there's a million&one ways
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A/N: so i don't know when i'll be able to get out my next chapter. school started, along with varsity tennis, so my updates may be delayed more than usual. x.x on a happier note, we're done with part one! :D we're now officially 1/4 of the way down with the story.
replies:
autobot alythia,, be my guest. xD i get to slap the other side of his face tho! :3
dixiegurl13,, TC is screamer's right-handed minion. x3 he's perhaps the only sane and logical one among the trio. .
tlcoopi7,, -pats growling screamer- poor 'con doesn't even know it! -
starfire,, hence fourth why (or at least i assume why) autobot alythia shall slap him. :3 and why i shall laugh when she does. && ah yes, starscream has a long, complicated, and rather painful story behind his condition.
yuki hikari,, the fishies though! the poor fishies! -hugs fishies- D'8 he needlessly slays fish and for what?
robot521,, poor jetfire, he's full of it.
inspire165,, and you would be riiiiiiiiiiight. :D :D :D
ZTL,, Thank you very much for the compliments. ^^ And yeah, I was suppose to be at the gushy parts by now . . . . but - but my chapters keep getting off from my outline; and consequently keep adding more little twisties to the story. my original goal was to be somewhere around chapter 30 by now. -sighs- but then i took a physics class this summer and that took a lot of time.
ever free,, i love the ever growing smilies. xD 8D && if only i could update regularly.
autobotgirl6,, mucho, mucho thankies. ^^ tho i tend to fail on updating asap. x.x
pwnkage,, thank you very much for the encouragement. ^^ and those nasty typos bug me. T.T when i get time, i'll try to find a beta reader who can help eliminate them.
karokibathephangirl,, he is a stubborn fellow. e.e maybe i should have anna beat the stubbornness out of him.
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.
"this-is-cybertronian-and-it-s-a-pain-to-type"
"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."
centurion = 100 cybertronian years
cybertronian year = 932 earth days
orbital cycle = thirteen cybertronian hours
cybertronian hour = eight and a third earth hours
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As he glanced up from his armor, Jetfire found it hard to believe that just a couple days ago, the sulky human on his side table was just another normal, paint-ball loving, homework procrastinating teenager. Watching her idly sway her feet over the gray table's edge seemed so much like the young, tree climbing girl; but watching her stare blankly at the floor below took away those happy memories. Taking his hands, he popped out the last dent in his armor. Anna sighed as she tore her eyes away from the floor. She pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "You look good," she said approvingly. "Sorry that I didn't help, but you know . . . mechanics isn't really my thing."
He stifled a small, classic Jetfire smile. He held out his right hand, careful to avoid Annabelle's swaying legs. She eagerly jumped onto his hand, catching herself on his fingers. The human looked up to Jetfire, but she didn't need his permission -- she never did. Annabelle carefully latched her hands onto the exposed wires, as she expertly began to climb her way along the mech's arm. Too many years of being familiar with Jetfire's body structure had been engraved into her organic processor, and guided her along the complex, metal coated wires. It was through the trials of climbing that Anna had slowly come to know which wires did what. She knew to avoid energon lines for their sensitivity; and hydraulics had to be approached with caution for the risk of jamming or breaking fingers.
He absolutely loved how a creature so tiny, could make him feel so small; and as she perched herself on top his head, he couldn't hold back his grin. No matter how much Annabelle changed over the years, some habits would always remain strong. He let out a contented sigh, and leaned against the back of his chair, cherishing the moment. This was the Annabelle he had fallen in love with over ten years ago; and it was the same Annabelle he longed to keep safe and hidden from the world. But as she laid her head down onto his, he knew that the innocent child he loved was transforming into a young adult. The only thing that remained was her fragility, but even that had changed. No longer was she physically weak, but as he perceived, either emotionally, mentally, or a combination of internal weaknesses.
He brought a hand to his head, and Annabelle naturally latched onto his fingers. All the fears humans had about giant monsters had been overridden. And the human dangled in front of his eyes with a mischievous smile, he knew it stood for more than happiness -- it stood for trust. "I will never understand your love for heights," he stated. "Or for putting yourself in danger's path."
"How's this dangerous?" she inquired. "I have you to catch me if I were to fall." She swung herself onto his fingers.
"You know what I mean," he said more solemnly.
She sat on his palm with her legs dangling. "He's not that dangerous," Anna explained. "All he needs is a firm hand - " She caught her fist with her other hand. "And a dose of his own medicine."
