there's a million&one ways
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A/N: For once I was able to write the chapter all the way through with taking breaks only to eat and sleep.
Btw, if you are curious, Anna is suffering from a form of Commotio Cordis.
Replies:
Waffles,, I couldn't resist not leaving it off there x3 && I don't know if you want to find out. It's a war zone there, lol.
Pairings: Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide
Disclaimer: I do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.
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Jetfire stood solemnly over Sarah as she cried out Annabelle's name in a hoarse voice. Her cries varied from soft blurbs to loud, static creating shrieks. Sarah's back was firmly against the wall. The woman's face was covered up her shaky, delicate hands. Jetfire let out a stumbling sigh. The pain Sarah displayed so openly he could only feel in his spark. Every sound she made amplified the remorse seeping into his spark. Like a slow dribble of acid, the penitence began to burn its way to the center of his soul. He slowly brought his hand to his chest, touching the armor plating that covered the most important part of his physical being. The autobot's azure optics diverted from Sarah and searched desperately for an experienced and friendly face to help guide him, but no other autobots had decided to join him. Wet streaks coated the woman's face, and her red, puffy eyes seemed to produce more tears. "We'll find her, Sarah," he offered, trying to comfort himself. "I know we will."
"This is all your fault!" she blasted. Sarah pointed to him with a shaky fist. She stepped away from the wall, using what balance she had to keep herself upright. "This is all you stupid aliens' fault! You're supposed to protect us from those heathens, and you can't even do that! I knew that you bastards had no place among us, and this proves it! Why don't you do the world a favor and leave! If you had left after Mission City like the liaison wanted you to, then my daughter would be safe now!"
"I know," Jetfire admitted. "And I wish we had now. I always feared something like this could happen."
"If you feared it, then why didn't you do anything to prevent it?!" Sarah shouted.
"Easy, Sarah," he soothed. She spun around to see her husband sluggishly walking towards the duo. Ironhide loomed behind the Major, taking his time to look over the damages along the walls. "This just as easily could've happened to anyone else given the situation."
"She's a child, Will!" Sarah yelled. "And now she's a prisoner of war because of them!" Ironhide stopped in his tracks, appalled at the accusation. She rushed to her husband, hitting his protective armor with any extra ounce of energy she could muster. "If you hadn't brought that dumb truck home and decide to resign after Mission City like I wanted you to, then our daughter would be safe! But no, you jut had to let her get involved with them!" She pointed to Ironhide. The autobots held his ground against the furious woman. "And now she's gone. My only child is gone."
The Major grabbed his by both shoulders. "Calm down, Sarah," he said in an even voice.
"Calm down!" she spat. "This is my daughter we're talking about! And you're telling me to be calm!"
"Blaming them won't help the situation," he argued. The man grabbed his wife and pulled her close to him. "I'm bringing her home, Sarah," he whispered reassuringly. "I'm going to bring her back alive and well. I promise you that." Will pressed his head against his wife's. He took his other hand and gently rubbed the back of her back to sooth her broken heart. "She's top priority right now, Sarah. All the NEST officials are on standby. We're just waiting for them to pop up on radar."
"They won't get away with this, Sarah," Ironhide added firmly. "Once we find them, all of those deceptions will be killed."
"I don't want her to ever go around them again," Sarah said softly to him.
"And she won't," Will replied. "She'll never be put into harm's way again. After all of this is done, we're gonna move far away from this. We'll build that dram house of yours, and Anna won't be around them anymore."
"And you'll quite your job, right?" she asked in between sobs.
He nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "I'll resign after I get her back. I'll go finish my degree, and we'll live a normal life. All three of us. We'll have that happy ending that you always wanted." The Major nuzzled his wife, and took a deep breath of her strawberry scented hair.
"How can you be so composed?" Sarah asked as her anger began to flare up again. "She's our daughter and you look as if nothing has happened!" She tried to pull away, but he held his squirming wife firmly in his hands.
