Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, any of its content, nor do I own its characters. I am not making any money off this story or any of its chapters, nor do I intend to.
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, but thanks so much for all the follows, favorites, and reviews!
Chapter 11: Proficient
Getting so close to Starscream, or any elite Decepticon seeker, was a signed and sealed death sentence for many mechs. As Ratchet watched Elaine work steadily around the three in his medbay, it occurred to him that perhaps she didn't understand the gravity of her actions, nor did she really grasp the effect it had on her reputation throughout Autobot Headquarters. Word of mouth described the Earth-dwelling organic as brave, stupid, and insane, all in one breath at times. She could be seen assisting the CMO, Swoop, and First Aid with many issues that arose in the bay, but most of her time was spent on the project of getting the trine back in decent running order. Some of their internal injuries, just under the surface of their armor, had to be worked on by a small pair of hands, or microtools. The tiny devices it would take to do those repairs were something Ratchet didn't have many of; a majority of them were destroyed in the war when medbays and hospitals on Cybertron were bombed or burned. The human had kept her word and proved herself very useful in that regard, though. It saddened Ratchet once in a while to see such a talented organic being shunned among some of the Autobots; once her hands touched the Air Commander's plating, many of Prime's soldiers refused to let her work on them, no matter how severe the battle wounds.
Elaine paid them no mind, for the most part. Her focus was on Starscream for a majority of her day; he was damaged the most out of the three, though he kept insisting that time was better spent on Thundercraker and Skywarp. At the moment, the human was removing some corrosion underneath Starscream's shoulder plating and applying a sealant Ratchet had given her to help it heal faster. And, of course, Starscream was whining and fidgeting like an overgrown, massive metal toddler.
"Starscream! You're making my job very difficult!" Elaine growled at him. "And you're going to get my hands pinched in here. You do that and we're going to have a problem!"
"It itches!"
"I don't give a damn! Hold still, you sorry excuse for a jet!"
"...I will crush you."
"Bullshit. You like me too much. Now shut up and stop your squirming or I'll go get Hatchet to tie you down."
The large tri-colored seeker sighed and tried his best to stop moving; the fleshling was fixing him, after all, and really wasn't doing that bad of a job. Wounds and scars that had been bothering him for ages were healing; he hadn't felt this well in a long time, and he was sure his trine mates felt the same way. Thundercracker, though wary of the Autobots and offended by some of their behaviors, knew this was the logical choice of all their options. Realistically, it was their only way to survive. Skywarp, their youngest trinemate, was having trouble with the whole scene; he didn't like the way the other mechs looked at them and, without comrades or friends nearby, felt alone in the base. His happiest moments were when Alexis, Elaine, or Titan were in the medbay to visit, or when he would talk with Thundercracker. Currently, the black and purple mech was recharging and it was evident to the older two that Skywarp hadn't gotten a decent recharge in decades; he was catching up on much needed rest in the base, especially now that there was no one to attack him in his sleep.
"Starscream?" Elaine spoke quietly.
"What?" He muttered.
"Is Skywarp okay? I'm worried about him. I know this has been a trying ordeal for all of you, but when I met him, he didn't seem like the quiet type. That's more Thundercracker's style..."
It shook Starscream up for just a second to hear someone expressing concern for his trinemate. His gaze softened a bit before he abruptly regained his composure.
"He'll be fine. Skywarp is resilient; he needs some time to adjust. This isn't exactly ideal for us, you know."
"I'm well aware. Just keep an optic on him, okay? I really like him. I don't want to see him hurting if there's something I can do to help. And don't be fucking stubborn if there is something I can do. Just ask. That goes for all three of you."
Alexis was curled up with Titan on a surface in the Rec Room. How she had gotten that high off the ground...no one really knew. She couldn't fly, and neither could the doberman, but somehow they were up on a high shelf.
Titan was perfectly content to lay across the little girl's lap and snarl at everyone that passed by. Alexis would scold him and tell him to be nice, but he paid her no mind; her safety was his top priority. Elaine had assigned him to guard the tiny child and he was not taking his mission lightly. So when two of the mechs that invaded their farm wandered up to their shelf, he threw a fit. Positioning himself in front of Alexis, he snarled, growled, and barked at them with a ferocity that would have made a full grown adult soil themselves.
"Sunny…" Sideswipe muttered. "I think we should leave them alone. That thing looks like Ravage when he's angry."
"Whatever. It was your idea to come in here in the first place." Sunstreaker scoffed. "Come on. Let's go for a ride."
Once the two were very clearly out of the room, Titan settled back in Alexis' lap and nuzzled her arm. Alexis began petting the dog once more and soon drifted off to sleep on the shelf. Titan remained alert for any passing danger.
Wheeljack was beyond thrilled that someone had taken an interest in his slightly more destructive work. Skyfire was a bit skeptical and even a little worried. The talk of potential explosions, mayhem, and injuries did nothing to deter the woman sitting on the bench, handing parts and tools to the enthused scientist. His headfins were flashing brightly as he spoke. The mech paused for a moment, looking down at the woman.
"You sure about this? Most humans I know tend to avoid the lab. They're a bit...sensitive about this sort of thing."
"Does it look like I care, big guy? Bomb the shit out of them! I want to see Megatron's ass fly off and hit the ground!"
Skyfire retreated from the lab shortly after that. Going to the Rec Room for an energon break was a must to get away from the two for a couple minutes.
When a giant of epic proportions entered the room, Titan was startled, waking Alexis in the process. One glance told him that the white shuttle-class was friendly and had caused no distress to any of his humans during their stay. He quickly calmed and wagged his stub of a tail, tilting his head in greeting. Alexis was the first to speak.
"Mr. Skyfire?"
"Hello, Alexis. How are you this solar cycle?"
Alexis looked confused before responding.
"I'm okay." She yawned. "Can I go see Thundercracker?"
"I'll comm Ratchet and ask him." Skyfire smiled.
"Thanks. I want to hear one of his stories."
"And what kind of stories does he tell?" Skyfire looked concerned.
"Ones about his home. And the seekers. He talks about a place called Vos a lot."
After receiving a loud and angry 'No, not right now, slaggit!' over his commlink, Skyfire sighed.
"Ratchet said he's being worked on right now, but maybe later." The large mech held out his hand. "If you'd like to sit with me for a groon or so, I could tell you some stories. They might not be as good as Thundercracker's, but I'll try."
The small girl smiled up at him and stepping into his hand, Titan following close behind her.
"Okay. Thanks, Mr. Skyfire."
"You are most welcome, little one."
The next hour was spent with tales of Cybertron, neighboring planets, explorations, and even Starscream when he was young. When Optimus entered the room later, he couldn't help but smile under his faceplate at the scene in front of him. There sat Skyfire, leaned back on a large 'couch', Alexis and Titan curled up and sleeping in his resting hand. It gave the leader hope that their two very different societies could learn to live with one another in peace. The moment was quickly ruined by Sideswipe snapping a picture and muttering something about blackmail. Optimus, in a rare fit of irritation, smacked him upside the helm and escorted him from the room.