A/N: Most will probably view this chapter as a filler, but hey, I'm not the kind of person to rush through a plot. Please enjoy, and let me know what ya think. I can't improve anything unless ya speak up :)

Disclaimer: I don't own TFs, Hasbro does.

Chapter Five: Secrets of the Human Mind

Starscream walked quickly down the darkened corridor then turned left at a junction. A few paces later he entered the Decepticon med bay, if one could call it that. It was a small room compared to the entry bay, with a large makeshift table placed at the center of the back wall. A few tools and instruments were scattered here and there and a large basin occupied one corner; besides that, the room was mostly empty.

The dusky brown Seeker strode to the table and placed the feverish human on its surface. His scans indicated that the femme had a fractured right arm, and at least two broken ribs. Multiple contusions marred her copper-colored skin, and the fever had flushed her facial features to a vivid red. She twitched and convulsed sporadically as she continued to mumble.

Starscream may have had a severe dislike for the dominant organic creatures on this planet, but warrior's prudence dictated that one know as much about your enemy as possible, no matter how little of a threat they appeared. He had a rudimentary knowledge of human medical procedure that he garnered from the internet. He quickly researched how to set broken bones and lower a human's high body temperature. At the same time, he began to peel away the remainder of the girl's clothing in order to tend to her wounds.

Fortunately, when the humans abandoned the bunker after the Cold War they did not strip the facilities bare of useful utilities—such as water. Starscream had modified the water lines in order to suit his and his Decepticon's needs. The large basin in the corner allowed the Cons to clean any medical tools they had used while in repair. He placed the nearly unconscious girl in the basin, filling it with cool spring water. Almost instantaneously her temperature dropped a few degrees. Next, he began to clean the grime and dirt that covered her body; it was a tedious task for a being so large and the injuries did not make his work any easier. This is absurd, he thought irritably. Playing nursemaid to a human! Thundercracker better be right about this or I will use his wings as serving trays!But as he continued his task, he knew that his wingmate (not mention his second-in-command) was very rarely wrong about anything and he definitely wasn't the kind of mech to chase shadows.

"Barricade", Starscream barked, as he opened a com link with the interceptor.

"Yes, Starscream?" came the reply.

"I need you to retrieve supplies for our new 'guest.' Bring back enough food and clothing to do the human for two weeks. Try to draw as little attention to yourself as possible, change your alt mode if necessary. I do NOT want the Autobotsto get suspicious for any reason. I will give you details upon your return."

There was a brief pause, as Barricade took in the instructions. He had not been present when Thundercracker and Skywarp returned with their 'cargo.' Needless to say, this was all news to him.

"Very well, Starscream," Barricade answered stiltedly. Hiding underground was bad enough for a shock trooper, but playing delivery mech was almost too much to ask. Starscream had better have a good reason for this, the black and white Saleen muttered to himself.

"That's Lord Starscream," came a deeply irate voice over the com. Barricade chuckled quietly as he headed for the entry bay to begin his mission.

Growling to himself, Starscream turned his attention back to his patient. The black-haired woman's temperature had continued to lower, although it was painfully slow. It was now time to set that arm. He placed her back onto med table and held her down with his right hand placing two fingers at her shoulder joint and using the others to hold her torso. She struggled weakly against him, tossing her head back and forth and arching her back.

"No. I won't let you... get away from me, you bastards," she whispered, struggling under his hand.

She is still delusional, Starscream thought. He vaguely wondered what would cause her to say such words, but quickly returned his attention back to the task. "Hold still, human. I cannot set this fracture with you squirming about," he growled down at her. Her feverish eyes met his optics briefly before she closed them again and turned her head away. Whether it was the scathing look or the tone of his voice (maybe both?) he didn't know, but the girl quieted down, her breathing haggard. Taking her arm in his left fingers, he began to move the bone back and forth, trying to place it. How pathetic. Humans are such brittle creatures, he mused. When bone slipped back into place, he placed two bars of metal on either side and bound the arm tightly with strips of clothing that had been left behind in the abandonment.

He had just finished up with the other injuries, when Thundercracker pinged him over the com. "Your report is ready, Starscream."

"Very well, Thundercracker. Meet me in the communications room." He turned to look at the human one last time, a skeptical look in his optics. There she lay bundled in cast-away clothing, fresh bandages around her chest and arm. She had finally settled into a decent recharge, though she still had a fever. There was not much to do now but wait for her to wake in order for her to reveal her secrets. But Starscream had a feeling that it would be easier said than done.


Darkness. That was all she felt. That was all she saw. Every now and then, a voice would break through. One voice was deep and familiar, with a slight metallic ring to it. The other was harsh and raspy and also had the same metallic overtones. She couldn't distinguish words; everything sounded jumbled and garbled as if coming from a badly tuned radio.

