Chapter 1 A Fresh Start.
Starscream woke up from recharge to the sound of a horn honking. He slowly climbed out of his berth and walked out of the old beat up building he had been living in.
It was in the ruins of what had once been the city of Voss his city that had been destroyed during the war. It was an old building that had somehow survived the destruction of the rest of the city.
Though not undamaged it was falling apart in places but Starscream had memorized the dangerous parts and knew where not to step for fear of falling trough the floor or stand in case the roof caved in. It wasn't perfect but it was out of the way enough for both Autobots and Decepticons to leave him alone.
Starscream made his way out the door to where the sound was coming from. And was then greeted by his friends Knock Out and Sky Fire.
After quitting the Decepticons Starscream had made up with Knock Out after he had treated him while he had spent sometime in a coma after he had fought Optimus Prime and Bumblebee and his team for control of some minicons.
And he had been happy to learn Sky Fire had survived after he thought the Autobot shuttle had perished in the war. But Starscream for once was glad to have been wrong.
"Knock Out do you have to honk your horn like that it's really annoying." Starscream groaned at the Austin Martin.
"Well I had to get you to wake up somehow." Knock Out teased his friend. "Your going to sleep your life away."
"Well it's not like I'd be missing much." Starscream vented. "It's not like anyone on Cybertron other than you two will ever accept me." "Not after all I've done."
"Starscream it's been years since the war ended it's a new Cybertron." Sky Fire told him. "They let you have your freedom instead of locking you in a cell or stasis pod."
"Only because you and Knock Out vouched for me and said you'd both take responsibility for any misdeeds I did." Starscream said a bit sadly. "And I'm grateful but you two really shouldn't put your necks out for me with my record."
"Starscream you haven't done anything wrong since the minicon incident with Optimus and Bumblebee's team." Knock Out tried to reassure the seeker. "Why don't you take us up on the offer we gave you and join the Autobots?"
"You know they wouldn't want me on their side all I do is mess things up and hurt people." Starscream said letting his wings drop. "The answer is no to have me on your side is to have a virus."
"That's not true Starscream your turning yourself around or you wouldn't be thinking that way and feeling bad for your passed actions." Sky Fire told Starscream.
"It's true Screamer your better than you think you are." Knock Out added. Starscream your more then.." Then Starscream interrupted him.
"If you say meets the eye I'll pop your tires." The seeker threatened the red sports car who just smiled knowing it was an empty one.
"OK shutting up." The medic replied. "But please think about it." He added before he and Sky Fire went back to the Autobot base.
Later that night Starscream was about to go recharge when he heard a crash then ran outside to see what happened. And spotted another jet mode who he recognized.
"Windblade?" "What happened to you?" He asked helping the femme to her peds only for her to almost fall back down.
"I was shot down by Springer." She explained.
"But these are peace times and last time I checked you two were on the same side why would he open fire on you?" Asked Starscream now confused as he took her inside his building where it was safer till he could call her some help.
"Mind control operation several Autobots and Decepticons under their control!" Windblade told him. "Optimus Prime is missing!"
"Missing what happened to him?" Starscream asked. "And who's behind this mind control operation?"
"Don't know Optimus sent me this message and this was with it." She added handing him the Matrix of Leadership and a data-pad. Starscream read the message and it said.
"To whoever may be reading this I have yet to learn who bit someone is abducting both Autobots and Decepticons and doing something to their processors to force them to turn on their fellow cybertronians and for what I do not yet know but I fear not even I am safe so I want you to hide the Matrix of Leadership for it must not fall into enemy hands no matter the cost."
Then the message ended and Starscream look at it again then the Matrix. "Oh scrap this is bad." He vented.
"You have to hide the Matrix then go find Optimus." Windblade told him. Then he got a closer look at her and saw she was hurt.
"I'm taking you to a med bay first." He told her.
"There's no time!" She almost screamed.
Just then Red Alert suddenly let himself in.
"Hey you could have knocked." Starscream scolded him. "But you showed up at the right time Windblade needs a medic to look at her she was shot down and injured." He explained.
But then Starscream looked up and saw Red Alert had his blaster aimed at Windblade and was about to pull the trigger so he tackled him and fortunately made him miss and shoot the wall instead.
Now Starscream was struggling with the Autobot medic trying desperately not to hurt him or let him kill him or Windblade.
Starscream managed to knock him through one of the weak spots in the floor but Red Alert grabbed the seeker's ankle trying to drag him down with him.
But Starscream managed to kick him off and pull himself up but Red Alert also managed to get back out of the hole that was now in the floor.
Then Starscream shoved him causing him to fly backwards into a wall where part of the roof fell in on him.
"Guess it was actually a good thing this building is falling apart." Starscream said vicariously as he then walked over to check on the downed Autobot knowing Red Alert was under mind control and the attack wasn't his fault.
But that was a mistake because suddenly Red Alert grabbed the seeker in a choke hold and was trying to literally rip his head off. But suddenly Starscream heard a zap and Red Alert fell to the ground unconscious.
The seeker looked up to see Knock Out, Sky Fire and Ratchet standing there. Knock Out put away his energon prob that he had just used to knock out Red Alert before helping Starscream up. Who explained everything to the three of them.
But was surprised to learn they already knew and told him everyone on Cybertron was currently fighting amongst themselves because several bots were under mind control and suddenly turned on their friends, family or coworkers. And the planet was in chaos.