He stared at her, trying to understand the human's logical. "He's not something to be messing with, Annabelle," Jetfire preached. "He's dangerous . . . He kills people with no remorse for his actions."
"That's not what he said," she argued.
"He's a lair, Anna," Jetfire informed.
"And so are you," Anna accused. His systems froze. The mech swore his spark stopped radiating for several moments. "What were you thinking about keeping Sideswipe's disappearance away from me?! What if he died Jetfire? Then what would you have told me? That he went back to Cybertron?" She sounded hysterical, still trying to comprehend what had been going on behind her back. Her arms fell wearily to her side. Anna glanced unconfidently up at him. "Have you ever thought that I didn't want to be like Sam; that I wanted to be involved with you guys?" Jetfire was dumbfounded, and the only response he could muster was a blink of his optics. "Why else would I revive Starscream?"
"But I -- we thought - " he muttered incoherently.
"That I did it to hurt you guys?" she finished.
"More or less," Jetfire replied weakly. "We weren't sure what to think of it."
"It's not exactly rocket science, Jetfire," Anna retorted; her tone a little too harsh for her liking. "A threat such as a decepticon equals you guys staying here. No decepticon equals you guys leaving. It's that simple."
"Leave?" the mech inquired. "We weren't going to leave."
Anna sighed as she crossed her arms. "I know more than you think I do," she stated. "And I know that each and everyone of you has inquired about leaving earth recently. It's not like I could ask you guys to stay, because logically it would be safer for me to remain away from you guys. I know you would use that as a reason to leave. It doesn't leave me with very many options, Jetfire." She looked up to him with her eyes just as desperate as the tone of her voice. "And what am I suppose to do if you guys left? It's not like I have any other family."
Unlike the child who only needed a little bit of encouragement to fix her wounds, Annabelle needed much more than just a quick pick-me-up laugh. "You have a mother," he explained. "And you have a father. Those two, together, are your real family. The rest of us we're -- we're just close friends . . . extremely close friends. What you are going through is just a phase, and in soon enough time you'll be running off to find your mate. You'll be the one to leave us behind first, Annabelle." His voice trailed painfully to a stop. His blue optics wandered over Annabelle. He didn't want her to grow up as Samuel had, or repeat what Bumblebee's charge had done.
"You guys have been saying that for over ten years now," Anna snapped. "And I haven't out grown it. Haven't you guys ever thought that maybe this isn't a phase? That I belong here with you guys? That right here, among you guys, and not with them, is where I need to be?"
"Now you're being over-dramatic," Jetfire stated bluntly.
"Well maybe I am," she said, conceding. "But if you guys left, then all I have left is my lonely mom. And that's not fair to leave me with that." The human paused, trying to keep her composure together. "You guys are mine. M - i - n - e. Mine." Jetfire gently lifted her head up with the bare tip of his finger. "I mean it," she squeaked.
Jetfire took a deep breath to kill a few human seconds. Humans, as he had come to know them, were impulsive, greedy creatures who became upset when separated from what they valued most. What he didn't expect was for Anna to place her claim on them. The mech knew Bumblebee would have loved for Sam to be as dependent on them as Anna was, but as Jetfire looked at her, he knew it wouldn't last. "I know. . . I know," he spoke softly. The 'bot looked away from her. He tried to process his thoughts so that he could put them into a logical order, but there was no logical order. There was her, and there them. 'Together they create us . . .' he thought. There was no other logical way for him to explain the equation. No other way to justify what he was planning to do. "I just don't comprehend why you never told us in the first place," he said, changing subjects.
"It's easier to talk to a complete stranger than to someone that you look up too," Anna explained poorly. "It's like when a teen is pregnant. They don't want to tell their family because they would have to admit that it is true. And if they can fix it before hand, then it's like nothing bad ever happened." She pressed her head to his thumb. "He was my only chance to keep you guys here."
"But of all the 'cons," Jetfire muttered exhaustingly. Burn-out optics monitored Annabelle's bushed look. He could see past the thin layer of make-up, making him wonder why she would even try to hide the sleep deprived, black eye look. "Please," he added desperately. "Please, please, please, please, please for Primus's sanity, don't go near him, Annabelle. Starscream is not like us. I know you think he's a twisted Autobot but -- "
"You were spying on us?!" she interrupted.
"You're are lucky he did not squish you," Jetfire scrutinized. "If Screamer weren't so concerned about his future propaganda, he would've taken your life."
