there's a million&one ways
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A/N: another update! wh00t! -dances- && quite proud of this chapter -- got to get to some touchy subjects. :3 hope everyone had a colorful easter. consider this my belated easter gift to you guys. ^^ && sorry for this chapter being long. it kind've evolved as i wrote it, lol. x3 && sorry in advance for spelling/grammar errors. it's about 11 p.m. here, and i'm tired. e.e if you guys catch any, feel free to let me know. c; okay, now i'll shut up before i blabber any more.
replies:
tlcoopi7,, i love them too! i love watching them argue. it ranks up there with simmons and will, and the twins.
autobot alythia,, sounds like you need something for that cough! -hands cough syrup- lmao! xD && yush. finally they aren't ripping each other throats out. -pats each of them proudly-
lisa,, hey, at least ratchet is there to fix his processor, lol! xD && thank you. ^^ hopefully as the story goes along, you can see just how deep and sickly intertwined anna and all the 'bots (and 'cons) are. -pats them all- hopefully this chapter will live up to your expectations. c:
13istalktheakatsuki13,, -takes flashlight and makes scary face- muwahahahaha! 8}
pairings: starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.
disclaimer: i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners. nor do i own WoW (world of warcraft).
"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."
kilocycle = 1,000 cybertronian years
cybertronian year = 932 earth days
"soft" spot = hidden button that blends into the background
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Ratchet wandered through the hallways, looking for signs of Optimus. Instead he had found a still angry Sara Lennox. He considered himself lucky that she had denied his help. 'And I thought she got her pride from Will's side,' he thought. His blue optics looked at the moving shadow on the wall. "Ironhide?" he inquired. "Optimus?"
From around the corner he watched as the second largest autobot emerged. "What is it, Ratchet?" asked Optimus.
"I know how Anna was able to revive Starscream," the medical officer answered. "Anna said she found a piece of the Allspark."
"A piece?"
Ratchet nodded. "But she also said there was a small pile of many pieces," he informed.
Optimus's optics widened. It sounded too good to be true. "Is this confirmed?"
"Starscream became enraged when he found out that Anna had gone through his pile," he explained. "So I strongly believe that there is a pile."
"How would it have gotten by your sensors?" his leader asked. "Someone must've noticed."
"At the time we were more concerned with Starscream," Ratchet said. "It's possible that we were too consumed with Starscream to notice the pieces."
He nodded. "Go back and investigate," he ordered. "And take Sideswipe with you."
Inside Ratchet sighed. 'Why Sideswipe?' he asked himself. He nodded respectfully to Optimus. "Yes, Sir," the medic returned.
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Ironhide had stood behind the door, listening to their conversation for the last five minutes. He had originally planned to charge in there and just take Annabelle by storm, but hearing them jump from topic to topic had both comforted and angered him. 'At least Annabelle's still okay,' he told himself. 'But how dare he talk to my human.' Ironhide pressed his audio sensor next to the door again, but unlike before it was quiet. He waited, hoping to hear a sound, but it remained quiet. His blue optics became hateful slits. 'That bastard,' he thought. Ironhide clenched his left first, while his right hand began to push on the button to open the door.
"Ah, good timing Ironhide," Optimus said.
The old soldier whipped his head around to see their leader walking towards. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I came to talk to Annabelle," He replied casually. "Yourself?"
The door to the medical bay opened, and he quickly turned to look inside. "I came to check up on her," Ironhide finished. He stepped into the room, and felt relief. Annabelle was still sitting on a table across the room from the seeker. His relief didn't last long when he saw the smile on her face. Automatically he began to glower at Starscream.
"Hey, Mr. Hyde is here," Anna replied with a less-than-thrilled voice. "Along with his friend, Captain America." She looked towards the seeker. "We're in for a real treat today." The girl watched as the Seeker smiled lightly.
"Hilarious, Anna," Ironhide stated grumpily. "Just hilarious."
Optimus shared the same, unpleasant expression. He walked passed Ironhide and to the table where the human was lying on. "You're coming with me," he said. His tone of voice reflected there was no and's, if's, or but's about it. The leader laid his hand out for the human to walk on.
Anna sighed before getting up. "See ya later, Starscream," she said gloomily. The girl hopped into the autobot's hand. She hung her head low, too afraid to look at Optimus.
The autobot curled his hands around the human to support her if necessary. He looked towards his old comrade. "Ironhide, why don't you show Starscream his new quarters," he suggested.
