Chapter 10

The two seekers sat in Starscream's personal quarters, in the base's western wing. Down in the corner the minicons lay silent, recharging. Starscream reclined and drained his energon cube, the other hand gripping the arm of his chair. His mind carefully turned over Thundercracker's report, now that they finally had privacy to discuss it.

"Does Megatron suspect?" he asked.

Thundercracker laughed. "Megatron always suspects, Screamer. He was protoformed with one optic looking over his shoulder."

A small jerk of one eyebrow was the only indication of annoyance at the use of the nickname, but Starscream let it pass. His wingmate was the only one who could get away with it.

"How many are rallied to the cause?"

"To yours? More and more every day. Call it a mixture of homesickness, boredom, impatience…"

It was good news to his audios, but Starscream sneered nonetheless. "And yet we must continue the charade for now, for the sake of that squirming, unsavoury slag-bucket…"

At that moment the doors hissed and Sideways entered, carrying two energon cubes and grinning loutishly.

"You 'nt lyin' 'bout this stuff, Thundercracker," he slurred. "Verr good …"

"Sideways. Do come in, we were just talking about you…"

"Don't mind if I do," said Sideways, missing the barbed remark, or else choosing to ignore it. "Your new slaves are… settled, by the way. Isn't that right, Thundercracker?"

Her hands tore as she pulled at the mesh with all her might. Through the burning tears, she was only dimly conscious of the pain as rivulets of blood welled and ran down onto her arms, mingling with the blood of Hugo…

Hugo…

He was lying all alone on that metal floor…

Sobs came faster than she could draw breath, threatening to choke her and making her retch.

He's dead. He's dead. He's dead.

The words rang in her mind, over and over, until they sounded like jumbles of sounds, not words…

The person who had looked after her since she had been brought to this god-forsaken place. The first person to approach her and gently introduce himself, that first night in the quarters... when all the others had been far too wary of her because she was on speaking terms with their fearsome master. Gentle, kind Hugo…

Now he was dead, lying all alone in that vast cold hall, someone should have stayed with him…

The young man called David and some of the others had dragged her away, and they had fled, weeping in their panic, down to the slave quarters. Blackout had roughly shooed them all in and locked up. All around were sounds of confusion, the new slaves were crying and calling out, trying to adjust to their new circumstances, desperately quizzing the others as to what would happen to them. Ben hunched in a corner, jiggling Rose and gently shushing her. Charlie had made sure to grab a load of blankets from the supply heap on the bottom, and had tried her best to comfort Alexis, who at first had sat stunned in the midst of the melee. They were up on the highest level, having climbed the rickety metal ladders inside, connecting the grid of cages.

In the corner of the top level was a jagged hole in the mesh. It had always been ignored- even if you wiggled out, and managed to climb down, where would you go?

But now she was up, pulling and tugging at the cruel broken strands, trying to widen the gap.

Something inside her had broken and fallen away, a chasm of darkness opening up. What kind of delusion had she been living under? Did she think she could help fellow members of her race with some treats and clothes, blankets and soap? None of that had helped Hugo, he was dead.

Dead. He's dead. He's on his own. We just left him.

Charlie was trying once again to stop her.

"Alexis, stop, you're tearing yourself to bits… We need you here, we need you to tell us what…. just STOP!"

Alexis poked her head through the gap she had managed to widen slightly. She pushed forward, the broken metal tearing at her shoulders, her arms. She found purchase and slid her legs out, clinging to the outside. There were gasps as she gripped the bars, forty feet or so off the ground. People rushed forward, arms and hands appeared to pull her to safety.

"Come on love, it's not that bad, you don't want to jump, come back inside…"

She shook her head, and started the descent. Heights didn't bother her, although she clung tightly to the bars. "I'm not committing suicide," she said dully, looking up into Charlie's fraught face.

"Then what are you doing? Ali, come back, please!"

She paused, fresh tears falling down her cheeks. "I'm going to find that piece of shit Sideways…"

"That IS suicide! Alexis! ALEXIS!"

