A/N- Happy christmas everyone!
Chapter 17
"Have another!" Skywarp waved the energon cube in front of Starscream's face. "Come on! You're not going to be this boring when you take power are you? What happened to the young Screamer at the War Academy who'd drain ten cubes every night and out-fly the training drones without fail the following day?"
"Alright, ALRIGHT!" Starscream snatched the cube, not quite managing to suppress a grin.
"Yeah, come on, lightweight." Alexis swung her legs from her perch on the arm of his chair, swigging from a champagne bottle. In the crook of her other arm she cradled Starscream's gift.
He tilted his head down. "Do you like it?"
She manoeuvred it with difficulty into her lap. "Yes. It's beautiful."
"It has travelled a long way for you."
She regarded it once more, a soft, pleased smile illuminating her face. A stone roughly the size of a football, immensely heavy, opaque and glittering. Glowing a luminous, brilliant red, red as Christmas tinsel, a giant, ichorous ruby.
"It certainly beats Ed's gift of a novelty talking clock radio," she murmured, entranced. Above her, Starscream grinned smugly.
"Where did you get it?" she asked.
"A deep deposit in the Valles Marineris, on the planet Solar 4."
"Solar 4…" she shook her head disbelievingly. "As in… Mars?"
He nodded, pleased with himself.
"Whatever!" she snorted derisively. "You can't go to Mars and back in a few hours." She paused. "Can you?"
"With a space bridge it is laughably easy."
"A space bridge… Now you're making fun of me!"
"Would I do such a thing?"
"What the hell is a space bridge? Actually, no…" she held up a hand. "We'll save this conversation for another time, when we're both sober."
"Agreed."
She put the large jewel down on the surface beside her, then turned and nimbly shinned down to the floor, champagne bottle in hand. In front of her she surveyed the scene- a forest of legs as dozens upon dozens of decepticons shouted and jeered and drank, making the most of the one night when discipline and order were abandoned. The floor shook as they staggered about, punching each other and laughing loutishly. Above her the three seekers sniggered as Skywarp downed three cubes in quick succession. He wiped his mouth on his forearm, and she jumped aside as fluorescent energon splattered the floor next to her. She looked up at the table- this was normally her domain. But a bunch of mechs were gathered round it, laughing. At the antics of the casseticons, it sounded like.
If she wasn't careful tonight, she would end up inadvertently squashed, or worse. A stab of regret rang through her, that she was so small, so… fragile. Shit! She cursed internally. The biggest party she had ever witnessed, and she could not join in, not properly… She smiled ruefully and wandered through the huge room, staying close to the wall, sipping champagne from her bottle as she went…
Soon Megatron would be here, she thought to herself. Any day now. Then she presumed Starscream would have to fight him, with that Requiem Blaster… she hoped he would win. Everyone gathered here seemed pretty confident. She also still felt confident he really planned to leave Earth. Hearing the contemptuous remarks made above her head about her planet, and the longing references to their home world, only reinforced that certainty tonight.
She sighed happily as hope bloomed inside her, like a balloon was inflating inside her chest. That balloon had been blowing up now steadily over the past few weeks, but she had always ignored it, squeezing the air out of it firmly. Only now, strolling through the halls of the Decepticon lair, she allowed it to rise, amidst the pleasant champagne glow.
The human race would soon be free again. Once Megatron was defeated… she wasn't sure what someone of her stature would be able to do, to bring about that defeat more swiftly, but help she would, if Starscream so demanded.
Starscream… what an unusual journey they had been on together. From oblivious companions, to hunter and prey, sworn enemies, slave and master… and now… allies. She hadn't really thought ahead about what would happen when Earth was liberated. She supposed Starscream would leave and that would be the end of their alliance. Would she miss him?
She physically halted, that last train of thought in her interior monologue throwing her mentally off balance. Would she miss him?
She shook herself at her silliness, but a small smile crept across her face. She hardly dared even to contemplate this, but for all his unsavoury aspects, she had grown used to him, and the others. His moods, his mocking sense of humour…That amazing ride inside him, in jet form, would stay with her for the rest of her life. And now he had brought her a jewel back from Mars. Mars!
She couldn't fail to be impressed by that. And… the thought nudged it's way into her mind, like a thief… Not just impressed… quite pleased…
But after Starscream's departure, there would plenty to occupy her mind, things that had stayed pushed towards the back these past few months. Finding her dad, finding her friends… slowly rebuilding their shattered towns and cities. She would have enough to think about then.
This had been a strange chapter in her life. And though in the future, there would likely be no human being she could ever utter this to… she would miss Starscream. Outside these walls, decepticons and the human race were bitter enemies with very good reason. But inside... Inside something incredible, and tentative, and unexplainable had occurred between two of the separate species. Could she explain it? No. Would she miss it…?
Yes.