"Prime?" asked a confused Ironhide.
"The one in the basement," he clarified.
The black autobot nodded in understanding. He waited for Optimus to leave before looking at Starscream. "How long has it been, Screamer?" Ironhide asked bluntly. "Six, seven, maybe eight kilocycles since we last had a good talk?"
The seeker looked at Ironhide with a cold stare. "What are you getting at?" he snapped impatiently.
Ironhide moved towards him, and bent over to look Starscream in the eye. "I'd like to have another good talk," he stated. The autobot wedged his left fist into the seeker's unprotected chest. A satisfied smile grew across his face as he watched Starscream flinch. His fingers wrapped around the vulnerable wires that controlled the seeker's arm movement in both limbs. Ironhide pulled the wires towards, and brought him closer to his face. "Today's subject will be about Annabelle, and why it would be good for you and your li'l deceptichops to avoid her."
His red eyes became more intense shade of maroon. "I didn't hurt or even touch her," Starscream retorted. "You've got the wrong person if you want to blame me for the odd colored spots on her skin."
The soldier chuckled coldly. "Oh I know where those came from," Ironhide returned.
"Then what - " Starscream groaned as Ironhide began to yank the wires out of their place. The sharp pain in his arms was quickly replaced by an unforgiving numbing sensation. He glared upwards at the autobot.
"You will speak only when I am done talking," Ironhide added cooly. "Or you will end up in the trash where you belong."
"What' holding you back?" the decepticon hissed.
"The fact that I know cowards like to barter," he answered. "And I know that cowards fear death over anything, and will do, or in your case, give anything in order to live." Ironhide looked towards the door. The sound of approaching footsteps reverberated in her audio sensor. He released his grip on the seeker's wires. Instead he moved around Starscream and grabbed his right arm. Ironhide pull the mech's arm over his shoulder; while he wrapped his left arm around the seeker's wide chest. "Get up," Ironhide growled.
"I can't walk," he informed matter-of-factly.
"You're gonna learn," the autobot remarked harshly. Impatiently he lifted Starscream up, and began to move. He nearly fell down when Starscream regretfully clung to him. He turned to his head and glared at the seeker. "Get your claws out of my shoulder," he stated.
He struggled to support himself on his right leg. "I told you once already that I can't walk," Starscream repeated callously.
"Well I certainly will not drag your fraggin' ass all the way down to the basement," the old soldier reinforced. "Then again it shouldn't surprise me that you're complaining. You always whined when something didn't go your way."
Starscream looked down at his broken leg. Using his free arm, he reached down to pluck out the tiny instruments the human implanted. The seeker closed his eyes as he pulled the first and second black objects out of his circuits. There was instant stingy feeling that radiated from the spot where the instruments had been.
Clunk. Clunk.
Both objects fell to the floor.
"Where'd you get those?" Ironhide demanded.
"Your human," he answered. "She's quite hospitable." Starscream lifted up his limp leg, and began to manually straighten out the hydraulics. The sound of his hydraulics being jammed was like nails on the chalk board. It felt just as painful as it sounded. The seeker's grip began to slip as he worked on the last hydraulic.
"Annabelle did what?!" he asked in an infuriated voice. "She got that close to you?!"
He placed his leg slowly on the ground before looking at the autobot. "In order to revive me, she would've had to get close," Starscream sneered. "Doesn't take a genius to know that."
Ironhide released his grip, and watched as the seeker fell to the ground. He smiled as Starscream laid sprawled out on the ground. "Oops," he taunted. "Must've lost my grip."
Jetfire appeared from the side of the door. "Need help, Ironhide?" he asked.
He shook his head. "We're good," the autobot replied. "All we had was a small slip."
Starscream managed to look up to see Jetfire standing there. . . all the way over there just watching him. His optics searched for the old Jetfire -- the Jetfire that would've helped him up when he fell -- but it was met with no familiar ties of their old friendship. That was a blow that was more painful than the injuries he had taken from him. The seeker looked down at the floor as he heard Jetfire walk away. Shame burned inside his circuits for Jetfire seeing him this pathetic.
"Get up," Ironhide huffed roughly. He bent down and grabbed Starscream by his engines with both hands. Despite being built for the air, the seeker was heavier than the old soldier expected, and lifting him up was proving to be a challenge. "You gotta help me out here, slag."
"I can get up on my own," he muttered quickly. The seeker placed his hands flat on the ground, and with what little strength he had left, he began to push himself up.