"I can't let my emotions get the better of me, Sarah," he spoke. "I have a job to do, and that job is bringing Annabelle back." The woman went limp in his grip. She stared into his eyes, not believing a word he had spoken. "There's no reason to cry when she'll be back here in no time." Sarah nodded. She couldn't find an argumentive thought to use against him. Will looked up to lonely Jetfire. "You knew him best. Where would he have taken her?"
Jetfire shook his head. "I don't know," he confessed. "His mind is light-years ahead of what everyone else is thinking." Ironhide looked sternly at the autobot. The general would not accept an answer that made his Sarah feel more doubtful about their abilities. "But I know how to reach him." Sarah lifted her head and stared hopefully at him. "But I'll need your help Ironhide if I'm going to pull it off."
"What are you thinking?" the weapon specialist asked.
"Starscream still believes I am loyal to his cause," the scientist explained shamefully. "And he would welcome me back into the decepticon ranks without a second thought. But I need for you guys to help me fake my exile from the autobots. It has to be convincing or else he'll become paranoid and suspect me of betrayal again."
"You understand what he does to traitors," Ironhide said wearily.
The mech nodded. "I am well aware of what he does to them," he acknowledged, "But if I don't do this, then we could end up waiting for him to turn up, and that could take weeks. Besides, it is our fault that Anna is where she is now. If this gets her back, then it'll be good enough for me."
"I'll go get Optimus here," Ironhide said. "We'll see what he thinks."
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Starscream stood motionless in a dumbfounded state. His processors froze at the mere thought of her body going offline. "Annabelle?" he breathed. Desperation lurked underneath astonishment of his words. The seeker ruefully shook the body, trying to wake her up. "Annabelle!" he commanded with more effort. He looked towards the doorway with hysterical eyes. He parted his mouth to shout for his brothers, but words failed him as he realized how pathetic and weak he would appear to them for worrying over a human's life. It was only a human, and among the six billion humans populating the earth, she seemed rather miniscule. It felt illogical for him to even be considering bringing her back from the other side. 'To hell with her,' shouted his egotistical counterpart. 'She's done nothing but be a pain in the ass.'
Starscream's optics parted away from her as he heard heavy steps come closer. "What the hell are you ye – " Thundercracker began. The blue seeker stood transfixed at the human in his brother's hand. "It's a – a . . . " he spoke incoherently as he tried to piece it together.
"It's a human," his brother spat. "And she won't be of any use unless if we can't bring her back among the living. Now go fetch Barricade before we lose her permanently. And tell 'Warp to fetch some oxygen tanks and medical supplies from a hospital. Now do it before I decide to scrap you for energon!" Thundercracker nodded, not in a mood to argue with his superior. He ran out of the room, furiously calling out orders of the decepticon frequency.
He set her down on his chest, watching with a sick, twisting feeling as she lay there. Starscream saw the color drain from her face. From the microscopic level he observed the edges of her lips turning a deathly shade of icy blue. "Come here, Annabelle," he whispered. The mech moved his finger around the edge of her face, still trying to coax her back from the dead. "Where is that damn scout?" he bellowed. Barricade was shoved into the room, followed by a serious-faced blue seeker. The scout snorted at Thundercracker. He tired of being bullied into situations that he found unfavorable.
Barricade straightened himself out, and lifted his head proudly. His optics blinked as he analyzed the details of the situation. "How long has her heart failed her?" he inquired as he inspected her from afar.
"Not long," the tan seeker replied. "Perhaps a minute and forty-five seconds at most." Barricade came forward and in one swift motion ripped the shirt off the human's torso. Dark colored bruises had begun to form and marked the outline where his fingers had crushed her torso. "What are you doing?" Starscream asked angrily.
"She needs a low dose of electricity to start her heart again," Barricade informed bitterly. "Though I – "
"How much does she need?" Starscream yelled impatiently.
"Twenty amps," he answered.
