there's a million&one ways
A/N: As I promised, I would begin writing once my summer was over. So here's a new chapter. I hope ya'll enjoy it! ^^ Lemme know what you think of it since it's been a while since I wrote anything! And if you guys spot any errors in the chapter, please inform me! I'll try to correct them. I'm way too busy at the moment to go over and check for them because of summer classes and applying for college. D:
But anywho let's celebrate the fact I updated! Whose up for some partying? 8D
And I'm going to go back to this way of replying so that I know who've I've answered and who I haven't, lol. Plus, I think people like it better. C:
Replies:
Alterik- thank you very much! And ironhide's fate will be revealed in the next chapter!
Trans 7.4.7. Formers- poor Prime, everyone is out to get him. D:
Kai458- thank you! Hopefully this chapter is just as good as the others!
Yuki- I'm going to try to keep the story going, the updates may just not come very fast with school and crap.
Gargoyle13- I'm glad you've enjoyed the story! I've tried to make it as twisted as possible. :3
Lionlover190- and the wait is over, lol! Or wait, will it just begin again since I just updated, lol?
Xoxo155- you write very well for this being your second language! And thank you very much!
FramingHanleyFan- thank you!
Pairings: Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide
Disclaimer: I do not own transformers © Hasbro.
The night has passed slowly, quietly like an approaching storm. The early morning had been spent the same way; which neither objected too since both were too cowardly to break the silence that wrapped itself around their tightly pulled and sore vocal cords. In the absence of words, they let their actions speak for them. Anna did not stray more than five yards from the seeker, and even at that distance she felt uncomfortable and vulnerable, not in the sense that she would be attacked but that something was out there watching them. She tended to stay in the morning sunlight and avoided the dark shadows casted by the trees and Starscream. Anna periodically glanced over her shoulder to assure herself that Starscream was still there, well within range of taking on whatever lied out there in the shadows. The seeker made a mental note of her insecure acts, but with being preoccupied with his wounds, made no snide comment about the gestures. Instead, he let it slide to the back of his processors, so that he could focus on reattaching his arm to his shoulder.
But when she murmured something to the trees, the seeker lifted his head. Annabelle stood near the perimeter of the trees, intently searching for something. She had her fists clenched at her sides, and from her body language, she appeared to be quite frustrated that she couldn't spot whatever it was that was tormenting her. Starscream, satisfied with his repairs for the moment, stood up; the seeker's height matched that of the average evergreen. With each step, he sunk further into the soggy ground. He held himself arrogantly, challenging any threat that lurked in the woods. "There's nothing in there," he said after pausing to scan the woods. Starscream glanced down at Annabelle, but the look on her face summarized the exact way she felt. He sighed. "Anna," he spoke with an exasperated tone. "You're paranoid and need rest. You've been up half the night crying—"
"Shut up," she croaked in a hoarse voice. He opened his mouth to protest, but she raised a fist to silence him. He glared at the human for disrespecting him; however, as Anna took a few timid steps back, the mech shifted to an aggressive stance. If it were some diseased animal preying on his human, well, then that inferior creature would pay dearly for the mistake. The seeker revved his jet engines, burning the tops of the grass in the process. "I said shut the fuck up!" Anna yelled; her voice cracked off before she could yell an insult.
There was an extra crack that followed a nanosecond too late. Without a second thought, he raised his right nullray while the other hand transformed to hold deadly missiles. Anna, he didn't see where she went, back tracked before turning around to run into a sprint. The seeker shifted his body as Annabelle tripped over a root and fell ungracefully to the ground. That was precisely when the ground disappeared beneath his feet. The seeker wasn't fly—he desperately wished that were the reason why—but falling like Anna. Starscream yelped as he landed wings first into the ground. The protection metal surrounding his circuits screeched as it gave out underneath the force of his weight. Amber glass fell onto the ground, illuminating the trees with a bright, burning color. He wildly kicked his legs until they found solid ground. Just as he twisted himself into an upward position, a blue blast tore off the corner of his wing. No, two blasts tore off part of his wing. Starscream hissed as large, blunt hands pressed their fingers into the seeker's throat. He peeked his optics open.
Before Starscream stood the black brute. His blue optics smoldered with hatred. Ironhide pressed his fingers further into the seeker's throat. Stains from saltwater lingered the autobot's armor while the smell of fish and rotten seafood drifted from his body. "Hello, hello," Ironhide breathed. "Surprised to see me, Starscream? I thought you would." The autobot punched his free hand into the seeker's abdomen. The mech groaned loudly. Not about to give the 'con any mercy; he rammed the seeker's body into the mountainside. The seeker's cry ricocheted off the mountains, sounding like music to the 'bots audio sensors. Starscream no longer squirmed; he lay there limply in the 'bots grasp. "Oh come now, Starscream. There is no reason to be so civil now. Not after what you've done." With a sick, aristocratic smile he stared the weak seeker. Starscream only half-heartedly raised his dying, red optics to the mech.
The mech chuckled darkly to him, obviously pleased with his work. "After all, civil mechs aren't assigned to work with the hard laborers of society. Not even the humans' dogs would be assigned to such simple drudgery," he contested in a sophisticated voice. "It is amazing how Megatron has been able to take those narrow-minded fools and make an army as strong as it has been. What is even more amazing is how Megatron could be such a fool and assign someone as idiotic as you to be his second-in-command. Maybe you had Megatron fooled like the rest of us with your science talk. No matter what you do, you cannot change what you are, Starscream." The 'bot cleared his throat like a human. "Now, where is the girl?"
