Important Information
"Blah" Speaking
::Blah:: comm. link
'Blah'bonded speech
'Blah' thinking
Astrosecond- 2.5 earth Seconds
Klik- 150 earth seconds/ 2.5 earth Minutes
Orn- 150 earth minutes/ 2.5 earth Hours
Joor- 60 earth hours/2.5 earth Days
Metacycle- 17.5 earth days/2.5 earth Weeks
Vorn- 10 earth weeks/2.5 earth months
Stellercycle-30 earth months/2.5 years
Breem-slang for a moment/minute.
Night Cycle: star down to star up
Day Cycle: Star up to star down
Authors Note: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, I have taken part in this years Gift Fic exchange, which has eaten up a lot of my time. That story will be posted shortly, once the group has revealed who wrote which story.
As for this chapter, I have some mixed feelings on it. I can never tell if my chapters are any good or not, but this one is not one of my favourites. I really struggled with this one and I think it shows. So if its crap, I'm sorry. Chapter 5 is almost done, and I am liking it a lot more then this chapter.
As always, a huge thank you to my beta, DarknessRising10! THANK YOU! :D
And thank you to Sunstreaker's Girl, DarknessRising10, SunnySidesofBlue, Fan Girl 666, Wanderling, SammyWolfstar, EcontraBlue and R for reviewing.
Disclaimer: I own only my OC's, nothing else.
()()()
Rage fuelled Sunstreaker as he crouched atop the flat roof of the parking bay, his blunt digits digging into the concrete, the black bubbling mess that had become his paint job, scarring up his arm. Fury and hatred for Danny swelled in his spark, and not for the first time the frontliner wondered what the hell his twin had seen in the little glitch.
After losing her back at her last base it had taken the Autobot a day and a half to find her again, tracking the little bitch right to the parking garage across the road, and now he quietly watched as her small figure walked up to the fourth level, wisely staying away from stair wells and the potential for cameras.
As much as he hated her, despised the human who had taken his twin from him, Sunstreaker found himself curious about her. Clearly she knew what she was doing, but how good was she really? Smirking, Sunstreaker knew that Prowl would be proud of him.
He could have easily gone to the same parking garage, cornered and trapped her but instead he was gathering Intel on her, learning his quarry's habits, her skills. Know thy enemy. It was a human saying, and it galled Sunstreaker to use it, but the saying was apt.
He would watch her steal this car, the bright yellow Camaro she was stealing for Brandon and his little friends, and he would learn how she did it. Then he would drag her ass home and let Prowl tear into her for thieving. That would teach the little glitch!
The frontliner watched with his dark grin spreading as Danny stalked towards her own quarry, padding softly up to it, her soft fingers brushing its yellow finish. He watched with a grin, as she opened the door with ease, and he wondered where the keys she used to open the door had come from.
Shrugging off the thought, Sunstreaker knew it was time to confront the human. She now had a car and Sideswipe had done nothing but brag about how good a driver she was, so now it was time to test her true mettle. Grinning as he dropped down into his sleek alt mode, the frontliner tore down the garage ramps, the grey walls a blank blur as he raced for the street.
It would take Danny time to get the car started and ease the sports car onto the road but the Autobot had to make sure he got to there before her. He wanted her to see him, he wanted to see the little glitch panic when she saw him. He was curious to see if she would bolt or try to fight again.
He honestly hoped she froze, just so he could watch her panic. He would get a dark thrill out of that; then he would smash that pathetic little car she stole as revenge for what she had done to his paint job. Black rage flushed his systems, making his engine red line and had he been in his root mode he would have felt the heat creep up from his chest to his neck and into his face.
Sunstreaker would make sure she paid for what she had done to his pristine frame, one way or another, and he would enjoy making her suffer for it.
A dark glow spread through Sunstreaker as he crawled slowly through traffic, coming to a rolling stop at the exit of the parking garage, in easy sight when Danny came from the bay. The few short moments seemed to crawl by, slowly, agonizing. The anticipation, the near excitement that he would soon have her in his crosshairs, rocketing Sunstreaker's battle protocols online.
He would not make the same mistake twice and let the little glitch put him in a vulnerable place, he would not let her attack him again. Not like she had done with the Molotov cocktail, he would not allow his battle protocols, his killer instinct to go quite again so long as she was on the run.
The short Earth minutes dragged on, feeling like hours instead of the few short moments it took the car thief to drive the stolen Camaro down the ramp and to the exit. One moment there was nothing, then, almost as if a spell had been cast, the yellow Camaro appeared with a red headed female driver.
Grinning inwardly again, engine revving aggressively, Sunstreaker watched Danny as she eased the car forward, her bright brown eyes looking left and then right to check if the traffic was clear for her. As the brown orbs swept back to check the street once more, as a safe, normal driver would do, her eyes landed on his sleek, gold frame.
