Chapter 12

"Well?"

He was waiting for an answer. She made herself hold his gaze.

Her heart was thumping, as if she'd run ten miles. How was she feeling? She should be feeling overjoyed at Sideways' death, he was a monster, a leering, gloating murderer. And Starscream had let her play a part. He'd given her what she wanted.

Pull yourself together. You asked him for this chance, and he gave it to you. Say something before he gets angry…

But words failed her. The enormity of what she had just taken part in overwhelmed her. She looked away, troubled. But the tip of his finger stopped her, and turned her chin back up to face him. Something like understanding seemed to glimmer in his optics. He stood perfectly still, unmoved by the chaos below him, as his warriors continued uproariously dismantling the sorry remains of Sideways.

"You have never killed before,"he stated simply. "This is to be expected."

The sympathy caught her completely off guard. Only minutes ago he had frightened her to death with his ruthless treatment of Sideways, even for one heart-stopping moment offering her life to him in exchange for his freedom. It had turned out to be a trick, but still…

"You did very well."

His voice soothed her like melted chocolate.

"Really?"

Her heartbeat began to slow. He nodded.

"Don't tell me you're sorry he's dead," he murmured, smiling devilishly. Slowly, she shook her head.

She glanced down at the floor, Sideways was no longer even recognizable. She felt nothing for him. Her hatred for him remained. She was glad he was dead.

"Of course not… Thank you… for letting me help…"

He gave a pleased smile. He seemed genuinely happy. "Then smile for me."

She did, and he laughed then, raising her slightly higher, his chuckle in turn making her laugh. She couldn't help herself, and the two of them laughed together, gazes locked.

"That's better," he breathed, savouring her smile. His wings rose behind him triumphantly.

"How… how many have you killed?" she asked tentatively, leaning forwards on his palm.

"Probably thousands," he replied, without hesitation.

She gave a little shiver and he chuckled again.

"Does it always feel… good?"

"Mostly." He shrugged. "Sideways was particularly delicious. I had been looking forward to that for a long time."

"What about… when you kill humans?"

His head tilted for a moment as he observed her.

"Are you thinking about Stephen?" he asked. The smile widened knowingly, and his voice dropped again to that seductive whisper. "You don't mourn for him either…"

She couldn't deny that, and he gave a satisfied smile.

"As a loyal soldier of Starscream, you deserve a reward," he stated thoughtfully. "What will it be?"

Just then Thundercracker appeared at Starscream's side, brandishing a weapon torn from Sideways' carcass.

"What do you think?" he asked them both, indicating the fearsome looking thing in his hand. "How will this look mounted on my arm, eh?"

Starscream snorted with disdain. "I hardly think it proper that you debase yourself with such inferior firepower, Thundercracker."

"Yeah, you're probably right," conceded Thundercracker nonchalantly. He tossed the thing to a smaller mech, who caught it delightedly. "Ah well." He nodded to Alexis. "Nice work there..." Then he spoke in Cybertronian, still looking at her. Whatever he said made Starscream laugh loudly, and she braced herself in his palm, struggling to keep her balance. She looked from one to the other, confused.

"Soundwave has been spotted over Romania. He's due to arrive in the Hungarian capital Budapest," Thundercracker informed Starscream.

"Go and meet him as if nothing is wrong," ordered the other seeker. "I trust you to maintain the illusion a little longer. We can't afford for someone like Soundwave to suspect just yet.

Thundercracker nodded, and set off for the doorway.

"Oh, and Thundercracker?"

The blue jet turned back, questioningly.

"Remember to keep your optics open…"

A silent understanding passed between the two of them. With the briefest glance at Alexis, Thundercracker left.

"What did he just say?" Alexis demanded, as Starscream's gaze returned to her.

He smiled wickedly. "He called you…" then he repeated the strange sounds she had heard.

"What? What does that mean?"

With a chuckle, he replied. "Roughly translated, it means: 'Little Decepticon.'"

She stared at him. That's what I am. "I suppose I should feel honoured…" she said weakly.

"Indeed. Now. You deserve a reward for your efforts. What do you want? Name it."

"Wow." What to choose? So many things sprang into her mind… How far could she go? What boundaries could she push?