Starscream stiffened his body, trying to redeem himself. "Dead," he spat harshly into his face. "Thundercracker killed her."
For a moment, he seemed to take the bait, but then the 'bot frowned, somehow disappointed by Starscream's answer. "Here I thought you were to be the best of the best when it came to liars, Starscream," he spoke in that smooth, silky voice. "You did, after all, deceive all of us. You even deceived Megatron, blaming others for trying to over-throw him when it was you all along. But I ask you one simple question and you can't even lie well enough to hide the truth." He applied more force to the seeker, pinning him further against the rugged wall. "Where is she?" he asked again, rougher. The seeker remained quiet, bidding his time like a patient snake. Ironhide snorted, taking again his hand near the seeker's abdomen to transform his arm into a canon.
That was his fatal mistake.
Starscream kicked out with precise calculations. The sharp claws on the end of his foots sliced through his enemy's armor with little difficulty. Ironhide hissed, releasing his death grip on Starscream. The seeker knocked the mech to the ground; the pines shook from the massive weight. With a second and third kick, he crushed the mech's flailing arms. The canons fell off his forearms, exploding in a ball of fire as they collided with the ground. The light was white, bright like a newborn sun. The seeker flinched as he stumbled backwards. He held his left arm over his face. Starscream's hiss of pain was unheard from the sound of his metal skin burning and melting along the edges.
A shadowy figure stood in the light, directly in front of the seeker. Faint, dead blue optics stared at him. The mech stepped forward and became more defined. The aerial 'bot reached forward with black hands. The blunt fingers wrapped around the seeker's arms as he brought him close. The black giant's body engulfed the seeker's own, providing protection against the heat. Starscream stayed beneath the behemoth; he was more than willingly to let someone else take the brunt of the heat for him. "You're killing yourself everyone, and everything around you," he whispered. "This violence needs to stop. There is a way to end this war without violence. There is a way to unite us and bring us back together. A house divided cannot stand, let alone protect itself." Skyfire tightened his grip on the seeker, afraid to let him go. "You can come with me. You've done what you needed to do. Come home, Starscream."
"I haven't completed what I needed to do," the seeker sneered. He tried to pull away, but Skyfire's arms held him tightly in place. "Cybertron still needs me."
"No it doesn't," Jetfire argued; an angry tone coated the words. "You aren't meant to bring Cybertron back. With Megatron dead and Optimus soon to follow, there will be others wiser than you or Megatron or Optimus that will bring our world together. You fulfilled your purpose. Shockwave knows about the Allspark and how to bring it back—"
"I will not allow him to take credit for my work!" Starscream growled viciously like a dog. "He is nothing more than a high ranking pawn to Megatron."
"He will not get credit for it," Jetfire assured. "Shockwave's time is coming to a close. It will be another decepticon who uses this knowledge to create young ones. It will be these new young ones that bring us together. I have seen it, brother. These young ones will bring us back together. There is a prime among them. He will take the autobots' leader and the decepticons' leader to a sacred place in the heart of Cybertron. There all the lies the autobots and decepticons have created will be erased. These leaders will finally see the truth. From that truth they will realize they both want the same fate for Cybertron, so they will unite us. Please, brother! Listen to me!" Jetfire stared intently at the 'con, his faint blue eyes shinning brighter than ever. There was desperation to make him understand and pure, elated joy that he had seen the future of Cybertron.
Starscream's body relaxed. He remained standing only because the 'bot support his weight. The mech twisted his head around to see a tiny, black hole many lifetimes away from him. He knew then, that black hole was the universe. All his problems were back there, too far away to ever bother him again. Then he tried to look forward, but Skyfire blocked the way. What lied behind the ebon' mech was a new frontier to be conquer, yet if he left the universe, then he was retreating, giving up. A sour taste built up in his systems. The seeker's optics darkened to a murky, bloody maroon. "I won't be known as a failure!" Starscream spat in his face. "I refuse to be a footnote in the history books! I am Starscream! Air Commander—king of the fucking skies—and Lord of the decepticons and Cybertron! I am the savior of our planet!"
With his spark pulsing fury, he pulled himself out of Jetfire's grasps. The larger mech face went from angry persuasion to despair, pain, and exhaustion. "Is it not enough that I died for this pitiful war, brother?" he inquired. "No less by you're doing either."
Starscream wanted to turn his back to the mech for that was all Jetfire deserved, but there was that paranoia in his processors. The seeker himself knew what he would do if mech showed his back to him; though, he doubted Jetfire would have the gal to do such a conniving act, the 'con would take any chances when he was in unknown territory. "Optimus was the one who killed you!" Starscream yelled. "He and Megatron are the ones killing us! Why do you think I risked so much, Skyfire? Did you actually believe I enjoyed my beatings from Megatron, being humiliated in front of my subordinates? I made sacrifices to do what is necessary." The seeker paused. He looked at Jetfire. A mixture of hate and sadness swam behind his optics. "You just happened to become one of those sacrifices."
Jetfire was either appalled or in mourning by the statement. He glanced at his feet, trying to pull himself together. He opened his mouth several times but each time he closed it. Slowly he lifted his head. The mech exhaled a deep breath as he closed his optics. "I thought of you as my brother, Starscream. I did not realize I was a convenience for you and nothing else."