Starscream told them about Optimus and the Matrix and they agreed they had to hide the Matrix and decided Starscream, Sky Fire and Knock Out would go to Earth to get Bumblebee's team to help them.
While Ratchet who was currently treating Windblade and trying to figure out a way to reverse the mind control on Red Alert as well as the others being effected. Would stay knowing with all the fighting they would need a medic on Cybertron.
A few minutes later Knock Out was driving through Iacon on his way to get energon and medical tools the their journey to Earth.
They were going to take a space bridge to Earth then travel to the scrap yard where Bumblebee and his team was. Because bridging straight there could lead or give their enemies a way right to Bumblebee's team.
So the supplies were for their trip to the scrap yard. It didn't take Knock Out long to find what he needed and put it in his subspace.
Then he started to head back to where the others were waiting for him. But found his path blocked by several bots from both factions fighting each other do to not only the mind control but paranoia. They couldn't tell who was under mind control and who wasn't.
Knock Out was just trying to stay out of it even though he wanted to break up those fights and make sure none of the cybertronians involved were hurt but his current mission was more important.
He hated this their planet had finally been at peace for the most part then this happened.
Everyone was fighting and it felt like the war had just started over. And it pained his spark to see friends fighting and turning on each other. He even saw Jazz and Prowl fighting each other because Prowl was under mind control and Jazz wasn't.
And Tigatron and Air Razor were also fighting only Tigatron who wasn't under mind control like his lover kept begging her to stop and refusing to strike her back.
As he continued to drive Knock Out was now fighting back coolant tears he couldn't stand seeing friends and lovers now trying to pound each other to scrap.
He transformed to his cybertronian mode and fell to his knees sobbing and just cried for a few minutes before managing to pull himself together.
Then he got up to go back on his way knowing the others needed him so he started to transform back to his vehicle mode. Only to be punched in the face by a white, yellow and neon green femme.
"I know your behind this con!" She hissed at him.
"I'm on your side I switched sides after the war and neither of us are under mind control we should be working together to fix this." Knock Out tried to explain but the femme wouldn't have any of it.
Knock Out kept having to duck and dodge blaster fire and block kicks and punches the femme kept throwing at him.
Then they ended up fighting in the Hall of Records next to the space bridge Bumblebee and his team had gone to Earth through. And it some how got activated and the cordnets switched right before they both rolled through it and it deactivated behind them.
And they both looked up just in time to see the space bridge portal disappear.
"No!" They both yelled at once. "Look what you did!" They both kept screaming the same thing at the same time. "I did?" "This is all your fault!" "Spot saying what I'm saying!"
"We need to stop fighting and find a way back my team needs me to help them save Cybertron." Knock Out tried again to explain.
"Stop it all you cons ever do is lie!" The femme continued to scream at him. "And I'm not letting you fool me Spotlight isn't easy to fool." She added pointing at herself.
"We're on Earth just not sure which part yet." Knock Out commented ignoring Spotlight's rant.
"Oh scrap I think this is a medical emergency." Knock Out said looking at her with wide optics having suddenly noticed her condition after their fight. His drill had been activated at one point when she jumped him.
"Oh like I'm really gonna fall for a lame trick like that." She hissed as she placed a servo on her side only to left it up and see it covered with energon as her face fell. "Oh scrap." She said before fainting.
Then Knock Out got to work trying to treat the injuries he'd accidentally caused.
Meanwhile back on Cybertron Starscream and Sky Fire had been waiting next to the space bridge portal they were going to take to Earth for Knock Out to get back.
And had gotten worried when he had been gone for awhile and Starscream had tried to call him only to get no response and his signal wasn't showing up on their scanners.
"No." Starscream said softly hanging his helm.
"Don't worry Cybertron is a big place he could just be out of range." Sky Fire tried to reassure his friend.
But suddenly two bots they recognized from the war showed up Lockdown and Bludgeon and they could tell they weren't under mind control but also weren't on their side.
"We'll take the Matrix." Bludgeon growled as he and Lockdown started to attack Starscream and Sky Fire.
"Get the Matrix out of here." Sky Fire told Starscream as he quickly activated the space bridge. "I'll hold them off."
"I'm not leaving with out you not again!" Starscream cried almost in tears remembering the last time he'd left his friend when he had been frozen in ice on Earth.
"You have to Cybertron depends on them not getting the Matrix I know you have good in you and you've changed for the better now show everyone else." Sky Fire told Starscream as he put the Matrix in his servo and pushed him through the space bridge.
The last thing Starscream saw before the space bridge closed was Bludgeon use his sword to stab Sky Fire through the spark chamber right before Sky Fire shot the space bridge control panel and then the light faded from his optics as his spark was extinguished.
And that was the last Starscream saw before the space bridge closed and he found himself in Earth.
"Nooo!" Starscream screamed at the sky then the seeker just fell to his knees and covered his face with his servos.
But then he picked himself up and went to hide the Matrix knowing he had to make sure it was safe. Then find Bumblebee and his team to let them know what the situation on Cybertron was. He was determined to complete the mission knowing his home planet depended on it and that it had also been Sky Fire's last wish of him.
Sky Fire was dead, Cybertron was in chaos and he didn't know where Knock Out was it in what condition assuming the cherry coloured mech was even alive. For all Starscream knew both his friends might be dead. But he didn't have time to grieve right now he had a mission to complete and if he got the chance he'd avenge them.
To Be Continued.
"Hope you like the story so far." "Please send feedback." "I'm already working on chapter two and hoping to have it up very soon."