A Pet Squishy
Chapter 9: "MINE!"
A few hours later...
Because of their earlier "bungling" Starscream extended the combat maneuvers in the hopes of teaching his subordinates a lesson about listening to his orders. They were all the best fliers in the Decepticon ranks but Starscream was by far the superior aerial combatant and he demanded perfection. After all, it's what prompted Megatron to name him his Second in Command—that and Megatron believed in the old adage of, "Keep your allies close, but your enemies closer".
At last, once he was satisfied, Starscream ordered them back to the Nemesis. However, Thundercracker insisted he continue flying some more.
Surprisingly the Air Commander waved him off, "Very well. You need the extra training anyway."
"Yeah..." Thundercracker grudgingly admitted before speeding off.
He needed to find Lana and he hadn't intended to be away for so long. Calculating the approximate range the life raft could drift given the wind speed and ocean currents Thundercracker charted a course. Very soon he spotted the tiny faded red raft bobbing in the waves. He transformed into his robot mode, swooped low, and scooped the whole raft up in both hands as he flew over.
"I'm back...Lana?" his automatic smile dissipated when he noticed the raft was empty.
He flipped the small rubber craft over searching it from every angle. No Lana.
"Lana? Lana!" he called, pulling himself into an upright stopping position.
The blue Seeker spun around, scanning the waters. Had she fallen out? Where did she go?
"LANA!" he bellowed, his tremendous voice echoing, "WHERE ARE YOU?"
Making frantic circles around the entire area, Thundercracker searched for his lost pet. He activated his thrusters and flew high into the sky to widen his search. The Seeker turned slowly, optics darting across the seemingly infinite expanse of water. He couldn't see anything.
The blue Con clenched his fingers into the life raft, bending it in half. What happened to his pet? Where was she? He'd only left her for a few hours!
A horrible thought asserted itself in his processor. Did...did she jump out of the boat on purpose? Did she purposely terminate herself?
Something happened to Thundercracker's optics, something they'd never done in thousands of centuries—they flickered. Just for a brief instant. The Seeker pulled his head back in astonishment.
"What kind of glitch was that?" he wondered to himself. "Decepticons don't DO that! What's WRONG with me?"
Maybe Skywarp was right...he WAS too sentimental about this pet.
His moment was suddenly interrupted when he heard the far off rumble of a boat engine. The Con zeroed in on the sound and a few miles away he could see a human vessel heading toward him. He narrowed his optics dangerously at the approaching ship and vehemently cast the life boat aside.
....
Several miles away...
After several long drawn out examinations the onboard medical staff determined Lana was in great health considering her exposure. Lana knew she couldn't tell them how she REALLY got on that life raft—they'd commit her. So she feigned post-traumatic stress and claimed she didn't remember what had happened to her boat or the crew. Sure she probably had post-traumatic stress, but it wasn't because of an accident at sea. The doctors seemed to buy her story for the moment but she knew sooner or later they'd catch her in the lie.
But right now, she couldn't care less if they did. She was rescued. Lying back on the cot provided for her she sighed. She squirmed. It didn't feel as comfortable as her hammock.
"Huh? Where did THAT come from?" she nearly sat up in horror as her mind viciously berated her, "You never want to see a hammock again! You never want to be able to see through your bedroom walls again! You never want to see giant robots EVER again! Especially blue ones!"
"But..." her other half reminded, "...you could've been a lot worse off. I mean Thundercracker kept you well fed, comfy, and he never hurt you."
"YES." her negative side interjected, "But he also imprisoned you for no reason, treated you like a two-legged goldfish, and his "friends" repeatedly tried to kill you! Yeah...that was a swell vacation, Lana. Let's do it again next year!"
"How are we doing Ms. Bertram?" three men accompanied by a nurse strode by.
"Lana." she sat up, glad he didn't call her 'little pet'. "Tired I guess."
The man who had spoken smiled kindly and took off his hat. He was an older man, probably past forty-five with a clean cut silvery mustache and gray eyes. He looked a lot like a generic kindly grandpa.
He knelt next to her cot, "I'm Captain Monty. I want to welcome you aboard my ship, Ms. Lana. The onboard physicians tell me you are only suffering from mild dehydration and post traumatic stress, but nothing more. How long were you adrift?"
Lana shrugged, "A few hours I guess."
"What was the name of your vessel? Was it a personal craft?" he inquired.
She said the first name that popped into her head, "The Nemesis and yeah...it was a smaller craft."
"Did you send out any distress calls?"
Lana decided to pull an amnesia card, "I...I don't remember."
The captain patted her shoulder, "I understand. I'll have to ask you to help us fill in the gaps of the incident. When you're ready of course." he stood up.
"Ok. Thank you."
When the small group left, Lana laid back again, mind overflowing with thought. Was she worried Thundercracker would find her again?
"He WILL look for you, you know that." her mind declared with certainty.
She laid the side of her arm over her eyes, trying to force herself to sleep and not think about it. At first it was hard but eventually she drifted into a state of light sleep.
