Lesson in Living
Chapter 8
By Starath
Author's Note: Yay, it's a nice short chapter for once, much to my relief. Now we start getting into the more serious stuff. Special thanks to Lesselsnowstar for coming up with the brilliant suggestion for this chapter. Thanks to Crab and Scourge138 for proofreading, and thanks to all you readers for reading this in the first place! As usual, G1 Transformers and all its glory belongs to HASBRO.
Optimus Prime approached TeleTraan-1's console. He stood at ease, with hands clasped behind his back, but he was as alert as ever.
"Anything to report, Ironhide?"
The red mech beside him tapped a few keys. The image on display changed from a view of a city to one looking at a peaceful countryside, following a river.
"In a word, Prime: Nadda. Just like every day for the past three weeks. I don't get it. Since when do Decepticons take vacations?"
"Not all of them do. Although Powerglide's latest sighting was nothing short of odd."
Ironhide shook his head. "Seekers playin' air tennis. Who'da thunk it?"
"Obviously the commanding officers are not present, which concerns me. It's not like Megatron to be inactive for so long."
"You did get 'im pretty good in your last tangle with him."
"True." Optimus idly studied Sky Spy's image of a power plant next to the river. But not THAT good, he mentally added. Just what are you up to, Megatron?
"Continue monitoring for Decepticon activity. Let me know if Tracks or Powerglide report anything. For all we know the Decepticons could be setting up something big."
"Yeah, but what, Prime? It's makin' my sensors twitchy with all this waitin' around. Who knows what those miserable Decepti-morons are doin' right now. It could be anything!"
"I know Ironhide, I know. Until we can find out what they're doing and where, there is little more to do but wait. We'll be ready for them, no matter how long it takes."
Frenzy sat forward and rested his chin on his folded arms. The swaying flame of the cinnamon and sugar candle in front of him reflected in his sunglasses.
"It smells sooooo good…."
Rumble wore the same dopey smile his brother had. "Yeah…"
Starscream entered the kitchen carrying a stack of scratch paper, a map and a pencil. He wrinkled his nose. The scent of the candle in the middle of the kitchen table was much too sweet for his taste.
"Move it, you mini miscreants. I need the table."
"No way!"
"We were here first!"
He dropped the paper stack onto the tabletop. The resulting blast of wind made the candle flicker violently. "I require workspace. Take your smelly thing into the living room. Go on, shoo." He started to sit down when he realized that Ravage was occupying the chair. The cat hissed at him. "And take the feline with you."
Grumbling, the twins got up. Frenzy took the candle while Rumble picked up Ravage.
"Good kitty, heh heh. You don't like Screamer, do you?"
The white-pawed black cat meowed and rubbed his head on Rumble's cheek. Starscream made a face. It was true that the cat disliked him, but he took some comfort in knowing that Ravage didn't care for Megatron either. He sat down and selected a piece of paper. After a moment of thought, he went to work.
By the time Casey returned from school Starscream had covered most of the table with paper. Each page had Decepticon script covering it from top to bottom in neat, precisely written lines. He muttered to himself and chewed on the eraser of his pencil without knowing it.
"Hey Screamer." Casey found an apple in the refrigerator and bit into it. She stood behind him, munching loudly. "Whoa. Where were you when I was in my Pre-Calc class?"
"Fighting Autobots, most likely." He sat back. "Have you a computing device? I cannot do everything in my head."
"Yeah, sure." She left and came back with her graphing calculator. The word "Star" was written on its case with multicolored stickers. "It's kinda old, but it can still count."
He opened it and found its 'on' button. Within a minute or two he'd figured out how it worked. Casey sat down next to him and studied the open map of downtown St. Paul beside his elbow. Four dark X marks had been drawn on it. She recognized the Decepticon letters and numbers he'd written out everywhere else, but she'd forgotten which was which anymore. She was more familiar with Maximal script for some reason. She took another bite of her apple. The sound made his shoulders tense.
"So… what are you doing?"
Starscream blew a strand of hair out of his blue eyes. "I am trying to mathematically justify our existence in this world."
She gave him a blank look.
"This," he gestured to his paperwork, "is somewhat like human quantum mechanics, only vastly more superior. And accurate."
