there's a million&one ways
A/N: HAPPY NEW YEARS!
Pairings: Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide
Disclaimer: I do not own transformers © Hasbro.
Sometimes reality didn't make sense. Most of the time it didn't; he just went with the flow. It was easier that way, but this time, reality had gone too far. There was sheer blackness around him but he could feel everything. He could feel the slimy, disgusting water snaked past his armor and wedged its way into his circuits. The wind's gusts blew through him like he was nothing, and tiny worms bumped into his armor as they searched for dry ground. For a moment he believed he was nothing. Maybe the slagging autobot had finished him, but instead of going to the Well of Allsparks, he ended up in the Pit. Maybe as punishment he would be forced to remain like this, suffocating underneath this massive weight.
He wouldn't, couldn't go down, not without a fight.
The seeker attempted to raise his body up but his limbs wouldn't respond to the internal commands. They lay numb on the ground, where tiny worms brushed against his armor. His thrusters were stuck between him and something hard like a rock, rendering them useless. 'Teleport,' he mentally commanded. 'TELEPORT!'
Nothing.
If he couldn't move, then he'd at least like to know where the fuck he was. He thought his optics came online and that he staring into the unbearable sun, but after few crucial moments, he realized the bright lights were his internal warning systems flooding his optics. Deterred but not beaten, Skywarp deactivated his optics.
Maybe he could speak.
'THUNDERCRACKER!!!' he screamed. 'THUNDERCRRRAAAACKER!!!'
The only sound was inside his head. Outside, the world heard nothing.
'SOMEONE FUCKING ANSWER ME!!!'
His spark pushed against its chamber in a desperate attempt to escape his body. The Skywarp's energy contracted and expanded at a dangerous pace. He burning up energy he didn't have to spare. Like a red giant without enough fuel, his spark began to enlarge and press against his black chamber. He was suffocating underneath himself. There wasn't enough room in this tiny prison. Something had to give and Skywarp began to fear that it would be he.
They strolled down the street with their hands in their pockets. She pressed her chin to her chest. Anna licked the edges of her lips nervously. Where should she begin? With Ironhide? She breathed heavily into the air. The city didn't seem as fantastic as she had thought earlier. It was colder, foreign. The people on the streets were like aliens. They spoke a different language and moved to a different pace. The world was not but divided.
Annabelle glanced at Starscream. The ends of his sandy hair caught the streetlight's glow and turned blonde in the light. His angular face burned with curiosity and anxiety. He was so close to finding out what she had obviously been hiding that he felt the beginning of victory's joy creep through his circuits. He had to focus forward to keep from smirking with satisfaction. His plan had worked flawlessly now and she was practically squirming in his hands. Oh, how good it felt to have the upper hand against such a fiery human. "So…" Starscream looked to her. "What's on your mind?"
"I'm not who you think I am," Anna said bluntly. "I'm not nearly as insecure as you think I am. I'm not that girl who thinks she's Cybertronian. I'm not broken, just compromised. I feel you should know who I am before you go making me your bond-mate … I hate lying to good people." She swallowed down a shameful sob. "And you're a good person," she added weakly. "Too good to get involved in my personal scheme."
"I know about your scheme," he insisted. "You wanted to use me to keep your family together."
"My family was never falling apart," Anna corrected. "I made up that story because it seemed plausible. I didn't want anyone, including them, to know that I brought you back to life because I knew you were a decepticon. I saw the symbols and your tail. It seemed too good to be true, but it was true." Anna looked forward at the approaching cars. Their dazzling lights were blinding on a dark night. "I needed a decepticon and to befriend him so that I could prove to Ironhide that I was capable of handling myself. I wanted to show him that I was capable of doing something. And what better way to show that than to be a spy for the autobots? But they would never let me do that. So I had to deceive them into believing that I'd gone off my rocker."
"It worked," he commented flatly. A hint of anger at himself doused his voice. The seeker had expected that she yielded some information, but a confession? He hadn't expected that. Inside his pockets, the seeker squeezed his hands into fists. 'How could I have been so naïve to believe her?' he asked himself angrily. 'What else has she been lying to me about?'
"Yeah," she replied. "A little too well. I don't think they'd believe me."
"So what possessed you to do this?" Starscream inquired callously. "What did Ironhide do to make you so vengeful?"
