A Human Friend: Chapter 12

A Human Friend
"Chapter 12: I Found You"

A few hours later…

Ben tapped his fingers nervously against his numb knee. For a whole hour he'd sat on the cold concrete floor in a terrifying wait with this giant robot who'd taken up temporary residence in his hanger. The rain still pattered against the roof so the blue mechanoid hadn't made any move to leave. Ben prayed for the rain to stop and this brief hostage situation to end. Of course, Ben wasn't sure if he could take this robot at his word.

What if he didn't leave? Would he kill him anyway? How long could he wait before he had to go to the bathroom or start to get hungry and thirsty?

The old man would briefly look over at his dangerous "guest". He was really big, probably above thirty feet if he stood up. But he didn't look at all like the pristine, indestructible monsters that had been shown on the news. This robot looked like he'd been run through a metal chopper and dragged down the highway a few miles. It was strange but Ben recognized the pieces of the mech to be those of an F-16; a very beat up F-16. The jagged stubs jutting from his back and the broken glass of a cockpit left little doubt to the old pilot that the robot was indeed a plane. It was strange and yet…fascinating. Ben had flown planes for the better half of his life and he never once imagined one getting up and walking around, much less being able to talk.

After such a long silence the old man summoned up some courage to speak.

Ben licked his dry lips and said with a hard tone, "You were one of those New York attackers weren't you? Took out the Brooklyn Bridge and most the major cities in the world. Killed lots of innocent people."

Thundercracker narrowed his optics slightly.

Though the more sensible voice in Ben's head begged him not to say it, he did anyway, "When that happened, I thought there wasn't any justice in this world," he gave Thundercracker a pointed glare, "Guess I stand corrected."

The mech's red eyes lit up brighter as he menacingly leaned forward, "What was that flesh sack? Speak up."

Ben scooted backward and buttoned his lip. He hoped his mouth hadn't just signed his death certificate. Much to his relief the damaged robot didn't move any closer, just gave him a stare that would make the Devil flinch.

"Yeah. That's what I THOUGHT." the mech snarled, "Just keep your little comments to yourself. I'm in no mood."

The old man took the hint and remained silent, that is, until the robot began to scoot toward his other plane. Thundercracker moved around the first plane and settled down next to the second. He gripped the base of the tail fin and effortlessly turned the large machine so the fuel tank was more accessible.

"Hey…HEY!" Ben shouted, climbing to his feet as fast as his elderly body would allow, "Those are MY planes! Leave them alone!"

"I don't want your planes. I want the fuel." Thundercracker explained shortly.
Ben looked at the punctured fuel tank of his first plane and didn't have to guess what was in store for the other. A punctured fuel tank was a VERY serious problem and an expensive fix. He didn't need two busted fuel tanks.

"WHOA! WHOA! Wait! Wait! If all you want is the fuel you can have it! Just don't damage my other plane." Ben begged.

The blue Decepticon looked at the human who was boldly moving toward the targeted Cessna.

"Look, I'll just open the fuel tank and you can have the fuel. Ok?" the old man offered with raised hands.

Thundercracker snorted, "I don't need YOUR help to get fuel."

"I—I never said you did. But these planes…they're all I've got. You don't have to break them to get the fuel."

The Decepticon grumbled to himself but grudgingly used the tip of his finger to unscrew the fuel cap. He connected his fuel receptor and speedily drained the tank.

Ben shook his head with incredulity but mumbled, "If you could open the cap from the start, why did you have to puncture the tank?"

When the tank hissed with emptiness, Thundercracker withdrew from his refueling and leaned against the hangar wall, feeling much better with a fuller tank. His systems were out of danger from shutting down from lack of energy; at least for now. He winced, the pain in his back a sharp reminder of the loss his frame suffered.

How was he going to repair his broken wings?