"Then why didn't you rescue me from such a threat?" Anna sneered. She stood tall, glaring at him with her father's stern, 'take no bullshit' face. She placed her hands on her hip, giving her an ever growing aggressive stance. "Or do you happen to know him so well that he poses no threat to me while he is under our control?" Jetfire avoided her critical gaze. There was nothing he could say to her without enraging her more. "He's not evil, Jetfire," Anna informed bitterly. "If he was as bad as you guys have made him out to be, then he would've killed me already. If he were like Megatron -- "
"He is like Megatron," Jetfire argued. The 'bot placed his hand on the table, and without order, Annabelle promptly stepped off. "He just doesn't want to acknowledge it, Annabelle. He doesn't care for anyone or anything except for himself and his goals." He paused, unsure of how to approach the division between them. "If it were before the war, I would side with you, Anna. I truly would, but Starscream is no longer the 'bot I remember. He has manifested into a subtle, deceitful Megatron with aspirations to become a murderous dictator."
"If he were anything like Megatron, then he would've slain me already," Anna protested plainly. "But he is not like Megatron because he is not focused on a single goal. He wants what's best for your race, Jetfire. . . He's just a hero who happens to be on the wrong side. If you give him time -- "
"I've given him time, Annabelle!" Jetfire snapped uncharacteristically. "I've given him enough time that I've seen friends die. I'm done waiting on him. He's not worth waiting on anymore."
"Why are you so opposed to him?" she retorted. "You and he are brothers! Are you not suppose to help your brother in his time of need?"
"Much like you Annabelle," Jetfire criticized angrily. "He brings his miseries upon himself, and I refuse to help anyone anymore who could prevent their own bad luck." He had to catch himself from continuing to ramble. The mech glanced down to see his hands curled into a fist. He was trying to catch his processor up to the current moment, when he saw Annabelle's astonished face. "Oh Primus," he muttered as he realized what he had said. She moved backwards. The edges of her eyes became redder, more glossy as liquid built up along the rims of her eyelids. "Anna I -- " She gave him the cold shoulder. "I -- I don't know what came over me."
"That's what they all say," she whispered unconvincingly.
The mech reached for the human, but she began to walk away. His shoulders sank as he watched her sit down on the table. She pulled out her phone, and seemingly began to play a game on it. Her facial expression was blank, with no visible signs of hurt showing. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. He didn't want to end up injuring the human any more than what she had already been injured. The 'bot looked at his shadow. It felt as if yesterday his shadow fell onto the floor of the Nemesis. He had never more relieved than the day he had left the Nemesis, but now he found himself wondering if he did not belong there.
'If I join Starscream, then I'll be marked for dead,' he thought solemnly. 'But if I betray him, he'll tell the autobots that I am a decepticon spy. Either way, I'll be left for dead.' No longer able to stand his own shadow, Jetfire closed his optics. He loathed the position he chosen, and held a minute grudge against Starscream. If his brother hadn't revived him, then he'd be blissfully unaware of the war. He longed to return to his icy, peaceful tomb. The sound of Annabelle's sigh was enough to grab his attention. She closed her phone, and shoved it into the right pocket of her jeans. "Do you want to go flying?" he offered. Anna laid on her back as she stared blankly at the ceiling. "Anna . . . please say something to me . . . You know I would never mean something like that. You are family to me."
"Did you tell Starscream those lies too?" she replied cooly.
Now he wanted to adopt Starscream's habit of banging his head against a wall in frustration. Anna could be so think like Ironhide at times that it made his circuits burst with frustration. "I want to help you, Anna. I really do, but I can't if you are going to drag Screamer into this."
"Are you that spiteful towards him, that you'll abandon me to keep yourself safe?" Anna inquired.
"I can't help you when all you'll do is bring me down with you," he said remorsefully. "But when you come to terms with logic, I will be there, Anna. And I will help you to the best of my abilities." Anna rolled her head towards him with a displeased scowl. "I will always be there to help you Anna . . . so long as you are willing to help yourself as well." Jetfire sighed, and lifted himself out of the chair. He walked across the room, heading towards the door. He stopped at the door way. "I'm tired of drama," he said plainly. "Unfortunately, you love it. I don't know why you love it, but you do . . ." His voiced trailed off as he began to divulge into his own thoughts. "You didn't always love it," he recalled meekly. He glanced over her shoulder at him. "You used to despise it." The mech glanced to the floor.
Anna sat up immediately. "Jetfire," she spoke weakly. "Please don't do this to me."