She shook her head and carried on, her toes curling into the metal. The very act of the climb down, the rhythm of each handhold, calmed her slightly. Faces gawped at her as she lowered, frightened faces huddling in the dark. The sight of them stiffened her resolve and she continued.

She dropped lightly to the floor, and began to run, down the dark corridor, conscious of the hundreds of eyes following her as she was swallowed up by the dark…

Her eyes accustomed quickly to the gloom, and she knew the route to the hall by heart anyway. All she had to worry about was running into Blackout or Frenzy or any of the others… She soon emerged into the main hall. The huge space was disconcerting when it was deserted. She walked past the scrapheaps and the tables where the humans sorted through the materials… then through the forest of legs supporting the giant cybertronian furniture… into the space where the humans had been herded that afternoon. Up high, the mounted screen was dark and the consoles hummed quietly. On the floor was a dark stain of blood where Hugo had fallen. His body was gone.

Alexis stopped, sniffing and wiping her face on her sleeve. So, they weren't in here. She would have to keep looking then. She did not have a plan. Hatred that refused to abate coursed through her, commanding her every step. After a moment's pause, she set off for one of the colossal doorways.

"Are you going to tell him then, or shall I?"

Sideways grinned craftily, his optics shifting between to the two wingbrothers.

Starscream fixed him with a withering look. "Tell me what?"

Sideways chuckled gleefully, savouring the delicious bombshell. "The humans had an organic maggot-infant thing with them when they arrived. Tell Starscream what you did with it, Thundercracker…"

Thundercracker drained his cube calmly. Well, Screamer would have found out sooner or later. "I let them keep it."

"Can you believe that?" Sideways pounced on the statement gleefully like a cat on a feather. "He let them keep it!" His optics scanned Starscream's face for his reaction.

Starscream tilted his head at the other seeker. "Is this true?"

"Yes," rumbled Thundercracker solemnly, meeting his gaze.

"Well, how long until it is useful? Can it talk? Feed itself?"

"It is still in the primary development stage."

"So that's a 'no'?"

"That's a 'no'." Thundercracker agreed.

"You're an idiot, Thundercracker," Starscream said, but there was no real malice in the statement.

"I see no reason and no pleasure in destroying such a tiny life-form," Thundercracker retorted, and Starscream rolled his optics. Here we go…

"The humans named the child after an organism that grows on this planet, Rose," said Thundercracker. "It is a tiny spore that comes in a variety of colours, it serves no real function. It cannot think, or speak. It just grows, lives for a while, then withers. The humans are superior to it…" (Sideways snorted) "…as we are to them, but as far as I know, they do not take delight in ripping the Rose from the ground and crushing it in their hand. They see no point to it. And that's how I feel about killing young fleshlings." He sat back.

"In any event it is unlikely to survive long here," said Starscream.

Sideways sat forward eagerly. "I tried to make that most excellent point to Thundercracker myself, Starscream," he leered sycophantically. "it would be kinder really to…"

"I heard that you managed to terminate one of my slaves this afternoon, Sideways, after specifically stressing that you are not to damage my property..."

Sideways recoiled slightly from the venomous hiss. "Begging your pardon, Starscream, the slave in question attempted to attack me in an act of rebellion," he whined. "I thought it only natural that such disobedience should not go unpunished, as an example to the other flesh creatures…"

"Attempted? The organic in question actually managed to fell you, didn't he Sideways…?" Thundercracker chuckled into his energon cube.

The two seekers then erupted with laughter. Starscream banged his fist on the arm of his chair in his fit of mirth. "Perhaps we should assign you a bodyguard, Sideways…" he gasped. Sideways scowled deeply and ground his teeth. "Yes, very… amusing, Commander."

Just then Starscream stopped laughing abruptly, and held up his hand demanding silence. The other two exchanged perplexed glances.

Then, they heard tiny insistent tapping.

Slowly, three sets of red optics turned to the closed doors.

Alexis was hammering on the huge metal doors with all her might, pain starting to bloom in her fists and arms. They appeared to operate on some sort of sensor, but it seemed she was too small to activate it. Inside the room she had heard the laughter of the robots, and redoubled her efforts.