"You're going to laugh at this, but it's because he broke up with me," Anna answered. "He told me one school morning that I wasn't worth it." Tears lined up along her eyelids. "That I was nothing but a pet to him. I was something expendable to him. He basically insulted me because of what I am – human." She hooked her arms around his for support. "But then you came and showed me that the autobots are wrong ... in more ways that just this war." Anna stopped walking on the corner of the street. She raised her head to see his eyes looking forward. "I'm glad you came into my life, Twenty-two," she added. "Because you're turning it around."
His anger levels descended a few levels at the compliments she had given him. 'At least she's being truthful this time … or until I find your other motives.' He smiled. "It's good to hear you acknowledge my greatness," the decepticon said smugly.
"Lose the attitude," Anna replied shortly. "Or I'll be force to kick your ass."
"Kick my ass?" he laughed. "Wanna bet? You are still a puny human, and I'm a highly sophisticated and deadly – " Water splashed across his and he flinched as it made contact with his holoform.
She had a deadly smirk on her face. "What are you? A cat?" she taunted.
The human squeaked when he lifted her off the ground. "No," he stated sourly. "I don't have fur, skin, blood, or any biological parts." Anna rolled her eyes at his predictable comment. He carried her down the street, heading towards their temporary home. "I'm better than that. I'm a Cybertronian."
"With a weakness for humans," she reminded coolly.
"I do not have a weakness for humans," he corrected bitterly. "I a strong want for a Cybertronian who is unfortunately born into a human body."
A corny adorned her face. "It still doesn't make sense why you would make me your bond-mate," Anna criticized. "I mean, you're you." She burrowed her eyebrows closer to each other. "It makes me think you're up to something, Twenty-two."
"Because when the time is right and you feel comfortable. I would like you to make me your bond-mate," Starscream answered.
"But why do you want a human for a bond-mate?" she asked persistently. "That's not like you."
"Anna," he chuckled. "You should know by now I'm impulsive and impatient."
"Wow, you're admitting your own flaws for once," Anna congratulated. "I should get this on camera." She beamed brightly at him.
"And what I want, I get," the seeker finished.
"Why do you even want me?" she asked, more bitter this time.
"Because you'll help me end this war," Starscream answered. "And I know you're too genuine to ever betray me." He set her gently on the ground like she was made out of glass. "And no living soul will know about us. After all, it's all confidential." He took her hand in his, leading her across the street. "You'll be my best kept secret, Anna; soon enough, you'll become my best soldier and ally." He wrapped his arm around her waist. "You'll be the one I trust and rely on the most. Hopefully you'll return the favor once you get comfortable in my presence."
She looked to him and smiled. Could he see the lie in her eyes or was he still trapped in the fictional world she had spun? Anna rested her head on his arm as they resumed walking down the barren street. 'No, I won't,' she thought confidently.
After wrapping Anna's chest and putting her to sleep, he had deactivated his holoform temporarily. The decepticon had felt the need to leave the humans' small domain and return to his rightful place in this world – the sky. The wind's cool brush under and over his wings felt like ice to a sprained wrist. Up there where he soared, the raw edge of the wind breathed life into him. He freely moved with the brisk gusts, surrendering his body to pleasure. The tips of his fingers skimmed the clouds' backs. This was his kingdom.
The best part of his kingdom was when he could roll onto his back, stare at the stars, and forget this puny, disgusting world. He could pretend to be under Cybertron's atmosphere staring at the stars from his world. The stars never seemed to change, no matter where he went. They were always there for him to gaze at for hours on end.
The stars were timeless celestial bodies. No matter what happened in the war, they remained the same, unchanged. 'Just like Skyfire,' he thought bitterly. He blinked to clear his optics of the ice build up. The mech's optics strayed to the North Star. 'How ironic,' he pondered. 'The same star humans use to guide themselves home, we once used to guide us home as well.' The edges of his mouth curled into a somber frown. 'But it doesn't guide us home anymore, Skyfire.'
"So tell me about yourself," Starscream asked the white mech. He looked up to the unusually large mech. "What made you want to come here and try out for this prestigious position?"
Skyfire glanced uneasily at the bronze seeker. Unlike most larger built Cybertronians, Starscream used his sized to efficiently intimidate others. His keen red eyes rested upon him, analyzing his every move. Skyfire stopped walking to stare into the stars. The stars looked pristine as always and proudly illuminated the sky. He felt the seeker stop at his side to look at the stars as well.
"I've seen many of our kind play out their entire lives here without once wondering what lies beyond our planetary borders," he spoke. "They live their lives without taking a moment to look to the stars and be humbled. I don't want to be like that. I want to come online every day, look to the stars, and be humbled by their presence. I want to be shocked everyday of my life as I learn something knew." Skyfire looked towards Starscream. "I don't want to waste away here like my mentors did. I want to live everyday to the fullest, Sir, and this position would help me to fulfill that goal."