Engine revving hard and loud again, Sunstreaker jerked forward in an aggressive move, daring her to run. Dark delight spread through the frontliner's frame when he saw her panic, saw her mud colour eyes widen in shock and surprise. Her small, fleshy brow drew downward in confusion and her small mouth fell open in a silent 'O' of surprise.
Another thrill raced through Sunstreaker's lines at the sight of her frozen form; Sideswipe had been so adamant that the thief was a great driver, was fun to race with and go through the time trials with. She had, the crimson twin had boasted, not panicked when they did the figure of eights on the obstacle course.
Yet here she was, freezing at the mere sight of him. Sunstreaker knew she was as pathetic as the rest of her race. There were of course a few exceptions to that rule; Epps, Lennox and General Morshower were a few select humans who Sunstreaker tolerated. Mearing was an annoying little creation, but she did her job well and tended to leave the Autobots to themselves.
These civilians though, they set Sunstreaker's denta on edge. What did they know of sacrifice, pain or valour? People like Danny toiled in thievery for the fun of it, and it was people like her who had imprisoned him and his twin in the Pits of Iacon for their own enjoyment. Yes, people like Danny made his energon boil.
The one thing that glitches like Danny all had in common was they were all cowards. Any moment now the shock would bleed away to fear, and then he would have her cornered. Her pathetic mind would go numb, she would freeze and he could easily bring her sobbing back to the Ark.
Astonishment fluttered through Sunstreaker like a wild bird as the surprise at seeing him bled away into not fear, but excitement. A challenging look flooded Danny's soft brown eyes, hardening them with the same glint of anticipation he would see in Sideswipe when he was about to pull a prank.
The look of what was about to come, the sheer joy that they were about to do something they were not suppose to be doing, and likely wouldn't be caught. Instead of running, instead of freezing, Danny revved the engine of the Camaro, edging the yellow car ever closer to his damaged frame in what was clearly a challenge.
Not one to be outdone, Sunstreaker's engine growled back, deep and loud. As far he was concerned, it was a no contest competition. His alt form was a Lamborghini and its greater horse power would eat the little Camaro for lunch any day of the week. He was clearly faster than it, and had better handling and manoeuvrability.
So why then would the little glitch think to challenge him with a slower vehicle?
Her lips curled into a little smirk, little white teeth gleaming in the sunlight as she held her gaze, not backing down. She revved the engine again, the smaller, weaker engine purring back at him, not powerful enough to hit the same deep growl.
The line of traffic began again, briefly separating Danny from Sunstreaker as normal people in their normal cars drove down their normal street.
For just a moment, such a brief moment really, Sunstreaker lost the yellow Camaro as Danny shot out from the exit of the parking garage, cutting off some poor driver as she tore into traffic. Before the golden frontliner could even make sense of what he had just seen, Danny flew down the street, weaving in and out of traffic and a thrill, hot and high, raced through Sunstreaker's lines at the thought of chasing Danny down, of having reason to race through traffic, breaking every speed limit in the city to corner the little glitch.
Engine growling low and aggressive, Sunstreaker roared after her, tyres smoking as they grasped for purchase. He shot like a bullet from a gun, a gold blur amongst the neutral colours that most humans picked for their cars.
He hardly had to push his engine before he caught up to the human femme, weaving as she did, catching up with ease. Smugly, Sunstreaker followed the thief in their high speed chase, zigging every time she would zagg; drifting right behind her as she took corner after corner hard in a desperate attempt to escape.
Instinct drove him, like a blood hound tracking a rabbit, right behind her as they raced through the outskirts of Las Vegas. He would try to pull along side of her, to drive her off the road and into the earth, but Danny would prove herself competent as she managed to stay ahead of the Lamborghini, for every time the Autobot tried to get around her, Danny would suddenly pull in front of him, slamming on her breaks for only a brief moment, forcing him to do the same unless he wanted to ruin his front end by ramming into her, before she took off again. Sometimes she would use other cars like small walls, keeping him separated from her until she could have more room to move once again, room to escape.
Although the yellow car was nowhere near as powerful as he, Danny knew how to drive it, knew how to use her surroundings to her advantage and keep him on his toes. Though he would never admit it, not to any one, ever, chasing the human through the city with a complete disregard to their own safety and everyone around them was kind of...well fun.
It made his core programming sing in contentment as his four tyres made contact with the ground, smoothly rolling over the asphalt in quick succession. His spark pounded in his chest with excitement and his engine run hard and hot as he easily kept pace with the human in her stolen vehicle.
It took the edge off his black, rolling hate and hurt, despite his anger at the human for destroying his finish. Driving was such a simple joy, it always soothed the Autobot, helped him relax and take a step away from his anger; and now he was able to chase the little glitch around a city where speed limits apparently no longer mattered.
It was bliss, a near high for Sunstreaker as he tore down the crowded street, heading deeper into the city, weaving around the slower, more pathetic drivers in his pursuit of the thief. However, just as all happiness seemed to for him, it ended abruptly.