Then, without warning, the doors hissed and shot apart, making her jump.

Starscream's optics widened at the sight of the small figure in the doorway. How did she…? Beside him, Thundercracker's energon cube fell from his hand.

"Well, melt me down for spare parts…" he murmured.

Alexis took a small step into the room, red eyes fixed on her. The three huge beings seemed to have been temporarily stunned. Her face was red from crying, her chest heaved with exertion. She had her arms wrapped tightly around herself, as if cold. Her gaze found Sideways', and didn't falter.

"You killed him," she whispered.

Sideways just stared at her, lost for words. But not for long; his face split into a demonic grin.

"Well, this is a treat…" he hissed delightedly.

She took a step forward again, eyes blazing, tears silently trickling, but her face was hard. She clenched her teeth.

"You killed him," she repeated, slightly louder.

Thundercracker tore his gaze away from the girl and looked across at his wingmate, at a loss. Starscream hadn't moved since she had appeared, still lounging back, observing her through narrowed optics. Sideways began to laugh nastily.

"Am I in trouble, organic? Should I be afraid?"

"I'm going to kill you," she croaked. Her chin stuck up defiantly, eyes bright with moisture.

"Is that so?"

Sideways turned to Starscream. "Oh, just say the word," he wheedled. "Let me be the one… We'll have such fun…"

Thundercracker stared in wonder down at the small female. He couldn't see the girl being alive after tonight, not after somehow breaking free and daring to confront three decepticons. Who was this organic? If, as Sideway's snide remarks suggested, Starscream held a fascination with this particular creature, he could see why. Although even Starscream surely would not spare her now. Thundercracker sighed inwardly. Although he knew his wingmate possessed a cruel streak, he knew the fleshling's death at his hand would be swifter than Sideways.

Starscream stood up. In two strides he reached down and picked the girl up, by one arm. She gasped in pain as he held her aloft, and moved towards the doorway with her.

Sideways laughed cruelly, and gave Alexis a mocking wave. "Goodbye, fleshbag! I'm sorry Starscream won't let me do the honours. You'll be with your insignificant friend soon! That's where bravery gets you," he snorted to the blue seeker as he leaned back in his chair. Thundercracker simply shook his head morosely, and reached for another cube. As Starscream exited, his minicons sprang up and followed their master out of the room, responding to a silent command.

As soon as he was out of sight of the other two, he cupped Alexis in his hand, and continued to stride down the corridor.

She was numbly aware of the pain in her arm where he had grabbed her, jarring the limb, and of the beeps of the minicons below as they moved into the hall. The three diminutive beings moved off down another passage, whilst Starscream deposited her on the floor in the middle of the room.

So, she was going to die. What had she expected to happen? She hadn't known… she hadn't thought. All she knew was the last moments of Hugo's life had replayed in her mind since the second he had died- the look on his face of confusion, fear and pain as he collapsed. She had wanted to do something- anything. The need for revenge, to see that evil leering monster dead on the floor, had flooded her. A huge sense of weariness descended. She hoped it would be quick.

Starscream seemed to be waiting for his minicons to return. Maybe he was going to make them do it.

Then he spoke, his rasping voice especially harsh in the silence of the hall. "Have any others escaped?"

It took a few seconds for his words to register. "What?"

"Any humans," he snapped. "Have any others escaped?"

A bitter laugh escaped her, and she looked up at him. "No," she spat. "They're all safe and sound, right where you want them."

Just then the minicons emerged from a dark passage, carrying something between them. It was Hugo's body. As she stared, they deposited the older man in Starscream's palm.

He reached his other hand down towards her. "Come on, Alexis."

Where? "Get off me!" she cried, but he ignored her, scooped her up and set off down the main passage, towards the exit.

The doors opened and the cold night air hit them. Starscream moved out across the hard metal ground, and kept going until he was on the grass, walking up a gently sloping hill. Trees fell under his feet, groaning and creaking as he cleared a path. Alexis shivered, totally confused. Where were they going? She peeked over to where the fingers of his other hand encompassed the lifeless Hugo.

