Shadowfire

Chapter 34

"And you're all Decepticons?" The girl- Tessa- asked Rapidflare.
"All but Jazz yeah"
"All but me and Shad" Jazz piped up from where he was in conversation with Quarrel and Howler.
"Hey. Shadow's one of us" Barrage snapped from across the room.
"Cut it out" Screamer ordered, taking a break from his conversation with Yager Snr. and Optimus.
"You handle them well" Optimus said, and then their voices quieted below our hearing once more.

___________________

"We need to get away from here" Optimus announced "it is only a matter of time before we are tracked"
"Right, you know the drill" Screamer said "anything that bears trace of our presence here, scrap it"

"I want to go home" the teen hiccuped, burying her head in her father's shoulder.
"Tessa, honey, we can't go back" the man said gently, stroking her hair.
"The human male is right" Rapidflare told the girl.
"No! I want to go home! You can't keep me here"
"Who said we want you here?" Barricade asked, acknowledging the humans for the first time "after all your species has done to us? Who says we want anything to do with you at all?"
"Easy" Optimus rumbled warningly, but he was still gravely injured and everyone knew it "they risked their lives to save mine, I owe them a debt"
"It would be safer for all of us if we ditched 'em" Barrage said
"Scrap 'em more like"
"Leave the fleshlings alone" Rapidflare snapped
"Oh yeah? And who's gonna make me?"
"You gone soft on us?" Quarrel asked, getting in Rapidflare's face. The older mech engaged his cannons without breaking eye contact.
"Wanna find out?" He dared, menacing the other 'con.
"Enough!" Starscream snapped, grabbing both mechs and throwing them backwards "Rapidflare, you take the humans back to their property and dump them. Howler, you go with him"

Voices rose, both in agreement and in argument. Optimus' soft tones cut through them all like a hot shell through butter.
"I do not believe that is wise" Starscream levelled the Prime with a look.
"Wise or not, trusting humans is what got your side into this mess. I'm trying to keep my 'cons alive, how I do that is my business, not yours"
"It is when they're my allies"
"These two are not your allies Prime, your allies are gone, their own government turned on them"

I stepped forward. So this was it, honestly I'd been surprised Screamer and Optimus had gotten on for as long as they had.

Starscream turned to me.
"Tell him, tell him we can't just trust these humans like this"

I turned to look at Optimus, seeing the expectation that I agree with him in his optics.

"I was raised by humans, some of my best friends are human. But I always knew the species as a whole was not to be trusted, I was raised pretending to be human to protect myself from them. I don't think we should keep these ones with us, but I don't think we should run and hide again either. It's time we fought back"

Starscream turned to Rapidflare.
"Take them back. And when you return, we'll begin to move"

___________________

To say it was no small surprise when Rapidflare and Howler returned with both humans, and salvaged enemy tech was an understatement.

"Rapidflare, do you understand the Primus damned concept of ditching the liabilities?!" Starscream demanded, as the humans huddled behind him in fear of the Decepticon leader's anger.
"We found the wrecked drones" Howler explained "Yager thinks he can use them to help us move against the humans hunting us"
"And just why would a human betray their own species?" The mech asked, fixing an optic on the man, who straightened under the fear inspiring gaze.
"Because they went after my daughter, and I'm gonna need help to make them pay"