Thundercracker very much doubted after a year being grounded that any Decepticons remained. Not that it mattered. If there were Decepticons on Earth he couldn't get help from them. He was… a traitor. As distasteful as the thought sounded, that's how his comrades viewed him. A traitor was worse than an Autobot.

The Autobots—another sickening notion. Thundercracker shook his head. Even if there were Autobots on Earth able to repair him they'd never do it. He was a Decepticon with millions of years of vendettas set against him. If they caught him; a Seeker; flightless and crippled they'd just throw him in a cell until he could be executed as a war criminal. They wouldn't waste time or resources repairing him…even if he begged. Not that he'd ever humiliate himself in such a manner.

He glanced at the broken stubs over each shoulder with misery. He could fix minor injuries but repairing his wings in such a damaged state was beyond his capabilities. Then he looked at the pair of Cessnas sitting on either side of him. Even IF he could scrounge up the parts for an armature his nanites could grow over he'd never be able to connect them, not without help. The Seeker lowered his head dismally. All his Seeker life he'd scorned the flightless. He'd been freed long ago from the shackles the ground thrust upon him and ironically gravity had caught him again. He was trapped, grounded on a hostile alien planet. No one was going to help him and no one was coming back for him. He was on his own.
…

Out on the highway not more than an hour later…

Lana tapped her steering wheel in a bored fashion as she traversed the long empty highway between her parent's farm and her old college town, which was still in a constant state of rebuilding even after a year. It had been strange and surreal traversing the streets that were at last clear but still held remnants of the destruction. It would be many more years until the town was unscarred and whole again. But it was looking much better.

As she drove her windshield began to dot with rain. She sighed and turned on the wipers only to be greeted by a veritable torrent of rain.

"Geez." Lana commented, turning the wipers on full blast and slowing down. "Crazy weather."

Lana watched the monotonous stream of rain against her windshield and drove a few more miles. Suddenly something flashed in her headlights and was followed by an unsettling loud bang to the front of her car.

"SHIT!" she swerved slightly, slamming on the brakes.

The sound of metal grinding made her wince as she skidded to a halt. Luckily there was no oncoming traffic to hit when she stopped in the center of the road.

"What the hell did I just hit?" Lana commented, looking out her back window.

But in the dark rain she couldn't see anything. Grumbling she threw her jacket over her head and got out to assess the damage to her car. She was wet the moment she climbed out and moved toward the front. When she got there she saw what looked like a big sheet of metal jammed under the front bumper.

She cursed again and grabbed the debris, wrenching out from under her car. With a grunt she held up the scrap in the headlight beam to see exactly what it could be. Her eyes widened when she noted the intense blue color.

"No…no it…it couldn't be." Lana thought.

The color was very similar but then again blue wasn't that uncommon. She held onto the scrap and stared off down the road. Another piece of metal glistened in the high beams. Lana ran to collect it. It too was partially blue.

"No. Don't be stupid Lana. These aren't his," she chided herself.

Suddenly something on the edge of the road caught her attention. She trotted over and saw what looked like a hole embedded into the loose gravel on the side of the highway. She stared at it. No…it wasn't JUST a hole. The edges were too perfect. It looked like…a print.

Though her mind was constantly denying it Lana still couldn't shake the notion. Was it possible? Was he here?

Lana immediately ran back to her car, tossed the two blue scraps of metal in the back, and drove down the road again, eyes scanning for more evidence. Even in the rain she spotted a few smaller scraps of metal littered intermittently down the stretch of road.

Like a trail of bread crumbs…

Finally Lana came across the same decrepit gas station she passed almost every time she visited her parents. It had been out of business since the early 80s but no one had bothered to bulldoze the place. It just sat, decaying and empty as nature slowly reclaimed it. But nature had nothing to do with the sight she beheld. The twin pumps were gone, replaced by two gaping holes in the concrete slab in which they had been embedded.
That wasn't like that when she drove out here last.

