there's a million&one ways
A/N: I'm sorry, but there are not going to be any regular updates for a while. They're probably going to be really irregular until school gets out because trying to balance school with writing is really one sided at the moment. :c
And if you guys haven't noticed, Skywarp's favorite human work is "fuck"; it's part of his impulsive and addictive behavior. so you'll have to excuse his potty mouth.
&& HAPPY EASTER! May you all be blessed with many peeps to eat and/or play with. c:
Pairings: Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide
Disclaimer: I do not own transformers © Hasbro.
Returning to base in the Rocky Mountains was more or less like returning to an unrated, beaten down motel. A person didn't know what they were getting, but knowing what they were getting could be worse than not knowing. The only reason Thundercracker smiled was when he sensed Skywarp's spark signature still inside the cave opening. The blue seeker pushed away dead evergreens from the entrance, allowing the full moonlight to enter the shallow cave. He could see the end of Skywarp's foot armor reflecting the gray moonlight. Thundercracker hunched over as he entered the cave. A light touch on Skywarp's foot was enough to wake up the black seeker. His violet optics gleamed mischievously at his bond-mate. Then they flicked annoyingly towards Starscream. Their leader returned the same, heated gaze to his injured subordinate.
"Hey," Skywarp breathed faintly. "How was the fucking mission?"
Thundercracker knelt down, beaming at Skywarp. "Fine," he said. "It went according to plan."
"You look like fucked up shit," his bond-mate replied rather bluntly. Skywarp's smile increased at the cost of Thundercracker's disappearing. The 'con turned to Starscream, analyzing the dried energon along the left side of his chest and dented chest plates. "You too, Screamer," he added. Starscream's frown became a glower and he tightened his grip on his detached left arm. Skywarp ignored the silent glare and turned happily to Thundercracker. "So how many of the li'l fuckers did you kill, Teecee?"
"We know he killed at least one," Starscream interjected. Their leader dropped his detached arm. Thundercracker turned his head and saw Starscream's greedy hand held out for his prize. "Where's that fleshy's head, Thundercracker? I'm eager to have Scalpel extract the information." The blue seeker's gaze insecurely dropped to the ground. "You did grab the human, Thundercracker. Didn't you?" he asked unpleasantly. "Or did the autobots once again make a fool out of you?"
"They did not make a fool out of me!" Thundercracker lashed. There was more anger in his voice that he should have allowed, but he couldn't find the strength to sustain it. Still disgusted by the memory of Starscream abandoning Jetfire the way he had, the seeker was more determined to keep his side of the bargain. "I very much completed my mission, a lot quicker than you did, milord. I also managed to offline Sunstreaker, Flareup, and one of their more respected human commanders."
"And the girl?" Starscream insisted crossly.
Thundercracker stared at his cockpit for several long, hard seconds. He took a deep breath as his opened the cockpit and pulled the unconscious human out. He positioned his hand so that she was out of Starscream's view, but to his dismay, Skywarp's curious optics began to scan her body. "I didn't have time to end her life," Thundercracker explained irritably. "Had I ended it, then I would not have been able to warn you of Jetfire's attack." He curled his hands around her warm body and continued to stare at his hand. "In which case, you would not have been able to eliminate Jetfire from our ever growing list of enemies."
"You fucking killed fucking Jetfire?" Skywarp asked excitingly.
Thundercracker swore he could see a hint of agitation in his optics. Starscream quickly looked to the ground before acknowledging Skywarp's question. "Yes," he replied bluntly. "I killed the traitor through unconventional means." There were no emotions behind his words, like he was reciting a poem without understanding the meaning. It sounded rehearsed. "But that's beside the point," Starscream countered quickly, putting his agitation back into his words. He stared at Thundercracker, his optics demanding to see the human. "You were to kill the human and bring back her head. I didn't want a body, you human sympathizer. Hand it over now and I'll take care of what you obviously don't have the spark to do."
Thundercracker cursed mentally at himself. He opened his hands and gingerly handed the human over to Starscream. He quickly snatched her and threw her into his cockpit. Starscream bent down and picked up his arm. The blue seeker could feel both his wing-mates glowering at his weakness. "When do you want me to repair your injuries, brother?" he asked nervously, switching topics.