The decepticon leader pushed Barricade away from him. He would be damned if he let an inferior bring back a human. The scout muttered an incoherent insult as he regained his balance. The 'con hastily disconnected an electrical circuit in his left arm. Starscream placed the circuit against her skin. With precision, he allowed nineteen amps to flow through his circuit and into the human. He pulled his circuit away, and intently watched her. The smoldering smell of skin fumed from the human's new four-centimeter scorch mark on her chest. "Fleshy," he called. He pressed his circuit to her chest again when she flickered her eyes opened. She gasped as she craved to fill her lungs with sweet oxygen. Pain shot like an arrow through her chest at the expansion of her lungs. Her right hand flung across her chest as she went to hold her tender ribs. "Where's that oxygen?" he asked.
Skywarp reemerge from his wormhole. His hands gripped the side of an ambulance. "I got a mobile hospital!" he chimed proudly. The black seeker turned around and stared at the human. "That ugly thing is what you're trying to save, Screamer? I've seen autobots prettier than it!" Barricade moved around Skywarp and opened the doors the rear doors of the ambulance. The black and white mech ripped the oxygen tanks out of the vehicle.
He attached an oxygen mask before handing it over to the seeker. "Put this on her face," he stated. "And raise her legs up. That'll keep the blood in all the vital organs." Starscream used his functional hand to press the oxygen mask into place. "And keep her warm! The last thing she needs is to die of shock."
"Keep still, fleshy!" Starscream demanded. Annabelle squirmed, trying fight her way from his grasp. With his hurt hand, he gently elevated her legs. "I'm trying to help you." Barricade threw a blanket at his superior. The seeker took the thin sheet and placed it over her body. Anna relaxed as fatigue set over her body. The scout handed Starscream a bad of fluids. "What do I do with this?"
"Stick it in her arm's vein at the elbow joint," Barricade snapped. "It'll help stabilize her."
"No needles!" Anna shouted weakly.
"You need it fleshy!" Starscream argued. He ruthlessly grabbed her right arm. Anna turned her head away as he harshly stuck the needle into her vein. "I need something to hold it in place," he stated. Barricade tossed him a box of bandages. The seeker tore it open, and quickly peeled a bandaged free. He placed it over the needle. He glanced at Annabelle who was on the verge of throwing another tantrum. "How long do I keep her like this?"
Barricade shrug. "Few hours. Personally I think we should let her die," he stated.
"I agree," Skywarp stated. "Why do we need that human anyway?"
"She'll be no use to The Doctor if she's dead," he explained. Skywarp made a small "oh" with his mouth. Starscream looked critically at Thundercracker. "You haven't spoken much."
"I like watching," he replied plainly.
"Hand me some of the other medical supplies. I need to set her chest and wrist straight before she causes more injury to herself." Skywarp peered quickly into the ambulance before grabbing a box. He tossed his brother's legs. The 'con pulled the box towards closer to himself. "You're dismissed," Starscream ordered. "Return to your posts. I'll rejoin you after I have taken care of the pet." Barricade and Skywarp filed out of the room silently; only Thundercracker loomed in front of the doorway. "Yes, Thundercracker?" he inquired.
"Do you want me to summon The Doctor?" he asked.
"Yes," Starscream confirmed. "And have Skywarp fetch some blankets." The blue seeker nodded, however, his optics conveyed a more curious and unsettling look of dissatisfaction. Thundercracker marched hungrily out of the room. He insensitively glowered at the human on his chest. "I told you to sleep," he stated. "You were the one who disobeyed."
"Disobeyed," she breathed in a raspy voice. "You crushed me!"
"It's a mistake that I won't make again," he assured. "And I saved you, did I not?"
"You killed me!" she yelled. "You – " She cringed as a surge of pain washed over her chest, radiating from her ribs and central chest. Anna felt her heart falter for a moment. Her fingers squirmed unnaturally at the new pain coming form her heavy heart. He stared hollowly at her reaction. The seeker couldn't find it within him to smugly laugh and enjoy her pain, nor could he listen to the tiny voice pleading in his spark to submit to the human.