The mech held his grip on the seeker's engines. He watched as the decepticon began to raise his torso up, but it was too slow for his liking. The autobot yanked on his engines, and watched as Starscream began to rise to his feet. His blue optics widened as Starscream's hands clung to his armor, looking for something to hold onto. With the claws sinking into his armor, the added weight of the seeker, and the backwards momentum from his yank had created, the old soldier began to stumble backwards.
Starscream's optics closed shut in the anticipation of a second fall. His hands gripped tighter, tearing into the exposed circuits in between the autobot's armor. The sound of tools being scattered onto the floor filled his head with images. Then at once, the sounds stopped. Opening his optics, he looked to see Ironhide had caught himself on one of the tables. The second this he noticed was he was on top of the old bot with his nose only centimeters away from Ironhide's own nose. The seeker looked to see his arms were around the autobot, clutching him like a newborn clutches a finger.
"Do you mind, slag?" Ironhide asked bluntly. His voice reflected the uncomfortable and awkwardness of being so close to his enemy.
There was no exchanges of being sorry when Starscream loosened his grip just enough to allow Ironhide to get up and reposition himself.
Ironhide, after repositioning himself, stood up and looked down the seeker. Grabbing the seeker's right arm once again, he threw the decepticon's arm over his neck. The autobot's left hand grabbed Starscream's chest again. "This time don't stumble," Ironhide criticized.
"You make it sound like it was my fault," Starscream retorted.
The mech ignored the comment, and began to walk. He scuffled out of the room with his back hunched over from the weight of Starscream. The sound of his heavy footsteps was followed by the scuffling of the enemy. His looked down at the seeker's feet. Starscream's right foot struggled to get a firm hold on the ground; while his left leg was dragged painfully behind.
"Wall," the seeker pointed out.
Ironhide shot his head up to look at the wall. Shifting his weight and the placement of his feet, the autobot easily changed his direction without any further complications. He glanced towards the silent seeker. "No remarks or sneers?" Ironhide asked suspiciously. His eyes narrowed down on the seeker when Starscream didn't reply. "That seems out of character for you, Screamer." The mech took his free hand and pressed a translucent red button. On command the door slid open, and the two stepped inside. With a light thud, the doors closed. "Oh well," the soldier said maliciously. "We can fix that."
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Annabelle sat on a smooth rock. Her blue eyes watched as Optimus kept his back to her. He stood still like a gargoyle, watching life from above. She eyed him as the sunlight reflected off his dull armor. Scratches and dents that would have been hidden in artificial lightening stood out like sore thumbs in the sunlight. "Why did you bring me here?" Anna asked weakly.
Optimus Prime observed a small herd of does walked stealthily through the forest shadows. Each one followed behind the other like perfect little angels. He sighed as they walked out of his sight. "Because I don't comfortable discussing this where others might here this," the autobot answered.
"I don't understand," she returned. "What's so wrong that the others can't know?"
He turned around, and looked down at Anna. Images of her younger self burned inside his head. The innocence she had once carried as a child was gone -- replaced by the defiance of an adult. "It's because I am considering whether or not to try you under our laws," Optimus clarified. The mech stared at her, taking in every detail of her confused and bewildered face.
"Wh - why?" Annabelle managed to asked softly. "I - I'm not one of you. I'm human."
"I know," Optimus replied. "I know." Slowly he moved to her side. With a light thud and a few creaks, the autobot sat next to her in a casual position. He closed his optics. "Do you remember what you asked for for your fifth birthday, Anna?" the mech asked. "You asked to be one of us. I remember you pleaded with Ratchet to build you a pink robotic suit." He chuckled at the memory of Anna holding onto Ratchet's leg.
Anna smiled. "I'm still waiting on that suit, too," she said jokingly.
"I bet you are," Optimus stated. Opening his eyes, he looked up towards the sky. Despite the daylight, he could still pick out the direction where Cybertron would be located. "Ratchet told you that he couldn't build the suit," he continued. "Instead he promised you that you would have a proper up bringing like any other sparkling."
The smile on her face quickly melted away. "What are you getting at, Optimus?" she asked. "How does that have anything to do with being tried under your laws?"
'Everything,' he answered silently. "We gave you that up bringing. We raised you as one of our own -- including myself," Optimus explained. "We taught you our ways, showed you our traditions, and shared our secrets with you; and just like Ratchet promised, we brought you up as a sparkling; all of us even joke that you have a spark hidden inside your organic body. We affectionately call you sparkling." The mech dropped his head, and looked at Anna. To anyone she would've looked like a normal, confused human, but the mech saw through that. He saw just another scared 'bot inside those eyes. "But that has raised a question, Anna -- one that I don't want to answer."
