Undertaking Chp3
Jack: Chapter inspired by the song "Repair" by Our Lady Peace
Guess who's the worst person ever? Yup, me, and hopefully this will be the longest wait for a new chapter.
PS: Still beta-less...forgive the crap.
As Starscream watched the acid melt away the alloy of his finger digits he had to wonder exactly when his chambers had turned purple. Not only that, he thought stepping over the still smoking remains of another mech, when was he stationed in a world where the air was pure toxin? The toxin wasn't the bad part really, his systems could take a bit of poison, but the smell of it was so harsh he fumbled with turning off his sensory receptors. Due to the action his optics power down, throwing him into darkness for a brief second, and when the purple tinted world returned a HUGE Transformer waited before him. The large mech was talking; pacing, large arms crossed and just wouldn't shut up.
There was a red shape moving in the corner, or was it black, maybe green?
"...thinking that the state...off without...over abundance..." And that was about all he heard before making some snide remark (he guessed it was snide considering the other mech seemed none too happy to hear him speaking at all) and was tossed back into the hard wall, scraping his wings against the surface as he clambered to the floor. The large mech stormed close to him, hand clawing at his face: dragging him up: optic to optic with the massive being.
"Beginning...of the...never seem...to me! ...Distracted...those...lesser..."
Starscream thought he ought to be afraid, but instead he smirked, SMIRKED of all things! He really must be dumb...and crazy because flashes of white crossed the room, like static over a surveillance screen.
Then new voices filled the room and in strolled himself, only not. They were equal to him in all but color and personality; one had a wiry look about him, his steps more like skipping while the other brought his metal feet down heavy, bright eyes narrowed in pure anger. Neither looked too happy with the large mech and yet instead of fighting, like Starscream had assumed the big guy would do, he let go of his 'prisoner' and exited the room, looking back only once to mutter something about be too salty...or royalty--or loyalty--something like that.
Then something really big and white took up most of the space in the little chambers and the two versions of him self no longer had real faces. They spoke, blurred mouths moving, one frantically, one wide as if yelling: but all Starscream heard at first was the horrid screech of an alarm.
"Starscream this is getting ridiculous!" He thought that maybe the version of him said, but then a deeper voice took over, more beeping and then the two hims were gone, swallowed by the white thing without so much as a wave goodbye.
How rude.
Undertaking
Chapter Three: Purification
To most Transformers it should have been an alarming surprise to wake and realize you were blind and had your limbs strapped down. Fortunately not most Transformers had spent millions of years working for Megatron, the entire thing seemed too cliché to be honest. Starscream was about to holler out for someone to come untie him so he might go throw a fit (and maybe some heavy objects) at his leader for not at least undoing the straps of the medical berth when he realized it would be pointless. Megatron was on the moon, literally for once, and Starscream was caught in the Autobot base: tied down like some wounded fool. He growled and turned back on his optics, swearing to dent the medic for not returning his sensory units back to automatic, and searched the repair center.
Ah, my arm's back.
He realized and yanked a bit on the straps. How to escape, how to get out of here without them knowing, how to assassinate everyone without them figuring it out first, hm. Starscream was not happy, against his better judgment he'd allowed Autobots to mess with his body and look what happened: he woke to find his blood poisoned and a shuttle on top of him. The seeker shuddered violently at the memory, glad that he at least managed to rip a good half of Jetfire's face off before Prime ripped them apart. Had it not been for Prime's frantic questioning of if he was alright and such Starscream might have believed they had conspired to dissect him during his stasis. There had been that disturbing spark of concern in the larger mech's eyes that somehow annihilated that theory. All he knew now was that Jetfire had to suffer and he was very sick.
"Boss! Boss you're still online!" Swindle practically killed himself scrambling up the medical table. The ex-Decepticon was a little surprised to hear Swindle speak, the race car hardly made any noise unless they were alone in his chambers: Swindle had a problem with the Autobots so Starscream had the pleasure of listening to Swindle ramble on for hours when it was most inconvenient: namely at night when he was attempting to recharge.
"You thought a little malfunction like that could take me out? I've done worse to myself then spoiled Energon. Where are the others?"
"Red white and Bossy Prime with Med-bot made them leave; I managed to sneak back in when they were storming in and out. Seriously, Autobot security is pathetic. Anyways they were all saying that you and big guy over there were in bad shape, Sonar got all frantic, Jetstorm got all heavy and started throwing his fists around, and Runway came up with this crazy plan to free you, but it wouldn't have worked. There was no way we could find enough Kevlar and tennis balls in time."