The doubts in Lana's mind were growing increasingly quieter. She scanned the area and then noticed a far off light a few miles off of the highway. Not wasting any time she spun her tires and sped toward it.
…

Ben was keeping an eye on his captor. The blue mechanoid had drained both of his planes' fuel tanks like they were cans of pop and now it looked tired. Did robots get tired? Maybe his batteries were low? If that was the case he might just be able to sneak out and escape.

All at once the robot's head perked with alertness.

"A vehicle," he stated simply and then gave the old man a suspicious stare, "Expecting someone?"

Ben shook his head adamantly, "P-Probably just some lost tourists. They-they stop here sometimes to ask for directions."

Thundercracker listened as the vehicle came closer to the hangar and gradually began to slow its engine speed.

"Just keep quiet until they leave. Got it?"

Ben nodded even though he desperately wanted to scream for help. But that wasn't a healthy idea considering his company. Then again, he might be dead anyway. Outside, they both heard the car stop and idle. Ben couldn't hear it but Thundercracker could hear the intruding human hop out of the vehicle and knock on the door of the nearby house. Several second ticked by and the Decepticon thought the human outside would give up and leave. But instead the footfalls in the gravel came closer to the hangar. He gave the old man a deadly glare that told him to keep quiet.

There was a knock on the access door. Neither of them moved or made a sound. For a moment TC tried to online his weapons but they were non responsive. If the intruder tried to come in by force he'd have to move fast.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?"

Thundercracker's head perked sharply.

"Open the door." he commanded in a hushed whisper.

Ben blinked his dark eyes with confusion, "Huh?"

"OPEN…the door."

The old man swallowed hard and slowly moved to the access door. Whoever the young woman was, he was going to have to keep her out of the hangar at all costs so she wouldn't end up in the same predicament. He slowly opened the door.

A soaked young woman with white skin and red hair greeted him. She smiled in a friendly way.

"Hi. I'm sorry to disturb you sir but…have you seen or heard anything unusual tonight?" she inquired.

Ben shook his head and lied, "Can't say I have Miss."

There was something in the old black man's eyes that made Lana suspicious. He looked a bit shaken, like he was hiding something.

"You're sure?"

"Sorry, I can't help you. You should go. I-I have things to do," he replied, trying to shut the door.

But before he could succeed Lana caught sight of the dark form looming in the back of the hangar. Using her foot she jammed open the door and slid in.

Ben grabbed her arm to try and stop her, "No! Don't!"

She wrenched her arm from him and strode toward the back of the darkened hangar until a pair of familiar red eyes glowed forth. Her hand flew to her mouth to suppress the gasp. The red lights narrowed in a squint.


"TC?" she all but whispered. "Is that you?"

The crimson optics widened at the sound of her voice, "Lana?"

Lana instinctually drew back when his large black hand reached out of the darkness toward her. But instead of picking her up, his hand paused a few feet in front of her as if in disbelief.

"Are-are you really there?" he questioned.

She slowly reached out and touched one of his fingers, "Yes. I'm really here."

He withdrew his hand and looked at her standing before him, "How—how did you find me?"

"A trail of bread crumbs," she smiled in an almost whimsical way.

"Huh?"

"Never mind, it doesn't matter." She waved her hand dismissively, "I…I can't believe it's you. I thought…I thought you had left when the other Decepticons went away."

The blue mech shook his head, "No. I didn't leave."

"Then you've been on Earth this whole time?"

He nodded.

She was about to ask another question when a slight discomfort invaded her mind.  She turned back to the old man who was watching the whole exchange with astonishment.

"Turn on the lights please," she requested again.

"NO." Thundercracker shook his head obstinately. "Leave them off."

Ben obeyed the larger being and kept his hand well away from the switch.

Lana shook her head in the almost dark, "But… I can't see you very well."

"You don't need to see me."

Lana frowned, "Why not?"

He didn't answer. Not being the type of girl to take silence as an adequate answer, she marched over to the switch herself.

