A Pet Squishy
Chapter 2: "Your Pet?!"
Back on the Nemesis...
Lana was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown or some kind of cardiac arrest she was so scared. At first, the idea hiding in the dryer sounded like a sure-fire plan to fool the giant monsters that were after her. But instead it just made her easier to catch. After being shaken and banged up she heard nothing but the roar of jet engines and wind whistling through the vents of the dryer. In the metal dark she cried, hoping for some kind of miracle to save her from this nightmarish ordeal.
Abruptly the roaring engines died away and the whole dryer jerked, banging her against the unforgiving metal tumbler again. The small amount of clothes inside provided little cushioning. Hissing with pain, Lana tried to brace herself against the walls to prevent further bruising. Her cramped metal prison swayed rhythmically for several more minutes giving her the strange impression that she was being carried somewhere.
Lana stared in the direction of the dryer door, licking her lips. Should she open it and see what had her? Did she really want to know? Reaching out she pressed her hand to the door, willing herself to open it. Then the movement stopped and the strange rumbling sounds returned.
.......
"Well? Are you going to see what you caught?" Skywarp asked as Thundercracker entered his quarters.
The blue Seeker nodded holding up the white metal container.
Skywarp leaned against the door frame, "I still don't get why you didn't take a look at it BEFORE we left. What if it sucks?"
"For one, we needed to leave to avoid anymore unneeded attention. And if I don't like it then I'll go out tomorrow and find another one." Thundercracker responded, slowly turning the dryer between his fingers to see where the access point was located.
.......
Lana felt all air zip out of her lungs when the dryer door swung open, revealing a very large glowing red light encased in a metal frame. An unusual spoked cog rotated on the rim of the light, shrinking the glow to a smaller size and then widening it again. A small strip of metal flicked over the light briefly. Lana pressed her back to the wall, her breath seizing in her chest. If she didn't know any better that red light looked and behaved very much like an eye—the pupil was dilating and then an eyelid blinking.
What in the name of...?
Suddenly the dryer flipped over, placing the opening downward. Lana whimpered, bracing her limbs against the walls to prevent falling out. Below she could see that same black, metal hand ready to seize her should she slip out.
"Oh no you don't. I'm not coming out that easy." the young woman whispered with more valor than she felt.
The dryer suddenly began shaking up and down like a salt shaker. The clothes fell out, cascading lightly into the awaiting palm. Try as she might to hang on, the force of the motion was just too much for the girl to handle. Skin squeaking as she slid from the dryer interior, Lana tumbled out landing in the pile of clothes accumulated in the giant hand. She propped herself up with her hands and almost threw up her own heart when she saw what held her.
.......
Thundercracker lifted the tiny human female closer to his optics, taking a quick note of her form.
"Hmm. Well, it looks healthy to me and I like this fuzz color." he stated, lightly stroking her head.
The human female recoiled from his touch and quickly stole a glance over the edge of his palm. Realizing the height she was held made her immediately back-pedal into his fingers. She then curled her knees into her chest and dropped her head down. The big Seeker could feel the tremors emanating from her small frame.
"I think it's scared." he mentioned.
Skywarp gave an impish smirk and slowly approached to take a look at the human.
He tipped his dark head and spoke in the human's language to get its attention, "Hey. Hey human."
Nervously the tiny creature looked up at him.
Skywarp put his hand in a clawed gesture and thrust it at the human, "Grrr!"
The female's eyes shot open and then rolled back as she fell over in Thundercracker's hand. A shocked look crossed the blue Seeker's face while Skywarp was beside himself with devious mirth.
"HA! HA! HA! Did you see that?" he tipped his hand in a falling motion, "[CLUNK!] This squishy is fun!"
"WARP! You killed it!" he accused.
"No I didn't!" Skywarp continued to laugh but slowly calmed himself, tipping his head at the prone form, "Did I?"
Placing his finger gently on the human's torso Thundercracker scanned its vitals. The vitals were still functioning but at a much slower rate than was normal, according to his research.
"Well...it's alive." he pinned his wingman with threatening stare, "But I think you put it into stasis!"
The black and violet Con flippantly flicked his hand, "Aw, it'll come out of it. Well I'm going to fuel up, you coming?"