"I'll fix it myself, Thundercracker," Starscream replied venomously. It felt like a backhanded slap across the blue mech's face. "It's nothing I haven't fixed before, you fool. I'm not dependent on you after all." Skywarp growled at the insults towards his bond-mate, and his own inability to physically reprehend their leader for the offenses. Starscream backed out of the cave and took off into the night air. He flew low of the trees and created an eerie rustle in their needle-like leaves. The tips of his toes cut off the tops of the evergreens. The cool, midnight clouds that hovered over the mountains condensed its water onto his body. Sleeping deer scattered at the sound of his angry engines' rumbles. He watched with amusement as the slender deer pranced down the mountain, navigating the wet terrain like experts. It was amazing how fear could look so beautiful.
His feet sunk a half a foot into the rocky and muddy terrain. In the cramped clearing, Starscream knelt beside the water's edge. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, loathing the imperfections created from hand-to-hand combat with several of the autobots. His optics traced the bent and crooked lines of his chest armor; even more so, he hated how the purple energon had dried pink along the left side of his chest. What he hated most was the one injury he couldn't see. Dropping his arm, Starscream placed his hand on his lower back and felt for the impression of Jetfire's hand. The seeker closed his optics as the memory flooded his processors. The image of Jetfire's colorless optics was seared into his memory banks for this eternity and the next. His spark cringed as he watched his blue eyes turn to the color of ash. It looked so unreal to see the life drain from Jetfire's body, but it felt real in his spark. It felt horribly real.
He opened his optics to eradicate the memory of Jetfire's death from his optics. His optics was drawn to the water where he could see his virtual image staring at him. Courage, as Megatron had once told him, came when a brother could look another brother in the optics and still have the internal power to slay him; however, when Starscream looked at his reflection, all he saw was a coward staring coldly at him, a slimy, disgusting excuse for a brother. 'Ex,' he corrected himself. 'And I didn't kill him. Optimus killed him. The bastard doesn't have the decency to not shoot his own soldiers.' The 'con's optics dimmed as he grew tired of his reflection, but refocused their attention on the shadows. 'I should have known that Optimus would never take care of Skyfire. He never cared for him … not even when he went missing for all those years.' Guilt dripped out of his spark, but a stronger distaste for his, Starscream's, own failure bother him more than he wished; even though, they were no longer brothers, he felt as if he somehow failed him, which didn't compute with his logic chip. The seeker shook his head sorely. "Bastard."
"Who's the bastard?" asked a tired voice.
Starscream pulled the human from his cockpit and watched her with diligent, predatory eyes. She ran her hand over her head, feeling the superficial wound and knot. Along her cheeks were the dried stains from her tears. She looked overall exhausted. Her motions were slower, sloppier, and her breathing deeper, heavier. The sclera had a reddish tint to it from the overproduction of tears. Annabelle looked up at him without an accusing glare; yet, no matter how much strength she mustered, she looked weak. "You're supposed to be dead," he complained quickly.
"Sorry to disappoint you," Anna said flatly. She looked at her hand, examining the dry blood that had come off of her head. To his disgust, she wiped it on his hand. "But that isn't exactly my problem," she added curtly. He flexed his fingers in a threatening gesture to the human. She ignored the threat and blissfully let her eyes meander over the dimly lit landscape. The last thing she wanted to do was get into another argument with Starscream; however, she didn't want him to see happiness and relief flowing through her veins. "Where the hell are we now?" she demanded. Goosebumps raced across her skin as the wind lightly blew over her body. She pulled her arms close to her chest, trying to get rid of the goose bumps. Annabelle looked up at Starscream, demanding to know now.
"Why does that matter, fleshy?" Starscream hissed. He drew his head closer to his hand as a form of intimidation. Dried energon peeled off his armor as he held himself in awkward position. "You'll be dead in a few minutes, if not within moments from now." He drew his mouth open, baring his sharp dentures at the human like an angered alpha wolf. "You'll be lucky if I don't suffocate you again, pathetic maggot." His angered overpowered the smirk and transformed it into a deadlier scowl. "You don't deserve to die quickly," Starscream spat hatefully. "You deserve to die slowly, just like your murderous Prime."