Starscream had to stop himself from asking, he knew he'd regret questioning any plans Swindle and Runway came up with since he'd come to the conclusion they were both insane.
"So you ok boss?" Swindle asked, perched on his partner's knee and studying him closely. Starscream rolled his optics and turned to the previously mentioned 'Big guy' who'd till then escaped his attention at all. Jetfire wasn't strapped down to the table but he looked in far worse shape. His face appeared as though some repair was attempted and then ripped back off in haste, silver micro-bots crawled in and around the wound and his chest plate was spread and filled with machines swirling about with long nozzles: old energon sucked out and new energon put back in. Swindle winced a bit, staring at the shuttle for a moment while he climbed over his partner, unhooking the clamps that held him down.
"What happened to him?"
"Not sure really; after you snapped a motherboard and started hissing up a storm he tried to hold you back down, you chomped his face and the next thing I knew Med-bot was dragging him in here, turning him off, and changing out his fuel lines like what he did with you."
"Snapped a motherboard? What do you mean? What happened?" Starscream glanced at the white Transformer. "What did he do that Red Alert told him not to do..."
Swindle groaned and waited until the seeker was more comfortable, sitting on the table and stretched out his new arm before he began. The ex-Decepticon didn't seem too pleased about being left alone with Jetfire but his reaction only turned worse when Swindle began explaining about the screen, and the voices. How he'd begun to writhe and scream and heave up the silvery liquid while Jetfire tired to keep him from further damaging himself. The seeker knew little of regret, but he did feel somewhat annoyed with himself for having reacted so violently without proper provocation.
Within a few moments he was over it, deciding the Autobot shouldn't have climbed on him in the first place.
"So, seriously bossbot, what was up with those voices? I mean I recognized your voice but for it to have gone off on a download screen, kind of freaky if you ask me."
"Well what a relief no one is asking you." Starscream snapped, grabbing up the red Minicon and setting him on his shoulder before rising from the table. He moved to stand beside the large mech, looking at his face with only a little sting of regret and then to the open chest plate where all the nozzles and hoses were trying to clean. "He looks fine; did they say he was infected?"
"Nah but that's the weird part, he seemed ok but then he wouldn't wake up. They decided to clean him out just in case." The seeker nodded and turned his optics towards the monitors that kept track of Jetfire's condition.
"Did they say any theories about how I might have been infected?"
"Nope, just said you were and started fretting about getting you all cleaned. I have to say though it was pretty weird seeing anyone but an energy berth or your own little claws taking care of you." Starscream was highly disturbed at the reminder the Autobots had touched him at all, especially while he was unconscious. He truly didn't remember anything other then Red Alert hooking him up to the computer and Jetfire making a nuisance of his self before being taken offline. He'd swear to ring all their necks the moment he could: why was he foolish enough to have trusted them? "You think you'll get in trouble if he dies?" Swindle blurted out, swinging his feet ever so innocently and looking at the seeker with an honest expression. "I mean you did rip out his face, and poison him."
"Be quiet Swindle."
"No seriously I know that Megs would pretty much blame you if he tripped on his own damn feet but this is a bit more serious then that: Big White here could die."
"Shut up Swindle!"
"Both of you shut up..." Starscream and Swindle alike looked down to the once comatose shuttle who now met their startled stares with one of pure amusement.
"Morning, what'd I miss?" Jetfire smiled, the exposed hinge of his jaw creaking with the movement and forcing a few sparks of blue light to erupt from the wound. "Ow, slag Screamer that kind of hurt, a lot; you owe me a lot of energon cubes for that." The Ex-Decepticon rolled his eyes in irritation, crossing arms over chest and moved away from the Autobot, glaring at nothing in particular but just had the need to glare.
"Well had you not been so foolish as to allow yourself in such a vulnerable situation..."
"As I recall it was you who was unconscious and beneath me." Jetfire smirked and then squeaked in fear at the twin cannons aimed at his head. "Kidding! Kidding! Calm down please!" He laughed nervously and was unsettled by how long it took the seeker to "holster" his weapons. "Primus you're so easy to pick on, you know that? How is it possible you survived in the Decepticons for so long when your hiss is much more dangerous then your bite?" Starscream let out a short snort of laughter, slowly moving on one heel to fix his gaze on the shuttle. Jetfire's back was forced ramrod straight, his optics wide and his face trapped in a look of pure shock in reaction to Starscream's expression.