"Oh. Math isn't my strong suit."
He fixed her with a curious gaze. On the corner of his latest page he wrote out a long equation. "Does this look familiar to you?"
"Um… no."
He rewrote it using human letters and numbers. "What about now?"
Casey leaned forward. She nodded, but the look of comprehension wasn't in her eyes. "Well, you used delta a few times. It looks like the equation for calculating specific heat transfer, only longer. Why?"
"No reason. I was curious if you knew it." He erased both versions of the equation.
"Are you going to ask for help from Megatron or Soundwave with this? I mean, it looks like quite an undertaking. How do you prove something like crossing realities with math?"
"I was hoping it would be akin to the calculations for time travel, but so far the numbers aren't holding up. And I am more than qualified to do this on my own. I cannot show Megatron until I'm sure of what I have, or he'll just discredit me like usual."
"Time travel?"
"Yes. I've done it, as has Rumble. It's certainly more feasible than crossing realities, yet I've done both. If I can figure out how it happened, then I can understand how to get us back home."
"I still think Primus got bored. Or maybe some higher power."
"What you think is irrelevant. I'm not going to depend on the whims of a god to undo what has been done. Science can explain everything."
She suddenly sneezed and fumbled with her apple. He caught it before it could hit the floor.
"Thanks. Sorry about that." She blew her nose in a tissue and stood up, taking her apple when he gave it to her. "I'm gunna do some homework and maybe take a nap. If Megatron and Soundwave come home before I'm up, tell them to keep it down. Good luck with your calculations."
He smirked. "Still hiding from Megatron? Are you still sore over how we left the Mall?"
He dodged a thrown apple core. It skipped across the tabletop and bounced into the kitchen sink. Casey might have sworn at him too, but she came around the couch in time to see Rumble and Frenzy resting in a drowsy heap.
"You boys really like that candle, huh?"
They sighed together and grinned.
Starscream returned to work and soon found that he was running out of scratch paper. The calculator helped a little, as primitive as it was, but he needed more space to work with. If he pursued it just a little further, he might discover just how the Decepticons came into this world.
Someone knocked on the front door. Another knock came almost immediately afterward, more impatient than the first. He ground his teeth.
"Can't you get that?"
He received no answer. Throwing down his pencil, Starscream stood and went to the front door. The twins were sound asleep on the couch. He blew out the candle. He reached the front door and jerked it open as another round of knocks began.
"What— Oh, hi."
Silvia stood in the hallway. Her sour expression brightened. Her outfit of the day covered more skin than usual, but not by much. It sparkled when she moved.
"Hi Maverick. I came by to ask if you wanted to spend the day with me."
He swallowed. "I would, but I'm in the middle of something and I really shouldn't—"
"But Mavi," she pouted, "I got all dressed up for you. See? Purple." She wiggled her hips. The sparkles raced up from her thighs to her shoulders. "It's a beautiful day out. You shouldn't be spending it in Casey's stuffy— what's that smell?"
"What? Oh. The twins bought a candle the other day when we went shopping."
"And you didn't get me anything?"
"Er… well, no."
"Then, the least you could do is be with me today!" She ran her fingers up the middle of his red shirt. "Please?"
Despite himself, Starscream shivered. Maybe he could take a break from his scientific exploration. For a little while. If he did, could Megatron say he'd spent the day with a lovely female, too? Not at all. He grinned, leaned over and kissed Silvia on the cheek. "Let me get my jacket."
It was indeed a beautiful day outside. The weather felt like it should be June rather than May. Starscream followed Silvia down the sidewalk with his arms tucked behind his head. He stared into the sky and sighed. A few clouds peppered a sky so blue it made his insides ache. A perfect day for flying. Too bad he'd recently traded wings for flesh and blood. He closed his eyes and listened to the breeze that sang quietly in his ears, yet he heard every word. No wings, but the sky still called for him…
"Hey, Maverick?"
Starscream dropped his head and focused on Silvia. "Hmm?"
"Are… you alright?"
"Huh?"
"You looked really sad just now."
