Sky Dancer

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Chapter Three

Two Months Later

As Sideways would find out, it was far easier to leave Alpha Q to his own devices than to devote energy into manipulating him. Still, it had taken some minor nudging to push the spindly bot down the path that Sideways preferred him to go.

Oddly enough, the fact that Alpha Q had tapped into Unicron's powers had aided Sideways in unexpected ways, as it had allowed the pest to see things that were happening light-years away (through the dark god's omniscient abilities). That, coupled with Alpha Q's failure to keep from rambling, had enabled Sideways to learn of the discovery of Energon in Earth's solar system.

All that Sideways had had to do was mention in Alpha Q's presence that using Energon would be a sure way to repair Unicron. Despite the fact that the spindly bot didn't much like him, there were still signs that Sideways' words were weighing on him.

From there, all that was left was to wait for Alpha Q's three most dominant personalities -- Spazz, Brainiac, and Laser Happy -- to take the bait and formulate their own plan on what to do with it. The end result was more than Sideways could have hoped for, and his earlier assessment over Alpha Q's plans for Unicron seemed to be valid given that the spindly bot was nervous about what may happen if Optimus Prime and his Transformers found out that the dark god still existed.

This was one point that Sideways and Alpha Q were in agreement upon, though they would probably never acknowledge it to each other. Odds were great that, if the population of Cybertron discovered that Unicron had come back, every effort would be made to destroy the dark god once and for all.

Still, waiting for Alpha Q to actually make his move and steal a substantial amount of Energon from the Transformers' colonies in Earth's solar system was quite irritating. Near as Sideways could determine, Brainiac was rather insistent that his "companions" hold off their attack until the mineral had been unearthed at all cities. While it made sense to prevent Optimus and his men from going on the defensive or getting organized for as long as possible, Sideways anxiously awaited the moment where the scheme would be put into motion.

Returning to the chamber that he'd come to think of Alpha Q's domain following a one-sided discourse with Megatron, Sideways was thus elated to hear that a plentiful cache of Energon had apparently been uncovered at the colony known as Ocean City. Though this was shortly followed by Spazz bristling over the fact that Sideways was intruding on their conversation, the latter swept it aside by gruffly saying, "Deal with it… You can't get rid of me any more than I have a desire to leave of my own accord."

The oversized cone housed inside Alpha Q's maw swiveled on it's axis, bringing Brainiac's face to the forefront. "Pay no attention to the interloper, my brother," said this facet of the spindly bot's fractured psyche. "Let us not forget that we must plan how we will proceed."

Laser Happy was already speaking even before his head swung into view. "Plan?!" he scoffed. "We need no plan! Our army will seize what we need and be gone before any retaliation can be taken."

Sideways was confused as to what army the guy was referring to when he saw that every inch of the organic lining in Unicron's stomach was coming alive. Before Sideways knew it, Alpha Q had forged perhaps two thousand predatory-looking bots from Unicron's flesh -- an equal amount of metallic raptors as there were jaguars. While sending an army in and hoping for the best didn't seem like the best method to achieve the desired outcome, their numbers and visible laser weaponry just might make up for it.

Even as Spazz gave the order for the predatory bots (Terrorcons, as it seemed they were being called) to head out, Sideways leaned against one wall with a feeling of satisfaction, smiling smugly beneath his faceplate. At last, Sideways thought. Very soon, both Megatron and I will have the Energon we need to take the first steps towards our comeback…

When she wasn't sleeping or engaged in combat training, Alexis took to studying Cybertron's history as a means of distracting herself from how much she missed her loved ones. She didn't know how well this did the trick in the beginning, but eventually, she began to actually get interested in the past of her new home. Of particular interest to her was reading about all the different Autobot and Decepticon commanders down through the ages; there were very few, among the former, who were as compassionate as Optimus, and almost none who were as cold and callous as Megatron had been.

Interestingly enough, there had been a few commanders (of both factions) whose temperament had suggested they'd have been better suited at leading the other team. Funny, Alexis had mused at this realization. Dig down deep enough and you'll find that the Autobots and Decepticons aren't all that different from each other. It's amazing they were at war with one another for so long.