"Convenience?" Starscream choked on the word. "You were the one who killed me! You made the choice right then and there to terminate our brotherly bond, Jetfire." The black mech stood quietly. "As far as I am concerned, this whole mess is your fault, from the attack on Diego Garcia to Annabelle! You have only yourself to blame for your failures, Skyfire. Even Chromia's death is your failure. Had you waited for me to come with you on the mission, I would not have chosen the path that I did. If you had waited, I could have ended this war before it came to this. So why don't you accept your own share in this mess, Skyfire?"
There was a long silence between them. It was the physical reminder of the divide that had grown too large between them to ever be bridged. "Why don't you go ahead and turn your back on me, Starscream," he whispered. "I'm not like you."
"No, you are a fool like fool Optimus," Starscream chided. He turned his back to the mech, treading slowly towards the black hole.
"But Annabelle is like you," Jetfire informed. "I would not turn my back to her."
"I control, Anna," he replied smoothly. "I have her little, fleshy mind inside my hands."
"Do you?" he inquired. "Or is she lying to you like she has lied so many times before, Starscream?" The seeker stopped in his tracks. "She will lead you down a path that you cannot come back from. She is a dead end, Starscream. She will be the death of you like she has been to the autobots."
He grinned slyly, stifling a chuckle. "I always come back," he sneered. "It's in my spark." He pressed a hand to his cockpit, his fingers curling possessively around the amber glass. "It's the reason why I always live through the very worst. It's the same reason Megatron kept me around. I seemed to survive everything he could throw, and he wanted to see me die once and for all. But I don't die. I can't. I'm too important for something as common as that."
"No one is above death, Starscream," Jetfire stated bluntly. "Everyone has to die."
"No, I don't," Starscream answered. He spun around on his heels; a wicked smile was plastered to his metal face. "I am above death. I am a god, Skyfire! Not even Primus himself could kill me!" He held out his arms in a vulnerable position, just tempting the god to smite him. "I am immortal, Skyfire. It's the reason why I am willingly to risk using this human to restore Cybertron. Even if she fails me, I will still have time to become Lord and High Protector of Cybertron. No matter what she does, she can never kill me. She may lie and ruin my plans, but that filthy human will not win the race. No one but me will win the race, fool!"
"That cannot be, Starscream," Jetfire stated. "I have seen the future, and very clearly you are not part of it. And neither is Annabelle for the matter."
"Perhaps I've chosen not to rule Cybertron," Starscream responded coolly. "Maybe I have chosen to rule Earth. It has much potential. If the insects submit to me, I could lead them and those on Earth into a new age of science, peace, and—"
"Tyranny," he cut short.
"What?" Starscream asked, more out of shock than any other emotion.
"You will bring only tyranny," Jetfire repeated. He looked hard at his brother. "You don't know how to treat someone other than dominating them. Most autobots and decepticons believe you are like that because Megatron has corrupted you, but that isn't the case. You were like that before the war. Megatron has only been a catalyst, much like you've been a catalyst to Annabelle. Maybe after a few vorns of being with her, you'll understand why so many will never come to respect you."
"Respect?" Starscream asked rhetorically. He chuckled, trying to contain his laughter. "You believe this to be about respect? Here I thought you were a bright bulb, Skyfire, but apparently you're nothing more than the average commoner. This is not about respect but Cybertron! Our species is dying, and I will keep our species alive at all costs, even if it means implementing this "tyranny," Skyfire." He resumed his strut towards the universe. As he walked, he could hear his brother desperately shouting out his name. The seeker picked up the pace.
"STARSCREAM!"
The seeker, having enough of this annoyance, turned around. The moment he opened his optics, he felt reality sinking into his circuits. His soft circuits sizzled like oil on a hot pan. The metal plating that was meant to protect him acted more like a coffin. The armor had become bent and reformed from the explosion to act like a prison. The metal would creak, threatening to totally collapse. His only saving grace was his pressure systems that supplied him with feeling was offline. He felt the power to his optics beginning to fade and casted a dark glow on the world before fading to complete darkness.
"Starscream!" The voice was distinctly Skywarp's by the chronic drunken tone of his voice. The mech slurred his words like someone who was intoxicated. The seeker's burning, violet optics seemed brighter than usual, but even the brightness of his brother's optics couldn't keep Starscream's attention. The tan seeker's head began to roll back, his optics dulling. "Hey, you li'l fucker!" Skywarp's blunt hand jerked on his collar, forcing Starscream awake. "You fucking stay awake or I will fucking rip off your fucking wing!" Starscream was able to focus on the words for a moment before his systems began to lull him back into an unconscious state. "Fuck," breathed the decepticon. "Thundercracker! Starscream won't fucking cooperate!"
"Don't crowd him, 'Warp," Thundercracker chided like a schoolteacher. The mech strolled out of his corner of the hanger towards the makeshift medical bay they had created. Even with the higher roof, Thundercracker had to be hunched over to move about without his wings scratching the cream ceiling. "You don't want to send him back into stasis lock." He pushed his bond-mate away, not without receiving a mumbled complaint. Casually he looked towards his trine leader. "You gave me a scare there, Screamer," he said. "I told you I don't like playing dictator."
The tan seeker only registered sixty-four percent of what the blue mech was saying. He could only muster enough coherency to ask, "Where's my human?"