She glanced over to where the humans stood, transfixed at the strange scene, Ben and Charlie stared up at her, afraid and confused. She spied Rose stirring in Ben's arms…

She turned back to face him. "Can I go out again then? To get things for Rose? There is so much she needs…"

"Like what?"

She started to try and explain how babies needed special food, clothes… when she reached nappies he grimaced and help up a hand. "Stop right there. Disgusting creatures, all of you…"

When he recovered he regarded her with mild surprise. "So, that's it? That's all you want?"

She paused and thought. "Well…"

He chuckled. "I thought so. Go on…"

Here goes. "You... could let the others go?"

He merely looked at her, silent. She pushed on, boldly.

"You don't need them, not really, do you? It was Sideways who ordered them to be captured… and if you really are planning on overthrowing Megatron, on going home… then… you could set them free… Please?"

He observed her wryly, considering her request. She held her breath.

"I will think about it," he said eventually.

"So… that's a sort of 'yes' then?"

"I said I will think about it." He chuckled darkly. "For now, you may collect supplies for the infant. And… any other things you want. Not that you haven't been doing that already." He raised a brow and smiled at her guilty expression.

Hours later, in the afternoon sunlight, a truck pulled into the overgrown car park, and two small figures tumbled out and ran for the shop doors, past the two slouching guards. Frenzy had asked to come, so that he could, in his own words "…see more of the human's stuff." Starscream was in a good mood after finishing off Sideways, and had acquiesced.

Alexis ran through the aisles gathering things for Rose. Frenzy had become distracted by the children's toys, and she was more than happy to let him explore. His incessant curiosity, whilst faintly endearing, slowed her down somewhat.

She stood further down the store, scrutinizing two jars of baby food.

"Spinach and Broccoli Puree, or Fish Surprise…" she wrinkled her nose. "Nice…"

Something moved down the far end of the supermarket, from one aisle into the other, just within her field of vision. She started and peered down the long, dim space.

"Frenzy?"

Slowly, she began to move towards the spot where she had seen movement. As she tiptoed, she looked around for some sort of weapon… she spied a shovel as she passed the home and garden section, and hefted it in one hand. Its weight was reassuring.

Down… down… past the aisle of cleaning fluids… household… pasta and rice… she swallowed and licked dry lips… nearer… nearer…

Then suddenly, a brown cat miaowed and wandered into her path. She yelped and jumped back.

"Well… now I feel really stupid."

Heart rate slowing, she crouched down and stroked its fur, feeling the bones underneath. "How did you get in then, hmm? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

She straightened up and trotted off, the cat followed, almost tripping her up as it wound between her legs.

"Here we are… pet food aisle."

She pulled the ring on a can of cat food and dumped it on the floor. The cat crouched and wolfed the food down alarmingly. "Woah! Careful!" She laughed and gave it another stroke as it gobbled, oblivious.

"Poor thing. Hungry, eh? Bless your heart."

Then she heard footsteps approaching. She turned round, and ran towards the corner.

"Hey Frenzy! Want to see a new kind of organic? Have a look at…"

As she reached the corner she cannoned into something. Something soft, not hard. Flesh, not metal. Arms grabbed her elbows. Two startled brown eyes looked into hers, as the two girls gaped at each other, mouths forming twin Os of amazement.

Alexis forgot to breathe as she gazed at the familiar face. Streaked with dirt, thinner, but still the same.

"Sari…"

The two girls clung fiercely to each other, Alexis barely able to believe it was her friend. Sari seemed just as amazed, drawing back in disbelief, keeping a tight grip on Alexis' arm.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry! Oh, it's you, you're real… ALI!"

They embraced again, tears of joy coursing down their cheeks. The last six months of cold, hunger and fear seemed to melt away as she held on tightly to her soul mate. The decepticons retreated to the back of her mind and vanished, Starscream, Sideways, Thundercracker… all of them dwindled to nothing as she luxuriated in the familiar, infinite comfort of a dear, dear friend.

Then the thousand questions surfaced, clamouring for space behind her lips.

"What… how did you…"

But Sari tugged her down towards the far end of the store. "I'll tell you all I can, I promise, just give me a second," she gasped. "How long do you have in here? We've been watching you for a while, waiting to make our move, but we weren't expecting you to be back after just one day…"

"We?"