"Lana, don't!" was the mech's protest but the lights clicked on, bathing him in their radiance.

He flinched, shielding his optics. Lana's jaw dropped slowly, her eyes wide at what she saw.

"Oh, TC…" she gasped.

Thundercracker was a wreck. His metal body was cracked, ripped, and very dirty. The golden cockpit of his chest was shattered. But most noticeably were the horrible torn stumps where his wings had once spread. It looked like someone had smacked him with a wrecking ball and then went after him with a dull hacksaw. Lana had never seen the Decepticon in such a horrendous condition. Thundercracker slowly lowered his arm, his face the very portrait of shame. He wouldn't look at the young woman as he stared down at the concrete floor.

"TC…" Lana whispered in horror, "Oh my God, what happened to you?

"Don't." he growled.

"What?"

His eyes glowed brighter and then they switched off, "I don't want your pity."

Lana shook her head, "It's not pity TC."

"Then WHAT is it then?"

"I-I'm just concerned for you. You look hurt."

"Sounds like pity to me," he stated with a hard tone.

Lana sighed, "You disappeared and now I find you here a year later all busted up. I-I just want to know what happened to you."

There was a long pause from the blue Decepticon until finally he admitted, "I was…shot down. I just came online not more than eight hours ago."

"Who shot you down?" Lana asked.

She honestly didn't believe the military had been able to cause that kind of damage on Thundercracker. The Decepticons seemed all but impervious to conventional ammunition. But…it wasn't totally out of the question. Maybe the crash itself had done that damage.

Thundercracker looked at her and then looked at the floor as he lied, "I don't know. I got shot down and I came online today, that's all."

There was another long pause and Ben, who had been silently listening to the whole exchange, decided to break it, "You mean you were wounded and none of the other robots came to get you?"

Thundercracker gave the old man a cursory glance and lowered his optics with a twitch of his mouth components. He shook his head slowly.

Lana remembered how the Seeker had described his faction's callous treatment of its wounded. It was never more evident than in the broken blue giant that sat before her.

With a few more steps Lana was right next to his foot. She laid a hand on his metal.

"Are you in pain?" she asked.

His red optics blinked, "Pain is irrelevant."

"Can you walk?"

He nodded.

Just then his systems told him he needed to go into recharge for awhile while his fuel was converting and also to allow his nanites to begin repairing the superficial damage to his structure.

"I need to rest a bit, Lana."

"Oh. Of course."

"You're not going to leave while I'm recharging?" he asked.

"No." she assured, "I'll just have a chat with this man."

Thundercracker looked at Ben pointedly to remind him of his earlier warning. The old man didn't miss it. Slowly the Decepticon leaned against the hangar wall and began to power down.

Lana sighed, her mind trying to formulate some kind of plan of action. Thus far it was a muddy mess with only a vague semblance of order. But it was all she could come up with on such short notice.

"Is he…asleep?" Ben whispered uneasily.

Lana nodded and approached the old man who had been unwittingly ostracized from most of their conversation, "I'm sorry. My name is Lana. What's your name?"

"Ben, miss. Ben Huxley." he dipped his head respectfully.

She shook his hand and then gestured back to the mech, "His name is Thundercracker."

"It-it fits." Ben admitted.

Lana took a breath and approached him speaking in a quiet voice, "Ben, I know this is probably really confusing and most likely freaking you out, but could we talk?"

He nodded, not sparing the recharging Decepticon a nervous glance before he sat on a work stool.

Lana leaned against the work bench and said, "I need your help Ben."

"My help?"

She nodded, "Could- could TC stay here in your hangar?"

The man's eyes widened considerably.

"Just one more day!" she assured, "Just until I get something lined out for him."

Again the man looked like someone had dropped a hand grenade in his lap, "Are you crazy Miss? You want me to house that two-story murderer one day just so YOU can take him home later!?"

"He's not like that." she explained.