...
"WHERE IS SHE?" Thundercracker demanded, holding the ship's unfortunate captain in an iron fist.
"I don't KNOW!" the frightened man insisted covering his head, "Don't kill me!"
"Tell me where Lana is and I might just spare your miserable ship!" the Con snapped angrily.
"I don't KNOW any Lana! We're—we're just here to collect the life boat!" the man explained frantically.
The Con narrowed his red optics, "By WHOSE order? WHO told you to collect the life boat?"
For a second the man acted as if he couldn't tell him.
"Tell me what I want to know or I'll crush your bones to powder!" Thundercracker growled menacingly.
"C...Cap...Captain Monty."
"Give me his ship's designation and coordinates."
The man looked like he was about to throw up he was so scared, "Ship 708. But...you...you destroyed our radar. I...I don't know where she is!"
Thundercracker eyed the smoking tower and wheelhouse. Slag. He just didn't want them to radio any information about his attack so he destroyed their communication system. But he knew of other ways to find a ship.
"Then give me the ship's radio frequency!" he ordered.
...
A few hours later...
"Here you are Miss Bertram." an onboard doctor smiled cheerfully, handing Lana a tray of food and a bottle of water.
"Thank you." the redhead returned the smile, eyeing the food though she wasn't hungry.
"I trust you have some appetite?"
Lana shrugged, "I guess."
Just as she picked up an apple from the tray, Lana's eyes snapped open when she heard the sound—the low, scathing, hiss of a jet engine.
"Oh...no." she whispered.
The doctor gave a worried frown, "Is there something wrong Miss?"
The jet's hiss soon became a rumble which grew more intense with every second. Lana dropped the apple in her lap, letting the tray slide off onto the floor with a clatter. The doctor jumped back, crying out in dismay at the mess.
"It's him!" Lana's whisper was intense.
Looking up from the mess the doctor inquired, "Him? Him who?"
Eventually the roar became so loud it rattled the deck plates and without warning it dissipated. Lana sighed—just a fly over?
"Who, Miss Bertram? What do you mean?" the doctor persisted, noticing her intensity.
Suddenly, the loudest sound Lana's ears had ever been assaulted by demolished the silent air. Glass from all the portholes shattered, tinkling to the floor. The redhead's hands flew up to her ears. Her cot was vibrating as were the metal floors and walls of the ship. It sounded like an impossibly loud gunshot.
A klaxon blared and Lana could hear the shouts of crewmen echoing behind the walls. She sat up, frame shivering.
"CODE RED! CODE RED! WE ARE UNDER ENEMY FIRE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. MAN YOUR STATIONS!" the intercom voice shouted.
Then, before Lana could stand up, the whole ship pitched forward, bucking unnaturally with a loud bang. Lana practically fell out of the cot and the doctor slammed against the bulkhead as the ship rocked violently. Gunfire ensued from outside accompanied by shouts.
And then...
"GIVE HER BACK TO ME NOW!"
...
Thundercracker had no trouble tracking down the Coast Guard ship once he learned the radio frequency it communicated with. He did a quick fly over to ensure it was the right boat and to assess its defenses. It was a well-armed vessel but nothing like the real military battleships. After determining the strength of his target, Thundercracker unleashed his signature attack. He swooped around and dove right at the massive ship, heating up his afterburners and releasing a devastating sonic boom onto its outer deck plates. All the glass exploded under the sound and even some metal plates buckled where the blast was strongest.
Transforming violently he flipped and landed on the front bow of the red and white ship. Under his tremendous weight the vessel bobbed and bucked, sending crewmen flying.
He was pissed these humans had taken his pet from him and they were about to know his wrath if she wasn't returned.
In a thunderous voice he yelled, "GIVE HER BACK TO ME NOW!"
Their answer of course was a hail of gunfire, pinging harmlessly off his metal body. The front mounted cannon swerved around on the deck but Thundercracker lifted his arm laser and melted it to slag.
"Don't TEST me!" he shouted with fury.
The huge blue Con moved up the bow of the ship to the wheelhouse, sending the men running. With unfathomable force he thrust his hand through the cabin and seized the first human his hand could grasp. It was only dumb luck it happened to be the captain.
"Where IS she?" Thundercracker demanded holding him up to his face.
"WH—Who?" the man stammered, still disbelieving.
The Con impatiently tightened his grip, "Lana! I KNOW you have her!"
Struggling to breathe with his chest compressed, the older man slapped the metal fingers. Thundercracker grit his mouth components and wrathfully took out half of the wheelhouse with his other arm.
"WHERE?!"
...