The other thing that had tided Alexis over was the nightly telepathic chats she had come to share with Starscream. Aside from the romantic banter she and her companion passed back and forth, they would tell her that he and Starxis were doing well, even though they both missed her just as much.

The good news was that her training was progressing at an outstanding rate; it had helped to some degree that she had been studying martial arts as a human. Though Optimus and Scavenger (as her primary instructors) didn't say so out loud, she got the sense that they were impressed at how quickly she had learned and had come to wield her close-combat\throwing weapon with such efficiency. In addition to this, she had become quite proficient in the use of laser weaponry, hand-to-hand fighting, and how to deal with moving targets.

Unfortunately, making a good impression only went so far. Though Alexis couldn't totally understand why, her progress seemed to have a negative impact of one of her fellow cadets -- the over-eager trainee named Ironhide that Starscream had mentioned to her. The best she could determine was that he was either jealous of her or he didn't want to admit that a female (though she wasn't sure if her gender had anything to do with it or not) was coming to be better at fighting than he was, in so short a time.

Whatever the reason, Ironhide seemed to become even more dogged on proving himself and\or outdoing her. As Alexis watched this latest training exercise from the sidelines, her quarterstaff\boomerang held loosely at her side, the persistent rookie was blindly rushing at Optimus, striking the Autobot commander with enough force to drive him back a few inches. She could tell by the way that Ironhide's arms wrapped around Optimus' waist that the rookie was hoping to follow it up by throwing his "adversary" to the ground.

In this case, Ironhide's determination was working for him, even though he had no hope of taking his "opponent" down in this manner. Optimus gave a gentle laugh, clearly amazed by the rookie's strength. "Powerful attack, Ironhide," he said, even as he maneuvered his arms to take hold of the younger bot's frame. "But, in the end, leverage matters a whole lot more…" Before the words had even left Optimus' mouth, a well-placed kick had knocked Ironhide off balance, allowing the Autobot commander to effortlessly toss the rookie to the ground several feet away.

In the next instant, Optimus cast his gaze towards Alexis and the other cadets, showing that the words had been meant to instruct them just as much by saying, "Any questions?"

Ironhide, who was already getting back up, drew everyone's attention by saying, "I'd like another try at it, sir."

Optimus laughed again, but the way he relaxed his stance indicated that he may be ready to call it a day; this class had been in session for several hours as it was. "I like you, Ironhide," he said in what was, for him, a rare compliment to extend to a trainee. "You remind me a lot of Hot Shot."

Alexis let out a breath, lifting her wings by one hand and latching them back into place, willing them to fold down against her back; it was a maneuver that had become second nature over the past eight weeks, once she'd practiced at it. Even as she listened to Ironhide's unabashed reaction to the praise, she readied herself for Optimus to tell them they were dismissed.

What caught her off guard was the fact that an alarm sounded from the loudspeakers positioned at the corners of the arena. Startled, Alexis turned to look at the nearest one in a slight daze. She couldn't remember when was the last time she'd heard such an siren that suggested trouble was afoot.

When her gaze returned to Optimus, she saw that he looked equally bewildered and slightly troubled. However, he regained his composure quickly for the benefit of the recruits surrounding him. "Alright, that's enough training for today," he said, despite being somewhat distracted. "We'll pick this up tomorrow." He started to walk away, then stopped and looked towards Alexis as if in afterthought. "Sky Dancer, come with me."

Alexis moved to follow him without question, trying to ignore the fact that her fellow cadets were looking at her strangely; perhaps they were wondering why she, at of all of them, ad been picked from the lineup. Once they'd exited the arena, she said, aware that the alarm was still blaring in the background, "What do you think could be wrong?"

Optimus bowed his head. "I don't know, Alexis," he replied, feeling free to refer to her as such now that they were out of earshot of the others. Seeing as none of the other recruits were aware she'd begun her life as a human, he'd made sure to only address her by her new name in front of them. A pause, then, "I just hope we don't have another like Shockblast on our hands. The last time I heard these alarms, it was because of what he had done."