"Oh." He put on his most charming smile, the one that made his ice blue eyes twinkle. He'd practiced it in front of the mirror enough times to know that. "I'm fine. I'm out here with you. How can I be sad?"
She frowned at him, then shrugged. "If you don't want to admit it, fine. But if you need to talk…"
Primus, as if she could understand my longings. "I was just thinking about, ah, my job."
"Flying jets?"
"Yes." But I do more than that. Much more. "You could say it's in my blood."
"I was in a plane once. I flew to Boston by myself. I was scared the entire time. I kept checking to make sure the wing was still there. But you're much braver than me. It must be different for you, huh?"
They came to a crosswalk and stopped to wait for the signal to change. He tilted his head skyward. "It's very different. Say, where are we going, anyway?"
The crosswalk signal changed from orange to green. Silvia giggled and bounced across the street. She hopped up onto the curb and waited for him. "I found out we have an indoor ice rink here in town."
"A what?"
"An ice rink. Inside. You know, to skate on and stuff?"
He just stared at her. She made a rude sound of disbelief. "You've never skated before?"
"Uh… no. Where I hail from there isn't any ice, much less a need to skate." He was surprised to realize he'd told her the truth. Well, one might skate on Cybertron if there were wheels on your feet, but that would look silly.
"Oh my GOD! Seriously?" Her irritation switched gears into glee so fast it amazed him. Humans were such emotional creatures. A split-second later she had his arm and dragged him down the sidewalk. "I'll get to teach you, then! It'll be so much fun!"
Starscream failed to see what was going to be "fun" when they got to the indoor ice rink. For one thing, the environment was too cold for his liking. In front of him, he watched humans skate around on a giant sheet of ice surrounded by clear plastic windows. Some were good at it; others were not. They all wore special footwear that basically reduced the wearer's foot surface area to a long strip no thicker than a Seeker's wingtip. He was now holding a pair of these ridiculous things— ice skates— and an unfamiliar sensation of dread stirred up his stomach.
Silvia had chosen a bench for them to sit on while preparing for this "fun", which meant putting on the ice skates. She was so excited about this whole endeavor that she didn't even get mad at him for having no money to pay for skate rentals. She finished tying up her skates and sat upright. He hadn't moved since she had bent down.
"Hurry up and put your skates on!"
He considered insisting that he'll just watch her skate, but thought better of it. Money had already been spent for this nonsense, and he had no doubt that she could nag worse than a Mommycon if she put her mind to it. Still, there was this small matter of changing footwear. "Could you help me with these?"
"You can start by taking your boots off."
He did so and slipped the skates on. They were very tight. She assured him that they were supposed to be when he complained about it. He looked at the long bootlaces with an expression of foreboding. The truth was he could barely tie his own boots, despite how many times Casey had shown him. Silvia rolled her eyes and grabbed one foot, resting it on her thigh. She tightened the laces until he yelped and double-knotted them. She did the same thing for the other skate. Then she stood, very carefully, and walked to the steps that led to the ice.
"Come on," she said, offering a hand.
Starscream managed to stand and wobble his way over to her. He felt taller because of the skates, but not very steady.
"Grab onto the railing and hang on to me when you step out here. Go nice and easy."
He did as instructed and made it out onto the ice. The surface was slick and offered little friction to resist movement. What human first decided that walking on ice was a good idea, much less a fun idea? Surely some drowned in the early stages of this endeavor. His knees shook with tension as he tried to keep absolutely still. Silvia let go of his hands. From a distant memory, Starscream suddenly remembered what it was like to be an untried and untrained young Seeker.
"Now, you move like this, by gliding. You don't need to push hard to make yourself move. When you stop, you tilt your heel back. Don't tilt on your toes unless you want to perform a face-plant."
Although the term was unfamiliar, he understood what that meant. "I learn best by observation. Could you move about so I can observe how you do it?"
"Sure." She waited for some fellow skaters to pass by before she pushed off and glided away. She moved fluidly, as if she knew where the ice would take her, yet she made it go in the direction she wanted. The scarf she'd borrowed began to flap in the wind she created with each stroke. She moved fast, and then she moved slowly, with a constant back-and-forth stride that propelled her along gracefully. He completely forgot that he should be studying her technique until she tried a jump and twirl. She didn't land properly and fell flat on her backside. She got up, laughing, and skated back to him.
