The World is on Fire

Chapter 6

Josephine's body shook so badly she couldn't walk more than a few steps without falling to the ground. Her hands and forearms were as red as a rose in full bloom and the pain throbbed in rhythm with the headache that had formed behind her eyes. The skin looked as though it could peel off if she so much as brushed against anything.

No Decepticon had ordered her to leave yet, and so she had sat on the newly cleaned floor, waiting as time ticked along to the beat of the slowest song imaginable. Pain had given way to a sickly feeling that seeped through her whole body, leaving her cold and hot and aching everywhere.

Silently, Josephine prayed that she would pass out so the misery that was her body would go away, however momentary that would be. But as she flicked her aching eyes back to Starscream and the group of Decepticons that he held court with, it occurred to her that he might devise some sort of worse misery for her to endure should she pass out now. So, to keep her eyes from falling shut, Josephine bit her tongue hard until the tang of iron filled her mouth. The pain making her flinch but keeping her awake, allowing her ears to tune back into the current conversation that had turned from alien gibberish to English. Josephine imagined that was intentional.

"Starscream, are you sure your human's not defective?"

Yes, very intentional. She gritted her teeth and tried to force herself to stop shaking but was unsuccessful.

There was a brief pause in the general chatter that had filled the room, and Josephine felt all eyes look at her. She wanted to shield herself from their stares. Hours ago it hadn't mattered to her much, but now that she looked particularly pathetic, Josephine had no desire for them to observe her in this state.

Blood stained her clothes and skin, and her fingernails were caked with it. Josephine was fairly certain her hair wasn't just damp from sweat either, as stray pieces clung to her face. The smell of the chemical—energon, they had called it, had yet to leave her nostrils, making her nearly choke each time she breathed.

"Perhaps, when Thundercracker caught her, it did something to her," Skywarp's distinct, booming voice shook the room along with a chorus of laughter that was immediately silenced by Starscream.

"The human is fine. Unless, the good doctor missed something?"

Knock Out's stammered answer nearly made Josephine rolled her eyes, but it would have hurt too much.

"The human is no doubt experiencing the side effects of Knock Out's energon concoction."

Josephine swore and held her hands close to her chest as a new wave of pain rolled through her body.

Starscream's low chuckle only made her headache worse, "It's toxic, but won't quite kill them. A useful way to keep them in line." There was a pause then a loud click as he snapped his fingers together, "Knock Out, I do want her hands to be operational, but don't diminish the pain."

Knock Out bowed his head, a smirk drifting to his mouth, "As you wish, Commander Starscream."

"Barricade, take the human back to the cells. I'm done with her...for now." A smile crawled up Starscream's face, and Josephine flinched as chills traveled up her spine.

She tried to walk, but her slow pace irked Barricade to the point where he picked her up, Josephine's hands screaming in protest as metal came into contact with her skin.

Delirium must have clouded her mind enough to not realize Knock Out had joined them at some point, because she wasn't aware of his presence until after she'd been practically tossed into the cell.

"Apply this to where your skin made contact with the energon," Knock Out set a metal canister beside her, "unless you would like to be rid of both of your hands and arms permanently."