Hey guys,
Thanks for the reviews!!
Jesus: Yay, you know Elfen Lied. And yes, the word vector is sourced from there (disclaimer: i don't own elfen lied) although the name is the only thing they really have in common, a better parallel could be drawn between the metal arms on Doc Oc from Spiderman, although again, they're completely different, which will be explained later on. And Ha! True, I actually forgot about the whole Papa thing being used in there - I actually got that from another source - my own childhood :p Thanks for pointing it out though. Truth is, I haven't actually seen Elfen Lied in like a year or so. Awesome anime, really gotta watch again...
Hey guys, I'm still actually deciding on the pairing although I am leaning towards Frenzy (definately not Starscream tho, I have evil plans for him)... We're gonna have a lot of mush in a couple of chapters... but for now...
Hope you enjoy!!
------------------------------------------------
Megatron, unaware of his second-in-command's plots to woo his daughter, waited at the base entrance, getting angrier by the second. His scowl deepened as the cop car entered his line of sight.
"Finally," he growled as it screamed to a halt, opening it's door for Twenty Three to emerge.
As soon as she was out, Barricade transformed and they both saluted.
"What the frag are you doing taking my daughter out of the base without my permission?" he growled at the mech, ignoring said daughter.
Barricade seemed to freeze, then glanced at Twenty Three, who shrugged back at him.
"I apologize," he bowed. "I just thought I'd take her out for some air. I was not aware I had to ask permission."
"And why wouldn't you ask for permission?" his gravelly voice seemed to drop another octave.
"Decepticons have been able to leave the base without permission. I saw no difference," he began to shake, and fell to his knees.
"There is a difference, Barricade, do you know what that difference is?" he snarled. "This decepticon is my daughter, and she is not allowed to be taken for random joyrides."
Barricade had his hands over his head, shaking. Peering through his fingers, he saw Twenty Three step in front of him.
"Lord Megatron?" she asked him, and he picked her up gently. "I believe he had my best interests at heart."
Megatron watched her, as she stared up at him, standing in the center of his palm. She was so innocent, she wouldn't know the difference if someone tried anything.
"I want to know what Barricade did to you out there," he stated coldly. Barricade seemed to stop shaking, now his leaders attention had been shifted, but remained still.
"He just asked me a couple of questions," she looked up at her father curiously. "About what it was like when I first came online, and about the experiments. And he told me to report to him if anyone tried to hurt me again. He said he would protect me."
Megatron looked down at his subordinate.
"This sounds very innocent, but I'm sure you wouldn't know the difference. Are you sure nothing else happened?" he asked, now calmed down a bit.
"Nothing else happened. He said we should return, and took me back," she continued to stare at him, then added curiously. "Know the difference of what?"
"If they tried something not so innocent," he growled, glaring at Barricade, who hunched double again. However, his attention was drawn back to his daughter at her next words.
"Oh, you mean like rape? Don't worry, I know the difference," she said carelessly, smiling at him. "I won't let it happen again."
"What do you mean again?" he growled protectively.
"Back at Sector 7, when I was about a year old, and my body was seven, one of the scientists told me he was doing another experiment. I had no reason to doubt him, and I didn't understand what was going on, but Papa saved me, and explained to me what rape was and how it was one of the only circumstances I was allowed to defend myself."
Megatron looked taken aback, before a look of pure hatred overcame him.
"Who was it? What was the name of this scientist?" he growled.
"I don't know, I never learned their names," she answered. "I would recognize his face, if I saw it."
"Could you draw it?" Barricade asked suddenly. Megatron chose to observe them.
"I suppose… Why is his identity so important?" she asked him, curious.
"I need something to hunt him down and kill him." Barricade growled darkly.
She sat down in Megatrons hand and sighed. "This is so confusing. I offered to kill him then and there, but Papa told me not to, because life was precious. Why should I have spared him then, only to have him die now?"