He opened the box and grabbed the adhesive tape. "Sit up," he demanded. "We need to fix your other problems before you recharge." Anna slowly propped herself into a sitting position. She bit her tongue as the pain rippled over her chest again. "Lift up your left arm." The human raised her arm high enough to give the seeker room to apply the adhesive bandages. She whimpered as he began to apply the white bandages across her chest and at the humility of being bare chest in front of him. "You can lower your arm," he spoke as he applied the last bandage. "Put your wrist to your chest," he added. Anna moved her discolored, swollen wrist to her chest, and placed her closed palm above her heart. "Keep still while I bandage it." Anna turned her head away as he applied the last bandages to hold her arm in place.
"Since when do you know how to heal bones?" she asked bitterly.
"It's like any injury," he stated just as coldly. "If you keep it still, the quicker it will heal. Now put your oxygen mask back on. I don't you want to die again." Anna lied down, curling up in her blanket. She brought the mask to her face, and placed it around her head. "You're being too quiet."
She stared at the far wall, hating the underground feeling it conveyed. "Did you feel it?" Anna asked.
"Feel what?" Starscream inquired.
"The loneliness," she added.
"What are you talking about?" the seeker inquired, growing frustrated at her vagueness.
"When you died," Annabelle clarified hysterically. "Did you feel the loneliness? Didn't you feel like you were alone, and that everything else in the world was fake? And did you hear the buzzing noise? It wasn't at all like people describe!" She closed her eyes tightly, trying to shut out the memory. "I think I'm going to hell, Starscream." She used the blanket to wipe away the tears that formed along the ridges of her eyes.
"Don't cry. You'll only create stress on your body," he said in a firm voice.
"But you heard it right?" she asked again. Anna searched longingly at his optics for a sign of similarity. The seeker turned the other cheek to the human. His optics rested wearily on the ambulance. "Starscream?" she pleaded. She buried her head into his chest as best she could. "I saw," she said. "You watching me. And you didn't kill me. Thank you so much for not killing me. I don't think I could have sto – "
"Quiet, fleshy," Starscream barked. "You will end up killing yourself." The seeker scanned over the human's body and picked up on the traces of goose bumps along her skin. He instinctively raised his body temperature to match her own signature body temperature. "Besides, if you're going to hell, then so am I." She glanced up at him, but all he gave her was a shameful expression of the optics. "And I only kill when provoked, Annabelle. So stay on my good side and you won't have to worry about going to hell when you're only with me."
"But you – "
"Yes," he answered abruptly. "I heard what you heard, and felt what you felt. Now can we shut it for the night? I don't want to recharge with hell on my mind." Anna sighed as she pulled the sheet tighter around her body, careful to make sure she didn't pull the needle out of her arm. "And why are you so concerned about the next life? It's only this life that matters, Annabelle."
"Because for me, the next life is forever," she explained weakly. "I don't have forever to live in this life like you." Anna tried to let her body relax, but the lack of security kept her awake. The sense of him watching her with eyes that never blinked did not help to ease her nerves. She shuddered at the memory of him running his claw gently along her face entered her mind.
"Shhh," he breathed. Starscream pressed the dull side of his claw against her back, and ran it up and down the length of her spine. "It's okay now, Annabelle. I'm not going to harm you," he reassured softly, trying to be gentle with his voice. He felt her muscles tense as his claw traveled along her spine. "I've put too much effort into bringing you back. Now relax . . . I'm just trying to sooth you."
"Why?" she asked.
"Because you are my slave," he informed. "And a slave is no good to me if they are in poor condition."
"I meant the other part," Anna muttered sickly.
"I told you before," Starscream said in an annoyed tone. "There is a difference between the heat of the battle and the joy of killing. I just happen to not enjoy killing as much as my comrades." His voice fell silent as he concentrated on stroking her back. Anna scooted away from his touch, but he brought his claw against her skin again. The human tried to bow her back away from him, but shots of pain raced along her ribs, making it almost impossible to move her back. An invalid whimpered escaped her mouth. "Don't fight it," he murmured. "Just enjoy it, Annabelle."
She flickered her eyes open, and stared at him with a hidden intention. "I hate you so much," Anna breathed. She curled her hand tightly around the thin off-white sheet. "Hate you, hate you, hate you."
"That's okay," Starscream said tolerantly. "A lot of others hate me as well, but when I'm done, they'll love me. Now – " He slowed the motion of his stroking. "Close your eyes. You need the rest."
