~ Hayli's POV
Prowl and I had been training together recently, we both needed to work to get back to full strength since we'd almost been taken offline. Our injuries had healed, but that didn't mean we were necessarily alright. I stumbled back a step as Prowl's fist solidly connected with my chest plate, then dropped down and spun on one hand, my legs sweeping his feet out from under him. He went with the momentum, back flipping off his hands and landing on his feet.
"Nice save." I commented and he smiled. Darting out of my sight, I whirled to find him and saw he was standing right behind me. Drawing back, I lifted my foot to give him a solid kick, but when I did my foot passed right through him and I lost my balance. The real Prowl jumped out of the rafters, knocking me down and pinning me under his foot playfully.
"I win." Prowl said.
"No fair, you used a hologram! Cheater!" I complained, squirming to get out from under his foot. He grinned at my struggles, easily keeping me on the ground because I was only half his size.
"Oh, do you want up?" he asked.
"Yes please." I said in a fake, extremely sweet voice. He laughed.
"Too bad." Prowl said. I groaned.
"Come on, get off me!" I said. Prowl started to say something, but both our commlinks activated and we simultaneously put our hands to our audio receptors.
"Hayli, Prowl, I need you two to run a scout mission around Lake Erie and the woods, there has been Decepticon activity recently and I need you to check it out." Optimus said over the commlink. Prowl let me off the ground and I gave him a 'you are so dead' look as I replied.
"On it, big guy." I said, deactivating my commlink and grabbing my jet pack off the floor where I had laid it so it wouldn't get broken when Prowl and I sparred. I took off, Prowl following not too far behind along the road. He came over my commlink.
"Hey, follow me; I want to show you something first. I found it a while ago..." Prowl said. I shrugged and let him pull ahead. He pulled into the woods, heading to a part of it I hadn't explored before. He told me to follow him on foot, so I complied, dropping through the trees and meeting up with him. It was that odd time of day when you couldn't quite describe the light, somewhere just before the sun started to set. I stepped as silently as Prowl through the undergrowth, and suddenly he turned to me.
"This is it, now close your eyes." he said. I looked at him quizzically, doing as he said and powering off my optics. He rested a hand gently on my shoulders and led me out of the undergrowth. I felt the surface under my feet change from dirt and grass to rock and Prowl stopped me.
"You can look now." Prowl said and I let my optics flick back on. I was standing on a cliff, Prowl behind me, and stretching out in front of me was a deep blue lake. It wasn't Lake Erie, simply a smaller one that was set into the woods, but it was absolutely beautiful, especially from here. The sun had just started to set, its light still beaming onto the water and causing it to sparkle. I turned to Prowl, a grin on my face.
"It's beautiful, Prowl." I said.
"Just like you." he replied. I felt my face flush and turned away from him, a small smile that I wouldn't dare let him see spreading over my lips. I instead folded my legs and sat near the edge of the cliff, looking up at the burning sky and spotting the first evening star. Prowl sat as well, staring thoughtfully up at the twilight sky.
"Jazz doesn't really think so, but I believe that this planet is even more beautiful than Cybertron itself." Prowl commented.
...
~Aria's POV
I ended up scanning the same type of jet that was Blitzwing's alternate mode, and Starscream begrudgingly gave me flight lessons. Screaming through the air at twice the speed of sound, it was easy to see how the Decepticons got so cocky. Being able to transform was amazing, I didn't just turn into a jet, I was a jet. Angling my wings to turn or adjusting the foils on my wings felt as natural as walking. I landed in the base and transformed back into my normal mode. Megatron was waiting for me, and he ordered Starscream and I to come forward.
"Yes, Lord Megatron?" I asked. Megatron stepped aside to reveal Shockwave, who in turn held up a tablet with a still image on it.
"One of my camera bots has detected those two Autobot cyber-ninjas far away from Detroit, my liege; do you wish to pursue them?" Shockwave said.
"Yes, cyber-ninjas have the capability of drawing the All Spark energy from their surroundings; these two would be invaluable to us if we could force them to do it." Megatron said. He turned to Starscream and I. "Starscream and...Aria...You know what, if you're going to be a Decepticon you need a Decepticon designation. What does your human name mean?" Megatron asked. I thought for a moment, then remembered.