She flinched as the hot, acidic energon from his saliva contaminated part of her left cheek. She wiped it off her cheek with the back of her left hand. She lifted her head up, matching his gaze with the last of her strength. "Fine!" she shouted for dramatic effect. She opened her arms wide open, exposing her sore body to the elements and his rage. "If I'm so damn pathetic and unworthy to live, then why don't you kill me right now? Because it seems to me like you're trying to buy time with your monologue about my behavior." She walked slowly over to edge of his palm. The edges of the con's optics twitched from wrath, and the fumes from his exhausts came out faster and faster. "Because I'm tired of playing this game of will with you! So I'll be the bigger person and concede so that this madness between us can end!" Anna yelled furiously. "So go ahead! Take you prize and fucking kill me!"
He was quiet compared to the loud thumping of heart's beat in her ears. Annabelle's chest rose and fell rapidly, as if she were out of breath. Her fingers curled into a tightly knitted fist, and girl lowered her arms. Her was scrunched upwards from the pure disgust on her face; and even though she felt like crying again, her eyes were dry and parched as desert. "Or are you coward?" she asked in a whisper. "I believe you are a coward, and bet you always have been, too. And if by some miracle you are not a coward, then prove it to me by slaying me like a true leader like Megatron."
"Don't use that name in my presence!" Starscream snarled. Annabelle felt the heat literally radiate off the seeker's body. His circuits were tensed, a testament that he was holding back his blind rage to rip, tear, and mutilate her body. The pupils of his optics were being seared white as one by one his restraints fell. "Megatron is nothing compared to me! Nothing!"
"Really?" she challenged venomously. "Because the way I see it, you're a coward who has never had respect, and when you see Megatron, you see the respect his soldiers had for him—not you. You envy that, Twenty-two, because even though you are leader of the decepticons, they neither respect nor fear you; and they never will! You are not a born leader, Starscream! You are not meant to lead!"
"And what would you know about being a leader?" the seeker retorted.
"I know enough," Annabelle defended matter-of-factly. "And I know if you were a true leader, then you would not be stringing out this madness. No, if you truly cared for your species survival, then you would have killed me anyway, and moved along to your next problem; however, you are selfish and egomaniac, and have kept this mad cycle going on and on for your own personal agenda." She took a deep breath of cool air to relax her, but it only fueled the fire burning inside her chest cavity. "And unlike you, I'm tired of this madness! I'm tired of being strung along!" Her pupils narrowed, focusing themselves on Starscream; and Annabelle swore that he flinched from the seriousness of words and glower. For unlike the other times, there would no mistaking this statement for anything but the truth. "It's not fair to me, you, or your species if this keeps going on, Starscream." She shook her head. "Not fair. Not at all."
His grimy fingers clenched her body and lifted her to his optics. He could see through her eyes, into her mind, that this was the final straw; and that in her mind, it would be more logically to die than to continue these mind games. Instead of smugly smirking at his work, the seeker felt disappointed, let down that the human would concede so easily after all this time; even though he had wanted to be the victor and dominant one in this lopsided relationship, becoming the victor this way did not satisfy his need for dominance and absolute control. And illogically, her giving into him was more concerning than the insults she spat into his face. He wanted to fight his way to the top, not just simply claim it. He eyed her apprehensively. "Why are you so insistent on ending this?" Starscream asked bluntly. "Just a few hours ago, you were begging me to rescue you; which would've perpetuated the cycle. When and why did you have this sudden change of heart, fleshy?"
"Because if we keep lying, manipulating, and deceiving each other, then we are no better than those who cannot see the truth about this world, the humans, and the autobots," Anna answered without hesitation. "Because if we don't believe our own words, then how can we expect the other person to believe them? The answer is you can't expect them to believe it." The fresh, fiery anger in her eyes burned itself into a fresh, bleeding wound. "And no matter how much you want to them to believe it, they won't actually believe it until you do." Fearful that Starscream would see how weak he made her become, she head away and closed her sore eyes. She raked her hand through her hair, and nervously pulled on a handful of hair.