Finally pulling behind the human in her stolen car, a mere car's length away, his engine rumbled evenly as tyres rolled over the smooth, dry road. Excitement ate at his lines as he began to slowly catch up, prolonging the inevitable, knowing he would soon have her trapped; and he enjoyed every moment.
Neither he nor Danny saw the police officer sitting quietly in one of the small side streets, the only thing the Autobot was aware of was the burn of his engine, knowing he was so close, so Sunstreaker was taken by surprise as the officer's vehicle suddenly darted out into traffic in front of him, fully intending on catching the yellow speedster the frontliner was himself chasing.
There was no time to react, one moment the Autobot was trailing behind the Camaro, the next he was spinning out, his gyros trying desperately to make sense of what they were sensing, giving him a sense of vertigo as his processor spun. Pain exploded from his front corner panel as the armour gave and dented as the rear of the police car was rammed into his front end.
He fought for control, fought to make sense of the blurring colours and the waves of nausea. When Sunstreaker finally stopped spinning out, he sat in the middle of the road for a moment, trying to make sense of what had just occurred, taking stock of the damage done.
He could hear someone yelling, screaming, at him, kicking his tyres in anger. The frontliner could feel his shaky hold on his calmness slipping, could feel the familiar rising of anger bubbling from his chest and outward.
The human who screamed, Sunstreaker assumed it was the officer, kicked his tyre again, demanding that he 'get outta the damned car', and his pain pulsed in time with his growing rage and bitter disappointment that Danny had likely escaped again.
The short lived happiness died as blinding rage took over once again. Tyres began to shake as rage took over and his golden plates shuttered against his softer protoform.
"GET OUT!" The officer yelled again, kicking at his back tyre, and Sunstreaker could feel his last nerve snap, his bubbling rage exploding and burning in a hot angry swell.
With a snarl and a high rev of his engine, Sunstreaker transformed, crouching high and dark over the human who had dared touch his frame. Ice cold blue optics pinned the stunned officer, his upper lip pulled back over flat denta in a silent snarl.
Slowly standing up, taller and higher than the officer could have ever dared imagine, Sunstreaker towered over the human like a dark sentry of death. The officer suddenly back peddled, scrambling to get away from the angry frontliner and his aura of rage.
His cowardliness disgusted Sunstreaker as the front liner watched the human fumble for his gun, his fleshy hands scrambling with the holster. Rage bolstered through the Autobot at the human's audacity, at the mere thought that his pathetic weapon could harm him.
Large black servos curled into tight fists which trembled at the thought of killing the human, smashing his puny little cruiser into dust fluttered through his processor. One arm ached from where the fire had licked at his armour, the other now dented and damaged ached just as much.
Another snarl rippled from the front liner as he glared angrily down at the little human, ready to kill at any given moment. He took a small step forward as the human scrambled back, terrified, the officer falling backwards as he scrambled to get away, crawling in his desperate attempt to escape.
"Sunny, you okay?" A soft, very feminine voice called out, almost worried and scared, which stopped Sunstreaker in his tracks.
The Autobot's helm snapped around so quickly and with such force, that he heard the cables in his neck strain as he pin pointed on that voice. The hated nickname didn't even bother him as he focused in on her wretched voice; the cause of all his anger, his annoyance, his hurt.
Danny had stopped the Camaro so suddenly that it was sideways across two lanes with the driver door facing him. The upper part of the thief's body was leaning out of the window, her small palms pressing into the window frame of the door. A worried look spread cross her tiny features.
"You...you okay?" she asked again, the concern slipping further into her face as her brow furrowed and her lips pulled into a small frown.
Focusing in on his target, battle protocol roaring to life as Sunstreaker descended past the killing threshold, Danny the sole focus of his rage. The anger, the hurt, the feeling of abandonment snowballed within the frontliner, creating a ball of tangled emotions and the former gladiator blamed the little human for each and every one of them.
Turning to the thief, a snarl rippling again from his chest, Sunstreaker stalked to the femme, forgetting the officer. The only word that ripped from the Autobot's chest was an angry, shaky, "You!"
Worry turned to shock, as Sunstreaker watched through a red haze as the human drew back, away from him, the first threads of fear finally coming from her, "Me? What did I do?"
"This is all your fault!" The frontliner snarled, his spark reaching out hopelessly for its other half, dismay echoing through him when it was not answered.
"My fault! I didn't hit you!" she cried back, nearly desperate; he could hear her tiny heart begin to pound in her chest, the cockiness gone as she saw firsthand how dangerous Sunstreaker could be.
"I'm only here because of you! And I swear you'll pay for this!" The frontliner snarled, his pain pulsing in time with his rage once more.
Brown eyes blinked up at the frontliner, flicking momentarily to his arms and their damage before drawing back up again. A tiny tongue flicked out like a reptiles to moisten cracked lips as her brown eyes focused on his angry face.
She hesitated a beat longer before she took a deep breath. "Listen I'm really sorry, I am." She paused again, "Really. But I can't go back yet."