Alexis shuddered at the mention of the Decepticon criminal, who'd murdered a number of Autobots in cold blood shortly after the end of the war. His actions hadn't been condoned by either faction, and he had been incarcerated here on Cybertron for the past decade after a speedy trial. So lost in these thoughts, she was, that she didn't immediately catch what Optimus said next, leaving him to repeat himself.

"I can't help noticing that Ironhide seems awfully tense around you," Optimus said, in a tone that suggested he wanted to hear her opinion of her fellow recruit. "He'd make a good soldier, but I'd hate to see any personal hang-ups getting in the way of that."

Alexis sighed. Though feeling slightly uncomfortable at being asked to review Ironhide's faults, she nevertheless responded with, "Near as I can tell, he seems to be very competitive, sir."

Her companion chuckled lightly. "You can skip the formalities, Alexis. You're too much a friend to bother with those in my presence, especially when no one else is around."

Alexis smiled, put slightly at ease. "You never seem to mind when Scavenger does likewise, and you've known him much longer," she pointed out.

Optimus shook his head. "I've learned long ago that Scavenger is too set in his ways to make the adjustment, no matter how often I request it," he answered softly. Then, in a more serious tone, he added, "Thank you for your input, Alexis. It reaffirms some things I've been seeing for myself… Perhaps the direction I should take with Ironhide is instilling the importance of teamwork."

When Optimus said nothing further, Alexis felt free to interject her own view. "It seems he would benefit from that," she said, relieved when Optimus nodded in agreement. "Also, I think he may be trying too hard to be the center of attention. It's as if he'd like nothing better than to prove he's superior to all the rest of us, even me."

The Autobot commander looked at her with a thoughtful nod, an amicable light in his golden optics. Alexis offered a small grin in return, appreciative of the fact that Optimus seemed to regard her with an almost fatherly attitude and that he valued her opinion to this extent. "You always seem to have no trouble seeing into the heart of things, Alexis… As I once said, many years ago, I think that you would make a great leader yourself someday," he stated.

"Thanks for the assessment, but I doubt I'd ever be suited for that role," she responded.

Optimus stopped in his tracks, forcing her to halt and turn to look at him in curiosity. After a moment of appearing lost in thought, he shook his head to clear it and focused back on her. "Sorry. You just caught me off guard," he said, hesitating for a second or two more before going on. "I remember saying something similar, back when I was first asked to lead… Don't sell yourself short, Alexis. Your intuition, empathy, and bargaining skills that you've demonstrated over the years are the very basis you'd need. Given time and experience, you just might find yourself, as humans say, filling those very shoes."

Alexis nodded after a few seconds, and the two of them resumed walking towards the command center where the alarms were originating from. After another second or two, she raised her head and asked, "What about Starscream? He's been at this longer than I have… Have you thought about asking him if he'd like to be promoted?"

Optimus sighed, bowing his head even as he and Alexis began to ascend the steps in front of the desired building. "To be honest, I was never entirely sure it was something he wanted… He had every chance to assume command of the Decepticons after Megatron's death, regardless of how much he had come to be affiliated with the Autobots in the weeks preceding it. And yet, he was willing to cede it to Demolisher provided the latter wanted it for himself." A pause, then, "I may be wrong, but the only way to know for sure is to ask Starscream himself."

Alexis cast her optics downward, taking this into consideration before musing that she might just do what Optimus was suggesting, the next time she and Starscream were face to face.

Nothing further was said until she and Optimus had strolled into the main hub of the command center, and the latter was quick to ask for a status report. At the sound of Optimus' voice, Rad and Dr. Jones turned away from the console they'd been studying, tilting their heads to look up at the Autobot leader.

"Bad news, Optimus," Rad said, throwing a brief glance Alexis' way. "We had a gang of unknown bots attack our base in the Asteroid Belt, about fifteen minutes ago. While we were waiting for you, a larger force of them just descended on Mars."

With a few keystrokes, Rad had the images of the two bases (each having been monitored by the specially-built satellites orbiting them) displayed on the giant viewscreen set in the floor. Alexis viewed them with a sinking feeling; she could only imagine what Optimus' reaction to this sight was. The Asteroid Belt colony was now nothing more than a smoldering wreck, with no apparent hint of survivors; the base on Mars was under siege by a number of animal-like bots.