"That's a very frank answer, Skyfire," Starscream replied in a monotone.
This was it. He was going to say "no"; he could feel it in his spark. "Yes, it is, Sir," Skyfire said weakly.
The seeker shifted his attention to the mech. An approving smirk crossed his face. "And the best answer I've gotten," He outstretched his hand to Skyfire. "Congratulations."
He couldn't move his body. He was stunned. Had Starscream just given him his dream job? "Th-thank you, Sir," Skyfire stuttered as he shook his new superior's hand. "This … this is an honor."
"You earned it," Starscream answered. A devilish grin spread across his face. "You won't ruin my audio sensors with needless, illogical talk." The white mech nervously chuckled. "It's a compliment, Skyfire."
"If I may ask, why did you become a scientist?" Skyfire inquired.
Starscream refocused his optics on the stars. They appeared to be burning brighter than usual. 'Perhaps a changed in Cybertron's atmosphere,' he thought. "I became a scientist for your same exact reasons," he replied. "I didn't want to waste my life." He narrowed his optics on Earth's distant sun. The star was barely noticeable against the deep bluish black sky. "I want to be remembered for my great contributions to society." He paused, taking a moment to look at Skyfire. "And you'll be remembered too. You and I, we're going to go down in history as some of the best scientists."
"You're a dreamer, Sir," the mech responded.
"Perhaps," Starscream conceded. "But I believe with a little determination, physical force, and a good ally I can make it happen. The universe favors those who persist, Skyfire."
"I hope for your sake it does, Sir," he replied. "Or else you are setting yourself up for disappointment."
He blinked again and woke from his memory. It seemed like that memory should have belonged to someone else, but it was him, as hard as that was for him to believe. It seemed surreal that there was time when "war" was just a random definition, not a life. 'I was weak back then,' he told himself to keep the longing and lonely feelings at bay. 'Foolish like all young ones.' It was a lie he couldn't make himself believe.
Starscream landed softly on the Arctic ice. It softly creaked underneath his weight. His red optics scanned the vicinity, but he could not detect Skyfire's presence. "Skyfire," he called. He slowly began to walk across the ice. "I know you are out here. So stop masking your signal and show yourself!"
The serene silence continued on blissfully.
"SKYFIRE!" he bellowed. "We need to talk. About your Anna."
He didn't answer.
"FINE!" Starscream shouted. "If you don't want to see her that is your choice, but as your superior, I order you to show yourself now!"
He didn't come.
Agitation was growing at deadly exponential rate inside his circuits. He bared his beak-like teeth at nothing. "If you have any decency left in your pathetic, autobot spark, then you will show yourself!" His wings bristled as no reply once again reached his audio sensors. "SKYFIRE!!!" The seeker hovered over the ice, angrily and hungrily searching for his brother. "SKYFIRE!!!"
Starscream dropped to the ice again. This wasn't like Skyfire. He always responded when summoned. Always. 'Unless he actually meant what he said,' muttered a doubt. 'And he's always true to his word.' "SKYFIRE!!!" he growled into the air. "You have five seconds to respond or I'll blow this place to pieces." He right transformed into a missile projector. 'He's doing what you wanted to do after joining Megatron first beat you … He's running back to the autobots. He's betraying you.'
The decepticon shook his head. Skyfire was his brother and brothers didn't betray each other. It was against the brotherly bond to commit such an act. 'He's betrayed you, Screamer,' snarled his darker side. 'He's doing what you've done to Megatron so many times. The disgusting traitor is probably rescuing Annabelle right now.'
"Barricade," he screeched over the decepticon frequency.
"Yes, mi'lord?" the scout answered fractiously.
"I want you to monitor the Arctic. Keep tabs on any aircraft entering, leaving, or currently flying in the area," Starscream ordered.
"Yes, mi'lord," Barricade answered. "Did the girl yield any information?"
"Yes, she did," the seeker hissed.
"Through what means did you use to obtain the information?"
"Why do you care?" Starscream sneered.
"Because I was able to come to an agreement with Ironhide," the scout informed matter-of-factly. "And the agreement would only work if Annabelle was returned to Ironhide in perfect condition."
"She is unharmed," he retorted. "A little scrapped from falling onto the floor, but healthy nonetheless. Under what terms was this agreement made?"