Suddenly her small body was pulled back inside the car's frame and the Camaro sped off, black smoke trailing behind her. Danny had barely disappeared back into the stolen car before Sunstreaker was moving and with the deadly grace of a predator, the frontliner was on her, the tips of his digits grazing the back of the car as she took off.
With a violent snarl, he took one, then two running steps before he flung himself into his alt mode, his body transitioning easily from running to driving as he tore after her once again. The game had changed now and no longer was Sunstreaker's pursuit one of enjoyment and fun, a mere game of cat and mouse. Now it had taken a serious turn once again and Sunstreaker would do anything to see the human captured, to see the ugly Camaro destroyed and see her lose everything she had worked so hard to gain. Just like he had.
The playful weaving and breaking was over and in its place a game of deadly intent, and now Danny knew it. Each time he closed the space between them, the frontliner would ram into the back of the Camaro, taking out the tail lights and denting the fragile fibreglass panels. Sunstreaker couldn't bring himself to care that it dented his front end, too lost in the madness of battle to even give it a second thought.
Then, aided by a stupid move on her part, Danny escaped. She drifted around the corner of a busy intersection, first cutting off two cars to block her pursuer's path, before driving up and over the curb; the yellow Camaro cutting across the sidewalk in her desperate attempt to escape him.
Sunstreaker could only watch as the stolen vehicle disappeared around another corner, lost to the city as she ran, and hot rage burned through the frontliner as the broken tail lights disappeared. But it didn't matter how fast she ran, he knew where she was going.
Grinning inwardly, dark and cruel, Sunstreaker took off again. It was time to speak to his little friend Brandon.
()()()
When the little scrap yard came into view, Sunstreaker's fury had not died down, had not fizzled in the slightest; if anything it had increased, fuelled by his drive, sending him spiralling down into the madness of his battle protocol.
The beaten frame of the yellow Camaro stood out in the grey scrapyard, and all other feelings bled out from Sunstreaker, until all he was left with was his rage. The human would pay for his pain, he would smash her puny car to nothing and drag her home.
He would make sure she receive nothing, not a dime nor a cent for this little mission of hers; if that was the only way he'd get his revenge, then so be it.
Transforming with a snarl, Sunstreaker's damaged arms swung at his side, the dull armour no longer shinning in the sun. He stalked to the small squat building, not caring as he crushed the small wired fence that surrounded the perimeter under his pede as he stomped to the building where Danny hid.
The Autobot warrior paused, only briefly, when he heard Danny's frantic voice. "Brandon! Hurry up with the transaction, I have to go!"
"It's going as fast as it can. I can't make it go faster Danny!"
The girl hissed, causing Sunstreaker to grin. He had her scared, on the run. Just as it should have been from the get go.
"There!" Brandon hissed back at Danny. "The money has been transferred to your offshore account."
"Good." She hissed back, throwing every ounce of sass back at her fellow human that she had thrown at him.
Black metal shinning the dim light of the setting sun caught Sunstreaker's optics and the frontliner grinned darkly as his blue optics fell on Epps' stolen bike. The lieutenant would forgive him, that much the Autobot was sure. At least that's what Sunstreaker's blinding rage told him, reassured him.
Plucking the bike from the ground, Sunstreaker's cold smile slipped a little further into madness as he pressed one servo to the front tyre and the other to the back and smirking just a little more, the ice spreading a little further into his cold spark, Sunstreaker crushed the bike between his servos, turning the once gleaming bike into a crumbled ball of steel.
The maniacal grin did not lessen at Danny's concerned words when she wondered out loud what the noise was as metal screeched and squealed. Then with an easy flick of a wrist, Sunstreaker lightly tossed Danny's only source of escape.
The black ball of steel sailed easily through the air, landing with a heavy thud at the still broken bay doors, sliding a few feet, the loud, horrid noise drowning out the conversation between the humans. The silence which followed warmed the dark parts of the Autobot's spark, knowing he had spooked the humans enough to stall their pointless chatter, silencing Danny's big mouth for a little while at least.
He heard the femme curse, heard the bitter disappointment and misery that she had not only had been caught, but Epps' bike was a crushed ball of steel, useless to her endeavours.
The softly spoken words were music to Sunstreaker's audios, knowing he had managed to quell Danny's large mouth and her biting words. Although it didn't sooth the anger in his spark, the bitterness that his twin had chosen her over him, but it did bring the frontliner a measure of joy that he had managed to get one up her.
"Danny," he called out to her, his voice smooth, mocking and cold. "Let's go. You have no way out now."
The human was silent, hidden inside the building he had her trapped in, her scent and fear wafting through the area. He knew he had her trapped, she knew she was trapped. The fight was over now.
"Now Danny!" he hissed, his tone angry, his rage bubbling.
"I'm coming!" Danny snapped back, her small voice muffled by the walls that separated them, but Sunstreaker could still hear the anger there.