"You want him to live?" Megatron asked aghast.
"Not particularly. I don't care one way or the other… but it's confusing me. Papa said his life mattered, but the lives of the terrorists didn't… how do I know when someone's life matters? Has his life lost value?"
"Let me make this easier for you," Megatron told her. "Only decepticon's lives matter. Any one else is unimportant. You will forget anything your 'Papa' told you, as they were lies to confuse you. Do not call him that anymore either. I am your only father."
She was silent for a moment, then nodded. "That makes things much simpler."
Megatron placed her next to Barricade, then addressed the black and white 'con.
"You will be my daughter's escort from now on. You will ask for permission every time you leave the base, and if I hear of any funny business, you are dead. Understood?" he threatened.
"As you command, Lord Megatron!" he saluted, and offered his hand to the young woman. She used it as a stepping platform, and jumped onto his shoulder, putting an arm behind his head for support.
Barricade walked briskly into the base, and once out of Megatron's sight, broke into a run, ending up in the communications room.
"Back again, are you?" Frenzy seemed annoyed.
Twenty Three jumped down from Barricade's shoulder, feeling slightly shaky after the rough ride he'd just taken her on. She walked over to her new friend, and sat down next to his chair, resting her head against his leg.
"What happened?" the little bot asked, suddenly concerned. "Are you all right"
"Ya… dizzy…" she muttered, closing her eyes to stop the room from spinning.
He looked around at Barricade, who looked slightly guilty.
"What did you do to her?" he demanded.
"Nothing, we just had a run in with Megatron, and then I ran here. I suppose she's not used to the speed…"
"You idiot, human's are fragile!" he spat at him, before hopping down and poking the girl in the shoulder. She looked up at him, and he ran a diagnostic on her. She seemed fine, if a little rattled.
He quite liked her when she was sitting – she only came up to his chin. He wasn't used to things the same size as him, but it was kind of cool…
He pulled her into a hug, liking the fact he could glare at Barricade right over the top of her head. He was used to doing that from behind people's legs.
She leaned into him, slightly tired, as he gently held her to him.
"You're... not going to want to let Megatron see you doing that…" Barricade warned in cybertronian. "He's already suspicious of our motives towards her… If he hears about anything weird happening between any of us, we're all dead."
"What do you mean?" he asked, patting her head, as she drifted off to sleep.
Barricade explained the situation to him, and they carried her back to her room.
"You get back to monitoring the satellites. I'll stand watch outside her room," Barricade ordered.
"Why do you get to stay with her? I'm as much her friend as you are," Frenzy complained.
"But now, I'm her official escort," he grinned back smugly. "Therefore anywhere she goes, I go. And you have work to do."
"This is so not fair," Frenzy muttered, returning to the com room.
Meanwhile, Starscream was working on a surprise for Twenty Three…
He had found several ideas which were worth less than scrap, such as flowers, chocolate and clichéd things like that. They were overdone – Starscream was exceptional, and he wanted something that would make him stick out from the rest.
He had also found things called 'love coupons' which were supposed to be exciting and original, but after looking into them further, he decided they were definitely not what he needed. His plan was to get close to Twenty Three to hurt Megatron, not to get killed by his leader, OR the girl in the meantime… although if adapted to their situation, the idea did have merit…
He decided to go for a personal gift, that was applicable to them in their situation, rather than act like some lovesick human boy. The thought revolted him.
He had brainstormed what he knew about her… She was a weapon and a decepticon, but she hadn't received much aid from her human caregivers… sure, they had given her metallic arms on her back, but at long range, she would be useless. They had also, apparently, never taught her how to look after herself. She had received all first aid from medics, but she knew nothing of it herself. He also doubted anyone would have told her the whole history of cybertron, which she'd most likely start getting confused over, sice she was now involved directly in it.
He was just finishing off a cybertronian style laser gun for someone of her size, to go with an information disk, and one coupon for one free flight.