"It's like that, only without the falling part. And you will fall."
"Hmph. I have too much dignity to fall." He folded his arms, but that very gesture upset his balance. He fell and landed hard on his elbows.
"Oh really? Told ya you should have taken the safety pads, but you said no."
"I do not need them." He took her hands so he could stand upright again.
"Do you want me to hold onto you while you practice?"
"No thank you. I'll be fine on my own."
The fourth… or was it the fifth? Sixth? time he landed flat on his back and cracked his head, Starscream was eternally grateful that Megatron wasn't present to witness this foolishness. Or his other fellow Decepticons, for that matter. He'd never hear the end of it from anybody. A few more colossal falls later, he began to think he might have to change his name to Wipeout. He sat up and punched the ice hard enough to bust through it. Even fledgling Seekers didn't crash as horribly— or as often— as this! Silvia didn't know it, but he was the Decepticon Air Commander, and this was just plain embarrassing to his reputation.
Silvia's white skates came into view. She leaned over; offering him a nice view of her bosom, if he'd cared about such things right now.
"Want help up?"
He'd refused every other time, and still she asked. He tried forcing himself up and moved a bunch of muscles that screamed at him. He let loose some curses in Cybertronian out of sheer frustration for his weak human body.
"Whoa… What language was that?"
"Decepticon." He groaned and pushed himself onto his feet. The back of his head throbbed.
"Is that like Klingon? You don't strike me as a sci-fi geek."
"No, it's not like Klingon." Cybertronian dialects sounded more natural. Klingons sounded like they were constantly trying to cough something up.
"Do you want to rest? You've been at it for an hour."
"No, I can do this. I HAVE to do this." His pride was at stake now, slaggit.
She slid in front of him and cupped his face with cool, smooth hands. "You're taking this too seriously. This is supposed to be fun, okay? Besides, you're scaring kids every time you fall down. It sounds like a plane crashing."
He winced at the comparison's accuracy. "Yeah, okay."
She let go and tapped her bottom lip with a glossy finger. "Can you think about this like flying at all?"
He opened his mouth to say that no, this wasn't like flying, because flying hurt less and you used your own carefully controlled jet propulsion. Replace the skates with thrusters and then maybe— wait. In robot mode, his thrusters were in his feet, and they held him off the ground no differently than the skates. Actually, there was a way to hover across the ground when in robot mode, but it was a waste of fuel resources compared to simply walking. Then there was the revealing heat signature to worry about, which easily gave your location away to enemies. And it tended to burn up whatever was underneath you anyway, which usually upset people.
Starscream closed his eyes and focused, remembering what it was like to be in his true body. The knee joints had to be bent, toes in, a little, and push from the heel. He did these things and glided across the ice farther than he had all day.
Silvia laughed and clapped. "Very good, Maverick! Now last a whole five minutes, okay?"
He lasted longer than that, but not by much. It didn't matter, though. When he was up once more he hardly fell again.
"That was fun!"
Starscream flinched as yet another muscle group announced its existence to him. Just how many muscles did humans have, and how could they STAND the accursed things becoming so sore? He had no trouble walking, but he did so slowly. How Silvia could have enough energy to skip alongside him without showing signs of soreness, he'd never know. He noticed she wasn't bouncing along nearly as much as earlier, though. He had to admit, despite the rough start to the ice skating experience, that it had been, well, fun.
"Agreed. Who was that you waved to when we left?" He asked. The blonde young man had not looked happy when he saw them. He ventured to guess… maybe even jealous? Starscream knew full well what the phrase 'to glare daggers' meant. He'd gotten them from Megatron often enough. Ah, Megatron, he thought with a smile, have you had such a wondrous and fulfilling day as I have? Made only better by having a female companion by my side who adores me.
"Him? Oh, just a former… friend."
"I see." Ordinarily he might have pursued things further, but his mind was too tired.
"Hey, can I ask you something?"
"If you wish."
She grabbed a light pole and circled it twice before continuing to follow him. "What are you doing with Casey and those other guys?"