"It would be helpful to know what form of torture you used, so that I can assure him that she is okay."
"Do you doubt my word?" he screeched.
"No, mi'lord," Barricade replied. "But he is going on my word, and he would not believe your word."
"If you must know, Barricade," Starscream answered frankly. "I lied to her and made her believe she would be my bond-mate and second-in-command. Humans will believe anything you tell them. Anyway, she knows the value behind being a bond-mate and confessed that she was lying."
"That seems risky, Lord Starscream. Giving her such positions seems illogical."
"The humans have a saying, Barricade. "Keeps your friends close, your enemies closer.""
"So you believe her to be dangerous still?"
"She has other agenda that puts her at high risk of her defecting back to the autobots."
"Then allow me to return her to the autobots. In exchange, Ironhide and Ratchet will leave the planet. That leaves us with two vulnerable autobots."
"No!" Starscream barked. "She has information we need."
"What information could she have to be that important?" Barricade spat.
"She has low traces of high concentrated energy inside her brain," the seeker informed. "It has the same frequency as the Allspark energy."
"How would she get that stuck inside her head?"
"I'm hypothesizing through contact with the Allspark shard," the mech explained. "I want you to send a drone to Samuel James Witwicky's current residence and have it monitor his brain activity. I want to see if contact with the Allspark has affect him as well."
"Are the autobots aware of this, my Lord?" he inquired.
"Negative."
"Now your recent actions are making sense," the scout commented. "When exactly did you become aware of this?"
"I did a scan of her brain activity when I helped her with her homework," Starscream told. "She had a higher energy capacity level than humans I had previously met. Upon further analysis, I recognized it as energy from the Allspark."
"So is she going to randomly create energon?" he snorted.
"No. That amount of energy would fry her brain," he replied shortly. "The energy appears to be dormant. I would suspect it to be more data."
"Data?" he repeated. "Well, Scalpel should have no problem retrieving it. He's anxious to dissect a human."
"No, she is too valuable to become a lab experiment," Starscream retorted. "But I do need the doctor to come make some improvements on her."
"What are you thinking?"
"She cannot come to Cybertron as a human. That is a fact. So we must disguise her as one of us," he elaborated. "I plan on creating a suit of sorts for her to inhabit while on Cybertron. I want you and Scalpel to get together and design it. I do not want any decepticon, other than the ones on Earth, to know about this. I expect to see the blue prints for it in two days."
"Yes, Lord Starscream," Barricade spoke. "On a side note, you are aware that Mirage is in Moscow, disguised as me?"
"Yes," he answered. "Skyfire informed me about that." The mech ascended to the clouds. "Among many other things."
In the dim light of the night, Thundercracker's orange optics burned as bright as miniature stars. The neon yellow pits of his eyes flickered with hints of blue. He focused his optics on the moaning trees and groaned. His dreams of waking up from this bad nightmare were shattered like a broken beer glass. He curled his hand around a clump of mud. 'Mud?' The mech lifted his confused head.
Five yards away was his bond-mate, rusting away in the wet weather. The black figure atop Skyfire drew his attention. The strange mech turned his smoldering, navy optics towards the blue seeker. Rage filtered into his circuits. "How dare you," muttered Thundercracker. He unsteadily pushed himself off the ground and stumbled to his feet. Across his optics flashed a low energon warning, but his focus wasn't on himself – it was on the slag that dared to return here. He weakly lifted a gun to the autobot. "Haven't you done enough damage, autobot?" he snarled.
"He's not dead," Mirage stated emotionlessly. "Not yet."
"He's missing his spark chamber!" the seeker shouted.
"Was," corrected the spy. "I put it back … spark and all." The autobot stepped down from Skywarp's chest onto the ground. "He's alive, Thundercracker. You can see it for yourself."
His optics flickered worryingly towards Skywarp for a second before resting on the autobot. "Why?" he berated. "You could've killed him."
"I just gave you your bond-mate back and you aren't even going to take him and get out of here?" Mirage asked coldly.
"You're a threat as long as you're here," Thundercracker spat.
"If I was a threat, then I wouldn't have spared Skywarp, and I certainly would've killed you while you were deactivated," he hissed. The mech stepped further away from Skywarp so that Thundercracker could stand over his bond-mate. "I would leave with him now before his spark collapses upon itself from lack of energy."
He lowered his gun, but kept his gaze focused on Mirage. "Why would you spare him?"
