Ah, Easter... I've had some much needed chill time and as penance for such a huge gap last time, here is chapter 21. Hope you enjoy, and have a happy easter! I'm off to munch on some easter egg, yum yum...

Chapter 21

Thundercracker soared high above the clouds, tailing the bright flashing speck moving far below; a small car, the sunlight reflecting off the roof as it sped slowly southwards on the main road. Soon after the invasion, the human race had stopped driving their vehicles altogether as fuel had run out, not to mention the damaged roads, and the fear of attack. It was almost as if this human Ahwanted to be noticed…

He pointed his nose down and dove towards the ground, the patchwork blanket of fields coming ever closer. As he descended he transformed deftly, turning his huge feet earthwards and bending his knee joints, shaking the ground as he landed in the road, some hundred yards from the car, which braked sharply, spinning round to come to a stop near his feet.

He stood and waited, a small cloud of dust drifting across his vision from the impact of his landing.

The car door opened, and a familiar figure climbed out.

Alexis swept her untidy mop of hair back, leaning an elbow on the open car door. She looked grimy, and tired, her face resigned.

"Hello, TC."

"Hello Alexis."

They regarded one another for a few moments in silence. Alexis rubbed a hand across her face wearily, and slammed the car door. "Is he pissed off, Thundercracker?" She sighed, and laughed wryly to herself, walking towards him. "Of course he is."

Thundercracker knelt down, scanning her small frame and finding nothing out of the ordinary. "I had better take you back," was all he said, not unkindly.

She nodded, and he prepared himself for transformation, before something else occurred to him.

"Starscream was right about one thing. You do have a strong spark-bond to the other organic, to have returned so swiftly to us."

Alexis shrugged, before his words truly sank in, and she looked up sharply. "What other organic?"

The two of them entered the main hall, to be greeted by stares from the assembled decepticons. Some were hostile, others curious, and yet others were merely indifferent. Thundercracker made his way slowly through the hall and towards a door, allowing the human girl to trot alongside him and keep pace with his huge stride. Alexis stared around urgently for signs of Sari, she had quizzed Thundercracker desperately about her friend on the flight back, but he had refused to answer her questions, finally snapping at her to stop pestering him, and she had sank back into the seat miserably, staring unseeing at the countryside rolling by below. She had been away from the base for perhaps twenty four hours. And the consequences had been disastrous. "Oh Starscream," she whispered, closing her eyes. "What have you done?"

They had moved into the base, away from the hall, down a corridor which gleamed dully, strange Cybertronian glyphs on the walls above being the only markings. Alexis was beginning to tire of trying to keep up with the tall blue jet, when he stopped, pressing a panel on the wall. The door hissed open, and Alexis recognised the room with the enormous table, where she had revealed the location of the Requiem Blaster. Thundercracker stooped down, clasping Alexis around the waist. He moved into the room, depositing her on the table, which was blank and dark. She shivered and hugged herself, her heart beginning to beat a rapid, frantic beat when she saw the winged form of Starscream, down the far end of the table, standing with his back to her. A hissing sound behind her made her jump, and she realised Thundercracker had left them alone. She hadn't even noticed him leave. Swallowing fearfully, she took a tentative step forward.

"Starscream?"

He ignored her, though she knew he'd heard. She began to walk down the table, taking deep breaths, concentrating all her efforts into keeping her pace and her demeanour steady and calm. As she approached he loomed larger, the tension in his wide shoulders apparent, his form made more intimidating by the fact she couldn't see his face. The table seemed miles long. When she came within fifteen feet or so, she stopped, and waited.

"Starscream. I'm back."

He turned around then, his expression blank and closed, though the optics burned with a frightening intensity. She forced herself to meet the stare. He unfolded his arms, and clasped the edge of the table with both hands, leaning forwards to observe her.

Alexis let out a breath as he looked down on her. He still hadn't spoken. She tore her eyes away for an instant to scan the huge room; they were alone.

"Where's Sari?"

He leant in closer, his face lowering to be level with hers. He was so close to her she could feel the heat coming from him, and a tiny thrumming sound from deep within his body.

"How dare you," he whispered.

She gave a tiny frown, her heart hammering harder still.

"How dare you," he repeated, in a deadly whisper. "How dare you ask about her, before explaining yourself…. to ME!!"

And he slammed his fist down right next to her, moving like lightning, she let out an involuntary yelp of fear. Before she could recover, he had clasped her tightly, her body engulfed in his cold metal fingers. She felt her feet leave the ground, then an awful crushing ache overwhelmed her as he began to squeeze. A ringing sound filled her ears, and she tried to take a breath, only to find she couldn't move, not one inch, not even to fill her lungs.