Thundercracker shook his head with frustration, "No. I'll get some later. I'm going to make sure you didn't permanently send it into stasis."
"Whatever. Hey, let me know when it comes around. I want to play with it some more." Skywarp snickered, leaving.
The blue Con ground his jaw gears. If he let Warp mess with his new pet he'd probably kill it. His wingman had no sense of tact or restraint. He'd definitely have to limit Warp's "playing" if he wanted to keep his pet alive for longer than a megacycle. Moving over to the enclosure he'd built, Thundercracker lifted the top panel of the resting chamber, and placed his new pet in the parachute/hammock He hoped it wasn't broken.
.......
Lana eventually came to and found herself surrounded by the brightest colors of blue, red, white, and yellow. She blinked with confusion as she touched the material. It felt like a pair of wind pants but with much more strength.
What was this? Where was she?
Rolling over Lana suddenly fell right out of the colorful mass and onto a hard surface below.
"OW!" she grunted, massaging her already throbbing backside.
She stared up at the mass of cloth noticing its bar-like shape and vast amounts of broken cords. It looked like a paraglider fashioned into one big hammock. Confused, Lana glanced around her noticing she was in a transparent room. It was about the size of a large bedroom with a very tall ceiling. She slowly walked over to the wall which had an odd shimmering to it unlike glass or Plexiglas. She touched it and discovered it was smooth and very hard.
Suddenly, from the other side of the transparency a colossal form of blue and black appeared accompanied by those same red lights.
Oh. Now she remembered—giant robots—terrifying, freaking huge, robots.
Lana gasped and staggered back as the towering mech's shadow completely engulfed the room and its every step sent deep vibrations into her body through the floor. Through the wall she could see a tinted glass chamber centered in the middle of the robot's chest. It kind of looked like a jet cockpit. Her blue eyes darted to the edges of the gigantic form confirming it—the thing had plane wings spanning its back.
That's why she heard jets. And those weird sounds she'd heard before were the robots speaking to each other. There had been two of them before. Yeah. There was a black and purple one who spoke to her and then acted like it was going to attack her. She'd fainted. Now there was only the big blue one who'd held her.
But what did they want? Why was she here?
The blue and black colossus lowered itself, placing its red glowing eyes even with the transparent box. Piercing and terrible, its eyes sent sheer terror racing through the young woman. She scrambled into the paraglider hammock, hiding amongst its billowing folds.
"Nononono." she whispered, curling into a fetal position.
A strange grinding rumble came from behind the glass. Lana thought it sounded like a cough or maybe a short mechanical laugh.
"So, you like the recharge hammock I made for you." the robot's voice was very deep and grating, clearly masculine and his English was oddly laced with a light New York accent. He seemed, from his tone, somewhat pleased.
Through a white patch in the paraglider material she could faintly make out the blue robot's red eyes.
A loud banging shook the transparent room when he tapped the wall with his finger; like a child tapping the glass of a fish tank.
"Come out little human. I want to see you." he stated.
"Yeah, right." Lana thought to herself, burrowing deeper into the excess folds of the paraglider hammock.
After a few moments, the big mech reached for the roof of the transparent room and lifted it off like a lid. Setting it aside he reached down into the enclosure for Lana. The young woman gave a cry of fear, scrambling to escape from both him and the hammock. She awkwardly flipped over onto the floor and instantly noticed an exit off to her right. Before the robot could successfully grab her, she dashed into the narrow tunnel. Where it led she didn't know, but quite suddenly it ended revealing a whole new transparent room. This one contained a large clear box filled with water that looked like an above-ground swimming pool.
A shadow fell over her and before Lana could move two big black fingers clamped onto her waist and hoisted her up. Her stomach lurched as her head spun from the rapid ascension. She let loose a shrill scream of fright, kicking her legs and fighting for all she was worth. Nothing she did helped. In an instant she was face to face with the gigantic metal creature. His red eyes focused on her, making her go stiff with dread. The robot stared at her and then used the fingers of his other hand to lift up her left arm. She forcefully jerked her arm away from him, but he was persistent as he lifted her other arm. He seemed to be studying each of her limbs one by one. Slowly he turned her around and then back again.