The seeker had never smiled so devilishly, so in control, so calm, so...so...sensual since his arrival at the Autobot base.
"I survived because everyone believed my hiss was more dangerous then my bite. Trust me when I say they were proven dead wrong." A silence hung between them, an eerie sort of thing that swallowed the challenge Starscream was giving him and releasing more tension then Sideswipe being within a foot of Blurr. Jetfire couldn't help but becoming completely obsessed with the way Starscream's mouth curved to the side, a sharp grin cutting his face, creating the ideal picture of a Decepticon killer.
"You..." He said, choosing his words perhaps less carefully then usual. "Are the reason we weren't allowed out after dark on Cybertron, aren't you?" Jetfire was prepared for the worst, for hollering and screaming, for lasers and fists to be thrown heavy into his face for such a comment: instead he was given silence. And then suddenly perhaps the most terrifying thing to ever be witnessed by an Autobot happened: Starscream laughed. Jetfire's hands clamped down to the edges of the metal berth, body leaning slightly back in alarm! He watched and listened as the seeker laughed, loud and carefree. This was not the sadistic chuckling of a madmech or anything akin to the normal shrilled cackling they were used to from the ex-Decepticon; this was pure laughter and it about shorted Jetfire out to be the first Autobot to witness.
"I'm not certain whether to be afraid or happy right now," He said nervously, a soft chuckle of his own rising to the surface. Of course having been reminded he was no longer alone Starscream closed himself off, glare returning and all proof of the laugh dissipating with it. "Aw, now I'm sad." He pouted.
"You'll survive, I'm certain of it." The Red seeker grunted out and glanced at Swindle who was staring at his partner like he'd grown three spare heads: probably in shock to have heard the laughter. Jetfire was almost sure that Starscream's face was heating up from embarrassment but sadly the other mech knew how to keep up the disillusion that he was just fine. Disheartened by the loss of being able to see the big bad Decepticon blush Jetfire sighed and stretched out a bit before swatting away the probes and machines that were still cleaning him out. Aside from a very painful twinge in his jaw he felt fine and thought the elaboration in which Red Alert took to ensuring this was too much.
"So, Screamer, you feel like telling me what all that was about?" Starscream rolled his optics at the other, pacing slightly across the floor, trying to ignore the other.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." He scoffed.
"Oh so you completely missed the part where crazy sounds and stuff poured from the monitors and your entire energon supply was poisoned?"
"Yes." Swindle clanged a metal elbow into his partner's neck, clearly meaning: I just told you about all of it! At this Starscream rolled his shoulder almost forcing the minicon to topple off to his own demise. Jetfire itched the massacred side of his face, feeling odd about being able to stick at least three digits into his jaw, and sighed even louder. It was the stubborn vs. stubborn all over again. He assumed that this would be an endless cycle with the seeker and knew that unless something dramatically changed: some one would be strangled.
"Ok, fine, whatever!" He grunted, knowing he'd get his answers somehow; after all, the shuttle had succeeded in getting the Seeker to agree to be worked on (now it didn't seem like such a great accomplishment, but still). Jetfire winced a bit, the injury to his face beginning to ache with the more he spoke. "I can't believe you broke my face." He grumbled, stumbling around the medical room for tools, ignorant to Starscream's curious stare. He located a sleek welder and the remnants of his previous jaw and then started to look for a mirror.
"What are you doing?" Starscream asked with a tone clearly irate.
"Well, since someone here, neither I nor Swindle, took a chomp out of my face I was about to repair myself. You have a problem with that?" The hiss that followed meant "yes".
"I nearly died because you insisted I accept the aid of you Autobots and now you're going against everything you fed me and are about to perform surgery on yourself!"
"Oh don't get all high and mighty Starscream; what do you want me to do?" Jetfire regretted asking as the sharp grin curled the seeker's face. It reminded the Autobot second in command much of a predator, a disturbed and hungry predator that just captured a weak little injured snack between massive claws. It caused Jetfire to shudder in something akin to fear but was not fear. When the shuttle feared something it meant he wasn't sure if he was going to survive: Thrust welding the Requiem Blaster made him fearful he might not survive. Starscream's grin suggested that he would survive: and wish he hadn't.
"Equivalent exchange dear commander..."
"Megatron? Megatron sir?" Cyclonus was about ready to strangle the tactician at this point, he drummed his fingers against the computer console while Wheel Jack did whatever Wheel Jack did when he wasn't moping around. "Megatron where are you!"