The night creeps by… if indeed it is the night…
Through the cramps and the pain… roars and noise from above floated to his audio receptors… drunken laughs, cheers…
He shuddered and through his blurred vision he could make out the same surroundings he had seen for many megacycles now… the cold monotone hues of the work benches, the drab walls rearing up out of sight… the tray of special instruments that seemed to leer at him across the room… he shifted position slightly on the floor… at the bottom of the door was a grille, his only window to the corridor outside… He hadn't seen a pair of feet standing guard there for a while now… nor heard any hated footsteps…
Alexis had wandered further than ever before, deep in thought. The noise from the party gradually receded as her small figure made it's way through the gloom… she absently put the bottle down and continued, looking up at the ceiling which rose up too high for her to see… she could just make out strange glyphs and symbols on the walls.
Eventually she came to a very tall booth, set into the wall. The interior was circular, and lit within with soft, pale lights. She wandered inside, curious. At the very moment she was musing how much it looked like an elevator, it shot down, causing her to fall over, alarmed… She shook her head, disorientated, and her stomach gave a lurch as it came to a stop, facing a corridor almost identical to the one above.
She got to her feet and hesitated, nervous. Surely she should wait for it to take her back up… but what if it took her further down? How many floors were there to this place?
With that thought, she trotted out, into another silent passage. She must be underground. There was no one to be seen as she turned her head, left and right.
Something caught her eye to the left, at her level, gleaming dully. A square hole at the bottom of a towering door, covered by a grille…
A small sound , a sharp intake of breath alerted him and his optics found the grille again. Through the gloom he saw something small moving on the other side of the bars. He shook his head fuzzily. A face, a pair of hands, the tiny fingers pale against the dark metal of the grill, as the organic creature leaned over one of the horizontal bars, staring…
He roused himself for the first time in ages, joints protesting as he crawled over to the hole. The creature did not move as he approached, and he manoeuvred his face down to be near it. So, it wasn't a hallucination. A female organic native, right there, looking at him through the bars.
No. Absurd. Think about it. A single female organic, wandering around a decepticon base! He shook his head again. Not possible. How did she get in here? Did she not know about the terrible beings lurking up there? The danger she was in?
Then she spoke, her small voice a shock to his receptors, so different to the harsh rasping vocals of his enemies. "You're an autobot, aren't you?"
He nodded, then regretted it immediately as pain shot down his neck. A small reminder of Starscream's last visit… "Yes."
She didn't seem afraid, or even on her guard. As if she was completely at home here. He strained to hear for sounds of anyone approaching but there was no one.
"What's your name?" she asked, craning up at him.
"H…Hot Shot" he managed, his vocal processor slow from lack of use. He shifted position slightly, propping himself up on his elbow, urgency flashing in his blue optics.
"H…How did you get in here? Is there a way out? What…"
But she was backing away from the grille, apprehension only now appearing on her face, as she shook her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered, almost too quiet for him to hear. "I should never have found you. I'm sorry…"
And she turned and fled. "Come back! Please!" he hissed as loud as he dared, scrabbling uselessly at the grille. But she was gone. He shakily got to his knees, then slumped against the wall next to the door, confusion and hopelessness gripping his aching components, his mind spinning furiously.
Starscream was blissfully drunk. It felt good. He reclined back on his throne – Ah, 'throne'… what a good word that was… well, it would be a throne soon… and watched amusedly as one by one his soldiers overloaded, some staggering off to their quarters, others simply passing out where they were on the floor. What would Megatron say if he could see him now? Starscream sneered to himself. He would no doubt go completely ballistic, and deal out some callous blows, along with a lecture about discipline and order… well, he wouldn't have to deal with that any more, soon.
He idly observed the Requiem Blaster on his arm. Technically he didn't need it right now, in fact, it ought to be stored away… but Starscream was enjoying the weight of it, the way it made him feel, and the awe-struck glances the others were giving him.
A movement on the arm of his chair made him look down; Alexis was climbing onto the surface. Her face was blank and closed- she must be tired he thought. His forefinger stroked her head gently and she gave him a wan smile.
"You ought to sleep," he said, just about managing not to slur. "Then tomorrow I will find a safer place for you. It's going to get rough round here. I don't want you to be a part of it."
She nodded, not meeting his gaze. He scooped her up and placed her on the table, glaring at the mechs loitering near it, and they got the message, moving away to allow her to sleep safely. He settled back down, and watched her through half-closed optics, as she gathered blankets around her and lay down on her side, closing her eyes.
A burst of laughter made him look up and he grinned at the antics of those gathered down the far end- Long Haul and Blackout were making some sort of sculpture out of the remains of Sideways, to the cheers of onlookers. Then Thundercracker appeared at his side, staggering slightly and offering him another cube. At this point, more energon seemed like an extremely attractive offer, and he took it. Well, why not?
Time had passed. Hot Shot lay against the wall where he'd fallen, staring blankly at nothing. Now silence roared at his receptors, deafening him… gradually the shouts and yells above had subsided.