The big bot nodded after his brief inspection, "Yeah. You're in prime condition—good muscle tone, no infirmities or maladies. You'll make a great pet."
Lana's mind cinched up as tight as her muscles.
Pet?
He then sat back in a huge metal seat that seemed specifically designed to accommodate his impressive wingspan and continued to observe her. Lana fought, trying to wriggle out of his firm, yet gentle grasp. The giant stroked her shoulder and arm with his finger, which made her flinch away.
"Hey, hey, it's all right little human. I'm not going to kill you. You're my pet now." his great voice tried to soothe.
PET?!
His hand swung out a bit and he placed the young woman on a flat metal surface that resembled a work table or desk. Lana staggered, vertigo consuming her senses. Once she stabilized she made a run for it, but she was instantly barred by the robot's hand and wrist. Gasping she whirled around and ran the other way. His other hand came down in front of her as a metal wall of black.
"Where do you think you're going?" he inquired, sounding amused.
It was a useless attempt. She was at this giant robot's mercy—a tiny mouse in the paws of a tiger. Shaking clear to the soles of her bare feet, Lana slowly turned to face him again. She thought her heart was going to bust out of her chest and she would faint again, but she fought to maintain control.
The metal creature tipped his helmeted head, a smirk forming on his humanoid face, "They call me Thundercracker. But you, little one, will call me Master. Understand?"
Lana's head bobbed dumbly, though deep down the idea of demeaning herself just churned her guts. Thundercracker—the name suited him given his voice alone.
Thundercracker made a sweeping gesture toward the expansive room, "These are my quarters." He leaned back, revealing the intricate transparent enclosure she'd been plucked out of, "This is yours. I made it myself."
Lana stared across the expanse at the enclosure. It had four separate compartments all connected by metal tunnels, like an oversized hamster cage. But it looked much bigger than the house she had been living in. She could make out the colorful parachute hammock in the first clear box followed by the "pool room". The next box didn't have much of anything in it and the last "room" looked like it was full of food. Big wooden flats of boxed goods that looked like something one would see in a bulk food store or a factory. Lord only knew what kinds of food her giant metal captor had chosen or how he got it in the first place.
Thundercracker continued, "You are to remain in this unless I allow you out." he tapped the cage. His eyes narrowed and his voice became threatening, "And you are NEVER to leave my quarters unless I take you out myself. Got it?"
Lana cringed, stepping back from him. She managed a terrified nod.
He leaned back placing a hand to his chin contemplatively, "Now, what should I call you?"
Oh dear Lord. He was trying to name her.
Swallowing hard Lana spoke up before she received a less than savory identification like Fluffy or Tiny, "L-Lana."
Thundercracker stared down at her, leaning forward a bit, "What?"
"P-Please...my name is Lana." she timidly requested.
"Lana." the rumbling voice repeated the name. The plates above his red eyes lifted a moment, "If I use that name will you faithfully come when you're called?"
Lana again nodded.
"All right. Lana it is." the big mech consented.
At that moment his head perked as if he heard something she didn't. Lana glanced around, confused. Then, his huge hand swooped in from behind her and scooped her up. She cried out, muscles going tense. Promptly he placed her inside the enclosure and dropped the lid/roof on top.
"I have to go. I'll be back in six megacycles." the big mech explained, peering in at her, "If you need anything else to function you can tell me when I return."
With that, Thundercracker left the room, the lights dimmed, and a large metal door shut in front of her enclosure, bringing up some internal lights in the transparent walls of her cage. But she couldn't see anything beyond the interior of her prison. It appeared her cage was concealed in a cabinet or closet of some kind.
Six megacycles? How long was that? What would happen when he returned? How was she going to get out of this? COULD she get out of this? Where did these giant robots come from? She was a PET!?
Questions assaulted Lana's mind like a swarm of bees leaving nothing but stinging uncertainties. Numbly she slumped down in her hammock, her shoulders shaking.
.......
Lana had cried herself to sleep and awoke to find she was still alone. She couldn't see any kind of time device anywhere so she had no idea how long she'd been asleep or what time of day it was. Sliding out of her hammock she slowly walked toward the tunnel that led to the "pool room".
