We would like to thank Coldpaws for the information provided about the city of Portland. A big part of this story will take place in the streets of Portland, so her help will be quite useful when writing those chapters. We were happy to know that we weren´t so mistaken in our initial descriptions of the city, like the rain and the manufacturing sector.

And for those of you that are curious as to why we chose Portland, well, according to most descriptions it's the closest human settlement to The Ark.


Chapter 12

Cold November Rain

Starscream stood motionless until the figure of Astrotrain disappeared within the night. He was sure that the bizarre human city around him would swallow his tiny frame at any moment. For the first time since his arrival on Earth, he truly felt like a foreigner, small, weak, insignificant among that chaos of concrete and organic life.

Rain continued falling on him, seeping through his clothes and slipping in thin trickles over his bare chest, water drops mimicking tears on his face. It seemed like his human condition wanted to force him to cry, but he wouldn't let that happen again. He had embarrassed himself enough for a life time when his organic eyes had allowed the accursed optic liquid to come out in the presence of Megatron.

He closed his jacket without buttoning it, and embraced himself. He had been under the rain for just some astro seconds and his clothes were already completely soaked and heavy, cold cloaks of discomfort over a body that was experiencing for the first time the caprices of terrestrial weather.

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do; for the first time in countless millennia he was free to do whatever he liked, yet for some reason he yearned for the asphyxiating conformity of his former life like never before.

Sean began to walk...small steps, slowly... The first steps of his new life. He had no idea where he was going, no idea of which direction he should be heading, all he knew was that he had to move. Water seeped between his toes as he made his way across the rough asphalt, the surface a hostile enemy in comparison to the smooth metal of his former home, biting at his soft flesh.

Sterile walls of grey greeted him at every turn, each calling to him with promises of shelter only to betray him as he approached; it seemed there was no dry place for him in that accursed city.

In stark contrast, his throat felt parched as the desert; perhaps in his somewhat dazed state he was imagining it, but he was certain he was being strangled, his own body constricting his airways, making it difficult to breathe. A cough escaped him, racking his body. Starscream felt repulsed by his body's pathetic defences; it was truly undignified.

The human felt himself begin to shiver, it didn't matter how tightly he held his jacket about him; there was no escape from the cold. He made his way over to one of the larger warehouses, hoping to find some kind of reprieve. Perhaps if he could find an open door or window, he would be able to sneak in, find some shelter...

A frustrated groan escaped his lips, having to look for an open door or window...how pathetic was he now that he couldn't even blast his way in? Maybe he would kick his way in... spare himself some humiliation...

Approaching a grimy window, Starscream's pale hand rubbed at the glassy surface, cleaning an area large enough for his bright green eyes to peer through. Between the silvery streaks of water barely cleansing the window, the ex-Seeker could make out the dark form of several large machines – robots, in fact – built by the humans to produce whatever it was they required.

A strange sensation settled upon him. Perhaps if he sheltered there for the night he would feel safe, among family; in a way, they were like his brothers...built by someone else to serve.

Soulless.

Starscream shivered again... Maybe if he were still Cybertronian he would feel that way. But now... Now he was alone.

Seeing no door along the facade he was facing, the human decided that, given the relentlessness of the rain, the window would suffice as his entrance to warmth. Starscream ran his fingers over the pane of glass again, wondering if his flesh would stand the brutal impact.

He clenched his fist, pulling it back towards himself, and grimaced in anticipation.

Starscream was about to move again when a low growling sound suddenly made itself heard from behind. Not moving his arm, he turned his head slowly; his green eyes opened to their limits as they fell upon the dripping form of an organic canine.

The growl increased in anger as sharp, white teeth exposed themselves in the darkness. Starscream turned around slowly to face the beast, stepping backwards until his back touched the wall.

"Go...go away you slagging organic worm," Starscream said in a voice that barely hid his fear.

The dog took a menacing step forward, still growling.

"I said GO AWAY!"

A ragged bark replaced the growl, and suddenly Starscream realised that remaining still was not a safe option anymore. Mustering as much strength as his weary body would allow, the human took to his heel and ran.

Water splashed noisily beneath his feet as he sprinted across the factory yard, no thought of where he was going. The dog gave chase like a Seeker would at the sight of the enemy, still barking madly. Starscream felt pathetic as he realised the beast was closing in on him; from fastest in the skies to slow, unworthy ground dweller...