Thundercracker hesitated to answer, but Skywarp seemed oblivious to the logic his mate was using. "That fucking thing is dead, Screamer. The fuck named Barricade found her fucking body, or should I say her fucking ashes in the woods. The fucker died immediately from the fucking explosion." He immediately sat up, against the warnings flashing on his scans. Something inside Starscream dropped to the bottom of his spark chamber with a heavy thud. "Don't worry though, Screamer. Barricade was fucking able to save the fucking brain. That's all the fuck that matters."
The seeker looked down at his feet. His claws curled angrily around the edges of the berth and created sharp cracks in the metal. "Mirage. He killed my human," he whispered in a forebodingly calm voice. His deep maroon, energy-deprived optics flared towards his brothers. His breathing became heavy and fast as it fed the fire hungrily burning inside his chest. "Where is he?" Starscream snarled like a rabid wolf.
Thundercracker stepped in before his bond-mate could add more stress to the situation. "Mirage's coordinates are unknown. The chances he survived the explosion are little; I assume he died in the explosion. Even if he were alive, milord, he would be in critical condition. The attack on Diego Garcia went according to plan. The Iranians, Japanese, and Russians were able to disable the autobot forces and take them captive. They are currently undergoing experimentation."
"Earth is vulnerable."
The words that flowed through the air were sickly sweet, sharply bitter, and spoken by a foreign voice. Starscream twisted his head in the direction of the sharp click of metal against the cold floor. In the artificial light, the femme's obsidian, matt paint job glimmered because of the condensation along her metal armor. She was lithe and flexible, only sporting armor where in the critical places; however, what armor there was curved, compact, and smooth. Only her chest supported a few extras, like headlights on top of her shoulders and cooling vents along her abdomen. It seemed odd her curved body didn't have the sharp edges of her alt. form. Such traits were generally reserved for triple changers, which raised the question. More noticeable than that was her weight. Without a doubt the nineteen feet femme was ground bound with her spade-wide feet like a tree frog, short thighs, long caves, arms that came only to her mid thighs, and general more human build. Unlike some femmes, there was no doubting her gender. She had broad shoulders, an anorexic waist, and nonexistent hips. If she stood to the side, she would no doubt seem almost nonexistent.
The femme's steel gray face was striking. Much like her words and body, it was sharp and angular. She had a smooth forehead piece that angled up to a horn. A series of curved plates followed after it in a linear line, exponentially getting smaller as they came closer to the neck. From the top of her optic ridge to the back of her skull was another series of raised, curved plates. They seemed to bristle with her every movement and emotion. The only "soft" part of her face was the rounded, golden beak for a mouth, but even that feature had a falcon's edge to it. She had unusually large, deep carmine pink optics. They were lively like the fiery sun, occasionally flaring up to a brighter shade of pink.
She had obviously chosen an alt. mode for across her left chest plates were the white words NASA; below the words was the searing violet insignia of the decepticons. White glyphs marked the right side of her face and traveled down the same arm. They conveyed her strength, endurance, and power. If she had enough gal to blatantly boast about her talents, then the femme was overly confident and stupid or a true threat. The way she sauntered towards him, he assumed the latter.
"Don't give me that look, Twenty-two," she scorned. "Don't tell me you forgot about your bond-mate." He could feel gravity slowly opening his mouth. With such ease and grace, the femme was able to move passed Thundercracker without having him move. She placed a black hand on his thigh, moving ever closer to his face. "Slipstream, you bastard."
Starscream's mind scrambled to understand the coherency of what was happening. The heavy thud in his spark seemed to float upwards at how he addressed her like his Anna. The smug smirk that was playing in her eyes could only belong to one insanely annoying human. "Slipstream," he breathed, more of a question than a statement. The mech brought a hand to her face, careful to mind the edges. She gave him a subtle nod that he only he would notice. The panic he had felt coursing through his systems moments earlier turned to elated joy and satisfaction. "Who are you to call me a bastard? Last time I checked, you weren't any better than a politician." His voice was sharp, challenging her insult.
Without warning, she slapped him with the back of her hand. With a snort, she backed away. "I'm glad to see you too," she replied flatly. Crossing her arms, Slipstream analyzed the seeker, ignoring his glower. "You and Scalpel did a good job repairing him, Thundercracker. Too bad you couldn't have fixed his face. It's killing my optics."
"What's wrong with my face?" Starscream growled.
"Nothing," Thundercracker answered quickly. "She's just baiting you." He gave a rude glance to the femme, but it didn't faze her. Not that he expected his brother's scolding to faze her. Slipstream was much too above him to be concerned about Thundercracker's warnings. His brother hadn't yet discovered the extent of her superiority. The blue mech's eyes slid towards the femme. He was all too used to being ignored to let it ruffle his feathers. "Your bond-mate arrived around five weeks ago," he informed, not sounding convinced that this new comer was his trine leader's bond-mate.
"So you did get my message," Starscream stated quickly to dispel Thundercracker's doubts. "I'm surprised you're here so soon, Slipstream."
She chuckled, mocking him. "Soon? It's taken me several months to get here, Twenty-two," Slipstream corrected. "It's fall here, heading into winter." As if she knew what he was going to ask, she continued to talk at a steady, fast pace. "You were caught in an explosion. One of Mirage's systems had a glitch that caused a catastrophic explosion. When your counterparts found you, you were a metal mess. Your armor had to be totally replaced." She lightly knocked on his thigh. "Hence the lack of insignias, Twenty-two." She made sure to pronounce the last word with an acidic tone. "They had to do an overhaul of most of your systems. You were lucky your cowardice saved your ass again." The femme smirked as she saw him clenched his jaw. "Then energon levels had been incredibly low. We've been able to save just enough to get you online. You're a real energy hog. You know that?"