At the top of the hill he stopped, and lowered her to the grass. He lay Hugo's body down a few feet away.

Then she jumped as, with three fingers, he gouged a hole in the ground, ripping through the earth as though it were butter, creating a trench about eight feet deep.

So. He was going to annihilate her, and bury the two of them together. She shivered but kept her features impassive, as she had striven to do these past weeks. She would not let him see any fear. Idly she observed that it seemed rather out of character for Starscream- he loved theatrics, displaying his menacing power for all to see like a peacock's tail. This rushed execution with no one but a dead man for an audience- it didn't seem his style, somehow.

What did it matter? Death would be a comfort, an escape. Is Dad dead? Will I be seeing him soon?

His harsh voice cut into her thoughts. "Well?"

Well what? She looked up. In the dark his optics glowed down on her, bathing her in an unearthly red.

"I… I don't…"

"Is this not the earth custom for your dead? Shall I do it, or will you?"

Slowly she moved over to where the old man lay.

She had seen her share of death since the invasion, starting in her village last winter when some of the elderly had not been able to cope with the harsh conditions, reduced food and heat. She had seen other bodies whilst she had been on the move with John and the others. She approached without fear and crouched down.

If she ignored the blood soaking his shabby sweater, he looked like he was asleep. His face, etched with lines, framed by his receding hairline, was calm, the awful grimace from when the laser struck had gone, thank god. As she pulled him towards the hole, she saw a wedding ring on his left hand, the gentle gleam through the dark stunned her, causing her to gasp. He was married. I never knew, never noticed, he never said…

Starscream had not moved. She decided to push her luck, well, she was going to die anyway. She carefully checked one pocket. Nothing. Then the other. She thought that one was empty too, until her fingers brushed a small piece of paper. She pulled it out, and squinted at the little square in the dim red light. And there was Hugo, sitting outside at a wooden table, laughing with a woman, and two young men…

A small sob escaped her. She carefully replaced the photograph, and continued to haul the man towards the hole. What a selfish bitch. I never even asked him. I wonder where they are…

She sat down on the edge, and very gently tipped the body into the hole, letting go as late as she could, so that he wouldn't fall hard onto the earth. Now she was truly exhausted. She stayed where she was, head on her chest, legs hanging. So tired now.

"Stand up."

For a tiny moment she considered ignoring him, but found her legs bringing her away from the hole. She felt a breeze as his wrist swooped down, scooping the earth over the hole in one fluid movement, closing the grave. A thumb and finger clasped her torso, lifting her up to sit on his palm. Then she was enveloped in vertigo as he raised her to optic level.

He observed her in silence. She looked away, not from fear, it seemed, but from indifference, head hung wearily. Moments passed and the wind whipped her short hair about her face. Then, her head snapped up, eyes meeting his.

"Make it quick, then." Her voice was flat.

He raised an eyebrow. "Make what quick?"

She snarled in frustration. "Come on! Finish me off, stop playing around!"

He chuckled softly and drew her slightly nearer. "I thought I told you. I'm nowhere near finished with you."

"Well I'm finished with you." She turned away from him then, looking out across the darkness. The English countryside lay before her, quiet, sloping hills. Far away, he could hear engines in the sky. He was on the verge of identifying who it was when she spoke again.

"Why are you here? What do we have that you could possibly want? You hate it here! Why don't you just fuck off back to where you came from?"

His expression darkened, a scowl twisting his face. "If I had my way, we would."

"What…?" she turned, genuine surprise on her face.

He laughed bitterly. "If you had laid eyes on the majesty of Cybertron, human, you would understand."

"You… really?"

He nodded.

She shifted forwards on his palm, her eyes full of earnest appeal. "Then go home. Go home! If you hate it here so much, leave us in peace!"

He snorted. "It is not that simple."

"Why not?"

His optics narrowed. "Because out great leader decrees that we make this mudball our home, and leave our glorious planet to founder and die."

She shook her head. "Someone needs to kill him then."

She said it matter of factly, as if it were the simplest solution to the simplest problem in the world. To her it was.

