-1Here's the start of the next part of the trilogy I'm writing…
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chaos Rising
The planetary defense grid detected him first and all eyes stared up at the image on the screen. It was him all right, looking just as he always had and not a scratch on him. Megatron growled at the sight. "Starscream…"Zephyr just shook her head. "Things are just getting weirder and weirder… How is he alive, much less out here? He died on Earth, and that's a really long distance to travel!" Optimus nodded. "It is certainly a mystery, Zephyr, but we can't let that distract us at the moment, we need to be on our guard." An ensign spoke up. "Negative energy readouts on the weapons systems… they're offline. He's… transmitting a request to land?" Optimus and Megatron both looked to the ensign and then up to the screen in shock. The Autobot spoke up first. "Let him land, let us see what Starscream has to say, seeing as he's supposed to be dead." Zephyr just nodded at that. "Couldn't hurt, I suppose. And I'd really like some answers."
Optimus, accompanied by Megatron and Zephyr, stepped out onto the landing. "What do you want?" Starscream, who had been waiting in the hallway for their arrival, smiled up at them, taking a step forward. "My glorious master, Unicron, has sent me here to offer you a chance of survival," he stated simply. One of the three merely sneered at him. "Survival, huh? Whose, yours?" Megatron growled. Optimus kept him back with an arm out. "What is the offer?" Starscream replied simply, "Give us what we desire and he shall spare your planet." Giving him an odd look, Optimus had one question. "…And what, pray tell, does he desire?" Starscream didn't even pause. Raising one hand, he pointed at the object of his master's desire. "Her," he said, his voice hard and cold. This, naturally, didn't go over too well, and that was putting it mildly. "Over my dead body, you incompetent excuse for a Decepticon," Megatron cursed, trying to get at him and give him the beating of a lifetime. Once again his brother kept him from outright attacking Starscream. "No deal,"Optimus cut in, pretty much summing up everyone's feelings at that point. Zephyr had been thoroughly shocked by Starscream's words, and she kept silent. Starscream stepped backward at the sheer force behind the refusal. Megatron wanted very badly to tear him up into little pieces, and he knew it. "…Very well. I will convey your refusal to my master."
It was then that Zephyr found her voice. "Wait!" she called suddenly, reaching out after him. "Starscream… how are you alive?" The target of her attention grinned up at her, hatred, malice and evil intent fairly radiating from him. He wanted her dead, wanted it so badly that even she could almost taste it… "After your husband murdered me, Unicron saw fit to restore me to life. Such is his power." This shocked the absolute heck out of the lot of them. "…But only the All Spark and Primus have the ability to give and take life," Optimus said. Starscream only chuckled at that. "So does my master." The Lord High Protector, for his part, could think of only one thing to say. "But that's impossible!" Megatron blurted, fully aware that he didn't sound very smart or dignified in that moment. An evil laugh came as Starscream spread his arms as if to say 'look at me'. "Yet here I stand." Having had quite enough of this, Megatron growled and finally got free of his brother. "Megatron, wait!" Optimus called after him, but it was too late. He swiped at the resurrected Decepticon with his claws, fully intending to remove his head from his shoulders. Just before the hit would have connected there was a flash of light and Starscream disappeared, only to appear on the other side of the room. "You haven't changed," he sneered. "But I have." Megatron growled in sheer frustration. "Curse you, Starscream…"The Decepticon in question chuckled again. "My master wants the girl, Megatron… And my master always gets what he wants!" It was then that, having had quite enough of the resurrected Decepticon's attitude, the Autobot leader took a stand. "Well, I hope he can get used to disappointments," Optimus said and pointed his gun at Starscream. "Now get out of here before I blast you. You will not lay a hand on Zephyr, not while myself or Megatron are around," he said, determined like no one else had seen him. Starscream merely sneered. "A word of warning to you all. She doesn't necessarily have to be alive to satisfy his desires!" He vanished like the ghost he seemed to be… but not before whipping his own gun out and taking a potshot at Zephyr. "EEK!" There was a loud clang and a yelp as she dived to the ground, the shot passing close enough to singe her armor. "Zephyr!" Megatron called and ran over to her.
"Are you all right?" he asked, looking at the singed armor. "Of all the things that could have happened at that point, I think that one was the least expected," she said, wincing slightly at the burn. Megatron gave a slight chuckle. "Indeed," he said and helped her up gently. Zephyr tried to hide her fear and uncertainty in humor. "Same old Starscream," she quipped. "Temper and all." Megatron smiled down at his beloved and kissed her gently on the forehead. "You are so brave." She embraced him, stifling a soft whimper as the movement aggravated her burn. He held her back and cradled her, being as careful as he could with her burns as he brought her into the repair bay. "Ah, yes, I was expecting my best patient to be coming in here today," Ratchet said with a sigh, turning away from some papers. A small, demure smile crossed her face. "Allow me," she said softly. Ratchet looked at her for a moment, blinking. "Allow you what?" he asked, and he soon got his answer. Closing her eyes, she reached up to touch her burn. A small amount of blue fire came forth and the burned metal seemed almost to flow like liquid mercury, reshaping itself in just a few seconds. "…I've been practicing," she said softly. Ratchet smiled. "Well, now, that's going to put me out of my job," he said sarcastically. She shook her head. "This far, I can only do that for slight damage, like that burn. But I hope to get stronger and maybe lessen your workload a bit…?" Ratchet laughed. "Yes, that would be nice, maybe I can get that vacation I've always wanted for a millennium." He smiled at her. "I am sure you'll grow stronger, Zephyr." She smiled back, still a little bit disconcerted by Starscream's arrival and the revelation that Unicron wanted her. "She's free to go," Ratchet nodded to Megatron, who in turn nodded back and headed out of the repair bay with her in tow. "And since when do you have practice time?" he asked with a smile. Her smile died. "…In between my nightly 'sessions' with Galvatron." This made Megatron's smile turn into a frown. "I see." She went quiet. Did she really want to tell him the rest? Did she want him to know that there had been several occasions where that power had been the only thing to keep her from death? "I think you should take a rest for a little while, you seem to need it," he said with a small smile. Subdued, her cheerfulness banished utterly by the memory of Galvatron, she just nodded. Megatron tilted his head and wondered what was wrong, but he dared not ask since it felt like the wrong time to do so.