"And you're any less of an energy hog?" he sneered. "You're high maintenance yourself, Slipstream." The seeker, tired of feeling crowded, placed his feet on the floor. Thundercracker moved in to stop his brother, but that sly femme moved in front of the blue mech before he could stop Starscream. Starscream surprisingly stood erect and stable. His brother appeared to be shocked while Slipstream merely frowned. He took hold of the moment to survey the small air hanger, but he didn't find much of interest. "Where's Skywarp?" he inquired bitterly.
The growl came from Slipstream. "I swear if he's flying, I'm going to rip off both of his wings," she promised underneath her breath. The flexible horns along her head seemed to bristle with irritation and hostility. Clearly she and Thundercracker's bond-mate did not get along well. She slithered quickly towards the door. Only Thundercracker's firm hand on her shoulder stopped her from opening the door.
"Stop your fretting," he scolded. "Skywarp wouldn't be so stupid to fly." Slipstream rolled her eyes while muttering something beneath her breath. "I'll find him. You take care of Screamer." Starscream was surprised that it was more of a request than order, but maybe his brother thought if better if he and she were separated than being together. "I'll be back," he muttered. Thundercracker opened the door, but to his brother's surprise, no light rained into the compound.
It was several moments after Thundercracker had left before Starscream looked towards Slipstream. He was unsure of what to make of the incoherency of his thoughts and emotions. She was most definitely his Anna, but seeing her as one of his kind was a delight and disappointment. He was unsure why he was happy to see her alive and doing well, but he was. He felt more secure that he had had someone to look over his back while undergoing repair but … "Anna," he whispered. It was question, a desire to know that underneath the metal body she was still human. The femme stood still for a moment before walking towards him. She only stopped when she was directly in front of him and within his reach.
While from the table she had appeared smaller, standing in front of her put in perspective how smaller she was. He towered over twelve feet above her, and his thick, wide chest only made her seem that much smaller. Starscream could easily crush her in his hands because of her fragile form. It was comforting to know she was still fragile like her human form, but he was still disappointed as he touched her face. The seeker yearned to touch her hot flesh instead of the cold, hard metal. It wasn't she was unpleasant to look at, but this form seemed too inferior for his human. It couldn't convey all the emotions she so proudly displayed as a human. The optics were an injustice to her eyes. The body simply felt wrong underneath his hand. He wanted to feel the pulse of her blood, not the static his body created against hers, or the pull her magnetic and energy fields forced on his.
She reached up to place a hand on his cockpit. "Now we're equal," Slipstream said. He couldn't hide the scowl on his face from her analytical optics. His fingers trailed down her body, getting a feel for this new form. "Barricade and Scalpel did a good job," she spoke. "They didn't leave anything out when they designed it. It's perfect for me."
As if none of what she said registered in his audio sensors, he asked, "Where are you?" Slipstream used both of her hands to guide his wandering fingers to her chest plates. She kept her fingers curled around his hand possessively. "Right there." The femme nodded. There was a small comfort that her body was only buried behind a few inches of protective armor. At least she'd be safer there from everything the universe could through at her. "How?"
"Scalpel described it as a womb. I get all the nutrients I need. I can virtually stay in here as long as I want," she explained. "They were pretty easily able to sync my brain with the body. They inserted some metal things into my head and boom! It's like what they've been able to do with blind people. They are able to connect certain parts of the brain to operate certain parts of the body, like sight, smell, hearing, touch." She squeezed his hand harder to emphasize the last sense. "The only thing they weren't able to sync was taste," she added on with a flatter tone. "It's a real bitch, you know, when those cravings to hit you and you can't satisfy it. Can't say it's help to improve my attitude."
It was that tone of her voice and how she complained about having to sacrifice one of her puny senses that reassured him she was still his human. "Always so demanding," Starscream murmured. It was less of an insult than a playful taunt.
"I just know what I want," Slipstream retorted with a smug smile. She moved closer, brushing his hand away. She gently pushed on chest. He understood the silent command to sit back on the table. The femme crawled beside him and sat on his lap like she had when she was human. "You being awake is proof of that. The others wanted to wait to awake you until we got to the Nemesis, but I wouldn't have it. You're a real bitch to leave with, but a bigger bitch to live without, Twenty-two." She rested comfortably against his chest. Slipstream seemed as comfortably as ever in her new skin as she was in her human skin. "These metal heads aren't even half as smart as you, and you're stupid to begin with," she added.
"I thought you hated me, Anna," Starscream stated. He brought his hand to her head, gently raking his claws through her horns. "If I'm hearing correctly, then you need me?"
She couldn't help but laugh aloud. "It's bad enough you flatter yourself, but stroking your ego? That's pathetic, even for you, Twenty-two," Slipstream replied hastily. "Not even Skywarp is that pathetic. No, I don't need you. I simply wanted to treat myself to something special for my seventeenth birthday."
"Your birthday?" he questioned. The seeker leaned over her to listen to her answer.
"Yeah, it was yesterday," Slipstream spoke, not sounding too disappointed. She looked up at him with a meager smile. "It's been pretty disappointing until now. I'm still a little let down. You aren't nearly as sharp as you usually are. I hope it's a temporary effect because I'd hate to be surrounded by yet another Skywarp. Honestly, I can see why you'd want to replaced Thundercracker as your second-in-command. He can't even beat me at a game of chess. That says a lot right there. It's no wonder your ego is so inflated. You've been surrounded by mentally impaired airheads."