She glared at him, wriggling uselessly, a snarl of anger and terror on her face. He met her eyes, a look of cold detachment in his, as he squeezed tighter, like a child watching an insect writhe as its wings are pulled off. As her vision began to blur and her head began to swim, he finally eased off the pressure, and she gasped in air in one huge gulp, her arms slung over his forefinger.

"What… the hell… are you playing at?" she gasped as she recovered. "You brought… me back… just… to kill me?"

"We'll see," he hissed, poised to crush her again, she felt his fist tense around her, and flinched, wrapping her arms around her head in a futile defensive gesture. "You would have been better to have stayed far away, Alexis, than to have shown your treacherous face around here… but I knew the capture of your pathetic friend would prove to be a juicy piece of bait indeed…"

She took a deep breath, her face contorting in rage. "You are so FUCKING stupid!" she spat, ignoring his stunned expression. He gaped at her, lost for words, and she ploughed on, pummelling his fingers as she yelled. "You NEVER stop and think do you? You never thought that perhaps things might not be as they seem, that maybe I didn't betray you, no, you storm off, guns blazing, sorting things out YOUR way with no regard for the consequences!"

"So, you're telling me you would have come back anyway, without your irritating friend to worry about?" he sneered disbelievingly. "Please…"

"I never even knew about her until Thundercracker told me, you idiot!"

"I don't. Believe. You." He began to squeeze again, whilst she gave out a cry of utter frustration.

"Ask him yourself! ASK HIM!"

"I'd rather we finished our chat first, he growled, not letting go of her. "Tell me then what happened, as you seem to think I have woefully misinterpreted…"

"Show me that Sari is safe first." She glared at him stubbornly, her chest heaving.

"You dare to order me around, you little insect? Don't you understand the position you find yourself in? I will CRUSH you!"

"Yeah? Go on then. Do it." She scowled at him, her mouth set in a grim line. He tightened his fist silently, the two of them locked on each other, trembling in fury, until finally he let out an enraged howl, flinging her onto the table. She rolled to a stop and hauled herself to her feet, hearing the familiar whine of his ray as it began to charge.

"I know everything," he hissed, stalking around the table, never taking his gaze off her. "Your little cosy chats with Sari and the autobot. You've been in league with them all along haven't you? And then you try to flee with the prisoner! You betrayed me! What more do I need to hear? How can you deny it?"

"I can't," she replied, her voice dropping slightly. "But you've got it all wrong. And anyway, what about YOU, trying to hide the existence of the autobots from me? Why didn't you tell the truth? Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"Don't question what I decide to divulge to you! You are under my authority! You belong to me! What do you need to know about them? They are filth, inferior deluded filth! But I bet you were quite enchanted by them, weren't you Alexis?" A derisive sneer tugged on Starscream's mouth, the ray fully charged now, and pointing down at her.

"Actually, no," she replied coldly, ignoring the ray. "I shook myself free of them as soon as I could. Apparently they are your sworn enemies and our last hope in the liberation of Earth. Based on what I saw I'm not holding my breath."

He paused. That last sentence didn't appear to be mere flattery. But then he resumed pacing. "Then why did you disappear with Hot Shot, and fraternise with that idiot Bumblebee? How can you explain that?"

"I met Bumblebee by accident, I swear it. Sari and he had tracked me down and wanted to rescue me. I wanted to protect my friend from you, so I lied to you about their presence in the store. I did that for Sari, not for the autobot. I have no loyalties to them. As for Hot Shot…" she sighed. "I felt sorry for him, and decided to spring him out. He came over all noble, and abducted me. I tried to stop him, but he took me north to the autobot base. As soon as I was able, I escaped and was making my way back when Thundercracker found me."

She looked up. He didn't believe her, she could see it.

"Why would I help you find the Requiem Blaster if I wasn't on your side?

He didn't seem to have an answer for this. She pressed on, hurriedly. "You have to believe me Starscream. You have to trust me. I didn't have to come back. I had no other motive other than to get back to you. I didn't know about Sari, I swear. But now that I do…" she moved towards him, her face suddenly wracked with worry. "Please let me see her. She must be so scared… Let her go. She hasn't wronged you, I have. I've lied to you, and you've lied to me. But we share the same goal! We both want Megatron dead!" He glanced down at her, his expression closed once more. "Please, let Sari go. And I promise I won't stray from your side, until you are the decepticon leader."

He regarded her in silence, as she stood on the table top, looking up, her face full of apprehension.

"And then what, Alexis? After I have triumphed over Megatron and seized power, what then?"

She frowned, confused. "And then… I dunno. You go back to Cybertron, I suppose." She looked up suddenly, her voice turning sharp. "You are going to go back, right? You're not having second thoughts on that are you?"