Anna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Promise me you won't leave me," she asked softly. "I don't want to feel that loneliness again."
"I won't," the seeker assured. "I'll make sure of it." Her body began to relax under his touch. A contented smile tugged along his mouth components. He watched as her chest rose and fell slowly. He traced his claw along the side of her face, carefully stroking her cheek. "Besides, there is a cardinal rule in warfare," he whispered. "Never destroy something that is important." He rested the edge of his finger along her back. Starscream sighed a contented sigh. Peace settled over his tense body slowly. The fiery optics rested on her body, and he watched with satisfaction at her aliveness.
Thump-thump, thump-thump went the repetitive pitter patter of her heart. Never in his life had he been so grateful to heart the sound of a human's heart work. He was thoroughly disgusted at the weakness he was showing for the human. She was, by all accounts, just another human – another energy wasting leech that happened to inhabit an energy-filled planet. The seeker huffed warm, humid air into her face. He narrowed his optics resentfully.
'Stupid humans,' he thought bitterly. 'Too fragile to even receive a proper punishment.' Starscream closed his optics as he cherished the warmth that came from her small body. An unusual guilt nipped annoyingly at his spark The feeling of her sitting on his chest in a mangled condition fueled the fly that buzzed inside his spark. Against his better judgement, Starscream's internal processors repeated the information on her condition: two broken ribs, bruised bones, burnt skin, discolored skin, twisted wrist, and a fragile heart. 'I'm going to be easier with her punishments,' he told himself. The thought did little to ease his spark, but created a sympathetic feeling for the human. Starscream began to rub his claw unusually fervent manner against her bruised skin again. "This will not happen again," he muttered, barely audible. "I promise, Annabelle."
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In between the blink of her eyes and her last breath, the human found herself lingering above a metallic based alien. She watched curiously as he held her in his hand as if he could not believe it. She looked smugly at him, smirking at his hysterical optics. Anna folded her arms over her chest, watching, waiting for her body to slip beyond the invisible line of return. "My body," she murmured as he shook it. "Don't do that to my body!" She pressed her hands against his, trying fruitlessly to make him stop. "Don't hurt my body!" Anna shouted. "Don't – "
Her voice was cut off as an insatiable feeling of solitude washed over her current state of being. She gripped her chest, feeling as if her heart had painfully come to a stop. She coughed as the bottomless feeling within her chest crawled inwardly out through her throat. Her other hand went to her throat, trying to stop whatever it was from coming out. Anna watched through her limited vision as Starscream gently touched her body's cheek, but she felt nothing. She regretfully removed the hand from her chest to touch her face, but she could not feel her own hand; though she could feel the hollow feeling marching underneath her skin. Like a million little ants, they rippled underneath her skin in their pursuit to find a way to escape.
Both her hands covered her ears as a loud ringing bluntly pounded and brutally stabbed her eardrums. "Help!" she cried. "Help!" But the world around her faded to shades of gray a she blinked. She reached for his hand, but her hand slid through his with no friction or force. "HELP!" She reached out with both her hands to grab his hand, but again her hands cut through his without any traces. "Starscream! Do something! Please! Don't just stare at me! Do something!"
Anna's head looked down as she began sink through his body. "No! No! No!" she shouted. She placed her hands on his circuits to keep her afloat, but they could not grip anything. Everything was fake – an illusion. She curled inwards, trying to shut out the bleakness that bombarded her with every particle, both real and virtual. Annabelle opened her mouth to scream, but the obnoxious ringing drowned her voice. Her hands gripped her abdomen as she tried to hold herself together.
The human felt her back hit a hard, icy surface. She opened her eyes, hoping to wake up among the living. A luminescent light as blue as the sky on a sunny day, glistened like the sun on opaque ice. Anna stumbled onto her feet. With slow, aching steps, she trudged towards the sun-like object. She held out her hand, hoping that it would magically reach her grasps.