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The ride to the basement was silent, and Starscream was content to staying silent in order to keep the tension from rising. He kept his optics closed, and imagined that he wasn't in a small space with Ironhide. 'No, I'm in the sky with Thundercracker and Skywarp,' he told himself. 'With no worries of being ambushed, and no consequences for taking a harmless break.' Starscream smiled at the idea.
"What are you smiling at?" Ironhide asked roughly.
He flicked his optics open and glared at the wall. "Nothing," the seeker spat. "Nothing at all." The elevator came to sudden halt. The door opened, and the seeker could see that the autobots had obviously forgotten to decorate the basement. One by one, the lights lit across the hall. The cells themselves didn't hold any metal bars or obvious way to hold their captives; it looked like a giant empty room. 'All the more deadly,' he thought. Starscream stumbled out of the elevator when the black mech shoved him.
Ironhide quickly took the lead, and began to fast walk. The sound of hearing Starscream's feet slip and slid on the slick floor was music to his ears. 'One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five,' he counted inside his head. The autobot stopped at the sixth cell. He removed the seeker's arm from his shoulder before pushing him into the cell.
Starscream fell into the cell. He let out a whimper as his sensitive wings and engines scrapped against the cold floor. The decepticon opened his eyes, only to see Ironhide standing above him. All he could focus on was the murderous grin.
"Supposedly you're suppose to be a smart cookie, Screamer," Ironhide spat. "So take a few notes. You don't talk to Anna. You don't look at her. You don't even think about her. If she comes towards you, I suggest you high tail it out of there. But since you're down here alone, you shouldn't have to worry about that." The autobot placed a foot on the seeker's chest. He bent down with his eyes radiating danger. "If you break one of my rules, I'll burn you alive -- not with fire, but with acid. Just like your little spring green friend did to Bumper and Springer."
"If you're trying to blame their deaths on me, then you've got the wrong 'con," Starscream informed.
"You're the Air Commander of the decepticons," Ironhide retorted. "You're in charge of all air assaults."
"So you're going to blame their deaths on me just because I'm the Air Commander?" the seeker asked bitterly. "Talk about being a metal head."
"Don't test me, Screamer," Ironhide warned. He pressed his foot down his cockpit. The sound of the glass creaking and splitting echoed off the bare walls. "You won't live if you do." The mech took his foot off the seeker.
Starscream lifted his head up. "I see Acid Storm left his mark on your face," the seeker reminded. "Too bad that was the only mark he could leave."
Ironhide clenched his fists. "You're a lot of talk, Screamer," he spat. "But not a lot of walk."
"I'm not the one putting off the fight, 'Hide," the 'con retorted. The mech's red eyes watched as the autobot walked around him like a predator.
"You must really want to die, Screamer," the mech stated coldly. "But I won't let you runaway that easily." Ironhide kicked the seeker in the head. He watch in satisfaction as the seeker's body when limp like a rag-doll's. Like a predator, he moved towards the heart of his prey. Using his right hand, Ironhide pulled the seeker's cockpit up. The cracks in the exposed spark chamber allowed the faint glow of the spark to leak through. He looked down at the circuit that supplied the spark chamber with energy. His eyes drifted to a black piece of metal that was attached to the pale spark chamber. Ironhide reached down and gently lifted the metal out. The mech closed the cockpit before examining the piece. There was no denying it. It was part of the Allspark.
Ironhide's hand clasped around the piece. He moved out of the cell, and using his free hand, the autobot touched a "soft" spot on the ceiling. A digital pad appeared above his head. The mech entered in the password. A soft buzzing sound filled the room when he pressed enter. Ironhide smirked as he looked at the unconscious Starscream. 'I dare you to touch the walls of your cell now,' he thought.
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She began to lean away from Optimus. Never before had she seen him this solemn and regretful in her life. It was also the first time she feared him. "What's the question?" Anna asked fearfully.
"What defines what race you belong to?" Optimus said bluntly. "Genetically you are a human, but mentally, I believe, that you are like us. You think like us, act like us, and even talk like us. Last time I checked, you can even understand us when we talk our native tongue. And by Primus, you can even read our language." The autobot dropped his head. "When I look at you, I don't see you as human. I see you as one of us. Because I see you as one of us, I don't have to worry about explaining something like I would to a normal human. You know my race inside and out." The leader let out an exhausted puff of air. "Somewhere in the past we blurred the line that separated our races. Because of that, I don't know whether it is the mind that makes you part of a certain race or the body."
