A Human Friend (Sequel to A Pet Squishy)

I Found You

An hour 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."