Through the noise she could vaguely hear his voice. "Not long. Perhaps a minute and forty-five seconds at most." Annabelle's knees gave out, and she fell to the sticky floor. Her fingers grazed the outside of the light. Warmth. She felt warmth. Anna groaned as she pushed herself towards the light. 'Warmth,' she thought. 'Warmth.' Anna's head fell into the warmth. She shoved herself again, and managed to wiggle her legs into the security of the silence. The human lay on her side, too tired to move herself into a sitting position.
She weakly held out her hand, and watched in wonder as tiny flickers of lightening struck her skin. A pleasant burning sensation searched through her muscles, traveling to where her heart would have been. An unusual sense of tranquility covered her. Anna rubbed her head against the soft, fuzzy feeling of the light. 'I don't want to die,' she whispered to it. 'I want to live. I want to live!' Anna could feel water trickle down her face. 'Don't let me die.' She closed her eyes in an attempt to shut out the morbid thoughts of dying.
Thump . . . . thump – thump . . . thump – thump – thump . . . thump.
Anna brushed her head against the soft comfort that enveloped her body. Warmth, sweet warmth was all around her. The pleasant, harmonious sound gently lingered in her ears, erasing the wounds created by the hellish sound. The human took a deep breath, and she welcomed the feeling of hot air rushing into her lungs, filling all the tiny cells with oxygen. A small groaned escaped her vocals as she exhaled. Anna slowly peeled back her eyelids to see darkness. She groggily brushed her free hand against the darkness, and she felt her nails latched onto something soft. She gripped it tighter and pulled it down.
Light flooded her face, and she turned her face away so that she wouldn't be blinded. She blinked her eyes numerous times she adjusted to the bright light. Anna propelled herself into a sitting position. She brought her hand to her face, and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm alive," she murmured. "I'm alive."
"Of course you are," he answered. Anna looked passed the fortress of blankets to see Starscream standing across the room on two legs. The seeker walked to the human, and inspected her from above. "I kept an eye on you all night. You should be okay."
Anna rubbed her the "sand" out of her eyes before staring up at him. "Wait," she said. "You -- you watched me all night?"
"Yes," he said in a tired voice. "We went over this last night. Do you not remember?"
She nodded as the events from the previous night bean to filter through her mind. "Yeah, I remember," Anna replied. She placed her hand to her throbbing headache. "What time is it anyway?"
"It's around four in the afternoon," he answered. Starscream knelt to the ground and reached for a white metal box and unlatched it. The 'con pulled out a small clear container filled with white pills. He tossed at her feet, and Anna quickly snatched it up with her hand. '800 mg Ibuprofen' read the label. She opened her mouth to speak, but the seeker was holding out a water bottle filled with water. "Take it now," he ordered. "I don't want to hear you complaining about your injuries all day."
She opened the container, and threw the pill into her mouth before screwing the top onto the container. She grabbed the bottle of water from his hand, and took a swig of it. She placed the bottle beside. Anna watched as he stood up with a satisfied face. "When did you start to walk again? And your armor? You have it on," she inquired. "I thought you were going to be useless for quite some time."
"Decepticons heal faster than autobots because of our superior coding," he answered bitterly. "With my new regenerative codes and some aid from Thundercracker, we were able to repair my legs in about four hours." She made a small "oh" with her lips. "Now," Starscream said as he lowered his hand. "Get on."
"No," Anna spat. "I'm not getting on your hands again for as long as I live!"
He rolled his eyes and muttered, "I don't have time for this shit today." Starscream lifted her and a blanket into his hand before she could protest. He opened his hand to let her step onto his shoulder. Anna regretfully grabbed the blanket and hopped onto his shoulder. She sat down, wrapping herself in the blue blanket's warmth. "Good fleshy," he appraised as they walked out of the room. "If you had been cooperative like this last night, that whole incident would have been avoided."
"It's your fault," she hissed. "You need to learn to control your touch."
"I've been practicing if you haven't noticed," Starscream retorted.
"Huh?"