"Frag off, stupid earth creature," Starscream cried through ragged breaths; it seemed his lungs were about to explode with the exertion. He could feel his body weakening rapidly, it felt as though he would fall at any moment.

Was that his destiny, then? To be ripped to shreds by some organic beast so low on the chain that even the humans kept them as pets?

But even as he contemplated such an unworthy fate, salvation showed its face in the form of a fence.

With a final push of courage, Starscream forced himself to his limit, hurtling towards the mesh barrier. Closing his eyes, the human leapt forwards, grasping the wire fence like it were life itself. He began to climb, but as his hands reached the metal bar along the top he felt a sudden jolt to his left leg.

The dog had caught him, it's fierce mouth grasping the fine material of his trouser leg, pulling it's prey backwards.

"NO, slaggit!" Starscream cried, kicking furiously at the dog. There was no way he was going to allow that hideous animal to defeat him now that salvation was so close.

He kicked down hard again, catching the dog brutally in the face. It yelped and released it's grip long enough for the human to pull his leg free; by the time it had recovered Starscream had hauled his body over the fence and fallen unceremoniously to the ground on the other side.

"Take that, you slagging worm," Starscream hissed through painful breaths, resting on his hands and knees as the rain continued to fall upon him. The dog continued to bark angrily, jumping up at the fence in a futile attempt to reach him.

Turning his back to his attacker, Starscream sat for a moment, still trying to catch his breath. He was sure it hadn't been that hard to settle himself after running from the Insecticons, but then again, he hadn't felt like total slag then either.

Standing slowly, Starscream coughed again. He wobbled slightly as he made his way forward, exhaustion taking its toll on weakened muscles. A dense, white fog filled his vision for a moment and his world began to spin; the human found himself grasping blindly at a nearby light post to steady himself, the lamp casting him in a sickly light.

Shelter once again became his priority as he began to shiver again. He was so hot, and yet freezing at the same time; he was certain he would have been dripping in sweat if not for the rain. Starscream walked slowly, pulling his jacket tightly around him.

Buildings presented themselves as candidates for warmth, but they all seemed so unwelcoming and exposed... The last thing he wanted in that moment was to be seen by human scum.

Starscream lost track of how long he had been wandering the empty streets when he stumbled upon a small, dark alleyway. Cautiously, he peered down it's length.

Through bleary eyes, Starscream could make out the shape of several large dumpsters, soggy cardboard boxes and various other unwanted odds and ends... But what really caught his attention were the dark nooks and crannies, the overhanging verandas warding off the rain...

It wasn't much, but to Starscream the filthy alley seemed a sanctuary.

------------------

A flash of lightning illuminated the night, creating ghostly shadows in the dark alley.

Starscream opened his eyes. The sound reminded him that he had to keep moving; staying motionless would take him to a place with no return.

He managed to get up, feeling dizzy with the effort. He leaned both hands on the raspy wall whilst the storm kept punishing him, like cold, sharp needles.

He didn't know what was worse, the extreme coldness whipping his body or the heat burning his head. He was malfunctioning, that was for sure… whatever virus had started to affect his body before leaving the base was spreading through his body faster than cosmic rust, taking advantage of an organism that was facing a human disease for the first time.

The only positive thing about the storm was that there were no humans in sight, no flesh creatures to witness his suffering.

He dragged himself toward a small storage of supplies. Inside there was food, drinks, a dry place to rest… Starscream grabbed the black metallic grid that covered the closed door and shook it with fury and desperation. A groan of impotence came from his throat when he realized he wouldn't be able to break it. An insignificant grid that he could have destroyed so easily with one hand just some solar cycles ago, had beaten him now…

What kind of pathetic and weak creature was he... not even the shadow of his former self? Falling to his knees was a reflection of his defeat, more than his sickness.

He crawled toward a nearby wall protected by a small awning and leaned his back against it, embracing his folded legs with the vain hope of finding some warmth. But any trace of comfort was denied him that night. His clothes were completely soaked and cold, although his head continued to burn like fire. Was that his destination, to die as an anonymous human, nobody giving a slag about him?

Despite the coldness and the storm punishing him, he felt himself dragged into oblivion. He closed his eyes and started to give up his consciousness to whatever that followed. Within his drowsiness, he still could hear the drops of rain falling, monotonous and merciless…

Suddenly, he felt something pushing him. And again. And again.