Very few times in his long life had he been perplexed, and Primus did he hate that useless feeling! He cocked his head to the right as he tried to connect the dots; yet, when he connected the dots it didn't make sense. Her words were implying a subtle insult; however, her body language conveyed a sense of hurt and submissiveness. "You insects make no sense," he criticized frankly. "I assume it to be from your faulty processors." Anna didn't flinched or motioned to open her mouth to retaliate. She simply stood there on his palm, averting her eyes like a person on death row about to meet their maker. "And I certainly do not ever wish to learn how your illogical mind works, but are you insinuating that you would want to believe your words?"
"I think that would be nice," Anna replied in a weaker tone. "It would make things a lot less complicated."
"Why would you ever want to believe your lies?" Starscream asked bluntly without thinking.
Very timidly she looked up to him like a lost, blind, and deaf puppy who had wandered too far from its mother. "Because it would be nice if I had actually something to live for other than rotting away in a cell for the rest of my natural life," Anna whispered hoarsely. "I mean, I've already signed away my life when I told Galloway that I wasn't human."
"What did you tell him you were?" Starscream inquired.
"A decepticon," she breathed.
He swore he felt his logic chip short out as soon as her words reached his audio processors. Why—how could she consider herself one of his one? She was a human, and while humans often fought other humans, he'd never pondered the idea that one of them would actually go as far as to betray their own race and proclaim to be something they physically were not. By the look in her red eyes, she saw his confusion. "You don't have to understand why I said that," Anna explained. "But know that I want to be great like you, and have a bigger purpose than what people like Galloway on this scumbag of a world have; and if I have to kill a few people to be great, then so be it." She took a deep breath and tried to swallow her guilt. "I figure, I've come this far, that it would be illogical and impossible for me to ever integrate back into the shallow human world; so I might as well as try to integrate into the only world left."
His optics scowled at her with more fury than a woman. How dumb did she think he was; she had fooled him, which as a shame on him, but he would not be fooled again. No, he wouldn't take another bullet to his ego again. "Firstly, you are not worthy of being called a decepticon," Starscream sneered in a low, venomous hiss. "Secondly, I'm not falling for your lies again. Thirdly, my verdict still stands: you will die, Annabelle Lennox." He lifted his head up with an air of arrogance. "Your lies will not save you this time."
"But I'm not lying!" Annabelle protested. She raked her hands over his face, leaving scratches on her face from her nails. She plucked away at her mind, searching desperately for a way to explain what she felt to him—to herself. "I'm really not this time," she said in a stronger voice. She looked towards Starscream for the answer, but he held no answers in his enraged optics, only more reasons to regret bringing him back to life. Anna fell back onto her knees because concentrating and standing at the same time were too much for her. "For Jesus Christ's sake, I fucked up my life to bring you back, and you won't even let me join your side!" she complained. "I've bent over backwards to resist you and you kept coming back to me; yet, when I finally decide to give into you, you reject me. That's so fucked up, Starscream." She glanced pathetically his direction. "Why is it that I have to pretend to be something I'm not to be of any value? Can you tell me why? Because I don't know why."
He was silent, and she misinterpreted it as further rejection, when in fact it was just he brooding over the answer. She shifted her legs, turning her back to him; and it worked in hiding regret being clawed into her skin along her left forearm; however, Starscream could smell the fresh scent of blood in the air. The seeker's eyes drifted to her well-defined shadow casted by the moon. There, within its faded black hue, he found his answer. For as weak as she appeared physically, there was an underlying strength that belonged to her true self—a strength that he had once possessed but lost. It was this strength that didn't make her cry like a normal human should have. Starscream's optics trailed to his shadow, where it was obscured and lacked a true definition. It was this strength that gave her such a strong sense of where she belonged, and it was this lack of strength that had made Starscream question his loyalty; she was definite in where she stood, while he was indefinite.
In the tangled knot of his thoughts, the decepticon found himself asking one, relatively simple question: would he strip this human of her strength like Megatron had stripped him of his own strength, or did he let her keep it out of what little scrap for a conscious he had left?