"Might as well see what this place is like...maybe there's an escape he missed?" Lana contemplated to herself.
The pool was about six feet deep but she couldn't reach the top rim of it without jumping. She'd have to find a ladder or a box to stand on to get in. Provided the water wasn't toxic.
Moving on to the next compartment Lana didn't see much of anything, except for a dark metal box. She moved closer to it for an inspection and her eyes rolled upward in mortification. It looked like a futuristic outhouse toilet, but with no walls or any kind of privacy. And more importantly not one scrap of toilet paper.
"Oh-my-God." she moaned, circling the strange latrine.
There was a small hole just like a toilet and Lana peered inside. Darkness. No water that she could see. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a nickel. Curious she dropped the coin into the hole to see how deep it went. A bright flash of green electricity deep inside erupted, vaporizing the coin. Lana screamed briefly and jumped back with closed eyes.
Lana swore quietly, "I wonder how long I can hold it?"
Leaving the scary, death-ray toilet behind, Lana proceeded to the final compartment of the enclosure where she found a warehouse store of food. She stared incredulously at the ungodly amount all boxed up.
How much food did Thundercracker think a human could eat? She couldn't eat this in two years! How the Hell did he obtain all this stuff anyway?
Curious, she sifted through the boxes. Cereal; about six different kinds, granola bars, every canned veggie known to grocery stores, a crate of macaroni and cheese, bags of flour and sugar, several flats of sports drinks, and even some bags of beef jerky. Lana stared at the macaroni and cheese and snorted.
"Fat chance I could make this without milk and butter...or a stove." she said aloud.
Flour and sugar? What was she going to do with plain flour and sugar? And all these cans and NO can opener. Great. This was well planned. Well...at least he'd bothered to get her a variety of food AND he somehow managed to get all the non-perishables.
Still, there were quite a lot of things she still required, toiletries and clothes being number one. Lana dropped the box in her hand and sat on a flat of vegetables, her head in her hands.
What was she thinking?
She acted as if she was actually OK with this whole crazy ordeal! She was kidnapped and imprisoned as a lesser life-form against her will—probably for the rest of her life. Her fear was brushed aside with intense frustration and anger. What right did this Thundercracker have to kidnap her and make her his pet? Why did he pick her anyway? She had to call him Master? That's just ridiculous and demeaning! Stupid giant robots.
A few minutes passed and then Lana heard a loud hiss and bang coming from outside her enclosure. She could hear and feel the footsteps of whom she guessed was Thundercracker. The panic seized her again and she ducked down behind a few stacks of food.
The metal door outside her cage slid away, revealing her master. His red eyes inspected each section of the enclosure, searching for her. She curled up behind the boxes, not wanting to look at him.
"Lana?" he called quietly, tapping the wall.
The young woman remained hidden.
Quite suddenly the whole room shook violently and Thundercracker's voice rose to a commanding volume, "Lana! Come out NOW."
Terrified, the redhead jumped to her feet, revealing herself.
The big blue robot's eyes narrowed, "When I call your name you are to come to me. Understand?"
Lana nodded, avoiding eye contact.
His anger seemed to fade and was replaced by a light smile, "I see you found your energy supply."
He lifted the lid off and reached in, making Lana duck down. His hand loomed above her as voice took on an annoyed tone, "Oh, stop cringing. I'm not going to hurt you."
Thundercracker was ready to pick her up when the small human suddenly exploded, lashing out viciously.
"DON'T TOUCH ME YOU MONSTER!" she screamed, striking at the fingers.
Of course the giant mech barely felt the contact, but her intense hostility made him pause. After a moment he plucked her up between his thumb and forefingers. Lana kicked and wiggled, beating against his fingers so hard her hands bruised.
"PUT ME DOWN! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Despite the ferocity in Lana's actions, Thundercracker remained very gentle, appearing amused by the vain struggle of his new pet.
"My, my, what a vicious little human." he smirked.
His words only intensified Lana's fight. For minutes she struggled until a strangled roar of a scream escaped her throat. Too tired to fight anymore she slumped over the Decepticon's fingers, panting for breath.