A hand.

He opened his eyes and found two young, human males staring at him. The one that had touched him, tall and bulky, had reddish hair and his face was covered with small brown spots. The other one, thinner than his companion but with an equally ferocious look, had greasy black hair on his head and a good amount of facial hair around his mouth.

"Hey, pretty boy, you can't be here, you hear me?" the redhead said, poking him roughly again in the shoulder. "Get the fuck out!"

The black haired one forced him to get up, violently grabbing him by the neck of his jacket. "Hey Frank, check this out. He's wearing a tuxedo."

The one called Frank stared at Starscream from head to toes. "And he doesn't have a shirt, or shoes for the matter… What happened, pretty boy? Your boyfriend kick you out in the middle of your prom?"

The other man laughed.

"Let… go of me, human…" Starscream stammered, too weak to even speak.

"Human? He's really fucked up."

"Hold him, Pete. I'm going to check him."

Starscream was unceremoniously thrown against the brick wall behind him, held tightly by the human denominated Pete, who didn't release the neck of his jacket. He tried to free himself but the virus inside of him had weakened his strength considerably.

"I'd say he's pretty wasted," Pete said.

"And clean too. See? Nothing in his pockets," Frank said disdainfully, exposing the empty pockets of Starscream's pants and jacket.

"So no wallet, no watch, no shirt, no shoes…"

"And no underwear either!" Frank laughed, slightly tugging down Starscream's pants.

"Don't touch me!!" he cried, furiously struggling to push his attackers away.

Frank stepped back, taken by surprise. Pete punched Starscream in the stomach, making him bend over himself. Then he grabbed him by the hair and forced him to lift his head.

"Now listen, pretty boy. I don't know what the fuck you are doing here, but this is our territory and we don't like outsiders fooling around. So be a good boy and go home with your mommy, or things are gonna be pretty nasty for you, got it?"

"Yeah," Frank said, grabbing Starscream's jacket again. "You are very lucky your tux is a mess, otherwise we would leave you with your balls bouncing in the middle of the street."

"You...wish...slagger" Starscream hissed. Weakened though he was, he wasn't about to let two humans threaten him.

An angry fist slammed against Starscream's face, causing him to groan in pain.

"What did you say, pretty boy?" Frank said viciously. "Did you just say that you want us to do that? Well, in that case..."

Another fist hit him, this time in the torso again.

"Is...is that all you can...manage?" Starscream said with fake courage; in all honesty he didn't know why he was condemning himself like that.

A punch to the face, and the ex-Seeker felt the unmistakable feeling of blood trickling down his face again; it seemed his nose was bleeding.

Grabbing both of his arms, the two men dragged Starscream toward the end of the alley and threw him on a big puddle of grey water.

"There, we got him good!" Pete said, clapping his hands.

Starscream managed to get on his knees, disgusted by the taste of the dirty water he hadn't been able to prevent from enter his mouth. With a trembling hand he wiped his face; thankfully it appeared that his nose had already stopped leaking his disgusting vital fluid.

"You will pay for this!! I will remember your faces! You will regret the day you crossed the path of Starscreaarrgghh…!"

A hard kick to his stomach made him fall again in the water.

Frank put his boot on Starscream's head and pressed downwards, not allowing him to lift it up.

"Are you deaf or only stupid, pretty boy? I think we made it very clear you are not welcome here! You are lucky you caught us in a good mood, but next time we won't be so generous. I don't want to see you wandering in our territory again, do you hear me?!!"

Frank finished his speech by kicking his fallen victim again. Starscream cringed and embraced his sore torso, hearing the mocking guffaws of the humans as they walked away.

--------------

The sound of the rain drops falling on Stella's umbrella was hypnotic.

The same old rain… but at least it kept her company as she stood alone, waiting in her corner. The rain always scared the clients, but perhaps some car would stop. It was almost 2 AM but pleasure had no schedules, after all.

She thought she saw two figures at the end of the street, disappearing into the darkness. Probably Frank and Pete. Who else would be around in such weather conditions?

Certainly not her, but the end of the month was coming. If she wanted to stay in her apartment at least thirty days more, she would have to put some money in Miss Haymer's hands.

The sound of footsteps behind her took her out of her train of thoughts. She peeked down the alley and saw a figure approaching within the rain. A man dressed in formal clothes walked laboriously, leaning on the wall.