"Can't you answer that on your own?" she asked. Her voice held all discomfort she was feeling.
"Anna, if I answer that question, I'll be breaking a lot of promises," he stated.
"Then what do you want me to do?" the girl inquired.
He lifted his head. His usual calm, confident face was gone. The mech stared at her with pleading eyes. "Convince me you're not one of us," Optimus said. "Tell me how human you are. Explain to me what it feels like to be human. Say that it's our fault for raising you like this, and that it's all in my head."
The girl's eyes wandered, looking at the conifers and wildflowers. Annabelle studied how the birds gathered together on the tree limbs. She knew the answer, it just a matter of deciding whether to lie or not. Turning towards Optimus, Anna flashed him a smile. "You're right," the girl answered confidently. "I'm not one of you." She watched as the mech smiled joyfully. 'But it's not for the reason you think,' she added silently.
"And you're sure about this?" he insisted.
Annabelle nodded. "Yes." 'Because if I was one of you, you wouldn't have to be asking,' the girl thought. 'You would already know the answer. But then again, I'm lying, and maybe you know I'm lying; and maybe you want to believe my lie because you don't want to believe the fact.' "So what will happen to me?"
"I'll tell Simmons that you were influenced by us, and that you thought by reviving Starscream you might help end the war quicker," Optimus answered. "I'll say it was an honest mistake." He stood up with the same creaks scaring the birds away. "C'mon, I bet you're hungry." The mech offered his hand to Annabelle. "I saw a diner not too far away from here."
The girl nodded. She lifted herself onto his hand. 'But no matter how much we deny it, we'll both know the truth deep down.' Anna braced herself as Optimus raised her up to his shoulder. Eagerly, the human climbed onto his shoulder. She smiled. From up here, she felt like nothing could touch her. Anna inhaled a deep breath of the fresh morning air. The cool touch of the early summer calmed her shacking nerves. 'The truth is, I am one of you.'
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"So just like that we're cool?" Anna asked. She looked at Optimus's human holograph.
The strong, even cold-like features didn't convey the passion the autobot had for his soldiers. The light blonde hair didn't help either. To most people, he appeared to be a thirty-year old Draco Malfoy crossed with Brad Pitt. "I presume your parental units will give you a punishment," Optimus said.
"So you aren't going to punish or ground me?" she asked hopefully.
"I didn't say that," the autobot replied. His earth alt slowed down at the presence of a cop tagging speeders. "I've already decided that we will have no choice but to assign Sunstreaker as your guardian."
'Yes,' the girl thought.
"You will also be banned from the base and visiting the others until further notice; except for your guardian who will be with you twenty-seven."
"What?!" Anna exclaimed. "You can't cut me off from them! What if I need help in science from Jetfire?
"I will allow you to get help from Jetfire if you need it," Optimus clarified.
"But you can't just cut me off from them!" she argued. "They're my family!"
Optimus looked regretfully towards her. "It won't be forever," he insisted. "Just for a little while."
The human crossed her arms. "This is all because of him isn't it?" she asked grumpily.
He turned his attention back to the road. "That's part of it," Optimus admitted.
"What's the other part?" Annabelle demanded. She heard him sigh, but he didn't speak. "If you're so comfortable speaking to me, why won't you speak to me now?"
"Until I know that I can trust you, you will be kept away," the autobot informed.
Anna stared at him with a bewildered expression. "I'm no traitor, Optimus," she explained. "I would never betray you guys. I would never want any harm to come to any of you."
"I wish I could believe that," Optimus said solemnly.
"Then why don't you?!" she protested.
"Because your race is young and violent," he explained. "You don't need to look far to find someone who is willing to back-stab someone else."
The human stared blankly at him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But I'm not like them!" Anna said. "You know this!"
"I don't know this," the autobot corrected. "I thought I did before you went off and decided to revive Starscream."
"So because I revived Starscream and said I was more human that your race, you've decided that I can't be trusted?!" Anna shouted.
"Annabelle," Optimus said in a stern voice. "I must protect my troops from any threat, and until I can determine the reason you revived Starscream wasn't malicious you will be considered a a threat."
"So Sunny is your sacrifice?" she asked hysterically. "I wonder how he must feel about that."