Lana found the first set of stairs she could and clamored up them, feeling the boat quaking with deafening blows. When she finally made it to the outer deck she beheld the titanic figure of Thundercracker standing on the bow just in front of the wheelhouse. Debris littered the deck and the wheelhouse was demolished. Lana craned her neck all the way back noticing her master was holding Captain Monty in his fist and demanding he return her to him. Fear filled Lana at the sight of him. His thrusters were hot and the massive cannon jutting from his wrist was whining dangerously with power. His visage was that of the metal god of war descended, unleashing his wrath upon earth's mortals in search of his stolen treasure. She'd never seen him so angry and he was truly frightening to behold.
For a moment Lana took a step back, wanting to hide below deck again. But, she knew from Thundercracker's booming tone he was not about to give up until the ship was torn apart or he found her; whichever came first. Why did he want her back so badly? He could function just fine with out her! Why had he come looking for her and was reacting so violently in her namesake?
Lana's courage, though challenged, resurfaced. She couldn't let the Coast Guard crew be killed just because she dreaded being recaptured. How could she live with herself knowing hundreds of people died because she wouldn't show herself? No. She couldn't bear that burden. She wouldn't!
...
"STOP!"
Recognizing the voice immediately, Thundercracker turned his gaze upon Lana who had just emerged from below deck.
"Lana!" he sounded relieved.
Quickly he released the captain back into the damaged wheelhouse, gingerly scooped up the girl, and brought her to his chest. He stroked her affectionately, the metal titan momentarily appeased upon finding his pet. Then he lifted his head and trained his heavy arm gun on the ship. The high-powered whine of the weapon signaled its readiness.
"NO! Please don't hurt them!" Lana pleaded with the Con.
"They stole you from me," he replied with anger in his great voice, "No one steals from me!"
She urgently reached up and touched the cockpit glass of his chest, "No! They didn't STEAL me. It's their job to rescue people on the ocean!"
"You didn't NEED rescue," was his curt answer as his weapon tip lit up.
"Please! Don't hurt them...Master," the reference just slipped out.
His red optics regarded her for a moment and then the ship, debating.
Her tone rose with desperation, "PLEASE!"
"Why do you care about them?" he asked.
She peered over the edge of his hand at the few humans she could see, "I don't want anyone killed because of me. It's not right!"
For a long tense moment the Decepticon seemed to debate the statement in his head His arm weapon groaned as it powered down.
"All right. I will spare them...but just this ONCE," Thundercracker answered.
Lana breathed a huge sigh of relief, "Thank you. Thank you."
His cockpit hissed open and he gently placed her inside. The Con's thrusters roared to life and he lifted off the deck into the air, disappearing from sight. Lana felt tears stream down her red cheeks. She had lost her freedom...again. She had come so close to it, tasted its light sweet nectar, and then it was snatched away.
Lana's blue eyes burned into the cockpit monitors before her. Suddenly she lost it. Rearing her foot up and back she slammed her heel as hard as she could into the radar screen. A hissing filled the cockpit and Thundercracker dipped his cone nose.
"OW! Hey, easy!"
She kicked the screen again screaming, "YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHY?"
Like a pair of snakes the seat harnesses slid across her chest and held her fast to the seat, pulling her legs down to stop her assault.
"HEY! What's the matter with you, Lana?" he asked tersely.
She struggled against the straps, growing even angrier, "WHY did you have to come?! WHY?"
The screen blinked with his voice, "You're my pet. I wasn't going to let them take you from me."
Lana growled, "For the millionth time...I'm NOT YOUR PET! I want to GO HOME!"
"We'll be back to the Nemesis soon." he explained, clearly missing her point.
She screamed with rage, thrashing her head violently, "NO! NEVER! I'd rather DIE!"
The whole jet slowed down a moment, hovering in midair, "What?"
"I'll NEVER go back! I'd rather kill myself!" her voice was ragged and unnatural.
Quite abruptly Thundercracker shifted his form back to robot mode, opened his cockpit, and caught the girl in his hands to hold her up.
"You want to... go offline?"
She stood up in his hands, eyes wild, "YES! Yes, I would rather 'go offline' than spend another second with YOU!"
Without any warning Lana took a flying leap right over the edge of his hands.
"NO!" Thundercracker shouted, swooping down and catching her. The confused Decepticon grasped her firmly so she wouldn't jump again.
Lana struggled, "Let me GO!"
"No! I don't want you to go offline." he insisted.
"Then let me go!" Lana demanded.
"No." he said simply. "Why are you acting like this?"
The redhead continued her vain struggle, "Because I have HAD IT! I'm tired of being treated like property! I'm TIRED of being a source of amusement! And I'm TIRED of YOU, you fucking machine!"
Narrowing his optics the blue Con slowly began to descend. Lana looked and noticed a small spit of an island on the blue surface below. It wasn't more than a few hundred yards in diameter and somehow supported a few tufts of sea grass and two scraggly palm trees.
Curtly Thundercracker landed on the island and plunked her down on the ground. He stood up and growled, "FINE. If you don't NEED me then I don't NEED you!"
Thrusters roaring, the big robot jet lifted off the island and disappeared into the evening sky.
"I NEVER needed YOU!" she shouted, kicking sand in the air.