"Anna," he spoke in a low, unusually husky voice.
"You know," she spoke in response to her name being muttered. "I really wanted to believe some of my lies." She bowed her head against her chest. "Like the one about loving you. I don't love you right now, but I was really hoping, that if this madness continued, then maybe I would brainwash myself into believing it. So that maybe, someday you would believe it." Her eyes drifted over her forearm, where she had dug her claws into her skin to keep herself from screaming out all of her emotions. "I really want to believe in that one, because of all those lies I told, I think this one would be the best to believe in because it would mean I'm not like the other humans. It would mean I'm capable of something they aren't—understanding, compassion, comprehension, foresight…"
His optics focused on her body, thinking of how she would formulate her vivid facial expressions to dramatically express her words. Despite being made a fool of once, he let his processors mull over the words she spoke. Something about the way she pronounced the last four words caught his attention. It was the underlying anger, sense of failure in her otherwise detached voice that drew him closer to her. Could it be, he pondered, that she felt she had failed, all because she couldn't believe her lies? Did she love what she pretended to be more than what she truly was? Starscream drew his claws around her body and brought her uncomfortably close to his face, to the point where he could see her breath. "Anna," he repeated with a firmer tone. "I have an answer for your question."
She didn't so much as lift her head to signify to him that she was listening. "Why," the human said slowly. "Would I listen to you when you don't believe your words? You're just a pathological liar like me. We don't tell the truth, and when we do, people don't believe it." Anna twisted her head around to bluntly stare him in the optic. The 'con was slow to react, and the fleshy took advantage of this moment. "But pathological liars can't lie to one another, because they know the other is lying, so that means they'll only believe truth. So… is this going to be another lie I have to listen too, or will this be the truth?" His jaw was pulled tightly in neither a smirk nor scowl. Without thinking, she reached out to touch him with her cold fingertips. A weak, glass-fragile smile dimly pulled on her lips. "Why don't you let the truth die with me, so that you can go on living your lies easier without any "entertaining" distractions?" she asked. "That way we both get what we want."
Now, in his sick mind, was twisted. In all of his life, he'd never known anyone who would die for the truth, except perhaps… No, he wouldn't let his mind drift back to Skyfire. There was something caught in his vocal cords that prevented him from speaking, and a dangerous amount of lubricant building up in his optics; however, his scans indicated no internal functioning problems. The seeker took a deep breath, and forced his vocal cords to work against their will.
"I do not want your death," he murmured feebly. "Your true self is too valuable to die; which is why people don't like your true self. You, Annabelle, are what make 'bots like Optimus look like common peasant. People are scared of that because you hold a power that they could only dream of, so naturally they're scared of that. They envy it." Starscream softly placed her on his lap. She slumped onto her sore side, but her eyes never left his, not even when they winced from the pain. "That's why you have to fight them, Annabelle," he urged. "You have to show them that you are not some monstrous bastard child of a god, but the champion they need."
"Is that what you did?" Anna asked.
He nodded. "My mentor, father figure if you please, Alpha Trion, saw me the same way the autobots and sick humans saw you. Consequently, when I no longer needed his teachings, he sent me to Koan to be an over-seer. He thought he would keep me contain there so that I "would not shed my current skin and become something tyrannous like The Fallen."" He rolled his optics as he quoted his mentor. "That's why I had to become a fighter Annabelle. I needed to show him and all the others like him that I was something much more noble than he." He took the edge of his claw, and pulled upwards on the human's chin. "And if I did not need to kill you, I would further embrace your fight against their corrupt and cowardly society."
"But why exactly would you help me break away?" Anna persisted. "I'm technically a human by your standards."
"And originally I was an autobot," Starscream replied impatiently. "But, if there is one thing I've learned, it is that there is always a way to redeem yourself from your mistakes. That's the good thing about the decepticons—we don't care where you came from, only where you're heading."
She contently smiled. "I think you're romanticizing the decepticons, Twenty-two," Anna commented. "Surely, there has to be a flaw to them."
"I suppose that I may have exaggerated about our greatness and been a little biased, but it is no sin to be proud of your allegiance," Starscream answered with a slight sneer. "It's only a shame that you will not see the good your death brings us, Annabelle. It's a real shame, actually, but one that must stand if Cybertron is to live."
