xoxox No revenge yet :) I hate to say it, but basically this is the plot moving along part. I am such a stickler for keeping things 'real,' and I want to recreate an entire experience, not just the exciting parts :) Thanks for the LONG reviews! Gave me some insight, for sure! Next chap shouldn't take too long :) xoxox

I curled on my side on the bed, facing the wall. Skywarp had dimmed the lights on his way out. The silence of the place was perfect for me at that moment. I hugged myself, shivering against old wounds.

Skywarp had been unwilling to leave me alone while I was like this.

"It could be a side effect of the treatment. I should stay and make sure you don't do something you regret…"

"Please leave me alone," I'd whispered. "I want to be alone right now."

He'd slowly turned to leave. "If you need anything, want anything, even just company… I'll be here. Even Thundercracker, if you don't want to talk to me…"

I'd stared at him, disbelief cracking through my shell. "That's not it at all, Skywarp. Thank you for everything. I just need to be alone."

His wide shoulders seemed to sag and he left quietly, turning the switch for the lights as he went.

My whole body trembled in a fit as a particularly upsetting image came to mind. I rubbed my face against the sheets, trying to erase the memories. I didn't want them. I hated those men, for doing what they had done… and for planning to do worse. I wanted to show them what helplessness was. I wanted to watch them as they realized there were no options.

Skywarp would help me.

I heard the clank of heavy feet as a transformer walked past my door. They paused briefly outside of the room then moved on.

Suddenly something occurred to me. I didn't want Skywarp to kill those men.

I wanted Barricade to do it. I wanted that fierce, snarling voice to be the last thing they ever knew.

I lurched off of the bed mechanically and rushed out into the brighter hall, seeing Thundercracker's wide back as he moved on down the hall. He heard me, and turned to look.

"Where is Skywarp?"

"His quarters. Need something?"

"I just need to talk to him. Can you show me where?"

Thundercracker nodded and came back to me, scooping me up. That was one thing I'd noticed already… The Decepticons tended to snatch me up without thinking, while the Autobots had nearly always given me the option of climbing into their hands.

The size of the base was a relief. Skywarp lived down the hall and around the corner, apparently. Next time, I would walk. Thundercracker banged on the door loudly, yelling, "Bravura wants to see you."

The door swung open almost immediately, Skywarp's eyes meeting mine. His room was dark too, and I got the impression that I'd interrupted his rest.

He held out his hand. Thundercracker handed me over, and then moved off in the direction he'd come from.

"Thank you," I called after him, and he waved over his retreating shoulder. I turned to look up at Skywarp, who was regarding me hopefully. "I changed my mind about killing them."

Surprisingly, Skywarp seemed relieved. "Good, I was hoping you would say that."

I stared at him. "What do you mean? I thought Decepticons didn't care about humans. I thought you would like doing it."

Skywarp shook his head slowly. "It's difficult to view your species as… mindless animals, anymore. You aren't just an animal."

"Those men are," I insisted. "And besides, I still want them to die. I just want Barricade to do it instead."

"Why Barricade?"

"Because I know first hand the fear that he inspires. I want them to wish they'd never touched a woman in any moment of their chauvinistic existences."

Skywarp sighed, slowly nodding. "If it's what you really want, I'll send him the orders and the profiles. Frenzy should find them in no time."

"I want to be there."

Skywarp looked at me sharply. "Why?"

"I want them to know who is responsible for their pain. I want them to know."

My fists were clenched tightly as I stared down at my protector's hand. He stroked my back with his free hand and I leaned back into it, trying to release my tension.

"I would rather you not go."

"I know, but please. You can be with me the entire time. I want them to see me with you. I want him to realize why he's suffering."

"You aren't going to let this go until you get your way, are you?"

I looked up into his red eyes, pleading. "I want revenge, Skywarp. He violated me. They wanted to."

Skywarp's expression hardened. "This isn't about the physical damage. It's about the emotional damage, isn't it?"

I nodded and reached behind me for his closest finger, holding it tightly to my chest. "But you saved me from all of it."

Skywarp sat down on his metal bed, holding me to his chest. "You don't know how much of a relief it is to have you here."

I didn't answer. I missed Hot Rod and Mirage, no matter how much I was beginning to appreciate Skywarp. I was guiltily imagining that this too-warm chest was Hot Rod's when my stomach growled noisily. I hadn't eaten since breakfast.