"Because someone asked me too," Mirage said heatedly. "If you aren't going to leave here in the next minute, I will have no choice but to open fire on you; and if anyone asks, you found him deactivated in the forests." He looked up at the cloudy night sky, admiring the blackness of the clouds. "You should leave now while you have cover. The Russians won't be able to follow you easily."
Thundercracker lifted Skywarp's limp body into his arms. He took one last look at the autobot. "Why would they want you to spare, Skywarp?" he asked neutrally.
"He was hoping you'd return the favor," the mech answered.
"She's in Moscow at the Royal Gates Hotel, in the garden suite," the seeker informed.
Mirage smiled. "You've got ten seconds left." His optics traced the path Thundercracker's engines left. The blue figure rose higher and higher into the sky, till the clouds engulfed his body. "There are happy endings after all," he mused.
Nine hours, forty-two minutes, and eight seconds later, Starscream reactivated his holoform. He lifted his eyelids up to see he was still laying comfortably across the cream couch. His feet lazily dangled off the end and touched the fake palm tree. In the next room, he could hear the water running from the sink. Suddenly the water stopped running and the bathroom door creaked open. The human's soft steps compelled him to turn his head. A few seconds later, Annabelle came into his view and plopped herself onto the bed.
She'd obviously taken care of her daily hygiene needs for she no longer smelled of smoke, alcohol, and pathetic insects. His human had dried her brunette hair straight and put it into a messy bun. Instead of wearing a white top, she'd chosen a royal purple, strapless bubble top. Hanging around her neck was the necklace he'd given her, and he approvingly watched as she needlessly fingered it; however, her focus was on the television as she pretended to understand Russian. Anna's legs were covered with black dress pants, and a pillow hid the black heels she wore. Like icing on the cake, his optics slid down to her hand to see she was wearing their "engagement" ring. Naturally, he smirked.
'What the hell are you thinking, Screamer?' he asked himself. 'Are you seriously going to go through with this, make her your "second-in-command" and "bond-mate", for a piece of information inside her head? You should let Scalpel extract, and then kill her. It's be more logical.' The seeker continued to watch her as she smiled at the reporters. 'It'd be less messy. Not to mention, you wouldn't have to worry about her lying to you a second time. If you think about it, killing her would be a much better route. You'd be showing the autobots that you can ruin lives, while proving to the decepticons you are still ruthless. You'd be showing her who's boss once and for all.'
Anna's laugh reverberated in his audio sensor. The innocent grin that traveled ear to ear was priceless, and despite her braces, she had a smile that could kill a person. 'She's not worth it, Screamer. All that human will do is create more problems. Look at the mess she's created already. Do you honestly want to get wrapped up in her personal scheme? No. You want to stay away from that.' The human sighed and flipped the channel. 'She's an incredible pain in my pain and smells horrible when she washes herself with that "soap." Not to mention she doesn't trust me as far as she can throw me. She's got a horrible sense of humor and is too cynical to offer any good criticism; she's always got some other agenda than what she lets on – ' His concentration was broken as he heard the television turn off. 'Just like you.'
Anna leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms. "It's rude to stare at a person," she criticized.
"Well, it's a good thing that you aren't a person," Starscream retorted coolly.
She rolled her eyes before sitting on his chest. He looked annoyed at her but remained silent. "Did you know, that since you aren't a human, that if some government agency wanted to use real torture techniques on you they could without getting in trouble with human rights organizations?" She reclined her feet on the table and pretended to yawn. "It'd be an awful tragedy if the Russians were to get a hold of you somehow," she added sarcastically. "I might even cry thinking about what they are doing to you."
"Tears of joy and laughter," he responded flatly, playing along. "I guess it's a good thing that you're on my side, Annabelle; otherwise, I'd be up shit creek without a paddle. Thankfully, because of my superior skills, I'm not nor will I ever be."
"You're going to get yourself kill with that attitude," Anna exclaimed.
"You're always so quick to point out my flaws," Starscream stated.
"I can't help it that you set yourself up for disaster with your attitude," she chirped happily.
"I'd hate to burst you bubble, Anna," he spoke sarcastically. "But you won't be able to pounce on my every flaw once we're on Cybertron."
"And why not?" she demanded to know.
"If my second-in-command is constantly arguing with me, they'll begin to suspect something," Starscream explained. "A second-in-command should be able to function without constantly arguing with his or her superior." Anna dramatically rolled her eyes. "If you are to play the part perfectly, I need you to be like me, deadly, ruthless, cunning." 'She's already is like you, Screamer.'