"He's probably hiding." Cyclonus mumbled and glared, watching Thrust walking back and forth between the hallways of the Decepticon moon base. "That's what I'd be doing if he were after me."
"Don't jinx it." Wheel Jack added, attempting to fix the computer from when Megatron lost his temper a few nights ago and broke it in half. Actually, as all the Decepticons currently dwelling in the moon base could agree, Megatron had been losing his temper far more easily then ever. Usually it took Starscream to reach fifth level whining before the megalomaniac started opening fire amongst his troops: now it only took the offhanded mention of Starscream to send them all fleeing for cover. It had been at Demolisher's expense that this had been learned, the poor missile tank musing over the possibility that Starscream had been an Autobot all along when he was fired upon and half his leg was blown to scrap. From then on any mention of Starscream was limited and none dared speak his name. Most racked up the jet's betrayal as a loss of sanity, Starscream had never truly seemed to want to take over the Decepticons; even the bickering between the two that occurred was limited to the jet and the tank fighting over decisions and actions: never really leadership. It was only on earth that Megatron even mentioned Starscream's quest for power.
Cyclonus groaned inwardly and rested his head against the computer console and received a strange look from the other.
"Whatever you're thinking of, stop, Lord Megatron will probably punish you if he sees you like this."
"Hah! Jack you really need to stay out of my mind!" The copter giggled, causing the ex-Autobot to wince and look slightly panicked. "Anyways I just think that ever since you know who did: you know what--things have been kind of out of control around here. I mean not that I'm thinking about running off to the Autodorks like Screamer but...Hey Jack, why do you look so scared?"
It took Cyclonus two seconds to dash behind a wall and start pleading for forgiveness while Megatron watched in disgust.
"Gentleman I believe we're having a problem here, namely you are starting to assume that's it's all right for you to think at all!" And of course because the stars were covered by what their base had left of a roof, Thrust decided to make an appearance.
"Ah! Megatron sir! There you are! How many times must I insist you inform me of your location at every moment?" Wheel Jack, being the only one with no reason to cower, actually cowered for Thrust.
"Excuse me but considering you are neither my superior nor my second I don't believe I am under any obligations to report MYSELF to YOU!" The two Decepticons practically heard the crack of Thrust's spark.
"But M-Megatron! Sir! I only wish to remain useful to..."
"You're about as useful as this space dusk that clings to these halls and pesters me with its existence," The hum of his canon charge made his words all the fiercer. "Please, continue speaking as though I've given you permission and I'll turn you into the space dust you seem so akin to acting like..." Thrust was smart enough to keep his mouth shut and meet anywhere but Megatron's crimson glare. "Now troops you have a mission, all of you. Someone go fetch Demolisher and Tidal Wave and bring them here." A strange look passed over the tyrant's face, perhaps it was demented glee which was why only Cyclonus seemed to catch it, but it was definitely something not seen everyday on their leader's face.
"We have a traitor to bait."
It took everything SideSwipe had in him to not burst into laughter right there. Scavenger was doing a far better job keeping himself under control then the rookie but it was obvious by his crooked smirk that he wished to laugh. It was, out of the only three none injured remaining on the base, Red Alert that found no humor in the circumstances whatsoever.
"And you just let him do this to you?" He asked, arms crossed over chest, "You didn't think to call me instead, you just let this happen?" Jetfire nodded slowly, glancing to the side of the room where Starscream leaned against a wall just watching him. No smile on his face but obviously enjoying himself. "Would you mind telling me why you were so foolish?" And then SideSwipe lost it, bursting into laughter and having to clutch at the large door frame to keep from falling to his side. Red Alert and Jetfire glared at the younger bot, one more so due to the fact that he was the object of humiliation. Jetfire wasn't sure himself why he'd allowed Starscream to do what he did. Maybe he thought if he showed trust the jet wouldn't hate him for previous occurrences. Though now he could care less about the slagging jet's opinion: all he wanted to do was strangle him.
"Starscream!" Red Alert yelled, very disappointed in the two of them. "What in this universe gave you the idea to weld his mouth shut?!"
"I thought I'd be an improvement?" He offered in a bland tone. "If you'd like you can blame my upbringing?"
It was true, and from everyone that was Starscream's point of view, it had been a rather good idea. Problems always started for him when Jetfire spoke, so why not stop it all together at the source. He figured if the shuttle couldn't speak, he couldn't bring quite the same amount of misery into his life. Plus it was just too easy as the shuttle had allowed him to "fix" his jaw. Starscream had indeed fixed it with the exception of melting the hinges and joints themselves to make moving impossible and tangling vocals wires so he couldn't simply speak as he would in vehicle mode.