"Uh…" The question instantly jump-started his mind. He thought furiously to come up with a plausible explanation. "We're friends, travelling together. Michael, the old guy with the black eyebrows? He's Casey's uncle. Walker and I are his closest companions. The two boys are Walker's sons."
"Yeah, that's one thing I don't get."
He frowned. Was that not enough to be believable? Had he been too vague, and she knew he was lying? He proceeded carefully. "What do you mean?"
"I work with Walker some nights at Josie's Night Club. I see him outside, I mean, when I come in to work at the bar and tables and he keeps the jerks out. I've tried talking to him. That man is a post. Big, dull, and quiet. Hardly says a word to me, much less anyone. Well, he talks more when he gets tired, but he never says anything interesting. He's boring. What woman in her right mind would have kids with him?"
He choked and burst out laughing. "That's a good question. Ask him sometime."
She halted in her tracks. "You have the weirdest laugh I've ever heard in my life. Seriously."
"Oh?"
"You sound like a hysterical baby or something."
The comment convinced him to snap his mouth shut until his giggles ceased. He smiled at her. "Just another thing that makes me unique." Suddenly feeling mischievous, he glanced behind them and up ahead. He took her hand and pulled her behind a tree. "Instead of walking home, want to see a magic trick?"
"Are you going to pull a rabbit out of your pants?"
"No."
"Maybe I want to see that rabbit?"
"A creature that size would not make it inside my clothing without my notice, Silvia."
She began to laugh until she realized he was serious. Couldn't the guy catch a clue? "Okay… then what magic trick do you have in mind?"
"You must close your eyes. Do not open them until I say so."
She made a face at him, but did as she was told. Starscream teleported them to the apartment building where she and Casey lived. He stepped forward and opened the glass lobby door for her.
"You may open them."
"Wha— What the?" She blinked owlishly, clearly not believing what she saw. "Maverick, we were still twelve blocks away from here! How did you—?"
"As I said, magic. I am unique." He perked an eyebrow and flashed a brilliant smile. "After you, my lady."
Starscream whistled a pleasant tune as he walked up to Casey's apartment. He wasn't very good at it, but that was beside the point. He'd have to see if he could whistle once he was in his rightful body again. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Instantly the sweet smell of cinnamon and sugar wafted into his nose. The scent wasn't so irritating now. He pulled off his boots without thinking about it; the movements were habit by now. He closed his eyes and replayed the goodbye kiss he'd gotten a few minutes ago in his mind. Yes, today had been a good day. Now to finish his mathematical calculations. Maybe he could complete them before Meg—
"Ah, the noble voyager returns."
Megatron hailed him from his usual place in the recliner. Starscream jumped a little and quickly recovered. He searched for Soundwave. The large man was not hard to find; he was sitting on the windowsill beside the kitchen. The twins were watching TV on the floor. Starscream lifted his shoulders, ignoring his complaining muscles, and entered the room with a defiant smirk.
"Greetings, leader. Did you and Soundwave have a nice afternoon stroll?"
"Indeed we did. Where have you been?"
"Out." That was all Megatron needed to know. He went into the kitchen, where he'd left all his work earlier. His heart seized in his chest. The paperwork— all of it— was gone. He took in a deep breath and reined in his panic. The sound of shuffling paper in the living room nearly sent it racing uncontrollably. The recliner's springs squeaked.
"This work is good." Megatron approached him from behind and tossed the stack of paper onto the table. The leather of his fingerless gloves stretched noisily. "I can see where you were going with it. Why isn't it completed?"
Starscream straightened the pile. "As I said, I went out. To take a break from this."
"The Cassetticons tell me you left with the human female Silvia."
Blast those little spies! "Yes, that's right."
"Can you explain to me why that fleshling was more important than solving the mystery of why we are here in the first place?"
Megatron's voice had that tone in it that always made Starscream nervous. It was the tone that meant he was in trouble, and it never mattered what he said, because he was going to stay in trouble. His commander was now looking for an excuse to put him in his place and remind him why he was a lower life form. Still, he could soothe Megatron's temper if he was careful.
"She visited earlier and asked that I spend the day with her. I went with her to take a break. I fully intended to continue this. I saw no harm in suspending the project temporarily."