"Sunstreaker is not a sacrifice," he stated firmly.
"You would've sacrifice Beeman!" Anna protested. "Jazz told me. He said you would've sacrificed Beeman in order to win the war." Her blue eyes narrowed down on the hologram. "Face it, Prime, you aren't as innocent as you wish you could be." She watched as his hologram disappeared. The volume of radio increased. Optimus had officially ended the conversation.
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The door slammed behind her, followed by the sound of Optimus transforming. Anna turned around, and crossed her arms to make sure that the autobot saw that she was not happy about his decision. "Can I at least have the day to say good-bye?" she asked.
"You aren't saying good-bye," Optimus corrected.
The human rolled her eyes. "That's what they all say," she muttered. Anna moved through the sliding doors and into the base. The cool air of the base hit her like a brick wall. Immediately she began to briskly walk towards the medical bay. 'At least he isn't following me,' the human thought. But she knew that meant little. There were surveillance cameras around the corners and in the halls and rooms. Anna's pace increased to a jog. With her wet shoes, she began to slid around the corners.
Annabelle rounded the last corner. Already she could tell something was wrong. The door to the medical bay was open, and from the looks of it, some of Ratchet's tools were sprayed on the ground. She slid to a stop. He was gone. In response her stomach plummeted like a lead balloon. "Ah shit!" she shouted.
"Ah shit what?" asked an autobot.
Anna spun around to see Sunstreaker walking her way. "Where's Starscream?" she asked.
"Ironhide took him to the cells in the basement," he answered. "Why?"
She quietly slid her black pinky ring off her left hand, and stuck the one-of-a-kind ring into her pocket. "I lost my lucky ring," Anna explained. "The one that Jetfire made for me when I was ten."
"It still fits you?" Sunstreaker asked suspiciously.
"It's a pinky ring now," she informed. "But the point is I need it back, and I think I lost it in Starscream's cockpit."
"How could you have lost it in his cockpit?" he inquired.
The human looked with an unpleased look at the yellow 'bot. "Let me count the ways," she said sarcastically. "First you, your brother, and 'Hide come in firing at me while I'm in his cockpit. Next 'hide continues to fire. Then you and your brother decide to play teeter tooter with Starscream. So now you are going to take me to the basement to retrieve it."
"You know what?" Sunstreaker asked. "Your guardian doesn't have enough energy to help you retrieve your ring." He faked a yawn. "You know why? Because his human made him stay up incredibly late so that he could fix his paint job."
"SUNNY! NOW!" Annabelle yelled. "Before I call Ratchet or someone to exterminate you!"
"Sheesh!" he replied in a sorry tone. "I didn't know the ring meant so much to you."
"Now you do," she retorted matter-of-factly "Now take me to the basement."
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Annabelle stood next Sunstreaker. She noticed that Sunstreaker was impatient for the elevator to reach the bottom. His fingers nervously tapped against his thigh. "What's your problem?" she asked.
"I just got the new MMORPG game called World of Warcraft," he answered. "And I'm eager to start playing it."
She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Boys and their games," she muttered. The elevator came to an abrupt halt. On cue, the doors opened. The human stepped out of the elevator, and turned towards her guardian. "Hey," Anna said. "Why don't you go play your game. It may take a while to convince him to give my ring back."
Sunstreaker nodded. "Just call me when you need me," he replied. The doors closed, and the elevator disappeared.
'Some guardian he's gonna be,' she thought. Annabelle began to walk down the hall. Her eyes looked at the vast open space. 'Now I remember why we called it the basement,' she thought. The human rolled up her sleeve to see goose-bumps crawling over her skin. 'And someone needs to turn up the thermostat.'
SCRRRRREEEEEEEECH!!!!
She rolled her sleeve back down, and began to run towards the sound.
He could hear the screeching noise, and he knew that it should've hurt to move his torso but it was numb. A thud followed behind the screech as he finished turning himself onto his ventral side. Starscream let out a deep, relaxing breath. It felt so good to be on his stomach rather than his back.
"Starscream," Annabelle exclaimed. "Are you - " She didn't need to finish the sentence -- she already saw some new marks on his backside. The human smiled as he barely flickered open his optics. "Hey," she said softly. "It's me." Her smile faded when he closed his optics. Anna sighed. 'And just when he seemed to be doing better,' she thought bitterly. She laid down on the ground, watching him with vigilant eyes. "Looks like we've both got a long, hard road ahead of us," Anna said.