A Pet Squishy
Chapter 12: "Contraband"
Later...
Lana awoke unable to feel her legs. She stretched, feeling the painful tingling of blood resuming its circulation to her legs. Sleeping in Thundercracker's hand wasn't exactly the most comfortable bed. She looked up at him; he was still in recharge. Sometime while she slept he'd propped his feet up on his work table creating a rather effective bridge to her enclosure. Her hammock was much more comfortable. Lana wriggled her body, she squirmed out from between his fingers until she was sitting on his thumb joint. She kicked her legs with a wince, trying to rid herself of the deadness.
Rising slowly, Lana traipsed over the ridges and ledges of Thundercracker's hand and then stepped down onto the edge of his hip plate. She looked down at his thigh below her, doubting whether she could jump down onto it and wondering if sliding would be a better means of getting down. With great caution she ducked down, sitting on the ledge of his hip plate. Her feet slid down a bit, finding another tiny foothold further down. Preparing herself she jumped down onto his thigh, arms spinning for balance.
Her landing caused a chain reaction of movement. Startled, Thundercracker snapped out of recharge and leaned back too far. Arms flailing for purchase, he fell backward. With a loud shout and a curse in Cybertronian the huge Decepticon crashed to the floor with deafening impact. Lana screamed as she flew backward and bounced across the Seeker's smooth metal abdomen coming to a stop just below his chest armor. His resounding groan shook the metal beneath her.
"OH...throw me in the smelter!" he cursed, struggling to sit up amid his entanglement with the chair.
Thundercracker suddenly noticed Lana wasn't in his hand and he checked it carefully for any grisly signs of an accidental squishing. His hand was clean.
"Lana?" he called.
The young woman had slid down his abdomen and was clinging to the top of his hip panel.
Relieved to see his pet unsquished he picked her up, "There you are. Are you undamaged?"
Lana nodded, trying to calm the pounding of her heart, "Are YOU?"
He ran a quick diagnostic, "Yeah, just a couple small dents."
Looking at the Decepticon in such an undignified position made Lana snicker, "You know, for a giant, super advanced robot you sure are a klutz."
He gave her an incredulous look before resting his head back and laughing deeply. After a moment he extended his arm out as far as he could reach and placed her on the floor.
She snorted, "Don't fall again."
He groaned, "Oh you're so funny."
Throwing his legs around to one side, the blue Con sat up and rolled away from his chair. He sat on his hands and knees, ready to push himself up when the door to his quarters opened with a hiss. Thundercracker's head shot up, optics wide. Soundwave was darkening the doorway.
"What's the meaning of this?" the Seeker demanded, standing up and placing his body in a position to hide Lana from view.
"Quarter inspection." Soundwave replied flatly.
"On what grounds?" the blue Seeker challenged.
Soundwave merely lowered his head a bit, "You are suspected to have contraband. Ravage detected an unusually strong scent of human leading to your quarters." the communications officer explained."
Thundercracker's spark fell, squirming uncomfortably in its casing. Damn Ravage to the pit! He followed Lana's scent from the cargo bay! How could he have been so stupid to miss that?
"I don't HAVE any contraband." he lied.
"Step outside Thundercracker." Soundwave flashed his visor, "Or I'll throw you out."
Thundercracker was torn. Soundwave would find Lana, no question there. Then he'd certainly find her enclosure. And if he found Lana he'd terminate her. He couldn't let him kill his pet. But...he was a Decepticon solider sworn to obey the faction leaders. To defend his pet would certainly go against the code of his brethren and brand him as weak; a death sentence among such vicious comrades.
Before Thundercracker could make much of a choice on the matter he was struck by a mainframe shaking vibration. He winced, lowering his head as Soundwave beat him down with his sound.
"Surrender the contraband."
"No..." Thundercracker hissed.
The blue Seeker's afterburners lit and suddenly he unleashed a sonic boom. Soundwave flew back through the door and hit the opposite wall of the corridor. Thundercracker stormed after him, wings and thrusters flaring against his back. Soundwave recovered quickly throwing his arms up and slamming Thundercracker with a massive audio pulse. The blue Seeker hit the wall, his metal ringing.