He finished painting the decepticon emblem on the side of her gun, then decided to add a '23' on the side of the barrel. She better damn well appreciate it.
Barricade stood outside Twenty Three's room, scowling at anyone who walked by. He was bored out of his mind, but there was no way in hell he'd give up his job to Frenzy. He just wished it was a bit more exciting…
"Hey Barricade, what are you doing here?" Starscream sneered around the box he was carrying.
"Guard duty. What's in the box?" he tried to get a better look at it, but Starscream snatched it away.
"Where's Twenty Three?" the seeker demanded.
"Asleep," Barricade gestured to the door. "You aren't allowed in, or you'll wake her."
Starscream glared at him for a minute, before thrusting the box at him.
"This is for Twenty Three from me, look inside upon pain of death," he growled.
"How will I know it's not something dangerous?" he said, taking the box, and making to open it. He was stopped by Starscream's null ray pointed at his skull.
"It's not. That box is for Twenty Three. Give it to her," Barricade put the box down carefully, and nodded. He may not like the jet, but he wouldn't cross him when there was a laser half a meter from his head.
Starscream stomped off, annoyed at his bad timing.
Twenty Three woke up slowly, content for once in her life. She remembered falling asleep to Frenzy stroking her hair, but she found herself back in her room, tucked into her bed. She wondered vaguely how she got there, before slowly realizing Frenzy and/or Barricade would have put her to bed… She smiled slightly. She'd never had anyone care so much before. Even Pa… She frowned. Megatron didn't want her to call him that anymore. He was the only one who she'd ever given a name before… All the scientists, or the others she dealt with were nameless to her… She never addressed them as anything. What should she call him then? Scruffy, like her first impression of him? Perhaps she just wouldn't call him anything at all either. It wasn't as though he really deserved a place in her heart, after abandoning her… He would now be no different to her than any of the other scientists, because she only had one father…
Getting up slowly, she decided to go find Barricade or Frenzy, to see if there was anything she could do for them.
She was a little surprised, when she opened her door to find Barricade standing right outside of it. He turned around, and smiled slightly.
"Hello Barricade, what are you doing here?" she asked him, curious.
"I'm you're escort, I'll guard you wherever you go," he explained. She grinned.
"I'll never get lonely then… What's in the box?" she asked, noticing it for the first time.
"Oh, Starscream brought it for you," he waved his hand. "Do you want me to get rid of it?"
"Why would I do that? I want to know what's inside," she looked at him strangely.
He shrugged, and brought the box into her room. Altering one of her vectors into a clamp-like claw, she tore the lid off, and peered inside.
"Wow…" she said, picking up the laser gun, admiring the workmanship. Even Barricade seemed impressed.
"But why would he give me something like this?" she asked her larger friend, confused.
"I'm… not sure," he answered… "Possibly Megatron asked him to make it, so you would have some sort of long range strength?"
She nodded, and looked in the box again, for further clues.
"Here's a disk, and a slip of paper…" she said, picking them up.
"One free flight… what is this?" she showed it to him and his optics widened.
"I take it back, I don't think this was on Megatron's orders," he said slowly.
"Then what? Is he trying again to make amends?" she asked him. "How do I find out what's on the disks?"
Barricade took it off her, and entered it into his Info Pad. What he saw confused him even more. "It's all information on human first aid… There's a bit on our history in here too…"
"That's thoughtful," she remarked, climbing up onto his arm to have a better look at it.
He played the videos out loud to her, and she watched in avid interest. Once they were finished, she turned back, to look into her friends confused face. "I should go say thankyou."
Barricade was silent for a moment, before looking away, and speaking gruffly.
"You know, I could have gotten you that information if you asked," he seemed to be whining, upset at being shown up. "I know just as much history as Starscream, and that was just copying files from the internet."
"It was still thoughtful…" Twenty Three seemed to be deep in thought…
----------------------------------------
REVIEW!!!