"So that fleshling was more important than fulfilling your duty as a Decepticon scientist?"
"No. It— she— is not." He couldn't help what came out next. "And if you haven't noticed, leader, we are fleshlings now too."
"That does not mean you can become attached to one! They are not worth the time or effort. Nor does it mean that you can speak to me so insolently, Starscream."
To the Pit with subordination! "I happen to think she is worth my time, and I warn you not to speak about her in a disapproving manner again. And as for how I speak to you, I often speak truth and you believe it to be nothing more than scrap. It is not my fault if you cannot listen to reason!"
Soundwave sighed audibly and tipped down his cowboy hat, shielding his eyes and ears. It wasn't going to be enough.
"Truth? You jest! If I had an energon cube to match every one of your lies after all these stellarcycles, I'd have won the Great War three times now! You say what you think will give you benefit, either through treachery or cowardice."
"E-NOUGH! Once again you discredit me and I will no longer stand for it. My tolerance for you is depleted!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you rather I insult your precious fleshling instead?"
Starscream delivered such a swift punch that Megatron didn't see it coming until it connected with his jaw. He staggered back a step in surprise. He wiped blood away from his lip with his thumb and stared at it.
"You will not disgrace Silvia like you do me, you decrepit pile of slag. You won't listen? You don't find me useful? Fine, I will go where I am wanted!"
Before Megatron could grab him to wring his neck, Starscream vanished from in front of him.
"What— you idiot— Staaaaarscreeeeeam!"
Casey's bedroom door opened. She appeared in the hallway wrapped tightly in a blanket, coughing and obviously freshly awake.
"What's going on out here?" she croaked.
Megatron rubbed his jaw and spat out some blood into the kitchen sink. "Nothing."
"It didn't sound like nothing. Geez."
Frenzy got up off the floor to hug her, but he stopped when he saw her up close. Her face was paler than usual and her nose was a funny shade of red. She kept coughing and sniffing.
"Star… you don't look so good."
"I know. I'm sick as a dog." Her voice had a weird, stuffed-up sound to it. "My spring cold came early. I blame stress."
"Are you going to be okay? Do you need a medic?"
"You don't look like a dog." said Rumble. "You just look sick."
Casey stopped coughing long enough to laugh. "It's an expression. And no, I don't need a medic so long as this doesn't get bad. But you boys have to stay away from me, okay? Maybe you all have super extra-powerful robotic immune systems or something, but it'd be for the best if we took precautions so you don't get sick too."
Frenzy backed away slowly. "How long will you be sick?"
"I dunno. It depends. Hopefully it'll only be for a few days. Ah, crap. I have that paper due tomorrow…" She wobbled and fell against the wall. "I have to get that done. And the marketing project…"
"It can wait." Megatron helped her up and turned her around to face her bedroom. "If you are ill then you require rest."
Casey opened her mouth.
"Do not argue with me, Starflight. I am not in the mood."
She closed it and gave him a weak smile. "Okay. If you need ice for your face, there's a cold pack in the freezer. Be sure to wrap it in a towel, though."
"I'll be fine. Go back to recharge."
"Yessir. Thanks."
Megatron closed the door after watching her lie down in her bed. He stared at his angry reflection in the long hallway mirror. He was going to have a bruise where Starscream had struck him. The fool! Why didn't he EVER listen? Now Megatron had one soldier AWOL, the other out with illness. What next?
Starscream knocked on the door of apartment number 220. The wet things in his eyes stung. He wiped the droplets away a moment before the door opened.
"Maverick?"
"Hi, Silvia. Can… can I stay here with you tonight?"
She blinked and pushed up her left bra strap. She'd changed clothes into something more casual than her usual attire. He didn't know why, but… she looked all the more beautiful to him in this moment. Finally, she smiled and opened the door wide enough for him.
"Sure. Come in."
"I thank you."
"I heard some yelling from upstairs. You look upset. Is everything okay?"
"I would assume so." He came inside.
"Do you know who or what a 'Starscream' is?"
He shrugged, then wished he hadn't when it hurt. "No one of consequence."
To be continued in chapter 9!