Why did she fill so hot? She felt as if her blood was on fire, that if she were any warmer she would spontaneously combust. She tossed and turned, trying to get reprieve from the boiling sensation. But the tossing and turning ignited pain. Pain like she had never known. Would there be no end to this hell?

Darkness. Why wouldn't it go away? Every time a glimmer of light would peak through and she reached for it, it would feel as if she were falling away. Then suddenly, a cool, wet sensation enveloped her body. Ooh, how it felt so good! Please don't let this stop. Even the dull throb of pain, couldn't drown out the feeling of such sweet coolness.

Shortly thereafter she felt weightless, as if someone were carrying her. But who? No! It was them again. They were returning to finish her off for good this time. The pressing weight on her body only confirmed it. She struggled vainly against their restraints. "No, I won't let you...get away from me you bastards!" The pressure lifted briefly, but then that raspy voice sliced through the darkness like a hot knife through butter, leaving an opening, an opening for the light. She opened her eyes only to be met with two fiery coals that seemed to burn into her very core. Coal-like eyes that must have been pulled from Hell itself. Suddenly, the darkness didn't seem all that bad. She let herself fall back into its depths, letting it drown out all the pain, all the memories, everything that she felt she couldn't handle in life anymore.


Thundercrackerfelt confused and irritated. Confused because he didn't understand where that strange memory came from and irritated because he had to give Starscream a full report within the next few cycles. He never was one to write reports. He walked down the corridor, following Skywarp's dark wings until he came to the entrance of his quarters.

Skywarp quickly became aware that the echoing footsteps behind him had stopped. He turned around to face his wingmate. "Aren't you gonna refuel, TC? You've had a pretty crazy night."

"Nah, not right now, Warp," Thundercracker said wearily. His optics had dimmed to low ruby glow. He knew he needed to refuel, but right now he really didn't feel like explaining himself to the dark Seeker over a cube of energon, not to mention he had a report to write. "You heard Screamer; I have a report that needs written. I'll catch you next time."

Skywarp stared long and hard at his friend. He knew there was something on his wingmate's mind, and he and an idea it had something to do with the human female. As much as he wanted to, he decided not to chase the idea and pester Thundercracker about his thoughts. They were probably a little too deep for his mind anyway.

"All right. Let me know if you need anything," Skywarp responded, a hint of disappointment in his voice. He gave TC one last glance over his shoulder before continuing down the corridor on his own. He knew that TC would explain things to him later; it was only a matter of time. Right now, he needed to take that time to refuel and then think of good prank to pull on Barricade—he was past due.

Thundercracker watched the black and violet wings disappear around a corner, before entering his quarters. Tiredly, he sank onto the chair placed before the desk. Other than the recharge berth, it was the only furniture in the tiny room—well, tiny by Seeker standards, anyways. His wings almost brushed either side of the room whenever he stood perpendicular to the walls.

He accessed the memory again, trying to determine when he had picked it up. This really bothered him. Cybertronians' memory banks were a sensitiveand crucial essence of their being. Since the War's beginnings, every officer and soldier had firewalls uploaded to their CPU, protecting this vital component. Should one fall into enemy hands, the firewalls were impenetrable, therefore protecting sensitive information. Short of a mech willingly giving information (or memory logs) to an enemy soldier, there was no way in the Pit the memory banks could be accessed by outside forces. To try and do so anyway would often render a mech insane. He knew; he had seen it first-hand. It had been a favorite torture tactic of Megatron's. It disturbed him to no end that a memory just "appeared" shortly after finding the girl. The girl…that was it! He quickly accessed his diagnostic records for the past orn. There it was; a miniscule energy spike had been recorded right as he had placed the human in his cockpit. Somehow, someway that small jolt, the jolt that had felt nothing more than a prick of static electricity, had something to do with this memory. The memory had never been there before he took the human. It only manifested itself afterwards.

But was it even possible? Was it possible for an organic to perform a memory transfer? He had heard that some humans could read minds, but he had never come across any information saying humans could transfer memories from one mind to another. But it only made sense that this memory had come from the human. So the mystery deepens. Not only can this human speak our language, she can perform memory transfers. He idly began typing his report on the computer, his thoughts still focused on the human. Now that he had an idea of what had happened to him, he felt a little more certain about what needed to be done. I don't think I'll mention this to Starscream, not until I know for sure what the human is capable of. There is no sense in giving out unfounded information.

With that in mind, the blue Seeker concentrated on finishing his report. When it was done, he pinged Starscream to let the other Seeker know he had finished. Once he was finished giving his report to his Commander, he would pay their human guest a little visit.