"I think you need to be humbled, Anna," he answered sourly. "You aren't nearly as smart as what you proclaim to be. You don't have all the answers—"
"I never proclaimed to know everything, Twenty-two," she spat. "I only proclaimed to know more than you. Don't go putting words in my mouth I haven't said." She buried herself further into his cool chest, savoring the feeling of being engulfed by the powerful seeker. "At least I can download all the music I ever wanted," The femme deliberately changed subjects. "She said he's so sweet! I wanna lick the wrapper!" Slipstream sang in an off key.
The seeker dramatically rolled his eyes. "I suppose you listen to that noise?" he spoke aloud. "Those humans ruin the music by adding lyrics to the music. Proper music should be able to explain itself without pathetic humans to explain."
"You're just jealous because you can't sing that well," Anna countered. "Quite frankly, the lyrics are just spelling out what the song means. Sometimes its nice to not have to dig for the answers, Twenty-two."
"You're just weak," Starscream insulted.
"No, just tired," Slipstream responded quickly. She shut her optics while taking a deep breath. "It's been hectic around here. I haven't had any time to myself since the explosion. It's just been one thing after another for the pass couple of months. I feel like an insomniac. I was hoping to get some peace and quiet for my birthday but … Well, we know things never go how we want them to, Twenty-two."
"I'm here," he sneered. "That should be enough."
"It'll never be enough," Anna protested. "As much as I want you to, you're simply too hardened to be spread over all the empty holes and rough—"
"You're baiting me again," he accused. Anna tried to move out of his grasp, but the seeker held her firmly in place with one hand. "What are you wanting, Anna?"
"Let me go, and I'll show you," Slipstream answered. Starscream rightfully hesitated before loosening his possessive hold over her. She stood up on the table, eye-to-eye with him. "I won't hurt you," she promised underneath her breath. "I've been wanting to do for quite some time." The femme's hand was as gentle on his face her words were to his audio sensors. Her fingers traced the edges of his face. She was hesitant in her actions, afraid that she would break him with her new strength. Despite the restraint she showed, the seeker's defense systems flashed a warning sign across his scans. She could feel his systems tense beneath her fingers as she touched his vulnerable neck cables. From the side of her optics, she could see him clenching his hands. When she looked to his optics, there was no mistaking the frustration flickering behind his optics. It was a small ember ready to burst into a wildfire.
In a very human fashion, she made a motion that was similar to nervously licking her lips. "Ignore the warnings like you would in battle," she asked; however, she made it sound like an order. "Trust me. This is suppose to be pleasurable; give you a gentle high."
"How do you know this?" Starscream inquired; his voice was huskier, just on the edge of turning angry.
"I've picked up a few things from Skywarp," she replied innocently. "The dumb ones always seem to find someway of getting high." Slipstream placed a warm hand to his cool wings. Starscream's hand instinctively shot around her chest. A cold shiver of adrenaline ran through her systems as she saw the animal look on his face; her own warning systems were murmuring to run away, hide in the rain forest outside the compound. A drip of fear soaked her face as his optics burned white. "You always wanted me to trust you. I trust you. I wouldn't do this with anyone else. I'm asking you to trust me, Twenty-two. Can you do that?" she asked.
This was much more than the simple question she had constructed. He could see it in her eyes. What she asked was something much more. The answer was already chosen for him; she'd already trap him with the story he assumed she had fabricated about being his bond-mate. However, that was only publicly; even then, most likely only Thundercracker and Skywarp knew. "Why be so subtle?" Starscream inquired.
She squirmed uncomfortably in his grip, doing her best to keep her instincts under control. "I thought you didn't like having things spelled out, Twenty-two," Slipstream answered frankly.
"You're being impulsive," he stated.
"And you're avoiding the question."
He loosened his grip but kept his fingers curled around her waist. Using his thumb, he stroked her back like he had when she didn't hide behind a metal mask. "I guess you can't be blamed. You're only human after all," Starscream spoke. "You may look like one of us on the outside, but you'll always be human on the inside. We'll never be equal. You'll always be my inferior."
She was quiet. Only the small movements of her optics gave away her pondering mind. "You may be stronger, but I've always had the upper hand, Twenty-two," Slipstream whispered. "You don't have to admit it aloud, but you know deep down, I have had you wrapped around my finger since day one." She curled her hands around his collar, grinning sheepishly at him. "Just like how you have me hanging over a pit of magma while I point a gun at you. Both of us are manipulating each other, unable to break away from the sick cycle. We're at a stalemate. Wouldn't you say so, Twenty-two?"
He rolled his eyes as he pulled her closer. "I believe you've lost even more of your mind than before, Anna, if you believe you can control me," Starscream sneered. "You have no influence over me or my actions." The lie he spun sounded so convincing and real, but as always, she, being a pathological liar, could only hear the unconvincing tone; the sound was only louder inside his head.
"Words between us mean so little, Twenty-two," Slipstream answered. "Only actions count between us, so keep on lying. I'll always know where to find the truth." She brought a hand up to his head and ran a finger along the ridge that protected his optics. "It's weird. The autobots have a red symbol yet have blue eyes. One would think they would have eyes to match their symbols, but they don't. Someone's logic went askew there." He was silent. Only the sound of her claws lightly dragging over his face filled the compound. Her optics would flare to a brighter hue when he claws would hit a sharp angle. It occurred to him that she was curious about his physical form as she had been when they first met.