Grinning to himself, Sunstreaker preened silently. He had finally cased Danny to snap. True, it had been a tad more difficult than he had originally predicted, but in the end he had still won.
Crossing his arms, Sunstreaker felt himself creep back from the killing threshold, felt his battle protocols begin to go dormant now that he had her pinned. The frontliner heard the femme's soft, light footsteps, echoed by the hearts of her fellow humans pounding in their chests. He could hear Danny's thumping in her own chest while she mumbled softly, some dumb song under her breath.
"Move it Danny!" Sunstreaker snapped just before she appeared at the mouth of the broken door way, and the former gladiator heard himself gasp, his battle protocols snapping back to life.
Danny stood at the doorway, brown leather jacket snug around her body, dark satchel thrown over a single shoulder and a shot gun in her tiny hands; the butt of the weapon was pressed hard to her shoulder, aimed high at his face.
Sunstreaker's processor knew what he was staring at, and that it didn't have the power to actual do any major damage to his frame; it would be more of a distraction than anything else. But he still couldn't quite believe the women had the audacity to point the thing at him.
Although, if the Autobot took the time to ponder it, the fact that Danny was pointing a gun at him should not have surprised him. She did throw a Molotov cocktail at him after all.
Rage didn't have time to rekindle, he didn't have time to drop back past the killing threshold as Danny stepped around the corner of the building, her own anger clear on her face as she took aim and pulled the trigger.
There was a boom followed by a stinging pain under a cold blue optic; the shot gun blast peppered mostly under his right optic and along the ridge, some of the tiny pellets spreading across his cheek and the bridge of his nose. Static filled his vision as black servos shot up to his face, covering the sensitive silicone lining, more out of shock rather than pain, surprise and rage filling his lines.
His finned helm shook to clear his vision and Sunstreaker instantly spotted the small cluster of humans by the bay door, all staring up at him in shock, the shot gun laying by their feet, forgotten and useless. Danny was already across the yard, scrambling over the fence that separated the junk yard from the public.
With a snarl, Sunstreaker darted for the human, crossing the pavement in a few steps, hoping to catch Danny before she had gotten too far, but the little human had managed to get over the fence and jumping down to the other side, she darted to the sky high piles of scrap metal.
Losing sight of her as she bolted behind a pile of crushed cars, Sunstreaker snarled, yelling at the running human, demanding that she come back. When she didn't respond he stormed after her, stepping on another fence, chasing her down, not caring in the least about the damage he left behind him.
Rage continued to fuel the golden mech, his battle protocols now at full force and demanding blood and death in payment of the damage done to his frame. He would find the thief and he would...well he didn't know what he was going to do but he wanted to stomp on her, beat her into the ground like he would with Cliffjumper or Brawl. But Danny was small and delicate, and would actually die if he tried to exact his vengeance out on her in the way he wanted to, the way he craved to.
Snarling and spitting like an angry cat, Sunstreaker shoved over the nearest pile of scrap, following the scent that was specifically Danny. Winding through the tall piles of scrap metal and crushed cars, the golden Autobot followed the human's scent like a hound dog tracking a fox.
The former gladiator forced himself to take deep, calming vents, trying to step away from the killing edge. He needed to be calm when he found her, wherever she was hiding, so that he didn't accidently kill her in a blinding rage.
Shoving over another stack of scrap metal, Sunstreaker snarled, calling out for the thief, ordering her to come out, telling her that there was no place for her to hide. The Autobot followed Danny's scent to the other end of the scrap yard, his arms still aching and his cheek stinging.
Sunstreaker tracked her odour all the way to the fence on the opposite side of the property, its trail leading over the fence and across the road. For the first time since his pursuit of Danny, Sunstreaker felt insecurity bleeding through his rage, the first wisps of failure, but still he pushed on, stepping over the fence and tracking Danny's scent as far as she ran.
The Autobot traced her all the way to an empty road where her scent just sort of…disappeared. Glancing down one end of the road and then the other, Sunstreaker was met with nothing but desert. A thought, the only logically reason as to how Danny could have disappeared with no hint to which way she had gone, was that she had hitched hiked, or even hopped into the box of a truck without the driver knowing.
Either way, Danny was long gone.
Sunstreaker screamed into the hot desert air, loss and failure bubbling from his chest, drowning out the rage, shutting down the battle protocols completely. He had lost the little glitch for the third time. Sunstreaker screamed again, the failure burning worse than any acid.
()()()
Callie sighed as she sat on the edge of a med berth, small arms crossed over her chest, her chest tight as sad feelings spread through her small body. Blinking back tears from her dark blue eyes, she forced herself not to cry, determined not to allow the tears to slip.
Since Danny had stormed from the base, everything had fallen apart, going from bad to worse. It was not something that Callie could blame solely on her cousin, even though it was too easy to do so, but it just seemed that everyone had been miserable and moody since the frontliner had gone chasing Danny, and nothing seemed to be able to lift the gloomy feelings from the Ark.