Stella smiled. Some drunk guy… perfect. Because of his clothes, he was certainly carrying a fat wallet, and she knew from experience that drunk clients were generally generous with bills that included zeroes.

She gave a last smoke to her cigarette and threw it away. The rain rapidly extinguished it.

Apparently the man hadn't seen her and was walking blindly in her direction. It didn't matter. Men always needed to get laid, they just need to be reminded of such detail.

A lightning bolt revealed to Stella that her first impression had been mistaken. The man was younger than she had thought at the beginning, probably around his mid twenties. Also thinking of him as a rich man certainly had been a hurried impression. He was wearing a tuxedo indeed, but all muddy, and he had no shirt or shoes… His jacket was also torn.

However, he was very attractive, too attractive to just let him walk by… He was very handsome and his open jacket exposed a perfectly shaped torso. If Stella had to spend the night with a stranger, better do it with a first class stud like that one.

She leaned sensually against the wall and waited for him to get closer.

"Are you lost, sugar?"

He startled, noticing her presence for the first time.

"What's wrong?" she continued. "Did you have a rough night? Poor thing… I bet you need some love."

"Stay away from me, earth germ…" he stammered.

Earth germ? It was then when she noticed there was something wrong with him. His reddish eyes and the weakened expression on his face spoke for themselves. That young man was very sick.

"Are you OK?" she asked, abandoning the fake sensual tone she always used to address a possible client.

"Just… leave me alone…" he responded as he continued advancing, supporting his body against the wall.

She followed him, covering him partially with her umbrella. "You look terrible…"

"None… of your slagging… business…"

She ignored his words and put her hand on his forehead. "Oh my god! You are burning!"

He flinched when she touched him and fell to his knees. Stella didn't have second thoughts and made a decision.

"Come on," she said, embracing him by the waist and putting his left arm over her shoulder. "I live the next block over."

"W-what…?"

"We need to lower that fever of yours ASAP and I don't have enough cash to pay for a cab to the hospital… I think I have a bottle of Tylenol somewhere."

"Get away from me this instant, human… or I'll destroy you…"

Stella shook her head, really doubting he could fulfil his threats. He was too weakened, almost about to faint. He certainly was delirious because of the fever, although judging by the angry red marks on his face and torso, it seemed he was suffering from more than just illness.

"Listen honey, you have a really bad fever. If you keep wandering like this in the storm you are going to drop dead with the worst case of pneumonia you can imagine."

"P...pneumonia?"

"Well, yeah. You must be alien or something if you don't know what pneumonia is. Come on, we are almost home."

He seemed to hesitate but remained silent. Finally, he stopped resisting and allowed her to guide him.

------------------

Was he dying?

If he entered stasis lock trapped in that body… there would be no way back.

His organic body couldn't be replaced or repaired. He had a heart now; if it stopped, it would be the end. His ambitions, his destiny, his rank, his life…

And everything for a disgusting disease that had reduced him to the lowest limit of weakness. The beating had been nothing; he had survived far worse at the hands of Megatron and no human would ever damage him as badly. But to surrender to illness? He couldn't allow that to happen. He was still Starscream, the tyrant of the firmament… he had to survive.

It was that thought that convinced him to go with the human female and tolerate her touch. At least she didn't look aggressive or dangerous as the others, and any hope of a dry place to spend the night was very welcome.

He was sure he would collapse at any moment, but he pushed himself beyond his limits to continue dragging his feet. The human was supporting him but she was small and fragile, certainly very weak, and wouldn't be able to carry him if he fainted. He had to go on, just a little more, just a little…

Within the delirium and the rain, he tried to focus on the human femme. It was then when he noticed for the first time that she was wearing very few clothes. She had a small garment barely covering two rounded forms on her chest, and her legs were almost totally bare, defying the nocturnal cold.

But he would have time to worry about who his improvised saviour was later. At that moment, as always, his priority was himself, and he would have accepted the help of the Autobots themselves if that meant saving his life.

To be continued.


Most of the human names we will use in this fic, be they first names or surnames, will be taken from actors who gave their voices to the Transformers series or live action films. In this chapter we used three, two kind of obvious and the third one not that much. If your guesses are correct you have won a complete cargo of energon goodies!

Next chapter coming soon. Thanks a lot for your reviews :o)