"Surrender the contraband." Soundwave demanded once again.
Thundercracker dropped low, swinging his leg around to knock Soundwave off of his feet, but the mech dodged it. Returning the attack Soundwave swung his leg and hit the Seeker in the shoulder. He followed through with a right hook to Thundercracker's helmet. Roaring, Thundercracker's fists whirled, slamming the masked face repeatedly.
The two fought until suddenly Soundwave slammed Thundercracker to the wall and grabbed the side of his helmet, inserting his metal probes. Stunned, the blue Seeker went limp as the telepath scanned his mainframe, selecting the information he sought.
"Get...out...of...my head." Thundercracker growled, trying to reboot his motor controls.
The probe only lasted a few brief moments before Soundwave released him, dropping the Seeker's body to the corridor floor. Thundercracker's motor relays were still sluggish as he pushed himself up.
"Contraband will be confiscated and brought to Megatron," the telepath hummed. "Ravage, eject. Operation: retrieve the human."
Flying gracefully out of his master's chest compartment, Ravage bounded into Thundercracker's quarters. In only a couple minutes Lana cried out and the metal panther returned, dragging the young woman by the back of her pants.
Thundercracker was on his hands and knees, still trying to regain motor control, "Give her back."
Ravage leaped straight off the ground and tossed his head, pitching Lana into Soundwave's awaiting hand.
The telepath gripped her and replied, "Request denied. Human is now confiscated."
With that, Soundwave walked away leaving Thundercracker alone.
...
Lana was so scared she could barely control herself as she was carried through the corridors by the faceless mech. His grip was too firm, almost crushing. She knew there was no escape. It had finally happened: Thundercracker got caught with her and now it seemed they would both pay the price. Part of her wanted to blame Thundercracker for being so foolish and selfish with her. But then again he was someone wounded by loneliness; logic didn't factor in.
Though she knew it would be a waste of breath she asked, "Where are you taking me?"
Naturally Soundwave didn't answer her. He moved through the corridors and eventually strode into a wide transparent tube. Before Lana could react the tube hummed and Soundwave levitated upward. It was like an elevator or a giant vacuum delivery system. If she weren't so frightened she most certainly would've thought the whole experience was fascinating. The tube's light dimmed and Soundwave stepped out, marching onward until he arrived at a very large metal door marked with bold purple Decepticon insignias. Soundwave placed his finger on a slick panel and it lit up.
"What is it Soundwave?" Megatron's graveled voice demanded.
"Reporting on contraband search," he answered.
A non-excited sigh hissed through the speaker, "Come in and deliver your report."
Lana instantly recognized the voice of the Decepticon leader and instantly she knew: she was going to die.
...
Megatron didn't like to hear contraband reports. Soundwave had to deliver them daily and most of the time it only reinforced the warlord's notion that his troops were undisciplined morons. Rumble and Frenzy were the worst offenders of being caught with contraband with Skywarp in second. Megatron bet a store of Energon those little imbeciles had found something new to amuse themselves with and now HE had to hear about it. He was the most feared tyrant in the known galaxy, not a Sparkling sitter for mechs who didn't know the meaning of distancing themselves from the cultures and species they were sought to conquer!
Soundwave approached his planning table and he rolled his hand in a come hither gesture, "All right Soundwave what is it THIS time?"
Curtly Soundwave plunked a small human female down on the holographic mapping table in front of him. Megatron's optics widened minutely and then narrowed.
"Who had this?" his tone was low.
"Thundercracker."
Megatron quirked a disbelieving brow, "You didn't get this off of Skywarp?"
"Negative. It was found in Thundercracker's quarters."
The Decepticon commander drummed his fingers with irritation, "Send him up here immediately."
"As you command."
Lana cowered on her knees before the titanic Decepticon leader. She wanted to shrink down so small she disappeared. But nothing could hide her from those scathing red eyes. He lifted his hand to her.