Before either she or Optimus could say anything, the sound of Carlos' frantic voice came through the speakers on the control panel. Alexis' other childhood friend had come to be living and working on a space station above the red planet, but his words suggested he wasn't in any danger from the attacking bots. Aside from giving a play-by-play of the situation on Mars, Carlos said, "Some of them are breaking away from the battle and meeting up with even more of these things in space… It looks like the new swarm may be heading towards Earth!"

Optimus only hesitated for the briefest of moments before turning towards Rad. "Send out an alert to all Transformers in the immediate area that they need to mobilize at the Warp Gate!" the Autobot commander ordered. "Once I arrive there, I'll divide them into separate task forces and send them to each of our bases on Earth." He turned and was starting to walk from the room when his gaze locked with Alexis' optics. He looked so flustered that she wondered if he'd forgotten that she was there.

After a couple seconds, Optimus turned back to look at Rad. "Contact Ironhide at the barracks while you're at it, and tell him to meet me there as well," he added, much to Alexis' surprise. "I think now would be a good time to subject the most promising recruits to a real battle." He gazed at Alexis once more and bade her to come with him also…

Following a broadcast from Rad to explain the situation, Hot Shot issued the order to raise Ocean City to the surface and send a small force to the exterior Warp Gate to welcome Optimus and whichever troops he brought with him. Just as Hot Shot was heading up himself, he was surprised to receive a verbal beating from a certain hotheaded teenager who had seemed to appear from nowhere and was hurrying to keep pace with him.

In response to Kicker's demand that the city be submerged once more, Hot Shot, his patience being tested, said, "No can do, kid! We're expecting some arrivals from Cybertron…"

Kicker scowled, but proved he would not be deterred. And, given his next few statements, there just might be a valid reason for it. "Well, you're going to have to tell them to hold off! We're under attack!"

Hot Shot hesitated, caught off guard by the amount of vehemence in Kicker's tone. Even that short silence proved to be weighing heavily on the reckless teenager; before Hot Shot knew it, an exasperated growl had sounded from between Kicker's lips, and the kid had taken off in the direction of the main entrance at a run.

By the time Hot Shot caught up to him on the bridge outside Ocean City (Kicker had roped High Wire along the way and somehow gotten past Demolisher at the front gate), the teenager surprised him again by bringing the gray motorbike (High Wire in vehicle mode) to a halt. As Hot Shot braked and reverted to his bot mode, Kicker had his gaze intently fixed on the sky.

For an instant, Hot Shot just looked around, but couldn't see any sign that the city was in danger as Kicker claimed. Feeling a little irritated, he looked towards the teenager, prepared to speak when Kicker suddenly raised his arm and pointed to a very specific spot. "There… Fire right there, Hot Shot."

After some argument on this point, as Hot Shot couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, he grudgingly did as requested. As expected, the red laser beam soared through the air, but disappeared in the distance with no evidence that it had struck anything.

With a look of fury in his brown eyes, Kicker turned his gaze briefly towards Hot Shot. "Could you have any more of a lousy aim?! You missed it!"

Hot Shot was ready to give an angry retort when he saw something (no, two somethings) come into view, silhouetted against the blue sky as two barely-visible black dots. Even as he asked aloud just what those things were, there were even more of them appearing alongside the first pair.

Everything that followed happened so quickly that Hot Shot could barely keep up with it. Aware that he was being shot at by the encroaching army of predatory bots, he raised his gun and returned fire, simultaneously moving behind a pylon on the bridge for cover. After warning Kicker to get out of harm's way, Hot Shot activated his comlink, first sending a broad message to all Transformers in Ocean City to prepare for battle. Once that was accomplished, he switched the frequency to transmit to Starscream and the bots positioned on the mainland to call them back from their construction project.

Hot Shot was vaguely aware that Kicker was saying that some of the invading bots seemed to be transporting a small amount of Energon (which would explain how the latter had sensed them coming) before the teenager gunned High Wire's engine and took off further down the bridge. Hot Shot didn't know whether Kicker was trying to get out of range of the laser blasts or was taking advantage of the situation to pull off an escape attempt, but he was quick to yell out for the kid to stop and come back.

