Lifesource.
Summary: When the Decepticons find out from Jetfire about Sam having the AllSpark and constantly leaking it's power, Jetfire and Starscream hatch a plan that requires them to kidnap Sam. Sequel to "Midas Touch."
Continuity: Movieverse, post second movie.
Rating: Probably T, but M for safety.
Disclaimer: Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Dreamworks/Paramount. I make no claim to ownership of the characters or franchise, I make no material profit from writing these.
A/N: The idea for this comes from an idea suggested for one of my other stories by SeasonSinger. Although it's slightly changed, it kind of works to make this sequel happen. So, if you want to thank anybody for this sequel's creation, SeasonSinger should be given a good dollop of credit for this. And yes, I'd like a better title for this. Ideas, please?
Lifesource.
Prologue.
Starscream was woken from a pleasant dream of his younglinghood on Cybertron by a voice he never thought to hear speak again.
"Wake up, you young layabout! So this is what the Decepticons have become? Not just a dishonourable bunch but lazy too! Hah, I should've stayed with the Autobots, but they said I should find out what the current Decepticons are like before deciding!"
Starscream almost went straight from reclining to standing at the voice, but managed to get up with some dignity, glaring up at the ancient Jetfire, who was leaning on his cane and glaring right back at him. Silence ensued as the two glowered into each other's optics, nether willing to back down.
What broke the stalemate was Skywarp, who appeared nearby, did a double-take, and then walked over to the bigger black Seeker, tapped him on one thruster, and said "Pardon me, I don't mean to be rude, but I thought you were dead."
Jetfire turned to look down at the young Seeker, raising one hand to his intact chest. "Do I look dead?" he asked.
"Starscream said that you tore your own Spark out, that Optimus Prime used your parts as you had asked and defeated the Fallen," Skywarp said, looking a little cowed at Jetfire's attitude and very confused. Jetfire blinked, looked at the nervous young Seeker again, and relented.
"Yes, that I did," he admitted, "and I was dead and deactivated, but it seemed the power of the AllSpark saw fit to restore me to function. It seems I may yet have some useful function to perform,"
"And that would be what, precisely?" Starscream asked sarcastically.
"Well, I don't yet know, but I'm alive, so there must be a reason," the old Seeker retorted.
"Wait a minute," Skywarp said, looking even more confused. "You say that the power of the AllSpark restored you, but the AllSpark was destroyed in Mission City, so how can that be?"
"Well, it seems the fleshling boy has somehow absorbed the power, but he can't contain it, I think it's something to do with the fact he is a fleshling. Anyway, it seems he leaks the power out unless he stores it in devices they have for him to discharge at the Autobot Base, because if he doesn't, it discharges and brings everything around him to life. Anyway, he used it in Egypt to being me back, so you won't hear me complaining, and here I am!"
"Of course!" Starscream whispered. "The fleshling boy was holding the AllSpark, if it was to transfer to any other them Megatron, he would be the logical choice. Except for one thing: he's a fleshling, an organic, a human." He looked rather hurt. "Why would it go to him when it had better, mechanical forms to go to? There was me, there was Optimus Prime, even Barricade or Bumblebee would make a better choice than a human."
"Well, why don't you go and ask it?" snapped Jetfire. "I'm not complaining, the young snip used the power to revive me, he seems to be fair at least, he's talking about reviving that Cassette of Soundwave's, Frenzy was it? He's already brought back that little silver pest Jazz," he grumbled. "He hid my cane, he did, made me search everywhere for it, till Ratchet told me it was stuck to the ceiling if his medbay. Pah! It wasn't stuck very hard but that's not the point! Hah! Young mechs these day, they have too much energy, in my day they'd have been put t work, real work, where they could exhaust their youthful energy doing something useful!"
Starscream let Jetfire rant, the germ of a plan forming in his mind. "So, the human boy has the AllSpark in him but he leaks does he? Maybe we can use that to our advantage? Maybe he can EnSpark the machines of this world, or create new lives to swell the ranks of the Decepticon army and give us what we need to conquer this world! Yes, why don't we? Come on, Jetfire, join with us again, help us. With your help we can achieve this! We'll catch the boy and take this world as our own!"
The look Jetfire turned on the smaller Seeker was withering.
"You really can't think bigger can you?" he asked. "For a start, this is not our planet to take, not really, and the Autobots will defend the right of the indigenous intelligent species to live here in peace, and as it happens, I agree with them. No, the boy with the AllSpark could do so much more if you only opened your optics and looked further, thought bigger! That's the problem with both you and Megatron, just overthrowing the Autobots was not enough. You wanted to overthrow them, enslave them, and now you want to enslave this world. Tell me, young Starscream, why have the Decepticons gone from opposing the oppressive Autobots, to trying to emulate them?"
Jetfire's accusation was like a slap in the face to Starscream. He opened his mouth to issue a tart rebuttal, but when no defence presented itself, he shut it again.
"See, no reply, because you know I'm right. However, that does not mean our kind should go to rust on this backwards world, no, not when the AllSpark is present and we know it's whereabouts. Now, are you ready to listen to my idea, or shall I just leave you to it?"
"No, please, tell us your plan," Starscream whined, wondering where Jetfire was coming from. The others joined in with his pleading, not to be outdone.
So Jetfire told them his idea, and where he thought they could play their part in it. He fired up his small audience with hope and with stirring remarks, then told them the idea and what it would entail, but then what their reward would be.
In the silence that followed, Starscream spoke.
"It really might work. How can it not work? The humans are rid of us, the boy gets some respite, and we get what we want. How can it not work?" Starscream asked the rest of them what they thought, and they agreed.
"Very well, we'll head for the Autobot Base and the boy's home, and we'll wait for him to make an appearance, unguarded, unaware." He made a grabbing motion with one hand.
"Then we'll get him!"