...
The inevitable call made it to Thundercracker.
"Thundercracker, report to Lord Megatron's quarters."
The blue Seeker dropped his head a bit, drawing a long intake through his vents as he trudged to the nearest transport tube. He'd finally regained all of his motor control but now he was having trouble steadying his thoughts. Lana was going to be terminated and he was going to get it. Megatron would probably beat the living slag out of his plating or assign him a nonstop work regiment until he succumbed to energy drain and dropped. Maybe both. Bringing human items on the ship carried the punishment of extra work and sometimes worse depending on what it was used for. Bringing a live human into the Nemesis was probably more severe.
He knew the price. He knew from the very moment the idea of a pet asserted itself in his mainframe. But he didn't care. He'd never cared. Now...
At last he made it to Megatron's personal quarters and hesitantly touched his finger to the call screen.
"That had better be you Thundercracker." his leader growled, not bothering to hide his irritation.
"Yes sir."
"Enter."
The door hissed open with a bang revealing the dark interior of Megatron's quarters. Various cannons, monitors, and energy weapons lined the walls. No Decepticon truthfully knew where Megatron recharged. He didn't trust his own soldiers enough to not assassinate him. It was suspected he recharged in a different place every time the need arose to avoid predictability. This planning room was the closest thing to "personal quarters" Thundercracker was aware of. Before him lay the holographic mapping table, casting its light on the darkness of the room. Behind the table glowed Megatron's menacing eyes amid his looming dark figure. Soundwave stood by the table, ever attentive to his leader's whims. Thundercracker cast him a baleful stare but quickly assumed a militant stance.
"Soundwave, you are dismissed."
"As you command." the monotonic mech complied, exiting the room.
Megatron's gaze slanted back to Thundercracker, his metal face lengthened by a spiteful frown. He leaned forward and held up his hand. Between his fingers he held Lana...surprisingly still alive.
"WHAT is the meaning of THIS?" the Decepticon leader stipulated, thrusting Lana toward him.
Thundercracker assumed an even more rigid attitude. He wasn't asking him.
"I would expect this nonsense from Skywarp, NOT you." he leaned back, "Explain to me WHY you defied my rule of NOT bringing humans onto my ship."
Now he was asking.
"I...I just wanted a pet, Sir. I never meant to defy your authority."
Before he could react Megatron lifted his huge arm cannon and fired one shot, grazing the Seeker's shoulder enough to make him flinch.
"By bringing THIS onto MY ship you have defied my authority you imbecile!"
Thundercracker tightened his mouth components, "Forgive me, Lord Megatron."
The tyrant sat back in his chair, rolling Lana introspectively between his fingers, "You know the penalty for being caught with contraband Thundercracker."
"Yes Sir." the Seeker's tone fell, knowing the inevitable was about to happen.
Megatron kept toying with the human in his hand a moment and then said, "Soundwave reports he scanned your mainframe and discovered something very interesting."
Thundercracker wasn't sure what he meant.
"According to him, this little creature was responsible for detecting the unstable Energon cube in Cargo Bay 3. Is it true?"
"Yes. Yes, Sir." a light of hope pierced through the darkness, "If she hadn't found the bad Energon, Skywarp and I wouldn't have detected it in time."
The room grew heavy with a strange silence before Megatron flicked Lana from his hand, sending her skittering across the table. She barely stopped short of the edge. The Decepticon leader narrowed his optics.
"Then its reward is a temporary reprieve from termination." he concluded.
"Sir?" Thundercracker was dumbfounded.
"If it discovered the faulty cube then it stands to reason this human saved the Energon supply, meager as it is." Megatron said with no definitive emotion. "Impossible to believe a human could be...useful."
Thundercracker had to keep himself from smiling as he picked Lana up, "She is very useful, Lord Megatron. I could use her to detect more faulty..."
"No." was the dropped reply.
Thundercracker seemed to visibly jerk under the harsh word.