"Hang on, a little further…"

Sari was tugging her down towards the doors which led to storage, with 'Staff Only' written on them. She led her through, into a large space; concrete walls and towers of produce. Down one end was a loading bay for the lorries. The large doors were pulled almost shut.

In the gloom Alexis could just make out some trailers, piles of crates, and… she squinted… a hulking shape…

Sari crept forward. "You can come out," she said. "I've got her."

Alexis waited, a small frown on her face. Who did she have with her? Her eyes roamed at head height. Waiting for the person to step out.

Then, the rev of an engine made her start. She watched, astonished, as a yellow car moved forward… and transformed in front of her, into a smiling figure. He was small- Alexis was so accustomed to the towering Starscream he seemed small, even though he still loomed over the two girls. His face was kind, he looked as though he was ready to erupt into laughter at any given moment. He moved forwards cautiously, and politely extended a hand. Enchanted, she allowed him to envelope hers in his fist.

Sari was beaming at the two of them. "Alexis, this is Bumblebee, an Autobot. Bumblebee- this is my best friend. Apart from you, of course." She laughed.

Alexis stared, a smile of wonder on her face. "Bumblebee…" she repeated softly. "Bumblebee…"

The Autobot laughed, his voice was light and matched his demeanour perfectly. "That's me," he chuckled. "And it's a pleasure!"

Alexis shook her head, still dumbstruck. The last twenty four hours had been like a bizarre dream. And now this… Sari ran forward to hug her again with a squeal and she opened her arms once more… as the two girls spun in an ecstatic embrace, Bumblebee laughed again and gently wrapped his golden arms around the two of them, happy to see his friend reunited with the one that obviously mattered so much to her.

"Are you alright?" Sari wiped her eyes yet again.

"Yeah, I'm OK…"

"Are you sure?" Sari probed. "What about… Starscream? Has he hurt you? How have you managed to come out here by yourself?"

There was so much to say, and Alexis knew there was no time to say it all. She took a deep breath. "Long story short… I'm alright. I… can't explain here. There are… reasons why…" She tried to find the words to tell Sari all that had transpired, and couldn't. "Let's just say I've managed to take care of myself thus far. Starscream knows I won't try to escape, so he lets me come here to get food and things for the other slaves. It's my way of helping them. I do what I can. I'm actually here to get stuff for the baby…"

"Woah… hold up… a baby?" Bumblebee's mouth fell open.

"Not my baby… she arrived with some of the humans they captured…"

"But… you've got a human baby on a base with all those decepticons? Sheesh… the situation's worse than I thought!"

"We're here to rescue you," said Sari firmly. "We left the day after I got that call… she shuddered. "How did he… do that?"

Alexis told her as best she could, about the encounter in the warehouse, her capture, and the phone she was forced to integrate with Starscream's circuitry. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, tears threatening to spill again. "I couldn't sleep for worrying about you… you must have been so scared…"

Sari nodded. "I tried to get rid of my phone- it wouldn't turn off, no matter what I did- but Prime said it may be useful. Bumblebee's looking after it- I don't want to ever see it again…"

Prime. The name and who it might belong to lodged in Alexis' mind- but there were other questions to be asked first.

"How did you get here?"

Sari gestured to Bumblebee, who drew himself up proudly. "Drove," he said. "All the way here in yours truly. We crossed Pakistan, Iran, Turkey…"

Sari jumped in. "Bulgaria, Serbia…"

"Austria, Germany, France…"

"And then we came through the Channel Tunnel, which was no barrel of laughs, I can tell you," finished Sari grimly. "Prime wasn't happy, but he knew there was no stopping us. Our orders were to wait before approaching you, though. There's been an unusual volume of activity for what is, at the end of the day, quite an unimportant country, in the decepticon scheme of things. We've had some narrow scrapes, to say the least."

"Yeah, but this helps!" Bumblebee gestured to his chest, where the plating slid to reveal a softly pulsing device.

"What's that?"

"Dampens my energy signature," he explained. "Stolen decepticon technology. Only… it's slightly temperamental… one reason why Prime didn't want us to come…"

"How long have you been here? And haven't the guards spotted you?"

Sari laughed. "They're rubbish," she snorted. "They don't patrol, they never leave the front. So we snuck in the back. We've been here, on and off, for a while. We have to be very careful- thanks to Mr. Conspicuous here…" she patted the yellow 'bot affectionately on the leg "…and he won't let me out alone."