Mirage and Hound were constantly fighting now, about what Callie wasn't sure. She just knew that they were and it seemed to be all the time. If the woman was to hazard a guess, they were fighting because of Liz. Hound and her younger cousin were working on something, what exactly Callie had no idea, but it had to do with a garden of some kind.
When Liz had become interested in horticulture was a mystery to Callie, but it lead to Hound spending a lot of time with the young hacker, and the more time he spent with Liz, the less he spent with Mirage, and it seemed to be rubbing the noble the wrong way.
On top of all that, Sideswipe was moping around, desperately missing his twin, the stench of guilt so strong that Callie could practically smell it herself. Sideswipe was blaming himself for pushing Sunstreaker away and he was now reaping the consequences of it.
He at least had Skywarp to cheer him up, when the purple seeker wasn't being harassed by Cliffjumper. The blonde felt a rush of hatred towards the red minibot; the little horned bastard didn't get the hint, and tormented the seekers until they finally snapped, leading to more than one occasion with either Thundercracker or Skywarp in the brig or worse, in solitary. Sometimes Sideswipe would, if the crimson frontliner was with the seekers, snap himself, throwing a punch at the smaller Autobot.
Just to make things a little bit worse, Thundercracker was ignoring her. For what reason Callie just couldn't fathom, she simply had no idea what she had done to drive her guardian away. Perhaps he was too busy trying to mend things with Starscream, or taking care of Skywarp to bother with her and maybe when things calmed back down, they'd spend time together again.
Sighing, Callie fought back the bitter tears as her legs kicked out, dangling over nothing as she sat. It just didn't make sense why he seemed to be avoiding her now. They used to go flying at least once a day and would have breakfast together every morning. That way at least, they had the chance to spend time together before the day began. But now he always seemed to be busy, never wanting to spend time with her, barely even taking the time to have breakfast with her.
It hurt that he ignored her, hurt that he didn't seem to care about her anymore after all they had been through. They had nearly died, and that now seemed to mean nothing as Thundercracker pawned her off on Ratchet, leaving her to 'train' with the surly medic while he disappeared to do whatever it was he was up to.
The first miserable tears slipped from the corner of her eyes, despite her rapidly blinking, trying desperately to stop them from coming. If she still at least had Danny with her maybe the hurt wouldn't have been so bad, and her cousin could probably help her figure out what was going on.
As it was, she felt terribly alone, abandoned by the Decepticon she had come to love as a brother.
Ratchet walked into the medbay, instantly spotting the human who sat with her back to him on the edge of the med berth. The medic could see the woman wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand and the old mech's spark clenched in his chest.
He would have to have a little talk with the blue seeker who called himself her guardian. Ratchet understood he was trying to keep the barn and the horses a surprise for her, but that was no excuse to make her feel forgotten. No excuse to make her cry, especially in his medbay.
Taking a deep intake of air, Ratchet went to talk to Callie, to try and give some kind of awkward comfort before Swoop and First Aid arrived for their daily training. He would attempt to offer encouragement and reassurance that Thundercracker had not forgotten about her.
The Autobot CMO stalked across his medbay, frown plastered across his face as he struggled for a kind word for the human when Ratchet stepped on a small round disk. Confused as to what he stepped on, Ratchet looked down just as there was an audible click and before the medic could do a thing, bright pink and green paint shot up at his face like a geyser, staining his face and chest with the clashing colours.
Surprised, Callie turned to face Ratchet, body tense and ready to jump onto the flat surface of the berth and run should she be attacked. Instead she felt her jaw drop as she stared in shock at the currently paint covered CMO, feeling the sudden rage wash over the medic.
Blue optics blinked, Ratchet's jaw working as he tried to calm himself, tempering his rage. Taking a deep, shuddering vent, Ratchet managed to keep his tone polite and courteous as he lightly spoke to Callie. "I'm sorry Callie, I just have to go kill Sideswipe and Skywarp."
Without another word, paint flicking everywhere as Ratchet spun around, the Autobot medic stormed from the medbay, snatching a wrench on his way out. But not even the image of Ratchet covered head to hip in paint, leaving a thick trail of the brightly coloured substance in his wake, could produce a smile from the human.
()()()
Thundercracker looked at the half built barn which was tucked at the back of the Autobot base, along with the pathways that Hound and Trailbreaker had painstakingly put into the ground with a critical optic. Grapple and Hoist were going over the designs for the barn a fourth time, planning out how to utilise the space just so.
The young Aerialbots, curious as they were, were clustered around Liz, blue optics bright with interest as she pointed things out on her laptop, talking rapidly. The girl was covered head to toe in dirt from helping Hound and Trailbreaker and was pointing out which plants they were going to be putting alongside the new pathways and riding trails.
The Aerialbots, for whatever the reason, seemed to be enthralled by the tiny girl's words and information; even Slingshot was silent and attentive as she went through different plants.