Thundercracker seemed very amused as he chuckled deeply, "See there. You just expended all of your energy for nothing."
Frustration bored into Lana like a harsh screw, releasing her tears. Lana's whole body shuddered as twin lines of hot tears marred her face. She sobbed, closing her eyes. Thundercracker held her up closer to his optics, bafflement programmed over his metal face.
"Huh? You're...leaking water?" he uttered, not believing what he was seeing.
The Seeker had never seen such a strange reaction. For a moment he thought it was some sort of defense mechanism, but his scans told him otherwise. His pet's entire body heated up, flushing her face and neck red while streams of salty water oozed from her eyes. Then her lungs shuddered, seeming to stall their oxygen intake. Was she sick? Was she dying? Did he scare her so bad she was going to shut down? Humans were made up of 75% water, would she leak all of it out of her eyes?
As quickly as he could Thundercracker accessed the human Internet for answers. Perhaps there was a cure for this leaking? He refused to lose his pet the first day he had it! Picking through the vast fields of information Thundercracker finally found what he sought.
"Crying...verb...the act of shedding tears as a response to an emotional state in adult humans...These range from the simple such as response to inflicted to the more complex including in order to elicit helping behavior from others. Due to the chemical composition of emotional tears, some have that a function of crying is to rid the body of ." he read in his processor.
"Oh." he seemed to understand. "So this 'crying' is normal."
Lana whimpered, "Please... let me go!"
She wasn't sure if it was pity or mere curiosity that made him comply, but he delicately placed her on the ledge saying, "Just as long as you promise not to run away."
She managed to nod and his fingers released from her, leaving her standing on the work ledge. Lana fell to her knees and then her bottom. She scooted back from him, still crying until she was backed up against the outer wall of her enclosure.
Thundercracker shook his head, "You're REALLY that scared of me huh?"
Lana merely hiccuped, closing her eyes.
"Well...I suppose I should expect it. Humans always scream and run when they see us." He chuckled a bit at the thought, "You humans are funny when you run." His large finger gently stroked her shoulder and her side, "But don't worry. You'll get used to me."
Lana wiped her eyes, the anger returning, "Why are you doing this to me? Why me?"
The Decepticon shrugged candidly, "You were alone and easy to catch and I've wanted a human pet for awhile now."
"Humans aren't pets!" she shouted indignantly.
"Why not? You're small, you're interesting to watch, you're very trainable, and adaptable."
Lana's blue eyes seemed to flash with offense but she knew arguing with him would be senseless. In some twisted, alien way it made sense. To him she was no different than a little exotic pet he caught in the wild and now he was intent on keeping her. Humans did the same thing to reptiles, rodents, birds, and fish. She was a little human guinea pig to him.
Wiping her eyes, Lana stood up with an almost challenging lilt in her voice, "You want a human pet?"
"I have you don't I?" he replied with a smirk.
"Well...then you've forgotten some key things to keep a human," she mentioned.
He tipped his head, "Like what?"
An idea was forming in Lana's brain. Perhaps if she listed all the items and intricacies of a human life, Thundercracker would realize he was in over his head? With any luck he might return her to her home—or rather, the "wild". Then again if he realized the hefty responsibility he might find it easier to get rid of her or get angry with her.
Lana spent the next several minutes rattling off the list of items she'd need in order to be the cleanest, most well cared-for human pet. She explained the cleanliness needs, the dietary needs, and more disturbingly the "womanly needs". The Decepticon's red optics just stared at her, sometimes looking confused.
Coming to the end of her list she finally dropped the hammer, "Of course, it would probably just be easier for you to let me go so I could care for my own needs and save you the trouble."
Thundercracker slowly sat up and reached for her, picking her up. She hoped he was going to do as she suggested. But he placed her back in the enclosure.
"Well. That's a lot to process." he said simply.
Without another word he backed up into a wide slot in the wall, activating a crimson band of light that encircled his outline. The wall groaned mechanically and shifted outward until Thundercracker appeared to be resting on a black slab of metal and high tech circuitry. His red optics went off and a dull humming filled the room.
Did he just...go to sleep?
Lana sat in her hammock, hoping her words would hit home.