"But how…"

They all froze at the sound of footsteps. Alexis' face drained of colour. Frenzy. She'd forgotten all about him.

Before any of them could do or say anything, he strolled through the doors, holding a Bop-It toy.

"Hey, look at this…"

He looked up, and gaped in shock at Bumblebee. Then his optics found Alexis.

"Wha…?"

Before the girls could blink, Bumblebee whipped out his weapon and sent a blast of blue light straight at the decepticon. He was thrown back and crashed to the floor. Sari yelped in fear. Alexis ran over and crouched down next to him.

"Frenzy?" His optics were dark. "Can you hear me?" then to Bumblebee: "Have you killed him?" Panic coursed through her, making her voice tremble.

"Sadly no," grumbled Bumblebee. "Just knocked him out… since when do you care?"

She shook her head in exasperation. "Because I'm the one who's going to have to explain all this to a huge bunch of pissed off decepticons when I get back!" And… I don't want him to be hurt.

"But you're coming with us!" Sari exclaimed. "That's why we're here! We can get you to safety…"

She shook her head again. "I can't. I have to go back."

"What?'

"They need me." Alexis bent over Frenzy, checking him for damage. "If I disappear now…"

"But…" Sari's eyes brimmed with tears. "You're not safe... every day you spend there with him, you're playing games with your life… you don't want to go back to him, surely?"

Alexis didn't answer. There was too much to say, and Alexis knew she and Frenzy would soon be missed by Long Haul and the guards. Frustration gripped her. She wanted to tell Sari and Bumblebee about the coup. She wanted to hear more about the autobots…

Then Bumblebee spoke up, sounding very, very worried.

"Uh… girls… we've got another problem…"

He was poking urgently at the signal mask. It wasn't pulsing.

"What does that mean, that light that's not on? Bumblebee? Bumblebee?"

"It means I'm not hidden from the decepticons," he replied, agitated. "Come on… you stupid thing…"

"How can we fix it?" Alexis started to breathe fast. "Tell me!"

"Um… if I can replace the wiring… but we need to hurry!"

"OK." Alexis ran out into the main store, Sari close behind. They sprinted to the main electronics section. Following Alexis' lead, they pulled TVs, toasters, and laptops off the shelves and ran with them back to Bumblebee. Alexis hurled them to the floor, and they shattered, disgorging parts and wiring everywhere. "Will this do?"

"Hey!" Bumblebee allowed himself a smile. "How'd you come up with a smart idea like that?"

"This is all I've done for the past few weeks. Get going!"

He nodded, and got to work. Alexis checked on Frenzy again. The she rose to her feet. "I'll be back in a minute," she said, trying to calm her breathing. "Just… keep working on that, I'm going out to check on Long Haul."

She wheeled a trolley full of baby things out into the car park, arranging her features as passively as possible. To her chagrin she saw Long Haul glaring around the car park, as he had yesterday. One hand was lowering from his com link. He saw her, and his glare intensified.

"What have you been doing in there? Where's Frenzy?'

The guards looked wary and alert too. Alexis forced her voice to remain neutral. "He's inside, messing around. What's the issue?"

He sneered, and held her gaze, until she shifted uncomfortably. "Wait outside," he ordered.

Shit. Now what?

"No way!" she said out loud. "Starscream said I could come here, and I haven't finished!"

"Come back here!" he roared, but she ignored him, fighting every muscle not to break into a run until she was out of sight.

"How's it going?" she asked breathlessly as she made her way back to the others. Bumblebee was working fast on the signal mask, and Sari was on the floor passing him pieces he needed.

"Nearly there…" Bumblebee frowned in concentration. "What about outside?"

"They know someone's here." Her heart felt heavy as she uttered the words. "They wanted me to wait outside. We haven't got long."

"There!" Bumblebee snapped the cover back onto the device, and the pulsing light lit up once more. His chest closed itself and he gave a pleased grin. "All done!"

Sari was watching Alexis, unhappiness written across her face.

"You're… you can still come with us…" she said tentatively, but her expression belied her words. Bumblebee was shaking his head, looking miserable.