Anna smirked. "I guess I'll just have to watch your glory from heaven. Twenty-two," she said. "Or, I should correct myself and say I'll be the glory of my sacrifice from heaven. Of course, I'll get all the credit because if it weren't for me, then you would be nothing more than melted down energon right now." She rolled onto her back and placed both arms behind her head. "Yup, I can see it right now. My name in the text books; while you'll only be a little footnote."
He was scowling furiously at her, and in a low hiss he let his anger saturate his words. "There's only one problem with that fantasy, Annabelle. You won't be watching from heaven. You'll be watching from Cybertron." She turned her head curiously to him. A know-it-all smirk crisscrossed his face. "I said Annabelle Lennox had to die, not Slipstream."
"But we're one in the same," she protested.
"Not anymore," Starscream answered smugly. "Not under my watch."
"Oh," she snapped sarcastically. "What are you going to do? Kill me, melt me down into a spark, and then place it into a Cybertron body?" She pushed herself up and gave him a look of doubtfulness. "I'm not that stupid," Anna stated. "Slipstream is just a nickname. I'm still me, Annabelle Leann Lennox. You kill me, you kill "Slipstream.""
He chuckled darkly. Starscream sat up straightly as if he were at a business meeting. She stared quizzically at him, unsure of whether she should be scared, mortified, or angry; for there brooding in his optics was a scheme. "Anna," he proposed. "You are too valuable to kill—I realize this now. And for some unknown, illogical reasons, I've come to believe that a partnership between us would benefit both of us beyond either of our—particularly yours—comprehension." Anna annoyingly crossed her arms and eyed him suspiciously. "And, as it would be in your favor, I've come to realize that I cannot rely on my brothers. Consequently, I need a new second-in-command that I can trust."
"Why can't you rely on them?" Anna interrogated.
"Because Thundercracker and I are not on the same page," he retorted. "There are fractures in our relationship that cannot grow. Already those differences are driving us apart, and if I do not relieve that stress, he may get up enough courage to defect to the other side and take that lousy piece of shit with a spark with him; however, I need that lousy piece of shit because of his unique teleportation powers, and the fact that they know too much about the inner workings of the decepticon. That would be a true catastrophe if the autobots actually found out how we function."
"And you don't think he won't be pissed when he finds out you've demoted him and replaced him with a human?" Anna asked flatly. "Because if I were him, I'd upping leave over that."
"Do you think I'd be that stupid as to let him know you're a human?" Starscream questioned.
She nodded. "Honestly, yes, because you are that stupid, Twenty-two," Anna snapped happily.
His optics originally began to give her a critical glare over her comment, but they softened as her gleeful smirk grew. While the insult was personal, it was also impersonal because she was only making a snapping comeback for the sake of arguing; which, when he thought about it, would be the same thing he would do to her. Neither would ever speak of true affection to each other because that would be cowardly, and so only argued because it was the only option left through which they could express their affection to each other; which, brought a satisfying smirk to the scheming seeker's face. "But I'm not as stupid as you claim, Annabelle," Starscream countered. "For no one, outside a very select group will know you are human. Everyone else, including my brothers, will see you as one of us."
"How?" Anna demanded.
"We have a few extra body parts and bodies lying around the Nemesis that can and will be used to reconstruct a new body," Starscream explained like a smug Ivy-league college professor. "We will of course have to make some modifications so that you operate the body; which should be simple since your internal programming is rather basic and primitive." Anna rolled her eyes. "However, once all is said and done, no one will be able to know you are anything but a Cybertronian."
There was an obvious light in her eyes as she believed the words he spoke, perhaps even a gram of eagerness to get the project underway; however, in accordance with their unsaid laws of affection, she turned the conversation south. "So… I'm just suppose to pop up here and become second-in-command like that?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"You will not just be some rogue," Starscream clarified. "I'll inform my brothers tomorrow that I've sent a request for an old friend of mine to rejoin us. I won't tell Thundercracker that you are his replacement until we return to Cybertron. Even then, I plan on waiting until my coronation to inform him of his replacement." He took a deep breath and looked up to the stars. "Just relax, Annabelle. I've got this all figured out."