"No, Alexis. I still plan on returning to Cybertron, with all of my loyal followers." He held out his hand, palm spread out, and she stepped on, after a cautious glance up. He raised her to optic level.

"Two liars," he said softly, regarding her with crimson, unblinking optics. "Look at us, Alexis. Two traitors."

"I must seem like a traitor, to the people at the autobot base, to the autobots themselves even," she conceded, settling herself down in his palm, hugging her knees pensively. "I could see it on their faces."

"Megatron plans to come here any day now," he said. His anger seemed to have gone, to be replaced by a focused, resolute calm. "You will need to be hidden away whilst he is here, and I confront him. You will not leave this base again, until we are ready to leave as one, for Cybertron."

She nodded at first, staring into space… then frowned, looking up.

"We?"

"Frenzy will be sent out to gather anything that you require, be it on the other side of the planet," he said calmly. "I will make provision. I understand you need many things, and you shall have them. When we…"

"Hey hey hey, hang on hang ON!" she held up her hands, cutting him off. "What are you talking about?"

"Why, our return to Cybertron, in triumph, he said softly. "You and me."

A swirling feeling of dread filled her stomach and chest, like she was drowning. She swallowed, and took a deep breath. "Starscream," she said firmly. "I can't go to Cybertron. You know that. I belong on Earth, this is my home. And anyway, I wouldn't survive the trip. And I certainly wouldn't survive on your planet…"

"Oh, you would," he replied, waving a hand nonchalantly, as if to reassure her, he didn't seem aware of the horror slowly crossing her face. "I have placed Sari in a simulation of Cybertron's atmosphere to assess her response. The experiment was a success. True, the oxygen content on Cybertron is slightly lower then what you are used to on Earth. You may find moving around more difficult, more effortful. You may feel tired. But then…" he gave a wry chuckle. "I think a little less energy will make for a less troublesome Alexis."

"Starscream!" she cried out indignantly as he laughed, her voice becoming more shrill as she realised this was no joke. "I can't go to Cybertron! This is not what we agreed! When I said I would join you I never…"

"You're a decepticon. You belong to me. I have decided. And now you have come back to me, I don't want to lose you again." His tone was firm, and final.

"If you do this, you are sentencing me to death!" She tried desperately to appeal, but he simply looked at her. "If you want to kill me, do it here, on Earth! Don't take me to Cybertron! I'll die! Even if I can breathe, I can't live there! Not without trees, and sunlight, and other people, not to mention a million other things we need! It's not just about giving us food and water, don't you see?!?"

He frowned in annoyance. "What else is needed? I have studied your kind now for some time. I know more about humans than any other decepticon. You are an extremely basic organism."

She flung up her hands, exasperated. "How can I even begin to tell you how wrong you are?" She cast around urgently for a way to make him see. "You hate it here on Earth, don't you?"

"With every component," he growled in reply. "I hate the breeze, I HATE the rain. I can't bear all the organic filth and muck that makes up your planets surface…"

"And you miss Cybertron?"

He nodded. "See?" she cried. "How can you put me through that, when you know the pain of missing your own home?"

"You will adapt," he said coldly, brushing off her words. "This is what you wanted, you wanted us gone, and go we shall. Your planet will be left in peace, I can promise you. I have no desire to ever return."

"Then leave me here!"

"Enough," he snarled. "I won't discuss it any more. You will have all you need with me on Cybertron. There is one other thing I am willing to consider…" He looked at her with the air of an owner who has a special treat for its pet. "Perhaps I have overlooked a need you have as a species, but it is easily remedied. Companionship. You will bring Sari with you. I have no interest in that organic…" He grimaced in annoyance. "But you exhibit a strong spark-bond to one another, and I am not without compassion."

"Compassion? COMPASSION? Have you lost your mind completely? Are you totally brainless?" she shrieked wildly, banging her fists on his palm. "Don't you see taking Sari would be the opposite of compassion? Abducting another innocent human, ripping her away from the very soil she was born on, taking her thousands of miles away to a cold metal planet? NO!"

"You are trying my patience sorely!" he snarled, bringing her closer to his face. "I don't see why granting you companionship is a cruel thing!"

"No, you wouldn't, would you, because you are totally SELFISH! You only think about what you want, and you take it, regardless of anyone else! You are incapable of seeing someone else's point of view!"

He stared at her in silence, while she caught her breath, exhausted from shouting, on the verge of tears. He raised a finger to his com link.

"Thundercracker, take Alexis to the holding container," he said, not taking his optics off the girl in his palm. "No one is to release her, under pain of death. Make sure she is safe, and secure. Then get the others ready."