"I never said you could keep that thing." Megatron lowered his voice and stood up. "By keeping that thing as a pet you weaken our cause. There shall be no weakness in our ranks. Understand Thundercracker, you are a good soldier, the most level-headed of my aerial strike force. I cannot have your judgment and fighting ability falter because you have been softened by emotion." He took on a thoughtful expression, "Perhaps when we've finished conquering this planet and have put an end to the Autobots once and for all, you can have a human pet." Megatron's expression hardened to steel as he pointed to the door, "But until that time, you will get it off my ship this instant and I don't want to see anymore humans in your possession."
"But Sir, I..."
The warlord's cannon lifted slightly, "Thundercracker, my generosity has fine limits—do NOT test them."
"Y—Yes Lord Megatron." was the Seeker's defeated reply.
Megatron sat in his chair and picked up a data pad "Take that thing back wherever you found it and when you get back report to Starscream for your work regiment. Is that CLEAR?"
Thundercracker lowered his head, "Yes Sir."
The Seeker left his leader's quarters silently and with heavy, slow steps. He absently stroked Lana's back, not looking at her. His Spark chamber weighed so heavily in his chest he thought it would surely snap its supports and drop to the deck plates.
Lana wasn't sure what just happened since the whole altercation was spoken in that strange robotic language the Decepticons used. Though she didn't understand a word, it sounded angry and very tense. But whatever the case, she was alive. She was so sure facing the Decepticon leader would be the end of her, but instead she was with Thundercracker again. However, the conversation certainly affected the blue Con. His optics were dim and strangely sad looking—if that were possible on the robotic face. He wasn't looking at her.
"What did he say?" Lana finally asked.
Thundercracker didn't answer her. He wouldn't even look at her as he made his way into a transport tube.
She quirked her head and smacked his fingers, "Hey! What did he say? What's wrong?"
His optics briefly shifted down at her and silently he placed her in his cockpit.
"Hey! Talk to me! What's going on?" the redhead demanded, banging on his glass hood.
"Not now Lana," he finally answered flatly.
Lana huffed indignantly, her curiosity unsatisfied and very frustrated. Thundercracker exited the transport tube and Lana instantly recognized the launching bay just ahead of them.
"You're going flying?"
"Yeah...we're going flying," he replied with no amount of enthusiasm.
Jogging up the ramp, Thundercracker jumped, transformed, and shot out of the launching bay into the dusky sky. Silently the jet Con cruised above the clouds while Lana awkwardly remained quiet as well. She wanted to know what was spoken between him and Megatron. It obviously wasn't good for him to act so distant.
They flew for almost a half hour until the sun was just peeking over the horizon. Thundercracker gently descended, transformed, and landed on the ground. He opened his cockpit and fished Lana out. He stroked her a few times, optics dim.
"All right! What's going on? What did Megatron say?" Lana demanded tersely.
Thundercracker cupped her in both hands and leaned way down. He placed his hands on the ground and slowly parted them, depositing the young woman in the grass.
Then he stood up and flicked his hand, "Go on."
"What?" Lana brushed herself off.
"Go on!" he repeated more loudly, "You're free."
"Free?" Lana turned her head and saw the lights of a city just over the hill. Her eyes widened in disbelief, "You...you're turning me loose?"
"That's right. Go! You're free now," he waved his hand and turned to walk away.
The young woman looked at the lights and then at him in shock, "But..." suddenly she bolted after him, trying to catch his impossibly long strides "WAIT! Where are you going?"
"Home," he succinctly answered.
She ran out in front of him and he stepped over her. Frustrated she tried to catch up with him again but he slammed his great foot down in front of her.
"GO Lana! You're free. I don't want you anymore!" he snapped pointing toward the city.
Lana stared up at him. The hurt that flickered in his optics was so apparent.
"But...why?"
His foot lifted and he "gently" shoved her away, sending her flying back on her back. "DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME? I DON'T WANT YOU ANYMORE! Go back where you came from!"
Lana sat up and was nearly bowled over by the backwash of Thundercracker's foot thrusters as he launched off the ground beyond the clouds.