Heaving a sigh through his vents, Thundercracker crossed his arms over his heavily armoured chest, squeezing at his elbows in an attempt to garner some form of comfort. The barn was coming along smoothly, and quickly with the help of the two builders who were planning it. Everything was going well, the whole team coming together to finish it before Callie figured out what was going on.
If only Cliffjumper would stop harassing them, then maybe they could settle in a little more amongst the Autobots.
The minibot, it seemed, always had some cutting remark or scathing insult aimed for someone. He was just as nasty towards his fellow Autobots, 'bots like Sideswipe or Mirage, as he was towards his new seeker allies. Cliffjumper, it seemed, didn't care; so long as the minibot deemed you unacceptable, you were forced to endure his immaturity.
Forcing anger back down, Thundercracker tried to keep his mind on the little side project at servo and not the irritating little minibot. But the red mech's mocking words were always in his helm, like a nasty little reel that was constantly playing. Mocking words about Starscream and the things Megatron had done to him, words about Skywarp and his intelligence.
There was only so much Thundercracker could take, and his short fuse was getting a little shorter each day. Something had to change. Something had to be done about the little red fragger.
He felt Starscream's EM before he saw his commander, and he took comfort in it. Coming to stand next to his lieutenant, Starscream brushed against Thundercracker's arm, knowing, sensing his subordinate's dark feelings.
Nodding to his commander, dark optics still pinned on the barn, the dark blue seeker sighed. "Cliffjumper went at Skywarp once again."
Returning his own nod, Starscream lightly pressed against his wing mates EM, offering understanding and unwavering support. "I also heard that Cliffjumper and Brawn went at you as well." Crimson optics flicked to the blue seeker.
Heaving another sigh, a blue shoulder guard lifted in a nonchalant shrug. "It happened. Nothing to be concerned about Scree."
Starscream shifted again, frame swaying from one side to the other, wings softly flicking against the blue ones at his side. "It's not you I am concerned about TC. I'm more concerned about Skywarp losing his patience and attacking. It's all we would need for him to destroy what we have begun to build here."
The truth, cut and dry, just as Starscream always was.
"Skywarp will be fine." Thundercracker nearly snapped, his tone aggressive and annoyed, EM flaring and ragged.
Crimson optics narrowed, slanting to give the other seeker a sideways glare, "Just as he was fine the other day with Sideswipe?"
A soft growl rumbled through Thundercracker's engine. "That was an accident."
"We can't afford accidents Thundercracker. Not right now."
Another growl resonated through his engine. "We did not leave that pit just to be tormented here."
Nodding, Starscream silently agreed. "I know." He grumbled, knowing he had come out to speak to Thundercracker about something completely unrelated. "Prime wants me to take on the role of Aerial Commander and train the baby jets."
The surprise knocked any conflicting emotions right out from Thundercracker like a punch to the gut. Wings swept back in shock, crimson optics widening as his helm canted to the side. "What?" he demanded.
Taking a deep intake of air, vents hissed as they drew oxygen in, flushing Starscream's systems. "Prime wants me to train the baby jets." He repeated.
Stunned, Thundercracker just stared. "I thought that's what you said, but I had to be sure."
Starscream remained silent, allowing Thundercracker to continue. "Why?" he demanded, surprise still too great.
The trine leader sighed. "It was Silverbolt who approached Prime. He knows his team is untrained and young. He understands that their luck will run out if they do not have a proper commander in place, one who has battlefield experience."
"And they asked for you?"
Starscream frowned at his trine mate, optics flashing. "Who else could they choose? It's not like they have an abundance of experienced fliers here."
Helm shaking, Thundercracker's optics drew back to the barn. "Fair point. But….younglings." a dramatic shudder raced through Thundercracker's large frame. "Do you even remember what it was like to train younglings?"
Starscream snorted as Thundercracker's wide crimson optics turned back to him. "Because I do Starscream. They're annoying and loud and brash. They think they know everything, and they don't follow orders. I mean younglings Starscream. Younglings."
Starscream nearly laughed, relief flooding his spark at the fact that Thundercracker hadn't instantly said no. "I remember Thundercracker. I remember. I'm just not sure why you bonded with one," The blue seeker snorted at the comment, amusement flooding the trine bond, "But I remember." Starscream sighed again, becoming sombre once more. "I don't know what to do." The tri coloured seeker admitted. "And besides Prime, you're the only one I trust here."
Thundercracker moistened his suddenly dry lips with the very tip of his glossa, narrowing the bond with Skywarp as to not worry his mate. "You need to consider the pros and cons." Thundercracker stated softly, turning his full attention to his trine leader.
Counting on his digits in emphasis, Thundercracker listed off the pros. "One, it would instil trust amongst the crew to train their young fliers, and that's something that we need, desperately. Two, we would also be able to ensure the Aerialbots survival. They are no longer our enemies but fellow fliers, and young fliers who have never been trained by other fliers." Thundercracker snorted. "It's embarrassing to have a young gestalt of fliers trained by a shuttle and ground pounders. It's our civic duty to train them."