Skywarp got up, setting me down on his bed, and went to a metal cabinet that covered one wall. He opened one of the lower doors, pulled out a white plastic bag, then brought it to me. He set it next to me tentatively, and I looked up at him questioningly. He nodded, so I took the bag. A banana and one packet of saltines sat inside.

I smiled and took out the banana, peeling it, feeling Skywarp's eyes on me. I ate it in silence, just trying to give my stomach something to do. I finished quickly and put the peel back in the bag, ignoring the crackers.

"Where'd you go to get this?"

Skywarp smiled. "It got left at a picnic. I hope you don't mind."

"No," I said, yawning and stretching. "Is it very late, Skywarp?"

"10:37 at night. Do you want to sleep?"

"Yeah… but, can I ask you something?"

"Does it involve killing more humans?"

"Nah. I wanted to know if I could stay with you tonight."

Skywarp stiffened visibly. "You actually want to sleep here with me?"

I looked down, afraid to meet his eyes. I was afraid he could see my longing for a different transformer's company.

He loosened up. "No, I think it's a great idea," he said, thinking he'd hurt my feelings. "I just gave you your room because I thought you'd prefer sleeping there at night, but if this is where you want to be… I'm not complaining."

I looked up at him, smiling as genuinely as I could. "Thank you… I'm done being alone for now."

Skywarp's hand reached for me, hesitant, but he slowed and finally dropped it back to his side. "I need to talk to Barricade, but I can't send a signal from down here. I'll be right back."

He was out of the room suddenly, leaving me there alone. I stared at my lap, remorse thick in my throat. I hated leading Skywarp into thinking… differently than me, but I needed the reassurance. I was afraid to sleep alone.

Despite myself, I found myself being woken up from an uneasy doze as I was picked up in the darkness by Skywarp's warm hands. There was the sound of metal on metal as he stretched out on his bed, and he settled me on his broad chest. His shape was less hospitable than Hot Rod's, but he had several flat places across his chest, parts of his wings, I assumed. I curled up on one, and he made a fist, laying his knuckles against my back.

"Frenzy is looking for the records of the three men as we speak. He should have them ready for tracking by tomorrow evening."

"Good," I whispered, barely awake. I clutched my arms to my chest, reveling in the feel of skin and not a scratchy, heavy cast. "I'm glad you're ok with it."

"I have my doubts, but it won't take long to execute them, and we can move on."

My mind hit a mental rut and switched topic without my conscious decision. "Why did you really keep me, Skywarp? Why did you go to so much effort to get me back?"

He made a scraping noise, like clearing his throat. Finally, he said, "Do you know how long space travel takes?"

"A long time."

"A very long time," he agreed. "And I have been in space for much longer than just a 'very' long time. I was… lonely."

"Ok… but why would you try so hard to get me back even after you had company with your own kind again?"

"It's hard to explain, Bravura. You weren't like I imagined your kind. You aren't like the rest."

Mirage had said something to that extent, and I considered it. I doubted there was anything special about me…the transformers just weren't used to people. They expected something different.

I sighed, the side of my face pressed against the furnace of his chest.

"Why are you so much warmer than the Autobots?"

"You have a lot of questions this time. We run on a higher optimum core capacity than the Autobots. They would get warmer than this, during battle, but they tend to run on a lower capacity during off time. Decepticons are always prepared for battle by continuously running the processes that Autobots allow to shut down."

"I see… So it would make you feel vulnerable if I asked you to cool it a little."

"Yes. I can't do it, I'm sorry."

"It's ok," I grumbled, snuggling back against his knuckles. "Just checking."

For a flat chunk of metal, Skywarp's chest made a decent bed. Fully aware of my protector, his face obscured by his massive torso, I fell into an exhausted sleep.

I woke to being plucked from his chest. Skywarp was moving fast, holding me and rushing down the halls. He deposited me in my room. "Frenzy sent an SOS through my e-mail. The Internet is low security and he has orders not to use it, so this has to be serious. I'm going to check it out, Thundercracker will stay here."

He was gone again before my sputtering response could turn into the English language.

Alone in my transformer sized room, I sank dispiritedly into the thick carpet.

"You have an e-mail address?" I asked the tan fibers. "Seriously…?"

Edited March 20th, 2010