Alright...TF does not belong to me yada yada yada...OCs do belong to me...

Sorry this has taken sooooo long to come out. Homework and school totally suck. I'm also sorry that this one isn't all that great either.

It was just a way for me to introduce another character that I have. Please deal with this stuff...I promise to really get into it later.

Thanks! Now go ahead and read! R&R

Chapter 2

Complications

Exiting the base, Slipstream was in a terrible mood. She stomped around, having other 'cons stare at her, until she got to one of the science labs. Then she waited. 0500, psh, like tha's goin' ta happen! Let's see, I'm plannin' on stayin' up most a the night so I'll probably get there 'round…oh not 'til the afternoon. Hope ole Starscream won' be too upset! She snickered to herself. Slipstream was leaning against a wall for about fifteen minutes when other Decepticons exited the lab. Among them was a metallic blue mech. He stopped right outside the lab and looked around as if for someone.

"Cybertech!" Slipstream called out and started sauntering over to him. Cybertech smiled and ran over to her.

"Hey, Slipstream. What's u…" Tech was caught off guard by the sudden kiss Slipstream gave him. Hesitantly, he kissed back, optics scanning their surroundings and finding others looking at them. He broke away.

"I keep telling you, not in public, please," he begged, looking at the black femme pleadingly.

Slipstream sighed, but smiled. She knew very well how Cybertech felt. It wasn't that he didn't like her, but that he wasn't used to such shows of affection. In this relationship, Tech acted very much like a femme. He would constantly worry and get embarrassed easily; however, he reveled in the comfort his partner could give. It was the inverse with Slipstream. She was the one defending Cybertech from all sorts of trouble. It was she that made all the moves and listened to his problems. Also, that femme happened to be the one getting into fights to prove how tough she actually was. All in all, this relationship was out of the ordinary.

"How were things at the lab?" She asked pleasantly, beginning to walk. Tech immediately followed behind her and only went to move next to her when she made a sign that it was alright. By the way Slipstream was walking, with her face actually facing him, the blue mech knew something was up. Usually, she would have her sky blue optics staring off into the air with the wanting to fly.

"It's fine, but I can tell that something's on your mainframe. C'mon, Slippy, spill." A blue roadblock appeared in front of Slipstream in the form of her partner. His arms were crossed and he wouldn't stop staring at her.

The femme sighed and stopped walking, dimming her optics for a moment and then she shrugged. "I got a new teacher is all," she said as if it was nothing new…not that it was.



"Again, Slip?" Tech shook his head and put his hands on his hips. "First it was Skywarp, but the two of you together were just too crazy. Then you got Thundercracker, but he was too easy on you. Now who do you have?" Of course, Cyberwave knew that the other two were of the three main seekers and that there was only one other, but no way would he bother with her.

"Some mech called Starscream," was her nonchalant answer. Right after she said that, she knew something was wrong. Cybertech was looking at her like she'd just gotten a death sentence. "Uh…what?"

Tech opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. His pale-purple optics stared at her for a few more moments before finally forcing words out of his vocal processor. "Starscream? Y-you have Starscream?! Don't you know who that is?!" His spark sank when she shook her head. How could she not know who the frag Starscream was? It just didn't make sense. Then again, not much about this femme did.

"Starscream is the Air Commander, leader of the seekers! Slipstream, he's notorious for his temper and punishments!" Tech was getting frantic. Of all the 'cons, Starscream was the worst to be a teacher for Slipstream. She was too wild and disobedient, and Starscream wouldn't have any of that.

"Ah, so tha's why he acted like he was all important…" Slipstream held her chin between her thumb and index finger in thought.

The mech gave a look of complete and total shock. "Y-you met him already?" He shook his head, at a loss for words. How can she not see the problem with this? Maybe before she knew who Starscream was, but now she should be worried! Slipstream, if you screw up with him…you could end up terminated! "Slipstream, if you screw up with him…you could end up terminated!" Tech had been thinking and saying the same thing at the exact same time. His CPU was about ready to burst from all this new information. "I can't take this. Now I've got to worry about you with Starscream, and I could be losing my job! Gah!"

His companion's head immediately snapped up to look directly at him. "What about your job?" She asked seriously. It was one of the scariest things in the world for Tech to see Slipstream act serious. Crazy with irrational laughter he could handle, but the stern and angry look in her optics when she got down to business was like staring death in the face.

Cybertech mumbled incoherently for a few seconds before clearing his throat and trying again. "W-well, w-we haven't been m-making m-much pro-progre-ss with the…with the…uh," he stumbled over his words, not used to having to explain such things to the femme. She never seemed really interested in what he and the other scientists were working on. The metallic blue mech assumed that she simply didn't understand the complexities of the project.



"Wi' the new form of energy tha' may be able ta reduce our dependence on energon an' thus make us better capable ta deal wi' the Autobots even on our shortened supply," Slipstream said quickly while watching the mech. "Surely the others know tha', 'cause energon is our true energy source, creatin' a new one would be very difficult? Didn' ya tell me tha' ya actually have ta use some energon ta make it even possible of workin'?"

There was a long, awkward silence after she had spoken. Cybertech was in complete shock. It wasn't often that Slipstream surprised him with her knowledge. Her stupidity and brashness, yes, but her knowledge…definitely not. Any other 'con, and Tech would've just thought they'd heard about it, but she had actually listened to him when he spoke about it. And all this time I thought she was just staring at the sky. It took him a moment to reboot and answer.

"Yes, it's true that we still need some energon to even begin to get any sort of response. That isn't a big issue. The problem is that to create even a limited supply takes so long. Lord Megatron has run out of patience. We're in a war, Slippy, and time is something we don't have much of. The Autobots could attack at any moment." His optics scanned the surroundings as if expecting said robots to suddenly appear and cut him down. Cybertech was a fearful 'con and he didn't stand up to anyone for anything…that was Slipstream's job.

"A'ight, wha' can I do? Who can I beat up and/or threaten? C'mon, there has ta be someone I can talk ta. Cybertech, jus' tell me who an' I'll do it," Slipstream responded bluntly, as if what she had just offered to do and how she had offered to do it were no big deal.

"Slipstream," Cybertech sighed, "it isn't that easy. You can't very well fight Lord Megatron himself. There isn't anyone else tha…" He paused and tilted his head, looking at her thoughtfully. The black, jet femme backed up a step and a slightly worried look crossed her features.

"Uh, Tech, whatcha starin' at?" Slipstream asked hesitantly. There was something about the way he was eyeing her that made her a bit nervous. That oversized CPU was working quickly and she knew it.

Finally, the metallic blue car transformer's optics brightened. "Slippy, do you…um, well, do you think you could possibly ask a favor of Starscream? I mean, just to ask him for some more time to work out the problems. Please? Oh, please, Slipstream?" He put his hands together in a prayer like manner. His face pleading with her to do it.

Slipstream faltered. It was a big favor to ask of both her and Starscream. In order for her to have the Air Commander even think about listening to her, she would have to prove herself to him. That meant sucking up to him and doing what she was told, very difficult things for her. Then there was the part where Starscream would actually have to go and ask Megatron. That in itself was dangerous, and she didn't know if he would even risk it. In the end, the look on Cybertech's face was too much to handle. Besides, finally, there was something the femme could 

do that would make him happy and not involve getting in trouble. "A'ight, Tech, I'll do it for ya. Jus' this once…"