"I'm not doing anything to you, Anna," he tried to justify. "Your doing this to yourself. This is our fault. You've never had to dealt with a problem, because we were there to help solve it for you, but you need to learn how to solve problems on your own. This is our fault. If we had let you grow up, then you'd be okay. But we didn't, and now we face those consequences." He raised his head, and opened his door. "It's time for you to grow up, Anna. That's all there is too it." The edge of his voice was filled with fear of the unknown, and he was positive Anna picked up on this fear.
He walked out of the room before Anna could reel him back into her clutches. As he strolled down the halls, he began to ponder over an thought that had begun to grow in his mind. Like any good scientist, he grabbed hold of the idea with both hands, and was well prepared to follow the idea through its entirety. 'We never pushed her,' he thought. 'We spoiled her, and turned her into our new protoform. Since we didn't push her to be an adult, she will consequently search for a way to illogically solve her problems. But she has come to a stage in her life where she is learning to think ahead. . . So she should clearly know the consequences of her actions. This would mean she wanted this drama to keep us together, and to diminish her fear. Her fear would most likely have to come from an insecurity and dependency. At which point, we must've fed into that insecurity when she was young . . . Thus creating our current problem.'
The doors to the medical bay opened as he walked into the room. Jetfire looked over to see Sideswipe rolling his blue optics. He looked displeased towards Jetfire. He flinched as Ratchet prodded his fuel line. "Will you leave me alone already?" he snapped. "I'm perfectly fine!" Ratchet's exhausted optics traveled to Jetfire. Sideswipe had obviously been an obnoxious patient -- not that that surprised Jetfire. The red twin was just as bad as Ironhide in his own, immature manner. "Hey, Screamer," he taunted. "You're li'l keeper is here."
Starscream opened his optics, and gave Sideswipe an ominous grimace. "I have no keeper," he corrected cynically. He shifted his position to get a better look at his brother. "I am the keeper of others." Jetfire stared submissively down at the floor. "Just asked my comrades."
"Oh yeah, like any sensible 'bot would go up and ask a slag like you a question," Swipe returned hatefully.
"Please take him out of here," Ratchet ordered.
"Yeah, take him otta - " Sideswipe's voice was cut short as Ratchet disconnected the electrical circuit that powered the vocal processor. The red 'bot protectively grabbed his neck with both hands. He looked astonished for a second. Then his stare turned to a glower. Ratchet ignored the twin, and peacefully hummed to himself. Starscream snickered at the autobot, only increasing Sideswipe's short temper.
Jetfire reached for Starscream, and grabbed the 'con from beneath the arms. Before Starscream could react, the mech had him lifted off the table. The seeker, out of fear, naturally clung to Jetfire. The 'con's legs dangled limply beneath him. Out of the corner of Jetfire's eye, he saw Sideswipe making kissing faces. He simply rolled his eyes, but Starscream would not let an insult go unanswered. The seeker flipped the autobot the middle finger. Sideswipe stood on end, and gripped the table unusually tight. "Oh Primus," Jetfire muttered. Ratchet eyed Jetfire, before letting his optics rest annoyingly on Sideswipe. With a swift movement of his fist, the medic lightly hit the crown of Sideswipe's head.
"You deserved that," Starscream commented smugly.
"One more word out of your mouth, and I'll disconnect your vocal processor too," Ratchet warned.
Jetfire peered past Starscream's head. "It wasn't her fault," he stated blankly. "It was ours." The medic immediately turned to Jetfire with a perplex expression. "I'll explain later." Starscream directed his glare to Jetfire, but the bigger mech ignore the seeker. The black 'bot walked out of the room. His steps were sluggish as he tried to navigate with limited vision. His brother remained silent, but underneath his "cool" exterior, Jetfire knew Starscream was boiling with pent-up anger. There was always a "calm" before the seeker unleashed his storm. "Watch your wing," he warned feebly. Jetfire carefully maneuvered their way through the door.
Starscream released his grip on Jetfire, and plopped himself onto the table. "Fucking piece of shit is more irritating than Megatron," the seeker huffed. "Doesn't fucking know when to shut the fuck up. No wonder your side is losing the war. If they didn't complain so fucking much, then maybe you'd be doing better."
"Watch your language," Jetfire criticized.
"Why the hell should I?" he retorted. "It's not like I can sink any lower."
"Actually you can," Anna remarked. The seeker whipped his head around to see the human lying on the table. She held her Hello Kitty pink communications device above her head. She viciously pressed the buttons on the pad. He couldn't see what was on her screen, but by her concentration, Starscream determined it to be of importance. "You can sink a lot lower if you think about it."