How long since he had seen the small female? He wasn't sure, time was lost on him… in fact, had she even been real?
Then a sound made him jump, flinching backwards and staring down at the grille, as hands and then a leg appeared…
Alexis hauled herself up and over the bar, panting slightly. Then she pulled the other leg over, and leapt down the couple of feet into the room. The autobot hadn't moved, he was staring at her in disbelief. She adjusted her clothes and paused for breath.
"Right, they're all asleep or offline or whatever you call it up there," she said, matter of factly. "I can't believe I'm doing this, so we'd better hurry before I freak out and change my mind. So, how do we get you out of here? Alexis, by the way," she added, when he opened his mouth.
"Um… uh… Blackout has the key I think, it's in a storage panel in his chest, it's blue and black, 'bout this big. But hang on, what are you…"
But she already pacing thoughtfully, nodding. "Yes, that makes sense. After all, Blackout was always the one in charge of us when we were slaves, he must be the resident jailor, or whatever you call him…"
She sighed exasperatedly, and hoisted herself back onto the grille. "One minute…"
The hall was silent. Huge metal bodies lay littered about the floor, heads back, mouths open stupidly. Then, in one of the doorways, two figures peered round the corner, the robot gaping at the scene whilst the girl at his feet frowned, scanning the room cautiously. The key was tucked under her arm.
Then she moved forward, over to where Blackout lay on his side, optics dark, an ooze of energon dribbling from his open mouth onto the floor. Hot Shot stayed where he was, watching nervously. He heard a series of clicks and Alexis re-appeared, minus the key.
"Come on," she whispered, and they set off, picking their way amongst the sleeping giants, Hot Shot trying his best to be as silent as the human, who padded weightlessly on her bare feet, delicately sidestepping out-flung arms and scattered weaponry. They were half way down the hall when Hot Shot looked up, and froze, cringing in terror.
"Oh Primus…" he whispered.
Starscream lay slumped in his chair, one arm dangling over the side. The Requiem Blaster glinted lethally in the dim light. His head was tilted forward, optics dark, one massive leg stretched out to the side. Hot Shot stood transfixed, mouth hung open, visibly shaking. Alexis stopped in front of Starscream's foot.
"Come on," she repeated in a whisper. She followed his gaze and looked up at the colossal jet. "It's alright, he's had at least ten cubes. Hurry."
His mouth moved wordlessly, then he scurried past the huge figure and continued with her, towards the door. They moved into the deserted corridor and he visibly relaxed, although kept casting nervous glances behind him.
At the huge doors, they stopped, and the girl looked up at him. "OK, I'm guessing you can open this door," she said, gesturing to the exit controls above her. "I'll go back up onto the table and play dumb when your escape is discovered. You've got a few hours before they wake up, I think. You'd better get going. Good luck."
And with that she turned, skirted round his feet, and softly moved off, back down towards the hall.
Hot Shot opened the doors with surprising ease. The night air blew in to greet him, and his systems tingled at the prospect of freedom- and the chance to put as many earth miles between him and the decepticons as possible. He shuddered. But…
Alexis stopped as two feet skidded to a halt in front of her, and she looked up to see Hot Shot barring her way.
"Hold on just a klik here," he said, holding out his hands. "Who are you? And how did you do all this? You're the only human here?" He glanced behind him nervously to make sure no one had heard him.
She nodded wearily. "Yes," she said. "But don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. You should be worrying about getting away." She started to walk again.
"Hang on, hang on! Are you a prisoner here too?"
She sighed, annoyed. "If you like, yes. But as I said, I can take care of myself. It's too complicated to explain. Now, go."
Hot Shot's spark filled with pity for the small human. Poor creature, he thought to himself. She's become a slave inside her head. Too cowed even to take freedom when it's right in front of her. He growled internally. Damn you to the pit Starscream! Could he brainwash someone even to this extent? He remembered Starscream's nasty work done to him in that room, and shuddered. Of course he could. He had conditioned this human to obey him even when faced with the chance to escape. His cruelty clearly knew no bounds.
He made up his mind, and gently clasped the human with both hands from behind, lifting her into the air. She gasped and struggled. "Wha… what are you doing? Put me down!"
"I'm sorry to be disrespectful, normally I ask permission to do something like that," he whispered, moving towards the open doors. "But I can take you somewhere safe, where you'll be free, and rid of Starscream… I promise…"
"You idiot! You don't understand what you're doing! You're messing everything up! Stop!"
But Hot Shot shook his head and continued towards the door, not understanding the damage he was about to do. "It's alright," he whispered soothingly. "I understand. You're afraid of him, we all are. But you don't have to be a slave any longer. You'll see."
And he transformed around her into vehicle mode, her yells becoming muffled as she beat against the doors and windows, his wheels hit the ground, and he zoomed off, into the night.