"I think it means 'from the wind' or something like that." I remarked. Megatron contemplated, then spoke.
"If you so wish, your name will be Breezeway from now on." he said. I told him it sounded fine and he lifted his head.
"Very well. Breezeway, Starscream, your orders are to capture the two cyber-ninjas and report to me when you do so we can transport them to our warship." Megatron said. Starscream transformed, asking something before we left.
"Lord Megatron, why don't you wish them to be brought back here?" Starscream asked.
"If you must know, our ship has better holding facilities and Black Arachnia is also aboard. If you remember, her interrogation methods are quite effective." Megatron answered before ordering us to leave.
Starscream was tracking the pair's energy signatures as we flew side-by-side. He spoke up, breaking the silence.
"Just so you know, these two won't give up without a hard fight. Here's the plan though; as soon as we land, I'm going to short out their commlinks with an EMP pulse, after that, try not to fight them so much. Here, take these, get them on the girl as fast as you can, I'll handle Prowl." Starscream said, transforming quickly and tossing something at me before transforming back. I caught it on one of my wings, looking at it a moment before asking him what it was.
"They're stasis cuffs. As soon as you snap them on, any movement from the wearer is detected and they are sent into stasis lock" Starscream said. I stayed silent, but Starscream broke the quiet as we neared the two cyber-ninjas.
"You know, there are very few femme Decepticons, and the only one I personally know is one of my clones, Slipstream. Believe me, that gets weird hanging around with her. I was thinking maybe sometime you and I could..." Starscream was saying before I cut him off.
"Don't even think about it." I said. Starscream shut up, leaving us in awkward silence before he spoke up one more time.
"They're almost right below us, stick to what I told you earlier, alright?" he said and transformed, dropping to the ground. I followed close behind, retrieving the stasis cuffs off of my wing. Like he said, Starscream ruined their commlinks and then leaped for Prowl. The girl, who I had seen at the Autobot's base but never caught her name, went to his aid. She hadn't noticed me with Starscream, so I flying tackled her and pinned her to the ground, bending her arm behind her back and pushing it painfully upwards. She cried out, and I noticed Prowl break away from Starscream. Quickly, I snapped the stasis cuffs on her and she stiffened before her optics went out.
Prowl blocked a blow from Starscream, recognition spreading across his face when he saw me.
"Aria?" he asked. I shook my head, surprising him when I answered back.
"It's Breezeway now." I said, jumping to help Starscream. Prowl spotted the girl on the ground and rammed me aside. I fell to the ground with a thud, but Starscream pinned Prowl to the dirt.
"Hayli!" Prowl cried before Starscream locked the stasis cuffs on him. I got up quickly, dusting myself off. Starscream looked at me when I did.
"Impressive work, where did you learn that move you used on Hayli?" he asked as he hailed the Decepticon warship. I shrugged.
"Street fighting, there are no rules there." I said. Starscream looked a bit confused, but shook it off when the enormous Decepticon ship appeared over our heads. Starscream grabbed Prowl's unconscious form and took off, so I hauled Hayli into the air as well. A dock opened up on the bottom of the ship, which I followed Starscream into.
Megatron and the rest of the Decepticons were waiting for us, and Shockwave and Lugnut quickly relieved us of our prisoners, starting to drag them away.
"Where are they taking them?" I asked. Megatron glanced at the two unconscious Autobots as they were taken away.
"To the lower decks, that is where the brig and interrogation rooms are. Any more questions?" he asked. I actually had one.
"Yes, my Lord, though it may be a foolish one to ask. Why is the symbol on the girl's armor different from the others?" I asked. Blitzwing answered my question with his icy personality.
"She iz part of ze Elite Guard, zat is vhy the insignia is different." he answered. I nodded my thanks, and Blitzwing's persona spun to what the Decepticons and named 'random.'
"Ju passed jour first mission! Ve should celebrate!" he said, laughing insanely. I gave him a look, and Megatron simply rolled his optics and walked out. Blitzwing started dancing very badly and was singing 'Celebration' very out of tune. It sounded even worse with his German accent. Most everyone else was annoyed, but I ended up laughing, something I hadn't done since I lost my voice four years ago.