Things were made worse by both the fact that Kicker didn't listen and that a group of the attacking raptor and jaguar bots broke away from the main force to follow the hotheaded teenager. Hot Shot moved to pursue the boy to help him, but was deterred by the fact that he was being heavily fired upon. Unable to move very far, he focused back on his attackers and resumed blasting away at them.

Without Hot Shot to back him, Kicker was soon to find himself overwhelmed when a number of the predatory bots swooped in for a landing on the bridge, circling him in an undoubtedly threatening manner. Impossible, he thought. What would they be after me for?! A quick glance over his shoulder showed Kicker that the main force was laying siege to the city, and he feared for his mother and sister.

As Hot Shot had speculated, Kicker had been attempting to escape from Ocean City while he could, unmindful of the consequences until this moment. He'd not given any thought to his family or the other people living and working there, he'd been so caught up in his own goals.

In the next instant, even the thoughts of this were lost, as Kicker turned to see one of the metallic jaguars leaping towards him. Fearful of what the beast was going to do, he shut his eyes, almost expecting to be ripped to pieces by those steel claws and teeth.

Had Kicker been watching, he would have seen the jaguar be speared through by a laser blast that had descended from the sky, just a split-second before it reached him. However, once it registered that he was okay, he opened his eyes, gazing around at the other predators as they too were fired upon.

Turning his gaze skyward, Kicker was surprised to see two aerial Transformers (in vehicle mode) descending towards his location. If he hadn't been familiar with them, he might have found it strange to see a space shuttle and a MiG fighter jet coming to his rescue. Before he could even think about making a run for it, Jetfire and Alexis had converted to their robot modes and were standing either in front or behind him so closely and protectively that he didn't stand a chance at getting away.

In answer to the worried tone that sounded through her comlink, Alexis raised one arm and responded, "He's okay, Optimus. We got to him in time." Aware that Jetfire was providing sufficient cover, she dropped to her knees, gazing at Kicker with sympathy and seeming as if she was reading his mind by saying, "It's going to be alright… We're not going to let them hurt anyone inside the city."

Had he not been concerned over the fact that a second wave (and then a third, once the previous group had been dispatched) of the predatory bots seemed to be coming for him, Kicker might have made an effort to ditch the two Transformers who were protecting him. As it was, his fear was overriding his hatred of the "giant metalheads" to the extent that he had no problem staying put for a change.

When it appeared that no more of the invading bots were being dispatched from the primary group, Jetfire turned towards Alexis and said, "I'm going in to help defend the city. Will you be okay on your own?"

Alexis nodded, shifting her gaze when she noticed that Ironhide was coming their way. Perhaps Optimus had anticipated her being left alone and had ordered her fellow recruit to back her up in case she needed it.

However, Ironhide proved to be unhappy with this development and had no problem making it known once Jetfire had left them. His incessant complaining about being excluded from the fight struck a nerve with Alexis; despite her better judgment, she was soon baited into barking at him, "Can it, Ironhide! There's more to being a soldier than just engaging in battle with the enemy!"

Slightly distracted by Ironhide's angry retort, Alexis had barely registered the sound of an engine being revved behind her. Once it sunk in, she turned in a panic to see that Kicker was taking off once more. Quickly, she appealed to the Mini-Con that made up the motorbike to stop (and was stung by the indication that High Wire seemingly wasn't interested in obeying her), then moved to pursue the teenager, transforming as she went.

So preoccupied she was, that Alexis failed to notice that a good-sized group of the invading bots had abandoned their siege of Ocean City and were coming after Kicker in a greater force. By the time she registered this, it was too late; she was being fired upon by a number of the raptors and taking some bad (but not overly life-threatening) hits.

Ironhide had converted to his own vehicle mode (an off-road jeep with a cannon-mount on top of the cab) and was in pursuit, though he seemed more interested in blasting away at the enemy than actually covering her. Disappointed in her fellow rookie, Alexis switched to her bot mode, feeling she'd be better able to defend herself in this form.