"I'm starting to miss Hot Shot being the one to get into trouble like this." Red Alert groaned.
"Speaking of which, where are our dear companions?" Starscream asked in a less then companion tone. "I thought you Autobots waited around through storms and laser fire until your wounded are all happy and skipping about?" Jetfire tried to say something in response but only succeeded in creating muffled sounds of what could have been words or a poor impersonation of an earth elephant.
"Scavenger, SideSwipe and I remained behind to watch the base while the rest went out to drive away the approaching Deceptions if you must know. They were only two miles from our base." Scavenger noticed first how Starscream's amber optics thinned, Jetfire noticed it second and then let out a howling protest when Red Alert began to unhinge his jaw plate to fix the damage done by the seeker.
"That doesn't sound like Megatron, leading his troops in that fashion and..."
"Megatron wasn't with them." Scavenger interrupted. "We have all the perimeter scanners running in full in case he decides to show up at some point today, but so far we can't even say it was under his order that his goons are attacking. Is that in his style?" The jet wasn't sure...actually he was definitely certain he didn't like the mercenary's tone.
"Anyways I think that we should contact Optimus and tell him you two are awake."
"Nah, don't." Jetfire manage to mutter out as Red Alert reshaped the melted joints and waited for the medic to be done before continuing. "If he finds out we're awake then he'll turn tail and head back here quick as his semi aft can go. Let him do his job and I'll be sure to give the big guy a free shot at my head for all the trouble. Besides I'm sure he's dying to start apologizing to Starscream and making sure he isn't planning on..." It was then they realized at some point: Starscream had left.
"Please tell me you weren't going to suggest Starscream returning to the Decepticons?" Red Alert virtually whimpered and Jetfire sighed.
"Let me guess, I'm been nominated to go after him again?"
"Why wouldn't he accompany them in battle? It doesn't make sense!"
"Don't blow a fuse boss you're going to fry your head yelling like that." Swindle warned as he watched Starscream pace across the upper deck launch room which only Jetfire and he ever really had use of.
"Don't patronize me Swindle," Starscream hissed and continued his heavy pacing. "You know as well as I do that he never breaks his patterns, once that stubborn fool does something it's almost too easy to predict his next move. He never changes."
"You're saying that like it's a bad thing." The minicon snuffed and crawled from the shelf he'd been placed on to make his way back to the Seeker's shoulder, or "observation deck" as he liked to call it.
"It is a bad thing, especially now don't you see?" The seeker obviously was riled up about something that the minicon couldn't understand. How could he? He wasn't the one who'd dedicated millions of years of his lifetime trying to memorize every one of the tyrant mech's patterns and habits. This small deviation was enough to send the jet reeling. "There has been only one time since I've existed that Megatron went without his troops like this, there was some accident caused by who knows what, he was badly injured in the process and even though he threatened to kill all the Decepticon medics they still couldn't fix him in time for the next battle. So instead of sending out only a few soldiers, we all were dispatched as, I don't know: a distraction or compensation for his inability to be there..." Swindle caught onto his partner's line of thought.
"So you think Mr. Beetle head is injured or something?" Starscream didn't have to answer to say yes. "Then WHY aren't you celebrating? I mean if something happened to the Big Baddie doesn't that give you like a foot up or something?" The seeker glanced to the open roof, the blue sky and white clouds almost beckoning to him to jump up and fly. It was hard being trapped in the Autobot base most of the time and to fly now more then ever was tempting his circuits.
What if Megatron was hurt? What if Cyclonus had finally managed to bow the pit out of the base and Megatron had been caught up in the explosion? Maybe Thrust had finally gotten tired of being treated like a dog and took the Requiem Blaster and... Starscream froze. No, that could never happen. Thrust was too much of a whipped fool to ever go against Megatron and Cyclonus had Wheel Jack and Demolisher to keep him from pressing the "fun" buttons or mixing the "colorful" chemicals to make the "fun noise" which always lead to the "fun" chemical reaction that blew up half the room. No, it was impossible for some sort of treachery or mishap to occur, at least not with his absence.
In fact, what did he CARE about Megatron's state? He personally wanted to render the foul mech's head from his shoulders didn't he? Why did he worry, no, dwell so much on the possibility of him being alive or well or not?
"I have to go see for myself." Starscream announced. "Radio the Aerial Defense Team right now."
"But boss what are you..."
"Right. Now. Swindle."