"No one asked for your opinion," he retorted.
"Maybe not, but at least I corrected your incorrect statement," the human snapped.
The 'bot sat down in his creaky chair. His optics flashed towards Anna, before resting on his brother. Starscream looked at him, before reluctantly rolling his head back. He'd been through this drill enough times to know the procedure. Jetfire reached towards Starscream's neck, and carefully activated the smaller device. The circular object lit with an Arctic blue light. Jetfire activated his five by seven foot hologram data pad. "Don't probed too deeply," Starscream stated.
"I won't," Jetfire reassured. His data pad registered with new information concerning Starscream's internal defenses. They were offline. He glanced uncertainly at the seeker. Starscream gave him a scowl as an answer, and the 'bot accepted the answer. A small smile tugged the edges of his mouth. It was good to know, that despite their differences, Starscream still trusted him. Starscream closed his optics, and braced himself for a long and uneventful afternoon.
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For two hours he sat on the table. No words were spoken among the trio. Only the clicking of Anna's phone filled the silence. The seeker let out a bored sigh. He couldn't believe he allowed Jetfire access to parts of his basic functions that he had never let Thundercracker inspect. Starscream wasn't entirely sure why he was granting Jetfire access so easily; especially when he considered the fact Jetfire claimed to be an autobot. 'But if anyone's going to do it,' he thought. 'Might as well be the moral Skyfire.' Starscream opened his optics. "Have you found anything yet?" he asked exhaustingly. "I'm getting tired of sitting here."
"Impatient much?" Anna criticized. Starscream restrained a growl.
"I might've found a virus," he responded quickly.
"Might've?" questioned the seeker. "It's either a yes or no answer."
Jetfire glanced up from his work. "It's a very subtle virus . . . if it is one," the scientist explained. "It's very well engraved into your central regenerative and communication coding. Had I not gone over it a second time, I would have missed it. I'm fairly certain it's invaded the core processors that code your energy supply. I believe it to be a timer of sorts."
"For what?" the seeker asked.
"I don't know," the mech answered. "Just a timer, but a faulty timer. It's going by imaginary negative numbers. It's moving away from zero, and if my calculations are right, then it's approaching infinite." Jetfire stared frustratingly down at his data pad. "I've never seen coding like it. Whoever infected you, wanted to time something." Starscream looked away. "I'll need to consult Ratchet. He'll be able to determine if this is a virus, or just coding." His data pad hologram disappeared, and Jetfire stood. "You wouldn't happen to know who might've infected you?"
He shook his head. The seeker stared into Jetfire's optics. "No idea," Starscream said blankly. Jetfire nodded before heading out of the room.
"Bullshit," Anna chimed. She set her phone beside herself. The human pushed herself into a comfortable sitting position.
"What?" Starscream asked.
"I said bullshit," she repeated. Anna crossed her arms. "Not that that surprises me . . . You do have a habit of being unreliable and dishonest. I personally wouldn't trust anything you say."
"I don't always lie," the seeker informed.
"Then tell me why you didn't go through with our truce?" Anna asked coldly. "I'm still waiting on my answer."
"I gave you your answer," Starscream corrected. He twisted his torso around to view her better. "You were just too ignorant to listen, fleshy." He raised his head, giving off a snooty glare. "But since I am feeling generous, I'll remind you of what you refuse to acknowledge." He took a brief pause. "If you can recall, I said I hated you a little less than most sentient beings." Anna nodded as she followed along. "But I clearly stated that you were twice as naive for reviving a powerful 'con as me. How you believe I could solve your li'l family problems is highly illogical. You started to mumble incoherent words in response."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" she inquired.
"I swore on my spark, did I not?" he replied nonchalantly.
"That you did," Anna established.
"So you see I am telling the truth then," Starscream restated. "And it is in fact you who owe me your secret. As I recall, and I always recall perfectly, you were about to tell me what you thought of my sentient being." He bent down to give her a stern stare. "Will you honor your half?"
The human matched his cocky facial expression perfectly. "In that case," she spoke aloofly. "I don't hate you; though there are times I do deeply despite you, but never hate. You're too much of a fun puzzle to figure out to hate. I quite enjoy the challenge you present." The seeker smirked. "But -- " She stood up, and strolled casually towards him. "I think you are overly arrogant, extremely haughty, and nevertheless cowardly. You lie too much for your own good, and risk getting caught in your own traps. I absolutely, and patiently, await the day for you to say you were wrong," Anna explained cynically and frankly.