"Your clothes," he hinted. Anna looked down to notice she had a pair of men's cargo shorts on instead of her snoopy themed pajama pants. Her chest was now covered with a white cami underneath a royal plum cami. "And don't you say anything," he warned. "I could've left you wearing nothing over your chest." Anna's face turned red, and she used the blanket to tightly wrap herself inside it. Her body shivered at the thought of him taking off her clothes and putting a new pair on. She couldn't help but feel violated on a new level. He eyed her from the corner of his optics. "No thank yous?" he inquired.
"You had no right," she breathed hatefully.
"On the contrary I have every right," Starscream argued. "You are my slave, and I can do whatever I want with you." She turned her head away from as ominous thoughts of what he could do filled her mind with nightmares. "Don't give me that look when I have energy for you." Anna looked wearily in his direction. "It's edible I assure you, and you may have it after we take care of a few things."
"Things?" she inquired.
He nodded. "We need to change your appearance." Starscream pushed open a poorly welded door. Overhead the lights turned on at the presence of his movement. He shut the door behind them, and then knelt down. He took her off his shoulder and gently placed her on the smooth gravel. "This is where you will stay when you cannot be with me," the seeker informed. Anna looked around the large room; surprised that he has given her, her own space. "I had Skywarp install some basic hygiene stations." He motioned with his head to the toilet in the corner. "I had get you a twin sized mattress for you to sleep on as well. So don't complain about how your back hurts." She nodded as she looked at the twin-sized bed. On it she could see superman theme blankets thrown onto it.
Anna walked towards the toilet when she noticed a red hose and pristine plastic bucket. "That's your bathing system," Starscream informed. She knelt down, noticing the various products hygiene product inside. She pulled out a toothpaste and brush packet. She placed it beside the bucket as she grabbed a pair of American Venus Hazel contacts. She looked towards him confused. "I told you that we had chores to do," he said. "And one of them is changing your appearance." His shadow covered up her body as he loomed over her. "You also have some medium mahogany hair dye in there as well."
"But why?" she asked.
"In cases where you might be spotted by another human," the 'con explained. "I don't want them to be able to identify you as a missing person."
"I see," Anna replied unpleasantly. She stood up, and brushed the dirt off his cargo pants. "But why are you going to all this length just for me? I thought I was nothing more than a pest."
"You are a slave who happens to be a pest at times," the seeker informed. "And any good slave-holder knows that a happy slave will function at a higher level than a slave who is poorly kept. Now get ready. I have a tight schedule to keep today, and I do not want to be running late." Starscream straighten himself. "And if you aren't ready, then I'll take you as you are. Understood?"
She nodded.
He turned his back to her. "And if you try to mess your new appearance, then there will be consequences," the 'con informed. "And they will be painful." He closed the door behind him, leaving Anna to drown in her own thoughts. She took her blanket and wadded it into a ball. She placed the blanket against her mouth and scream as loud as she could.
Outside the door, Starscream bowed his head as he heard her muffled scream. 'She'll come around,' he told himself. The seeker raised his head as he spotted Thundercracker's shadow approaching. He strolled proudly away from the door, and joined his brother's side. The blue seeker casted Starscream a glance as another muffled scream rang vibrated through the walls. "She, like the rest of our race, will come to love me in due time," Starscream spoke.
"And if she doesn't?" Thundercracker asked realistically?
"She will," the seeker said with more confidence. "When are you leaving to meet Skyfire?"
"I am on my way to meet him now, Sir," his inferior responded. "Skywarp is accompanying me."
"Good," Starscream purred.
"The human," the second-in-command asked. "What do you want me to tell him about the human?"
Starscream casted Thundercracker an unpleasant glare as they walked faster. "Tell him that she is no longer his concern."
"And if he should persist with force?"
"Kill him," the seeker said. Thundercracker stopped. Starscream turned his head around. "It is time for him to decide where his loyalties will lie in this war. I refuse to play games with him anymore. Should he agree to side with us, tell him to maintain his post at the autobots' base. If he wants to speak to me in person, then tell him I'll meet with him on my own accord." He looked forward, staring at the black wall. "I will not be betrayed again."
Thundercracker nodded. "It is done, milord."
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A/N: for those interested, Anna was suffering from commotio cordis.