"Er, whatever you say you slaggedcrazedflyinglittle..." Swindle groaned knowing that something bad was going to happen. Jetstorm, Sonar, Runway almost succeeded in knocking over their air commander with the frantic manner of their affection. The three clung to various pieces of the Seeker, one on a wing, one on his helm, the last attempting to bury himself into the Ex-Decepticon's armor. It was slightly endearing but mostly annoying and Swindle took the liberty of delivering a sharp kick to Jetstorm's head and informing him that he was in "his spot". Starscream waited for the three to combine and form the star saber and he looked to the exposed sky and seek out the answers to the questions which plagued him.
"Where do you think you're going?" An irritating voice questioned from the hallway.
"Oh great, you've been repaired, wonderful." Now, Starscream though. If only sarcasm could kill...
"No thanks to you, so, as I said, where are you going?" The seeker turned slightly, glaring optics focused on the frowning Autobot. It was strange to see the other without his mask, he never knew of Jetfire's dark face plating or how wide his optics were: it left him feeling more unsettled then before. Like the other was watching him more intently then ever.
"I'm going to perform my duty as a loyal Autobot of course, what else do you expect of me?"
"To go back to see Megatron," Jetfire responded bluntly. "Listen whatever happened yesterday with the computer glitch and the poisoning wasn't our fault. Things happen that not even we with our optimistic till it burns attitude can avoid." Starscream rolled his optics and realized he was so close to being fed up with this specific Autobot that he might actually return to the Decepticons just to escape his lectures and that annoying condescending smile that he was currently not wearing.
"It has nothing to do with that I assure you." He snapped. "I'm going after Megatron, now is the perfect opportunity since he'll be alone and I won't have to worry about being blind sided by any of the others."
"You can't be serious! It's obviously a trap then, to get you to be you and do something stupid like this." Jetfire stormed forward until he was close enough to grab Starscream's wing, a virtual taboo amongst fliers, but he did it anyways. "As your superior officer I order you to remain grounded."
"Get your filthy digits off me." The seeker hissed and even caused Swindle to be surprised and shaken up as he tried to pry his wing from the other's grasp. He could feel the taint of Jetfire's hands tearing down his wings, his proud wings, how dare he touch them! "I said get off!"
"No!" Jetfire growled back, the canine to Starscream's feline. "I'm not going to let you go off on a suicide mission! If you ever want to try and be a real Autobot you're going to have to learn to obey orders! We've been every bit as nice as we can be and you've managed to run Optimus to the point of breaking. We don't deserve this, not after everything we're doing for you!"
"The only thing you're doing right now, Auto-bot, is making me consider taking this saber and ramming it between those optics of yours..."
Swindle, as this point very confused on what was going on with his partner, made a clear observation: Jetfire was a masochist. The minicon had thought that Starscream took the prize for masochism on and around earth considering his relationship with Megatron and the dents and damage he received from doing nothing more then was told. But no, Jetfire officially beat Starscream if only for the fact that: he didn't have to care, and suffer, and be bitten for Starscream. Were it Red Alert or Optimus there trying to stop the stubborn seeker they would have engaged in a long lecture and pathetically hopeful speech about friendship and trust. Hot Shot would have waved goodbye to the Ex-Decepticon, and Scavenger would have verbally tormented him until Starscream just gave up and believed that by not going he was making the mercenary mad. Only Jetfire tried to win with Starscream in the manner which got him hurt. Only Jetfire had the nuts and bolts to physically keep the seeker still. Swindle knew this would end badly for the shuttle and the Autobot knew this...but he still tried? That didn't make any sense unless he...
Oh no, Swindle thought and clung to Starscream's armor as the seeker again attempted to wretch himself from the other's grasp. We have a problem captain!
"I've warned you sufficiently Autobot, if you don't let go of me..."
"Then stab away Autobot, I'm slow not deaf. But just remember even if you split my face in two I'm just stubborn enough to still come after you. So go ahead and try it because when you fly off I'll be the one grabbing onto your foot, broken face and all, dragging you back down."
Red Alert was in trouble, big, big trouble. He was only partially relieved when Optimus radioed back informing the remaining at the base that they had driven off the Decepticons in a full retreat and ignoring Hot Shot's whimpers of going after them since they'd yet to warp out. The medic informed them he'd have the warp gate ready and waiting for their return pretending not to hear Optimus' query on the two wounded fliers. Red Alert ignored it because: HE COULDN'T FIND THEM! He'd sent Sideswipe to find the two of them when an alert went off to tell him "Oh by the way the two idiots have left the base, have a nice day, ok thanks bye". Scavenger had never heard the Medic whimper until that moment.