"Aren't you a little critic," the 'con sneered.
"Who else is going to keep you line while you're here?" Anna said too happily. "After all, you are on my turf, and at my mercy, Twenty-two. If it weren't for me, you'd be offline for good." The human leaned against his thigh. "Consider yourself lucky that I'm not asking for a lifetime of servitude from you as payment." She placed her head on her folded arms. "All I'm asking for is to know the truth. . ." She eyed him suspiciously. "Now, what did you really say last night?"
"If only you were a decepticon," he stated. "Then I might consider you less pathetic."
Anna raised her eye brows. "So . . . what exactly are you saying?" she inquired. "Because I -- I'm not quite following.
He abruptly scooped her into his hand. She laid back, supporting herself with her elbows. Anna had an uncertain, shocked face. The seeker brought her close to his face. "What I'm saying, is that you aren't half bad for being made out of flesh and water, squishy," Starscream admitted. "And if you got rid of that smart attitude, I might even go as far as to say you'd be a pleasant, but frail slave."
"You just hate someone, especially a human, being wittier than you," Anna boasted. "Just admit it. I'll try to not rub it into your face to hard if you do."
"In your dreams," he spat.
"It can happen," she suggested. The human rolled onto her stomach, and spread out across his palm. She wiggled her legs lazily in the air. "Just look at you. Bet you never thought you'd end up a prisoner to the autobots and their "pet" human." She smiled devilishly, making him roll his eyes. "After all, anything is possible. It's just how probable it is that determines whether or not you'll be affected." She propped her head onto her hands. "Take you for example. I'd expect you to hurt me, and I'm still expecting you too. I wouldn't expect Jetfire to hurt me, but shit just happens."
"No wonder you were so quiet," Starscream established. "I thought something seemed off about you. I would hypothesized then, that it had to do with you confessing to Jetfire." She nodded weakly, not really looking at him. "Doesn't surprise me. The autobots have never really liked thinking outside their own little bubble."
"I just couldn't stand being considered an enemy anymore," Anna explained. "His reaction was so much different than I thought it would be. I thought . . . I thought he'd help me, but instead he left me on my own. Jetfire says I bring this on myself, but I don't. I don't think I do anyway. But I know he's only concerned about himself. It's just seems so -- "
"Hypocritical?" the seeker finished. Anna looked at him with surprised eyes. "I know all about it, fleshy. I've dealt with their ignorance for enough years that I could write a detailed report regarding the affects it has had on many sentient beings." He took a deep breath of the cool air. "The autobots image of being good, saint-like figures is just a mask. They hate for their innocent, good-will to be tarnished. In order to protect their good-image, they must not make drastic mistakes. If caught in a mistake, they'll deny it. They'll virtually go to any length to object to a mistake. I've learned this personally. . ." In a very human fashion, he pushed aside her loose blonde strands. "Don't make the mistake I did. Don't trust people who will not understand."
"But they're my family," she protested weakly. "I love them."
"If you are bent on keeping your puny family, then do so," he scoffed. "But you should not disclose your secrets to them. I know for a fact, that they would use this to only diagnose you as mentally unhealthy." He watched her pupil's diameter increased. "Your own medic was trying to bribe me into helping him diagnose your "illness.""
"What?" she breathed.
He nodded solemnly. "They would turn on you to protect themselves. I know. I lived through it. And I understand what you are going through." The seeker lifted the human to his shoulder. Anna slid off his hand, and landed on his shoulder. She held onto a bundle of wires to help steadier her as she stood. "I really do. I know for a fact that Skyfire will leave you if you continue to appear radical. The reason Skyfire refuses to help you is because he's afraid you're changing into something bad." She was skeptical, and her faced showed it. The human bravely let go of her support systems so that she could cross her arms. "Skyfire is afraid of change. That's the reason he left for the autobots."
He closed optics, as he tried to grasp the memory more clearly. "I told him in detail about my plans to end the war, and the ideas I had for the future of Cybertron. When I was done, he accused me of changing. He said the Starscream he knew was gone, and that we were no longer brothers." His was voice was dry of any emotions. Starscream grimaced at the human. "When push comes to shove, he will always leave you first."
She might not have bought his story had if it had not flowed with the others' stories about Jetfire's betrayal. "I don't trust one word you said," she spoke clearly. "You were too restrained to have told the story of your brother's betrayal so frankly."