"You aren't a total wreck today," he stated calmly.
She grinned; the edge of her claw drew over his beak. "I've had a few months to calm down and sift through everything. It's amazing what a little bit of piece and quite can do to the mind," she replied. "And it helps when you aren't a wanted fugitive anymore. It helps relieve the stress a little bit." Slipstream turned around, sinking back into his lap. "I haven't been on vacation though. I wasn't lying when I said I feel like an insomniac. You kept me awake."
"I kept you awake?" he asked defensively.
"Of course, you are my leader," Slipstream assured. "Someone has to be watching out for your best interests." She flicked her optics at him. "Not all of us are so blindly traitorous."
"I'm not a traitor," Starscream growled.
"To who though?" she inquired further.
"My species, my faction, my trine," the seeker listed. He bent over as far as he could; Slipstream met him half way by tilting her head in his direction. The last words were on the tip of his vocal processors, but they never made it passed his mouth. He brought a finger to her, gently stroking her throat. Slipstream naturally tensed before forcing herself to remain still. Starscream saw her optics burn white with the warnings her defense systems sent to her mind; to cope with it, she deactivated her optics. His smirk grew. Rarely did such close contact between their species not result in a brutal beating, and the adrenaline of ignoring the warnings was a high. It was all the thrill of the battle without the worry of suffering the damage.
He curiously watched as her fingers itched to rip away his fingers from her throat. The heat profusely radiated from her body. Along her arms he could feel the energy pilling up in her weapons. The low thrumming of her core against his chest made his own systems begin to purr from her submission. The sound they produced was low, too low for any human to hear, but the perfect intensity for them. Only those within the direct vicinity would hear it. Though he should have been concerned if the others heard, Starscream couldn't bring himself to care. He was much too enamored with the idea of his Anna sitting obediently as he toyed and taunted her systems. How was it that she so easily exposed his weakness for the lust of power by putting herself up for bait? Starscream knew better, but each time he seemed to fall back into the trap.
Her systems heated rapidly until her body was the warmer than his. What had started as a gentle purring was now filled with the sound of her engines reacting to the threat. With the single, feathery touch his claw dragging along the seam of her abdomen, Slipstream could take no more. She tore away quicker than he expected and pressed her back to the wall of the compound as her right forearm transformed into a plasma cannon. He gripped the table with one hand while raising his null ray to challenge her threat. Her challenge wasn't intentional. Starscream could see her panting profusely and her white optics seared as brightly as the stars. This was purely instinct, her reaction.
Slipstream looked away, taking a moment to regain control. She looked down at her arm, suddenly aware of what she had been close to doing. The femme quickly transformed her hand back to normal before looking to the seeker with calmer, pinker eyes. "It'll take some time to get over that," she whispered in between her pants. "You can put the null ray down." He did so. She climbed back on the table and reclaimed her seat in between his legs. Starscream could see more clearly how jittery her body was being in his arms' grasp. Coming back to the mech who set you over the edge went against all logical sense, which sent the femme back on the edge.
"We're done for now," he stated. "We wouldn't want an accident and have to explain it to the others. So why don't you tell me why you're running around here with no supervision and spreading lies about being my bond-mate? I'm curious as to why you would paint me as such a weakling." There was an irritated bite to his voice.
"Well, Barricade and Scalpel received your message about building a suit. The two decided the best way to sneak humans onto Cybertron would be to disguise them as your species. Well, let's simply say I was able to prove my loyalty and granted the privilege to have some freedom. I told them how I would be your second-in-command soon and would be able to get them anything if they kept their mouths shut and let me do as I please. Barricade is to be promoted so that he does not have to work with anyone. Scalpel says he wants to have more subjects to experiment on, both human and Cybertronian. He also wants to be promoted to be head of a new scientific division dedicated to finding the most effective ways to torture a mech and human," she explained in a bored tone. "It's a very complicated and boring story. In short though, Barricade has begun to teach me some of the basics of fighting. We get along, he and I. It's nice to have a relationship where you don't talk, just do. I think he just likes to kick my ass too.
But I couldn't just sit around. I wanted to introduce myself to your brothers. I naturally found them and immediately began to ask them where you were; however, they were more concerned about a rogue asking about their leader. They thought I was an autobot until I told them I was your bond-mate, and you had summoned me to reclaim Cybertron. They didn't believe me, saying you had never taken a bond-mate. I naturally disagreed. I told them you had taken me as a bond-mate during your time as an over-seer. Then you wanted to become a scientist, but if your new found peers knew you had bonded to a mindless, half-crazed femme who worked in the mines, well, you might not have been accepted into the scientific program. So you claimed to be bondless while I transferred to a new division of drudgery. We didn't see each other much after that.
When the war finally broke out, you joined the autobots. I didn't trust either Megatron or Optimus Prime, so I left, but not without making a promise. You said you didn't like either Megatron or Prime but was waiting for the right time to take control of a faction and rejoin Cybertron. I promised you I would return when you were in the right position and ready to return Cybertron to her glory. You had tried to summon me after Mission City, but I lost connection with you because I ran into autobots. It wasn't until before the explosion you were able to make contact between us; however, you didn't have the chance to tell your brothers because you didn't want to explain why you were bringing a femme onto the decepticon side. You felt it would be better if they didn't know that you had a bond-mate
They bought it; hook, line, and sinker. It seemed like something you would do since you are all about secrets and deception. I also proved that we had been in tough because I was able to give a full report about what had happened on Earth and knew things that only those close to Starscream could possibly know."