"I think… it would be stupid to try now." He looked at Alexis. "I'm sorry. We shouldn't have got so close… we've put you in danger…"

"It's alright."

She tilted her head up at the yellow bot.

"You're… you're really an autobot then?"

He gave a small chuckle. "Yeah. You're really looking at one."

He leant forward, dismayed, as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! It's just… someone I knew… he believed in the autobots, that they were real… I dismissed it as rubbish." She gave a small smile. "I just wish he could see you, and know he was right."

"This isn't fair!" Sari sobbed, and rushed forward to hold her again. Bumblebee too, looked helpless and frustrated. "If only there was something…"

"I'll see you again," Alexis assured her. "I will. But Bumblebee's right. It's not even about my safety… there will be disastrous consequences if I escape now."

"Starscream's still got her phone, remember?" Bumblebee reminded Sari grimly.

Alexis' stomach gave a jolt. I'd forgotten about that. What then, had been keeping her from escaping, if she had forgotten about the phone? She pushed the answer to the back of her mind. Suddenly she didn't want to ponder it. Then she looked up, with a laugh.

"The lying bastard!"

"What?"

She shook her head, still laughing. "Starscream. He told me you weren't real. A human fairy tale, he said!"

"OK, let me tell you something for free. Starscream does a lot of lying. You can't trust him, not one inch. You got that?"

Something in her face must have betrayed her, and he looked at her oddly, appraisingly. The two of them eyed each other for a time. Bumblebee opened his mouth to speak.

Then his expression changed to one of fear. He became absolutely still.

"Speak of the devil…" he whispered…

"What? Sari's head snapped up. "What?"

"Listen!" he hissed.

The two girls listened hard. Alexis heard nothing.

Then…

"I hear it," she whispered. "A jet…"

Sari gave a whimper and her face drained of colour.

"Two jets," Bumblebee corrected her grimly. "Starscream and Thundercracker."

"How can you tell?"

"I've been fighting them for millennia…" Bumblebee looked nervous. Sari ran to him and he hugged her comfortingly, still gazing up at the ceiling. "They must have been contacted by Long Haul…This is really not good…"

"But, Thundercracker was in Eastern Europe this morning, I heard them talking!"

"Well he isn't now." They all looked up. The engines roared menacingly overhead, circling the supermarket high up.

"Are we safe?" Sari was shaking with fear. "Can they tell we're here?"

Bumblebee checked the signal mask. "Not now they can't. But they know someone was here…"

He cursed in cybertronian. "One seeker is bad enough, trust me to get two!"

"Leave this to me. Stay here." Alexis ran to Frenzy, and began to pull him towards the doors, back into the supermarket. She cast one last longing glance at her best friend and the golden creature, then moved away into the aisles.

"Frenzy! C'mon, wake up!"

Frenzy stirred groggily. He looked up in recognition at the sound of Starscream and Thundercracker in the sky. Then his memory seemed to return and he glared at Alexis. "You…" he muttered darkly.

She was taken aback by the venom in his voice. "Frenzy, I need you to act normal, OK?"

"Where is he?" Frenzy growled, and tried to get to his feet. Alexis did her best to restrain him but of course he was stronger, and stood up. "You've known all along, haven't you?"

"No! I swear it!"

"I don't wanna think about what Starscream is going to do to you, pet or no pet…"

She was stung by the derogatory term. "I'm not his pet. And I think you mean us."

"What do you mean?"

"You think Starscream won't be pissed off with you when he finds out I've been chatting to an autobot whilst you were messing around with kids toys?"

"Good point," he squeaked. He continued to regard her suspiciously.

"Look, I had no idea he was here, alright? I didn't even know they existed! But that girl back there is my friend and I won't put her in danger! So, if you don't want to end up a stain on the ground, cover for me and keep your mouth shut! Please?"

There was a deafening roar, as if the jets were about to crash through the very roof above them. The two of them flinched, then the ground shook as two sets of heavy feet made contact with the ground outside. Frenzy grabbed Alexis and pulled her aside as several cans fell to the floor where she had stood.

"OK", he said grimly. "How good are you at lying to Starscream? Because I'm really shit at it."

She couldn't help but smile briefly at his slip into earth-curse.

"Thank you," she whispered. Then as she heard the familiar rasping voice call her name, she took a deep breath, and they headed for the doors.