"Maybe I've just accepted his betrayal, and no longer fight the truth," Starscream suggested.
"I'm more inclined to the first," she stated.
"Regardless of what you think, where will you be if he does leave you?" the seeker asked. "Do you think the others will understand any better? Keeping quiet to them is the best option you have if you plan on keeping them as your family." She regretfully nodded. Anna longingly stared towards the doorway. The human knew Starscream wasn't good, but she couldn't deny his logic. She'd already dug herself a hole, and figured the only way she would get out of it would be to act like a good little girl. "But I'll understand," Starscream added.
"Why would I tell you?" she retorted. "You are a traitorous, lying bastard who would rat me out."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," he informed matter-of-factly.
"They aren't my enemy," Anna corrected. "They're my family."
"But we're both prisoners to them," the 'con recalled. "We're both at their mercy."
Anna sat down on his shoulder. She leaned against the smooth, aerodynamic exterior of his charred wing. "Maybe for once you're right," she pondered. "But I'm not going to turn on them. I still love them."
"I never asked you to turn on them," Starscream corrected. "I just merely returned your invitation to this "club for two.""
"Surprised you would join," she commented in a monotone.
"I have my logical reasons," he assured. "We're both prisoners and misunderstood by the autobots. We also have other traits in common. Besides, you're the only intelligent stimulation this Pitt has to offer my dangerously bored processor." He could see her mischievously smile. "Like I said, fleshy, you aren't half bad. With a few tweaks and some obedience training, I might consider you to be a half-way decent pet."
"Oh, so now I'm a pet?" she scoffed sarcastically. "I'm really moving up on the totem poll now! Hey everyone! I've gone from slave to pet!" She clapped her hands together, and gave a happy smile to the 'con. "You're not very funny," she chided cooly. Anna placed her hands behind her head as she relaxed on his shoulder. "So will this be confidential, Twenty-two?"
"Anything good is always confidential, Annabelle," the seeker stated chivalrously.
"So it appears, Starscream," she replied.
"No more of this "Twenty-two" nickname?" he asked innocently.
"I thought you didn't like it," the human answered snootily.
"I never said I dislike it," Starscream informed. "I was just curious as to why you call me by "Twenty-two." Everyone else in this base either calls me by my formal name or by "Screamer.""
Anna rolled her eyes. "You always need things spelled out letter by letter," she complained. "First off, if I were to call you "Lord Starscream", you'd grow an even bigger head; and I cannot let that happen on my watch. Secondly, "Screamer" is a whore name. The only reason I would call you "Screamer" would be when I'm jokingly referring to you as Mikaela. Thirdly, "Twenty-two" is much more appropriate for a 'con disguised as an F-22. Plus, it just sounds cuter."
"Cute?" he sneered. "I am not cute."
"Heavens no," she stated. "You aren't cute." She looked up and down his body. "You're quite odd in your body structure -- very unorthodox. If you want cute, just look at Beeman's antennas. Those are cute. You though -- "
"I'm aerodynamic," he clarified callously. "I'm much swifter and agile than than any of these ground 'bots."
"Chill," Anna ordered. "I was just being frank."
"About what?" Jetfire asked grimly. He carried himself lethargically across the room.
Annabelle pointed to Starscream's face. "He has a face that only a mother could love." The seeker immediately glared at her, but her only answer was shrug of her shoulders. "It's true," she peeped. A small 'ding' followed her words. Starscream looked around the room, trying to find the source of the sound. "That's my phone," she answered. Anna stood up, and leaned over as far as she could without falling off his shoulder.
"Oh," he muttered. The 'con brought his good hand to his shoulder. The human gladly took his offer, and hopped onto his hand. He brought her to the table, where she slid through his fingers. While she was scurrying to her phone, Starscream took his time to watch Jetfire approach.
"It is a virus," Jetfire confirmed. "You'll be glad to know that we will get rid of the virus since it poses a threat to all of us here. But -- "
"But what?" Starscream asked bitterly.
"It'll take some time to remove it from your systems," the scientist explained. "It's so perfectly engraved into your systems, that it'll take roughly three weeks to remove it completely. The seeker groaned, and beat the back of his head against the wall. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll be the one to remove it."
"Shit," Anna muttered.
Jetfire looked curiously towards the human. "What?"
"Fucking chem report," she complained. "It's due tomorrow." She snapped her phone closed, and sighed. "It's gonna take the rest of the afternoon to finish the effing thing."