"Oh no? Were you not on the same planet I was a year ago?" Ben raised his bushy brows and leaned forward pointing with intense whispers, "He and the rest of those giant arsenals almost destroyed the Earth as we know it and you want to take one home like it's a stray puppy?"

Lana nodded, "I know how it looks...and he was part of that. But TC isn't like those others."

Ben gave her a look that said 'Yeah right, you're out of your mind.'

"Look, he's not going to hurt you. He just…he's just gruff and a bit thoughtless at times but he's not all that bad."

"Really?" Ben asked with sarcasm, "Then how come he's got me held hostage in my own hangar?"

"Hostage?"

"He said I don't leave this shed until he does. Told me not to tell anyone he was here or I'd regret it." the old man explained quietly.

Lana glanced over at Thundercracker who was recharging.

"Geez TC, great job making 'nice' with the locals."

She shook her head, "Ok. I don't doubt what you're saying Ben, but…"

"I'm sorry Miss Lana. I ain't housing that monster any longer than I have to."

The redhead looked down and pursed her lips, "I…I'll pay you to house him."

Ben laughed shortly, "No amount of money can turn me crazy."

An idea popped into Lana's head and her conscience told her not to do it to the old man, but it had worked for Thundercracker once. She sighed and started walking toward the door.

"Where are you going Miss Lana?" Ben asked with surprise.

"I'm going home." Lana stated simply.

The old man shook his balding head, "You…you can't leave. You told him you wouldn't go."

"Well, I'm sure when he wakes up you can explain to him that I left. I'm sure that'll put him in a great mood." She explained opening the door and threatening to slam it loudly.

Ben looked over at Thundercracker fearfully; just envisioning what that brute would do if he woke up and found this young woman gone.

"ONE day." He conceded. "One day is all he gets."

Lana came back with a nod of agreement, "I'll have him out by tomorrow night. Thank you Ben."

He shook his head wearily and massaged the bridge of his nose, "I must be going senile…"
…

As Thundercracker continued his recharge, Lana's mind was overflowing with plans and thoughts. It was so strange seeing him again. She couldn't say she was unhappy to see him but she wasn't one hundred percent glad either. She had been thoroughly convinced he was gone forever and now there he sat. It almost made her feel a bit guilty for condemning him a coward who just flew away when he in truth had been in some kind of robot "coma" this whole time.

This was certainly going to make her life a Hell of a lot more complicated. Why did she feel so compelled to help him? Wasn't she still mad at him or at the very least distrustful of him?

Perhaps...but no. She had forgiven him and that meant all wrongs were forgotten.

Lana looked over at Ben and felt bad for blackmailing him into housing the Decepticon. Establishing shelter for Thundercracker was no small favor and she wasn't even sure if SHE had a place big enough for him to stay in but she was willing to try. Not far from her parent's farm there was an old barn that had been long abandoned. It MIGHT be big enough for him to stay in…that is if it was still standing. She hadn't seen it in quite awhile so she wasn't sure of its condition.

That was Plan A.

Plan B…she needed a Plan B in case the first fell through. If the barn didn't work then…then…

Lana wracked her brain for other shelter possibilities. Then there was the fuel issue. Thundercracker was a big robot and she was pretty sure he had an appetite to match. How much fuel did regular jets need? Lana didn't have the slightest clue nor did she have any idea how she would pay for that kind of feeding. Filling her car a couple times a week was expensive enough with fuel prices skyrocketing. How was she going to keep TC "fed" when his fuel tank was probably triple the size of her car's tank? She'd probably go broke trying.

And that wasn't even the start of her worries. How was she going to keep a thirty-foot Decepticon hidden from a world determined to destroy any and all robots? Would he even accept her help? If he suddenly fell "ill" because of his wounds (did robots get infections?) would she be able to do anything for him?

The worries and questions were numerous.

A small ironic laugh escaped her. "My… how the tables had turned."