"Why had I listened to Jetfire? Who is foolish enough to listen to JETFIRE? I believed I was better, smarter, more logical then this. I should have called Optimus immediately upon their waking and now they're missing. Do you know what will happen when Optimus finds this out? No? He's going to strangle me. Yup, strangulation. Don't try to remind me that he's never done anything more then probation for disobedient soldiers, because for this I'm going to be strangled. Do you not understand the horror of what I've done? I've released Jetfire AND Starscream out onto the world. It's Mars all over again. Blurr you can have my modifications you were eying the other day and Hot Shot you can't have any of my tools. Scavenger when I'm destroyed please be kind enough to move my body."
Hot Shot looked at SideSwipe, who looked at Scavenger, who looked at Hoist, who looked at Blurr who looked rather pleased to be given the modifications to Red Alert's laser appendage.
"Red, are you ok?" SideSwipe asked. "I mean I know you totally just lied to Optimus when he asked if he could see Jetfire and Starscream and you told him they were resting, but you seem very pale. Can we even turn pale? The fact that you're turning pale makes me nervous." Shoving the small bot aside Blurr stepped forward and gave a small shake to the medic's arm.
"Red Alert listen, you did the wrong thing lying to Optimus like that, you should go right now and explain yourself or else you'll be court marshaled and I won't get those mods." Hot Shot then took his turn and pulled Blurr away, glaring at him for being, well, serious.
"Listen Red, go talk to Optimus about what really happened, in the meantime Swipe and I will try to locate Jetfire and that goon and in no time we'll have them back ok?" Red Alert nodded, slowly reverting back to the medic they all knew and feared.
"All right, thank you Hot Shot. I'll go right now." After five minutes of everyone just staring at the medic Hoist casually shoved Red Alert from where he stood and towards the door Optimus had disappeared to. "I'm going, no need to push." The medic snapped and then, carefully, went to find the commander.
He located the other mech in the warp room, doing seemingly nothing, but looking very serious about something. He was probably thinking about the battle today, why Megatron wasn't there, and why Jetfire and Starscream weren't "awake yet". He approached cautiously and considering just informing him that Hot Shot needed to speak with him, let the younger bot break the news. No, he was in charge of this; he couldn't run from a foolish mistake like this. Red Alert knew better then to think that Optimus would do something as violent as strangle him. (Then again he once thought he was smart enough not to listen to Jetfire, strange things had happened that day, he was afraid of chancing it.)
"Sir, You here?" He called out, even though he could see the mech clear as day; kind of hard to miss a giant Red and blue transformer standing in the middle of a room.
"Yes, I'm here, well I'm here in body, what is it? How's Jetfire and Starscream?"
Ah, yes of course, start off sounding as though you're having an out of shell experience due to the misery you're feeling over the state of your two subordinates. I really think I should just let Hot Shot deal with this one... The way Optimus was looking at him, eagerly, hopeful: it just hurt to see and know he'd lied.
"I'm sorry sir, but we lost them." He mumbled out, bracing himself for the imminent fit to begin. This was something a rookie would do.
"W-what!? When!? Why didn't you...!"
Wait did Optimus think they were dead, the panic in his voice suggested so!
"No! No! Sir I mean literally they're not here...we lost them and we have no idea where they are!"
"But when...?" It was then the yellow bot came crashing into the room, sliding about and nearly crashing to the floor. Optimus was temporarily distracted from his confusion on what Red Alert meant and turned to the scattered younger. "Hot Shot what's wrong?"
"Sir," Hot Shot nodded to Optimus then turned to the medic. "Sorry to interrupt but we found them!"
"Where are they?" Red Alert asked hopefully.
"You won't like it but, well..." Optimus was still confused on what was going on.
"Just tell me!" Red Alert pleaded.
"They're attacking the moon."
Then the world stopped, Decepticons and Autobots where the best of friends, and the human children that followed them around actually had a purpose.