"Well if you finish early, I'll take you out to fly," he encouraged. "If you go to work on it now, you'll probably finish in time.
Doubt that," she argued pessimistically.
Jetfire placed Annabelle on the floor, and gave her a small, friendly push to go finish the report. "After you finish your report, I'll proofread it for you."
"Okay," she conceded. "See ya later, Twenty-two." She waved to both of them before exiting the room.
The seeker huffed. "Finally," he breathed. "Pesky fleshies never leave."
"At least you're on her good side," Jetfire stated positively. He looked up at his brother. So much had changed between them, but he could still see, or hoped that's what he saw, remnants of Starscream's old personality. "I've got to leave, but will you be okay in here for tonight?"
"Just tell your 'bots to keep their distance," Starscream barked. The ebony mech nodded at his brother's answer. Jetfire began to head towards the doorway. "How is everyone?" he asked more gently.
"Good," he informed dryly. "It's as normal as normal can be."
"Tell them I'll waiting," the seeker added.
"Goodbye, Starscream," the 'bot said quickly. He didn't want to get involved in another decepticon-oritented conversation with his brother. Knowing his luck, Jetfire assumed someone would over hear them. He told himself he didn't need that. The 'bot picked up his pace, and set his goals on his new mission. The doors closed behind Jetfire, and the lights died. The red light form his optics weakly emitted light. He shifted to his radiational field of vision.
The seeker groaned. 'Great,' he thought sarcastically. 'More time to recharge.' The 'con didn't want to recharge, nor relive any of the memories that tended to pop up in his recharge. He pressed his head into his palm. He might not have minded the memories so much had there not been a gap between Cybertron and waking up on Earth. He carefully slid his hand down his chest, feeling the radiation his spark emitted. Starscream could still imagine the tightness on his spark chamber he had felt. "When I return to Cybertron," he muttered to himself. "You will be the first that I kill, Shockwave. Followed by Ramjet and his deceitful troop." He closed his optics. "But just how will I make your final moments the worst in your life?" he pondered. "I'll have to make it something special for you."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
He woke from his recharge cycle without any hitches. Basic functions read normal. His injuries were still the same, dysfunctional and irritating level. He peered around the room, noting how uncluttered, and empty Jetfire had left his room. He deemed it acceptable for his brother's standards. 'He never did like stuff,' he thought. 'Always so sentimental.' His eyes focused on a dull shine. Starscream carefully picked up the small, metallic device. He recognized it as the human's communication device. He opened the phone. The screen lit, displaying the different operations the device could perform.
He carefully removed a minor electrical circuit from his wrist, and used it to hack into the phone. Starscream searched through the phone's applications, but found nothing exciting to exploit or use to eradicate his boredom. Starscream opened the last application. His interest peaked as he searched through the various texts. He had limited knowledge of the humans' texting communication; though, he assumed it was very much like crude instant messaging. The seeker pulled up the contact list, and scanned through the contacts. One particular contact caught his eye. Smirking, the seeker sent a basic text message, saying, "Wassup?".
He stared blankly at the screen, waiting for a message to appear. The phone made a 'ding' as it received a text. He opened the text message and read:
'Who is this? && how did u get my 2nd fone? -Anna'
Starscream constructed a new message quickly. 'This is Twenty-two. You left your phone here, fleshy.' He quickly press sent. A few moments later, the phone made another 'ding'.
'B careful w/it! -Anna'
He found himself amused with her abbreviated spellings. 'What are you doing?'
'Going 2 bed.U? -Anna.'
'Trying to find intelligent entertainment in this hellhole. Did you finish your report? -22'
'Yeah. Didn't get 2 fly though. ),: -Anna.'
'You'll survive. What was your report over? -22'
'Ur nosey! It was over chemical reactions. Simple stuffs. -Anna'
'Why do you have two phone? -22'
'B/c i have a habit of leaving my fone either at my house or here. so i got 2 fones to solve that problem. -Anna'
'Pathetic. -22'
'Yup. :) Gtg bed. ttyl! -Anna'
'Whatever. -22'
The phone snapped shut, and 'con placed the delicate device in his cockpit. The seeker rolled his eyes. Humans required so much sleep when compared to his species. It was no wonder they were technologically behind. He had once heard that humans spent one third of their lives dormant. The 'con no longer doubted that statement. Between the past two days, she would've slept a total of sixteen hours. He pressed his head to the wall, and closed his optics. 'Poor humans,' he thought. 'They don't even know they're wasting their life.' He sighed. 'At least it kills boredom.'