She had just started to make some headway, utilizing every weapon at her disposal, when the sound of an explosion reached her from the ground below. Turning her gaze downwards allowed her to see that one of the raptors had seemingly gotten too close to Ironhide's cannon prior to being fired at; as a result, the over-sized metallic falcon had detonated under the force of the blast.

Even worse, Kicker seemed to have jumped on board Ironhide's cab (she didn't know when, how, or why the hotheaded teenager had decided to abandon his escape plans and join in on the battle) and was currently being thrown away from her fellow cadet by the resulting shockwave.

Time seemed to slow down as Alexis was overcome by fear over Kicker's well-being, and she couldn't seem to focus on anything but the teenager in peril. She was too far away to reach him before he hit the ground; at that speed and angle of descent, he'd be lucky if he didn't break his neck upon impact. And, if Kicker did survive the fall, there was a chance that Ironhide might not be able to avoid hitting him. And that wasn't even taking into consideration the raptor and jaguar bots that were closing in at the same instant.

At the instant she saw a flash of brown fur dart through her narrow field of vision (and Kicker subsequently vanished from sight), Alexis let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. In the next second, she heard a familiar rasping voice sound in her head, sending a shiver down her spine. Looks like Starxis and I got here just in time…

Fighting to keep a level head and from forgetting that she was in the middle of a battle, Alexis returned her focus to the hostile bots surrounding her. Odds were, that if even so much as looked at Starscream at this point, she'd be in danger of losing herself to her own emotions. Still, she was reassured by the fact that her loved ones were in the vicinity and helping in their own way; it made her feel more secure.

The battle was over not long after that; any of the predatory bots that hadn't been taken out were retreating within the next five minutes. Whatever the reason they'd had for repeatedly going after Kicker, it seemed to have been abandoned now that they'd gotten what they'd come for. Which, according to the reports coming in from the city, was a hefty amount of the Energon that had been unearthed down in the mines.

Turning her gaze from the invading bots as they began to disappear from the stratosphere, Alexis saw that Optimus was coming towards her and Ironhide. Her gaze was briefly drawn to the ground as Starxis drifted in for a landing to deposit Kicker on the bridge a few feet away.

Seconds later, the youngling was snuggled (chirping contentedly) in her outstretched, cupped hands, gazing up at her with affectionate green eyes. Alexis smiled down at the little guy, and gave a soft sigh when she felt Starscream's arm snake across her shoulders. Welcome home, his voice resonated through her head. It's good to have you back, Alexis.

From what Optimus had to say, Alexis gathered that he had been watching her, Ironhide, and Kicker in action the whole time. Though he did cast a solemn gaze her way, it was nothing compared to the looks he gave the other two. To Kicker, he said, "May I ask what you were thinking when you decided to jump into the fray?"

Kicker shrugged in an infuriatingly cavalier manner. "What, I'm not allowed to take measures to defend myself?"

Ironhide (in bot mode once more) leaned slightly towards the hotheaded teenager in a somewhat menacing manner. "If there are any dents on my cannon from when you kicked it towards the enemy bots, you're asking for it, kid!" he said heatedly.

Alexis recoiled slightly, thinking, That was so the wrong thing to say…

Optimus' optics narrowed as his gaze turned towards the rookie. As he and Alexis had determined earlier, Ironhide displayed a problem when it came to teamwork, but he'd not imagined that there would also be a lack of respect for innocent lives. For a moment, he said nothing, then surprised both trainees and the teenager by stating, "If that's the way you feel, Ironhide, then perhaps I have no choice but to order you to take on Sky Dancer and Kicker as your full-time partners when in battle."

Alexis, Ironhide, and Kicker all looked towards Optimus with varying degrees of bewilderment, each of them blinking furiously. While the other two were in protest of this (which the Autobot leader countered by saying that any argument would result in both of them being sent back to Cybertron), Alexis settled deeper into Starscream's embrace, resigning herself to the conditions.

Let the fun begin, she thought cynically, silently groaning over the prospect of having to "baby-sit" two undisciplined youngsters…