So I got this one little plot bunny. I really liked the idea and managed to get it down. So here it is; a theory on my favorite Transformers ever. I think I got Skydive out of character here... Ah well, he's a bit stressed, I don't blame him.

Seeing as a pheonix is a creature that restores itself after death, I felt that comparing the Aerialbots to pheonixes was fitting.

Anyways, this is also to make up for me not having worked on "Never Again" for so slagging long.

The Aerialbots – Five Phoenixes

It sure was a beautiful day. The sky was magnificent. There were so many interesting things to see; like that shiny car parked over there, and that big tree over to the left and that tower right in front and-.

"Fireflight!" Watch where you're going!" Fireflight banked hard left and managed to avoid colliding with the radio tower. His wingmate flew down beside him. "Primus, Fireflight, and to think we're related!"

"We are not!" Answered Fireflight, a bit surprised at his own vehemence. "You're Silverbolt's brother. Slingshot and Airraid are my brothers."

"We're half-brothers," Said Skydive wearily. "Or cousins. I dunno, but all five of us are related through spark now. Remember?"

"I never really gave it a flying thought." Answered the Phantom in slight annoyance. He was annoyed at himself, not Skydive. Since when was he angry to be mistaken for Skydive's sibling? Most Autobots thought that all five Aerialbots were brothers, sparked simultaneously by Vector Sigma. Even they'd thought that. Primus, were those bots ever wrong.

The Aerialbots' sparks had actually existed for much longer than their bodies. Fireflight had no real memories of his past life, of before he'd become an Aerialbot, but he knew that he'd been more-or-less the same person he was now.

"Fireflight!" The red jet's attention snapped back to the present. He was a little too late to avoid the redwood, but he managed to slow down, transform, and grab onto the tree. He thought he detected a snort of laughter from the now circling F-16. Well, I must look pretty ridiculous. He reasoned. "Primus, Flight, Vector Sigma must have been crazy when it altered your spark."

Fireflight couldn't argue with that; how many other jets flew into things on a daily basis? Or for that matter, were acrophobe like Silverbolt? "Okay… Uh… How do I get down?"

"Do you need a lift again?" Skydive slowed down and circled closer.

"Nah, I'm high enough." Fireflight shoved himself off the redwood and back into the air. He transformed and hit afterburner, barely clearing the trees. Skydive decided not to comment on his gestalt-mate's less than graceful maneuver. He simply opened the throttle and arced upwards. Fireflight wisely followed.

"Hey Skydive, why are you normal?"

"I beg your pardon?" The F-16 slowed enough for Fireflight to come up beside him.

"Silverbolt's acrophobe, I'm… Directionally Challenged-"

"To say the least." Muttered Skydive.

"Airraid's borderlining on kamikaze and Slingshot's got… I don't know, it's like he's addicted to getting hurt sometimes, I swear he enjoys the pain. But you're normal, how'd that work out?"

Skydive considered the question. "I really don't know, I do have my own quirks, but yeah, I guess I am the most normal of us… Maybe Vector Sigma didn't alter my spark as much as he did the rest of you?"

"Or maybe you were originally crazy," Mused Fireflight. This time, he saw the tree and avoided it. He shot up to Skydive's height again. "Either way… I wonder how long our sparks were with Vector Sigma? I mean, two sets of brothers together. That's all Alpha Trion said… Do you think… That we killed each other?"

"Don't talk about that!" Snapped Skydive in an uncharacteristic display of temper. "Never, ever speak of it! You hear!? Bad enough the WE found out, but what would happen if the Autobots found out that Vector Sigma didn't make sparks these bodies, that he INFUSED them with the altered sparks of three neutral brothers and two Decepticon brothers!?"

"I'm sorry! I just couldn't help but-"

"Shut it Flight!" Skydive furiously shot ahead. "Dammit! You don't want to remember it! I know you don't! Think about it, who we were, we aren't them anymore, and if we try to remember our past lives, we're all bound to go insane! Primus, I was an assassin Flight! An ASSASSIN! And before you ask, I was curious to; I researched it and found out. My name was Downwind, and I was an orange Seeker! Silverbolt, or Jetstorm as he was called, was my squad commander, yes even back then! But even though we were brothers, we hated each other! We killed EACH OTHER!" He practically screamed the last word.

"I-I didn't know…" Fireflight shuddered. "I-I'm sorry Skydive, I shouldn't have brought it up."

It had been a routine run to Cybertron, the Autobots had expected a lot of airborne attackers so they'd brought the Aerialbots along as an escort. This was amusing to the jets; the Autobots on the ground had been forbidden to even carry weapons, whilst the Aerialbots had been given upgraded versions of their weapons. Why exactly, had been lost on them, but still, they wouldn't complain.

Then something happened. An entire Decepticon formation, twenty battle-hardened Seekers, had chased them. Somehow, the Aerialbots managed to escape into the depths of Cybertron; somehow, they reached a familiar place. Vector Sigma's chamber. The golden orb that was their creator must have sensed them. But it did not speak. But Alpha Trion did.

"Aerialbots, I am glad to see that all of you have become fine Autobots, it makes me gladder for my sacrifice."

"Alpha Trion?" Asked Silverbolt cautiously.

"Indeed Silverbolt, tell me, how is Earth?"

"It's fine."

"I'm pleased, you, your brother, all of you in fact, have done your job well."

Something in that short speech struck Slingshot as odd. "You said that like we aren't all brothers."

"But you are not! Did you not know this?" Asked Alpha Trion.

All five spoke at once. "What?"

"You truly do not know. Then allow me to explain. Vector Sigma did not spark you. A long time ago, there were two groups of brothers, who died side by side. Vector Sigma took their sparks before they rejoined the matrix. It felt that such an event was not by chance."