Starscream nodded in agreement. "Coding will demand it."
Thundercracker shrugged and nodded. "It will." He agreed. "But the third reason as to why you should do this is that it would make you a real commander again, an Aerial commander at that. Something that Optimus has not had since the beginning of the war." Two pairs of crimson optics met. "We have always ruled the skies and that was what gave Megatron the upper servo. Our loyalty was not misplaced in the beginning, but Megatron has forgotten how powerful our force was. He will soon remember."
A devious grin then spread across Thundercracker's handsome face, no longer a shadow of its former self. "And being a proper commander again does have its perks, mainly in that Cliffjumper won't be able to harass us any longer. You'll out rank him and likely have the ability to throw his aft in the brig."
Starscream nodded; all things he had considered already.
"The only con I can see is that we'd have to deal with younglings again." Thundercracker sighed dramatically, almost slouching. "Well, that and the extra responsibilities, but you've always been good with those." A dark look came into Thundercracker's optics. "And you'll have to face Megaton once more."
Starscream fought the flinch on hearing his previous master's name, memories of his wings being torn off and stuffed into The Hole still fresh in his mind. The seeker forced it away, his shoulders the only thing that twitched in his effort to remain still. "I can't hide on the Ark forever." The trine leader muttered, subconsciously taking a step towards his trine mate. "Better to face Megatron helm on and not let him ruin this too."
Thundercracker snorted. "Better to face Megatron with the Autobot army at our backs."
Starscream nodded, feeling the openness of the bond, the oneness of trine. Almost like how it had been back on Cybertron, just as war was breaking out.
"You're going to help me train them." Starscream vented, almost making it an order.
Thundercracker snorted, watching as Mirage marched from the Ark to where Hound sat in the dirt with Trailbreaker. "Of course, Commander Starscream." A smirk spreading over his lips.
Starscream shifted. "You think I should do this? Be… be Prime's Aerial commander?"
To be the Prime's Decepticons were the words Callie had used, in what seemed so long ago now. To be a unit of their own while at the same time, being part of a bigger picture. But if that hope was to ever to become a reality, they needed some form of authority. Something that would help them build trust amongst the Autobots.
"It would certainly help us as well as them." Thundercracker added.
Starscream sighed as he watched Mirage stand with his arms crossed over chest, his glower moving between Hound, Trailbreaker and Liz. "I was worried you'd say that TC. It's just…" the seeker trailed off.
Thundercracker lightly bumped Starscream's wrist, hoping to push as much comfort as he could. "I know, they are Autobots. But they are still fliers."
"They are young, confused fliers who have no idea where they come from or what their roots are."
The blue jet silently agreed, still watching as Mirage glared at his lover. "Someone needs to teach them to defend themselves."
Starscream snorted. "Teach them to fly. Silverbolt is afraid of heights and Fireflight likes to chase butterflies in battle." He shifted his own attention from the annoyed Towers brat to his trine mate. "It was funny when we were enemies, but now that they are allies, it's a liability." Starscream looked down, suddenly becoming interested in his pede's. "I do not wish to see them harmed. They are far too young to be fighting this war."
Thundercracker nodded in agreement. "They are new sparks. They are younger than we were when we joined Megatron." Heaving a sigh, the blue seeker continued. "Someone needs to teach them to protect themselves, there are too few of us fliers left."
Anxiety chewed at his spark and Starscream shifted in worry once more. It had been a long time since he had been a new commander, and never within the Autobot ranks. How was he to know what was acceptable?
A dark servo reached out and gripped Starscream's bright red shoulder guard and squeezed. "I will help you. So will Skywarp and Optimus Prime. We'll all help with the younglings."
The surety and conviction in Thundercracker's voice lifted Starscream's spirits, reminded him of the confidence the trine leader usually oozed in. Starscream's equally dark servos snatched Thundercracker's wrist suddenly, squeezing tightly, accepting the reassurance his trine mate gave him.
"Thank you."
The blue seeker grinned at his trine leader, both hanging onto each other in a moment of comfort before drawing away, gruffly returning to their usual arrogant stance.
Watching Mirage suddenly huff in annoyance, sick of being ignored by his lover, the noble spun around and stormed back to the Ark. Liz's brown eyes followed the blue and white Autobot sadly, the only one to notice the spy when he was so desperate to be noticed by his lover.
Starscream shook his helm with another deep sigh. "You think Sunstreaker is having an easy time with Danny?"
Thundercracker snorted. "If Danny is anything like Callie, not at all."
"I almost feel sorry for the Autobot."
The blue seeker managed a snort. "Better him than us I think."
Starscream managed a dry laugh, the seeker's usual smirk coming back to life. "Come on, how bad can Danny really be? She is only a single human."
Even Thundercracker laughed at his trine leader's words.
To Be Continued…