"If you had this all figured out, then what were you doing in that warehouse?" Anna persisted. She pushed herself, and lightly pressed her against his chest. The human rested her hands on her lap while she watched the night air. She was subtly aware of his body temperature rising; which chased away the cold chills. Her sore face relaxed, and Anna let her body go limp next to him. For the first time, she felt totally safe from all the dangers the universe presented. The darkness that covered the land seemed to lift. This place might as well as been her home.
"That was a minor bump," the decepticon answered. Anna cracked a grin and could not contain the chuckle in her throat. To her surprise, Starscream joined in on the chuckle. His lips moved into a rare smile. He didn't understand it, and he doubted the human did either, but as he thought back over the rough nine days they hand endured, he couldn't help but laugh it all off like it were nothing. Together they'd dodge one bullet, only to be stupid enough to stay in the line of fire. 'Funny how things work out,' he mused. Anna lifted a hand to her sore chest, but did not regret the pain the chuckles had brought. "I'll have to avoid more bumps in the future," he commented for the sake of making conversation.
Anna was silent, brooding over the answer. The happiness she had felt moments was traded in for uncertainty and annoyance. "Do you…" she started, unsure of whether to proceed or not with her question. "Regret this minor bump?" She twisted her head to look up to his glowing optics.
He thoughtfully stared down at the human. The seeker, now realizing how much he had down played the situation, was analyzing all the complex parts that had worked together to get them together. He felt that tightness grow in his vocal cords again. The memory of his deceased brother flashed before his brother, and it took all his restraint not to physically flinch from the memory. Starscream grew aware of the awkward silence that was filling up the gaps of their conversation. "Parts of it," he answered in a low, faint voice. Anna's distraught face did not escape his notice, as she looked away, her eyes searching the ground.
The silence grew fast like a weed. The only sounds from Anna were heavy, labored breaths. She rubbed her arm against her nose, and wiped the hot beginnings of tears from her eyes. "Jetfire," she forced out of her mouth. "He's dead … isn't he?" She longingly looked up at Starscream. Cowardly, he looked away. "I can see it in your eyes." He felt his wings bristle at anger towards himself for letting such weakness show. "Who's the bastard that killed him?"
The answer was simple, yet when he went to answer the question, he vocal cords died. In all technicalities, Optimus Prime had been the one to formally kill; however, the message that Jetfire had sent him as he collapsed to his knees told a much different story—suicide. "I won't let you die alone," The memory of Jetfire's voice repeated in his head. The seeker could feel the ghost of his brother's hand press against his back. "You are my brother, and I will go wherever you will go." The scene continued to unfold before his eyes. He could hear his brother's thump as he lied on the ground, and saw the look in his eyes as he realized the truth: that he, not Starscream, would die alone. The uncertainty and fear of death in Skyfire's optics haunted his memory, and he couldn't contain the shudder. "I'm scared, brother." It was the first time Starscream had ever witnessed his brother scared.
Anger, pure and unfiltered, swelled in his wounded spark. The anger paralyzed his systems and he was blinded by the red in front of his optics. In a hushed whisper, he muttered, "Optimus." His jaw tightened after muttering the word. Jetfire's willingness to die was not his fault because that was how he was programmed, but Optimus … in the seeker's mind had consciously chosen to kill his brother. He hated Megatron, but never before had Starscream felt such strong undoing towards someone. The edges of his optics smoldered white at the image of Optimus. Never had he felt so much bloodlust consume his mind. His fingers curled into a tight ball, as the seeker imagined ripping the autobot leader's spark out of his chest. Oh, the satisfaction he would feel!
"Then we will kill Optimus."
The voice broke his concentration. Starscream peeled his eyes towards the human, who looked upon him with the same bloodlust and desire for vengeance. Tears saturated her face for the human was not afraid to show the blind fury that fueled her tears. Starscream did not doubt the sincerity of her tears and anger in her voice. There was no doubt in his mind that she felt as strongly about Skyfire as he. The seeker subtly nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "We will."