"Do you know how ridiculous that story is?" he insulted.
"Do you know how ridiculous it is the way you deceive people?" Slipstream countered. "Thundercracker made the remark about how much it would be like you to do that."
He narrowed his optics, searching for more to criticize. "It's dangerous to have bond-mates," the seeker objected. "There are reasons why decepticons typically do not have bond-mates. You are viewed as weak and vulnerable."
"Well, I thought it would be better if it were out in the open," she answered. "If they know you have a bond-mate, then they know they not only have a trine to deal with, but they know there will be someone more stupidly loyal willingly to risk her life in order to save her mate and leader. I still have a promise to keep, Twenty-two."
"I know," he responded.
She twisted her head. "You don't know even know what the promise is," she insisted. "You were dead when I said it to you."
His face became stern, painfully pulled. The seeker, in a rare moment, laid back and pulled the femme onto his chest. Starscream felt her body over heating again as he wrapped his arms around her, like she were a plush toy to make all the pain go away. "You don't have to worry about keeping me alive," Starscream whispered. "You're the one that is vulnerable." He closed his optics and took a deep breath. "I'll always live, Annabelle. My spark may be extinguished and seem to be gone, but if you gave me time, like fifty years or so, my spark would come back, little by little. Until my spark full comes back, I just wander around as a ghost. It wasn't pleasant. Being a ghost isn't pleasant. Everything is loud and you feel as if there is something crawling in your skin. For the most part, you are blind. I could see the sparks of my kind, but I didn't see you until you touched the Allspark fragment at the abandoned base. It was only because you touched the fragment I could hear you promise me that you'd never let me die."
Slipstream rolled onto her abdomen, her arms resting comfortably over his cockpit. Her optics were a deep shade of pink, smoldering with ideas and thoughts. "What are saying, Twenty-two?" she inquired; she sounded confused.
"I am immortal," he answered in a serious tone.
"No one is immortal, Twenty-two," she retorted.
"I am," Starscream answered. "And only I can bring back the Allspark. I initially tried to build a new Allspark utilizing the sparks of autobots, but their essence doesn't live long after death. Mine does, and it is my essence that is needed to give the Allspark the longevity it is known for. I don't want to die and just remain a ghost, so I had Shockwave try to clone me in hopes I could create another immortal, but it didn't work Shockwave wanted to use me, but I wouldn't let that happen. I fled Cybertron in hopes to find Samuel. I hope he has the key to rebuild an Allspark without me having to sacrifice my life. My brothers were against me when I came to Earth. I was already weak and physically fighting with Thundercracker over morals and values was too much on my weakened body. I managed to get to that base before going into stasis lock."
"Is this really true?" Slipstream asked solemnly.
"But now I know that Samuel only had a fragment of the knowledge from the Allspark. You, Annabelle, have part of the Allspark knowledge as well, but yours in dormant," he continued.
"Is that the only reason I'm of any value to you?" she inquired, her voice holding a bitter tone.
He raised his head, looking at her with optics deep in thought. Starscream had just told her that she was holding the key to his species, and all she could think about was whether or not that had affected their relationship. How selfish of her to think that way. "If I weren't entertained by you, you would not be here," the mech answered. "I'd already be on Cybertron if it weren't for you."
There was a hint of a smile across her face as she laid her head down on his chest. "Why are you telling me this?" she inquired.
Starscream was quiet for several long moments before speaking, "Go to sleep, Anna. We have a long day ahead of us." He pulled his arms away from her to allow her body to relax. He saw the flash of her optics dimming as she obeyed him. The seeker studied her body, noting the connection between them and statue as they slept. Up close he could see and feel how smooth her armor as. Her armor was composed of a soft metal. In a way, it was the equivalent of having human flesh, soft and easily broken. Very gently he stroked her face and was pleased when she didn't stir. "If only I had killed you, this would have been so much simpler, Anna." He took a deep, stress breath. The seeker stared at her for quite some time, going over what had been said. Between she and Sam, the two's knowledge could perhaps save his race without him having to sacrifice his own life, but going down that road meant realizing a dark truth.
In order to extract the information, Anna would never be the same. If she somehow lived through the ordeal of having the information extracted, then more likely than not she would be severely retarded.
If he went down the other road, then he would be a ghost forever. Who knew what would happen with a new Allspark created? Either the war would end immediately or go on for longer. The destiny of his species would no longer be in his hands; he would be powerless.
His optics fixated on Slipstream. It would be so easy, even know, to simply kill her and take what was needed, but his spark cringed and rebelled at the thought. A deep, searing fire consumed him from the inside and slowly ate away at his circuits. The mech could almost hear something hard and heavy clicking to the bottom of his spark chamber. Starscream continued to stroke the femme's back with the same gently touch he had used on her when she was human. For some odd reason, stroking her seemed to cool the flames in body and take away the heavy feeling in his spark chamber. An even darker thought of losing her on the battlefield brought the same, burning torture to his body. The seeker felt his systems kick in as they attempted to cool down his rapidly heating body. Unlike before where he could calm himself by stroking her, he couldn't because in the second scenario, he had no control over her fate. Starscream rested his hand over her back, careful not to wake her. "In my arms you will be safe, Annabelle," he said. "I can promise you that."