"And you don't think I'm capable of that?" Anna asked with an insulted tone to her voice. "Do you not remember the times when I used my status among the autobots to keep you in line? You were scared of me back then."
"I was never scared of you," Starscream corrected angrily. "I was more focused on myself and keeping myself alive so that I can rebuild Cybertron."
"Do actually believe the lies you tell yourself?" Anna inquired.
"They aren't lies," the 'con responded cynically. "They are the truth."
"So you truthfully told yourself that you wanted a human bond-mate and human second-in-command?" she berated. "I don't believe that." She laid herself across her chest and rested her head over her arms. "I've been over what happened last night, and nothing you did made sense. You've been acting weird ever since we left the autobots. You've gone from being you to something else. You're up to something, Twenty-two. I know it, and I'm going to find out one way or an other." She stared straight through the disguise like he was made of glass. "I can see through your lies, Starscream. That includes all those "promises" you've made. Nothing between us in confidential."
"Well, aren't you a little hypocrite?" Starscream spat.
"Wha?!"
"You don't think I can't see through your lies?" he asked rhetorically. He wrapped his arms around her to hold her in place. "Little, pathetic squishy, you are a convincing liar at first, but you soon start to deviate from your original story; which gives you away as a liar. You don't think I haven't suspected you from the beginning? You are so simple minded that it borderlines bad comedy, fleshy."
"Me? Bad comedy?" she laughed. "You're the one that is bad comedy. You try to justify your actions by saying you'll rebuild Cybertron and end the war. You can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to me. I can see past that. You are a murderer, a traitor, and the most awful person I've ever met! You're a robotic Hitler."
"You toss around a lot of names, fleshy, but you failed to point out why you don't trust me," the seeker informed smugly. "And while we're still on the topic of lies, I would like to point out that you lied to me when you promised me that you swore your loyalty to me. You don't think that I can't see that you're still loyal to those auto-slags? You're an open book, fleshy. You can't hide anything from me."
"And so are you, metal head," Anna growled. "I can see why Jetfire would choose to kill you. You are a deceptive slim ball who is a coward. You put everyone else's life at risk except for your own, but what's worse is that you don't trust anyone. That's why you sent Jetfire away to "convert" to an autobot. You're paranoid that everyone is going to betray you, and you're paranoid because you're afraid they'll do to you what you've done to so many. What you don't realize is by pushing away the one's that trust you, you are encouraging them to mistrust you."
"And how would you know that?" he asked slyly.
"Because I heard it from the horse's mouth," Anna retorted. She twisted her head towards the doorway. He felt his eyes enlarge at the site of his brother.
At six feet, eight inches, Skyfire was daunting among the humans, and for once, he used his size to intimidate Starscream. He walked across the room like he was king and Starscream was peasant. His bodily and facial features mimicked an Eskimo. The fire burning behind the autobot's pale, icy blue eyes stopped his spark. "Let go of her, Starscream," he ordered in a usually strong voice.
"What are you doing, Skyfire?" he barked. He held onto Annabelle tighter, possessively.
"I came for my sister," Jetfire answered frankly. "I will not allow her to be harmed by you any further. Now release her or I will use physical force to pry her away from you."
The seeker pushed Annabelle off of his holoform. "You can have the fleshy," he growled. "She's not worth it anyway." She stumbled into Jetfire's arms like a scared, newborn calf. Using his elbows, Starscream propped himself into a sitting position. "You can leave now, traitor."
Jetfire looked towards Anna with relief. She was safe and that was all he could ask for at this point in his life. He turned away from Anna to face his brother's enraged gaze. "I'm sorry that this has to be our farewell to each other, brother," he said genuinely. "But I refuse to take part in your schemes. Maybe when this war is over, we can brothers again … like we were before the war." He moved closer, closing the gap between them. "Until then, take care of yourself."
Skyfire moved quickly for his size. His large hands grabbed hold of Starscream's head before his brother could protest. With a quick, very simple motion, the autobot crushed the holoform's head like someone crushes a piece of paper. Anna brushed passed Skyfire to look at the protoform as it fell apart.
"What'll happen to him?" she asked weakly.
"If he's smart, he'll leave this world," he answered bluntly. Skyfire took Anna's hand; he was scared that he would lose her again if he didn't. She brought her free hand to the necklace and jerked it off her neck. She delicately placed it one what remained of the protoform's chest. The mech watched as her eyes remorsefully looked over his brother's holoform. "C'mon, Anna," he urged softly. "It's time to go home."
A/N: you didn't seriously think I'd kill off Skywarp did you?