"Would you mind, repeating that last part?" Red Alert and Optimus spoke in unison and Hot Shot realized how bad it was to announce their recent findings in such a way. (Meaning with Optimus in the room)
"Wait, let me get this straight: Jetfire and Starscream are awake, alive, and attacking the moon?" Optimus looked around, between his two subordinates, and then at the floor for a lovely two seconds before whipping his head around to Red Alert. "Explain. Now." He demanded and Red Alert took a synthesized breath to ease his system...and explained. Perhaps what caused Optimus' shoulders to hunch was when Starscream welding Jetfire's mouth shut or maybe it was the part where Red Alert actually listened to the shuttle. "I'm sorry, but why did you listen to him? Did he pull rank? You only listen to Jetfire when he pulls rank! Every other time you just ignore him!" The Autobot commander rubbed his faceplate trying to figure out what they were going to do. If Starscream went to return to Megatron that was, well sadly expected but why was Jetfire there to? What were they doing?! And he couldn't send anyone out to bring them back because their only flier was doing what he did best: tempting Optimus' mother board to fry.
"All right, Red Alert you go and repair the damages done to Hoist and Blurr from this last attack, Hot Shot I want you and Sideswipe to try and contact them and get them to turn around. Tell Scavenger to go out and make sure no Decepticons are near the base; send Laserbeak out to help as well. Make sure the kids aren't on their way over, I don't want them near if they attack." The two saluted and started to dash off when Optimus called back for Red Alert.
"Also, have you figured out anything about the Energon poisoning?" A look crossed over Red Alert, akin to surprise and regret.
"I'm sorry sir, everything with those two had me so...it doesn't matter, I'm sorry. When I was performing surgery I noticed that there was a strange contraption near Starscream's spark. I didn't have time to investigate it further but it seemed, well the scanners informed me of it and I should have continued looking. I'm sorry sir. I thought it could just be something all seekers had, I should have investigated further seeing as it was far more soaked in the poisoned energon then the rest of him."
"It's all right Red Alert, tend to the others. We'll get them back don't worry and then we'll concern ourselves about whatever it was you found all right?" Despite the mask Red Alert could tell that Optimus was smiling, offering him comfort even though the medic had made such a rookie mistake.
"Yes sir." He nodded and rushed out. Optimus remained in silence, staring at the door where his subordinates had left. He couldn't help but feel a dark dread crawling through his spark, a warning perhaps of worse things to come. Just like when Thrust was lurking about, tempting Starscream back to the Decepticons. He was proven wrong then, and hopefully he would again. Yet, when it came to Megatron there were very few things that didn't surprise him. He could only hope he'd not be given another reason to despise the Decepticon commander even more, he was growing tired of hating.
"So, boss I think I need to mention something to you that you might find interesting." Swindle said as his partner flew towards the moon.
"Not now Swindle." Starscream answered, gripping tightly to the Star Saber and searching everywhere for any sign of the megalomaniac.
"No, I really think you need to hear this because I'm starting to think that Je..."
"There's your problem, you're thinking, stop. Can't you keep up?" Starscream hollered back to the Autobot. Jetfire flew closer to the Ex-Decepticon, were he in robot mode he would probably be sneering and that made Starscream all the more glad he was in vehicle mode. "I still don't know why you insisted on coming, just a waste of your time."
"I already told you at 30,000 feet after you knocked my face in with that shiny sword of yours: If I can't stop you I'm at least making sure you come back home." Starscream stopped in midair, transforming and catching the Star Saber in his hand perfectly. Jetfire followed, making a U-turn and transformed, staring at the seeker with a confused expression. "What? What did I do now?"
"Don't call that place my home, its not." Starscream hissed.
"You've got to be kidding me. Is that all you can do, wave around your sword, rant and bicker?" Jetfire drug white hands down his face and groaned in frustration. He'd just about had it with the seeker. "Listen, know what? I don't care ok? It's your home whether you like it or not because in that Decepticon base no one ever cared about you and...Why are you so difficult?! We're just trying to help! We've only ever tried to help and you try to kill us; I only try to help and you nearly bite my face off! You really need to stop and realize that for once you don't have to worry about taking care of yourself, we're here to help you: I'm here to make sure everything is all right ok! So will you just..."
He was so distracted by yelling he didn't notice Starscream's optics widening or the charging of a fusion canon.
He did notice though, as the pain was great and ripped apart his side: that Megatron had just shown up, he was shot, and Starscream (for the extended time that being shot across the void of space seemed to appear as) looked petrified.
This has not been a good day.
Jack: Question, besides the obvious Jetfire/Starscream...what other Armada couples do you all like? Just curious honestly...
Next Chapter: Spin
"You can't just give up, want to know why? Because I'm not done with you yet. I'm not the most optimistic mech and yea, I'm pretty sure you miss your old ways but I know and have seen that you're not the worst guy around...besides how can you die on me without having our adorable sparklings? I figure they can have your fangs and my good looks."