"Are you saying… That we're… Dead Autobots?" Asked Airraid in disbelief.

"No… You were not Autobots. The two brothers were Decepticons, and the three were Neutral."

"Say… What?" Asked Silverbolt quietly. "You said I had one brother…"

"Indeed, I did Silverbolt. Odd that you, as the former Decepticon, are the one who has always been most faithful in the Autobot cause. Your brother, Skydive, may not have been quite as resolute, but he is indeed a loyal Autobot too." Silverbolt and Skydive glanced at each other and shifted uncomfortably. The other Aerialbots stared at each other, and at the friends whom they'd always considered brothers.

"You've got to be wrong Alpha," Said Airraid. "There's no way-"

"If you wish for proof, Airraid, simply look inside yourself. Your spark is older than your brothers', just as Silverbolt's is older than Skydive's"

There was a silence as each Aerialbot did as Alpha Trion had instructed. The silence stretched into one of shock as they found the proof of the ancient mech's words.

"But… Why are we… You said that Silverbolt is really different from himself." Fireflight had difficulty getting the words out, but Alpha Trion understood.

"Vector Sigma altered the sparks, removed the memories, and he must have altered the programming before infusing them into your bodies."

The next silence stretched on for many minutes. What each Aerialbot was thinking, one could not tell; they were expressionless. Finally, Skydive spoke up. "Who were we before?"

"That, Skydive, I cannot say for I do not know. I am sorry, but you must be gone, it is not safe here for you to linger."

"But-"

"Now." It was an order. Slowly, the five jets turned away, quietly they walked out, navigating their way to the surface.

"There you are!" The Aerialbots looked up to see Ironhide. "What happened to y'all?"

Slingshot spoke up before the other could say anything. "Nothing, we got a bit lost in the tunnels."

"Ah, well, yer SUPPOSED to be in the sky, now git!"

The Aerialbots swiftly did as they were told, flying close together so that they didn't have to use their radios. "We never tell them, never."

"Why not?"

"Slaggit! Either they'd think we're crazy, and lock us all up, or believe us and lock Silverbolt and Skydive up for being things they didn't even know they were."

"Slingshot, please, I think you're over exaggerating-"

"No I ain't Silverbolt! Primus, don't you get it? We are freaks of chance! If the Autobots knew that we ain't really Autobots-"

"But we ARE Autobots now Sling." Interjected Airraid. "And it's not like we remember anything."

"You think paranoid Red Alert will see it that way? Or logical Prowl? Or the twins who look for every opportunity to beat someone up? Or Gears, Huffer, Cliffjumper-"

"Enough," Said Silverbolt quietly. "Slingshot's right guys… Primus… He's right…"

Skydive sighed. "Curiosity Fireflight, that's always been you… As long as I, Skydive can remember." The emphasis of using his own name would have been lost on anyone but one of the other Aerialbots. "My new life is better, I know that for sure… But it haunts me; I was created from the spark of a cold killer. You, at least, were close to your brothers."

"So you-"

"You were construction workers, at the wrong place, wrong time. I, no, Downwind killed the three… of you." Fireflight suddenly felt very cold.

"What?"

"You asked," Said Skydive grimly. "Now listen. Silverbolt… Jetstorm I mean, had wanted you… Them alive for questioning. He wasn't very pleased with his brother. The brothers fought to the death, both inflicting mortal wounds."

"Primus."

"Next time, don't ask," said Skydive softly. "I hate it; I'm an Autobot, I don't remember any of Downwind's… MY past life. Vector Sigma must have been curious about the two sets of brothers. It must have taken their… our… THEIR sparks, and created us from them."

"Why are you so sure that your spark was… Downwind, and Silverbolt's… Jetstorm?"

"Because Jetstorm was the older, and Silverbolt's spark is older than mine, just like Wedge was the youngest of the…" Skydive fell silent, realizing what he'd just said.

"Wedge? Was that my name?"

"No, your name is Fireflight, it has always been Fireflight. You are an Aerialbot; an Autobot Jet who is part of a combiner team who merge into the gestalt known as Superion. No more, no less," Skydive cut his engine and glided along silently, Fireflight knew that his brother… No, his friend, liked to coast sometimes. "Vector Sigma created your spark and the request of Optimus Prime. Everyone knows that." Added the F-16 quietly. "Just like he did mine, and Slingshot's, Airraid's and Silverbolt's. We're cocky smart-alecks who don't know our place."

Fireflight easily understood the point; No Autobot knew what the Aerialbots had learned about themselves two years ago, no Autobot knew what their prized fighter Aces truly were. Perhaps the Aerialbots were overreacting, perhaps the Autobots would not see it as big a deal as the Aerialbots did. But they didn't dare take that chance. The Aerialbots had been in a state of shock for a month after learning or their true origins. Skydive must have wanted to know more. Primus alone knew how he'd found the records. But Fireflight understood why his friend had never told his fellow Aerialbots exactly who they had been; it was too much to comprehend.

All Alpha Trion had told them was that three brothers had been neutral, and the two brothers were Decepticons. That and that Silverbolt and Skydive were the two. The Aerialbots had found a way to prove this; it was true. It was something that they had forced themselves to live with, but it always nagged at them from the back or their minds.

"Hey Skydive…"

"Yes Fireflight?"

"I swear that I won't tell the others."

"Thanks… and uh, Fireflight?"

"Yeah?"

"WATCH THE SLAG WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"

Fireflight didn't manage to react this time, and ploughed into a snow bank on the mountainside. Unharmed, he transformed and stood up. "Whoo! That's cold!"

"Primus Flight…"

Well, I HOPE it was funny. It was supposed to be a bit silly.

Comments are appreciated, constructive critisism is thanked, and flames are sent to the Lambo twins hit list.