She turned away from him again, and shifted herself forwards, so that her legs were dangling between his fingers. She gazed out across the night, not looking at anything in particular. Up above, the wind parted the clouds and she shivered.

Finally he said: "So… a human baby? You care to tell me more about that?"

"Rose? Thundercracker said she could stay."

"Did he indeed. And what kind of name is Rose? What does that even mean?"

She laughed. "I knew you'd hate it. It's a very… organic name, isn't it?" The ghost of a smile flitted across her face for an instant.

He sniffed. "And what about your name? What does Alexis mean?"

"Mine?" she frowned. "Alexis... my dad told me… it means… 'defender'. I think."

He began to laugh, softly at first, then louder, his shoulders shaking. She clapped her hands over her ears and grimaced.

"What? WHAT? What's so funny?"

"How very apt. Alexis, the defender. Yes…"

"I couldn't defend Hugo though, could I?" she said, quietly, almost to herself. "From Sideways… I HATE him," she hissed, slamming her fists onto his palm. He regarded her with amusement. She turned to face him.

"You hate him too, don't you?"

He chuckled. "Yes. I hate him."

"Does he want to go back? To Cyber…"

"Cybertron. No, he is a faithful crony of Megatron."

"Megatron…" she repeated slowly. "That's your leader?"

"You've made his acquaintance before."

He smiled as realisation dawned on her face. "The one… from that night at the cathedral?"

He nodded.

Alexis' mind was wide awake, and moving fast. Starscream didn't appear to want to kill her. This was the longest conversation they had ever had. She felt slightly delirious, like she was in a dream. Who in the whole of humankind had interacted with a transformer as much as she had tonight?"

Starscream didn't want to be here… he wanted to leave, and he seemed to mean it. Could she trust him? Ha. Best not to dwell on that too much… Now that she was here, she felt the enormity of her position… she was with one of the most powerful beings on the planet, he was in the mood to chat, and presumably (and this was the vital part) not in the mood at present to smear her remains over the hillside. Then something occurred to her.

"Starscream?"

He had been gazing over her head out into the dark, but his gaze returned to her at the sound of his name. "Mmm?"

"What about… the Autobots?"

He frowned. "The what?"

She pressed on "… Hugo... I mean… some people have talked about these things, the Autobots… they're from your planet… they're like you, but not… I don't know…" she sighed. "Tell me. Are they… real?"

He observed her for a while, a small smile playing at his lips.

"Never heard of them," he said softly.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Truthfully?"

"Would I lie to you, Alexis?" When she snorted, he chuckled. "It sounds like a human fairy tale to me, little one. Cute. Sorry to disappoint you."

"Oh." She looked down, toying with a frayed legwarmer and rubbing her cold feet.

"So, we're on our own?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Then I want to help you."

His optics widened. "What?"

"If all we have is a decepticon who truly wants to leave, I will help that decepticon. What do we need to do? Do we need to kill Megatron? Is that it?" She sat up, eyes blazing. "First though, we kill Sideways. And I want to help."

He began to laugh. She glared at him, enraged. "I mean it!"

"I believe you," he growled, enjoying her anger. "You are unlike any human I have ever come across."

"Taken your time to get to know many then?" she said sarcastically. He laughed.

"Most aren't worth the bother. Tiny bags of calcium with nothing to do, or say. But you…"

His fingers curled inward, and she tensed. But it wasn't a threatening gesture. More… possessive?

She straightened up bravely. "So… do we have a deal then?"

"You would really ally yourself to me?"

Alexis nodded. "What else can I do?" She frowned. "I'm not doing this for you anyway, I'm doing it for Earth, for my people. Don't think this is that Stockholm Syndrome crap, because it isn't."

He frowned, confused. "I wouldn't dream of thinking otherwise."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

He thought for a moment.

"Within twenty-four earth hours, you will be given a token of my trust. In turn you must trust me. Good enough for you?"

He turned towards the base and set off down the hill, signifying the conversation to be over.

"Oh, and by the way," he added casually as they approached the doors. "You have my permission to keep the infant." He smirked at his own magnanimity.