guy, Jade knew it was probably her only choice now that her phone was out of the equation.
"Now move," snarled Starscream. "There is something I must do if you want your escape to be anywhere near successful." Then he scooched the human out of his path with a shove from his foot.
She fell backwards and watched the Seeker disappear behind the hangar door, leaving her to wonder about what his last words meant. Her mind was racing all over the possible outcomes of her current situation. Would Starscream hold up his end and actually let her free? How would he even go about doing so? If he did, then where would Jade go? She was in the middle of a desert. Unless Starscream was going to do something to alert the Autobots of their presence. Maybe that's what he was talking about, she wondered.
With her strength already beginning to fade, Jade rose and headed back over to the falling rain. She took a final sip and then curled up inside a metal tube, listening to the thunder as she fell asleep to its lullaby.
Unbeknownst to neither Jade nor the Seeker, a pair of blazing red optics watched from atop the broken ceiling windows.
Oooooh! Cliffhanger! *twiddle thumbs* Whatever could be next? FIND OUT TOMORROW, MY FELLOW READERS!