Episode 23 Inside Job
Shadow Storm POV
I didn't understand why the cons needed to take my husband away from me, maybe this had something to do with why my dad had tried to call us back early. Stepping out of the ground bridge I noticed that Smokie picture was up on the screen.
"Dad is that what I think it is?"
"Yes, Smokescreen's picture was the last relic of Iacon decoded though we have yet to do determine if he had the last key or not."
"Smokescreen must have been taken aboard the Decepticon warship. Tracing his signal through its shielding will be impossible."
"Continue monitoring all frequencies, Ratchet. Far more that my son-in-bot's fate may be at stake"
"I don't get it, how can Smokie be an Omega Key?"
"Perhaps he isn't the key, but its container"
"The other Iacon relics were sent to Earth in pods" that was true all of the relics besides the Star Saber were sent here in pods. "Why not this one?"
"When the Decepticons stormed Iacon, it may have been too late for Alpha Trion to launch the final Omega Key into space, at least by standard means."
"So Smokescreen assumed everything went black, because he was hit by Decepticons"
"But Alpha Trion's the one who turned off the kid's lights"
"It stands to reason that my mentor did not want Smokescreen to know what he was carrying in the event of capture."
"That was why?"
"Why what Storm?"
"Why Alpha Trion told me to go recharge, when I went to sleep it was for two whole days. This makes all the more sense. Because, after Smokie and I landed on Earth I was a little slow because I had just had surgery."
"I wonder" Ratchet picked up a scanner and scanned my body. I was almost afraid he would find the gift that Primus gave to me, but he stopped midway up my right side and should me what he found.
"Is that?"
"Half of the last Omega Key looks like Alpha Trion separated the last key in order to keep it safe and out of Decepticon hands."
"And with a mobile relic, Alpha Trion couldn't supply fixed coordinates."
"So the Big A slipped us a clue instead, Smoke's mug shot, knowing the wherever he was Storm would likely also be."
"Even though we have Storm, I don't want to take the key surgically as it may have an adverse effect of your body Storm and you keeping safe until we need it, will keep the Decepticons from ever holding all four Omega keys."
"But, we'll have to rescue Smokie before we can return Cybertron to its former glory." I knew that rescuing my husband from that den of cons.
Smokescreen POV
My head hurt like crazy and I looked around and soon found Knockout's face hovering over me, then my memories returned and though I wanted to I didn't shout my wife's name I would do anything in order to protect her.
"Wakey, wakey" I squirmed trying to get out of here, but I soon found that I was strapped to a table and my phase shifter was gone.
"If you're looking for the phase shifter, finders keepers." Knockout held up my phase shifter now attached to his twisted hand. He was very proud of his new acquisition.
"Enough prattling, Knockout" Megatron was in the room and from the looks of it, on very impatient bot. "Hand me the final relic, Now!"
"Yeah, I can't help you, that's the only one I was packing!"
"Soundwave" the silent Decepticon stepped forward from whatever shadow he'd been just hiding from. On his faceplate a picture was being created from the same code that Alpha Trion used to encode the Iacon database.
"You've got the wrong guy chief; Optimus Prime is the only one that can decode that database."
"Ah, but you misunderstand, the final entry has been decoded by us! According to our findings, it would appear that I indeed have the right guy." Megatron smirked as my picture appeared on Soundwave's faceplate.
"The question is what is it that you're still packing?" I had no clue as to what they were talking about, but Knockout brought out a scanner and waved it over my frame, but he stops just over my midsection.
"Why hidden treasure of course!" because of the scanner I could see that inside my frame was half of an Omega Key. Only half where was the other piece, I had no idea where the other half was as well as having no clue what Megatron would have Knockout do to me, but I had a bad feeling that it wasn't going to be good.
"Yet another one of these identical relics?"
"With pleasure" He unveiled his rotor saw "I so resent a finish flashier than my own!" His saw came very close to my stomach, inches away he stopped.
"Ha! Made you squirm!" Knockout retracted his saw, before testing the phase shifter by passing his hand through his arm. "Trippy" he then stomped the floor beneath him "And intuitive. Proper grounding ensures that its user won't phase through the floor!"
"I said swiftly!" Knockout reached into my chest plating searching around.
"Get your stinking hand out of my gears!" he finally grabbed hold of what he what he wanted he started pulling and I started to scream as it felt like he was removing a vital organ. When he went to pull it out my body arched rather unwillingly as he removed half of the Omega Key from my chest. Once he was done I felt like a vital part of me was gone and without it I was almost dead. As my world went black I thought I could hear Gail call out my name.
Shadow Storm POV
The team was arguing about the when I felt something painful tearing at my gears and I held a hand to my chest. The pain increased and I screamed and fell to the ground. Last thing I felt was Smokescreen yelling my name before my entire world went black.
Opening my eyes I found myself yet again surrounded by white and right ahead of me was Smokie on the ground. I ran to his side quickly finding out that he was only knocked out. I used the gift that Primus gave me and healed his wounds.
"Smokie, wake up please wake up."
"Ugg, Gail, why in the world are you here, on the ship?"
"You are still on the ship and I'm still at the base it's only our minds that are here. But right now I don't care. What happened? When you arrived here you were unconscious."
"The cons removed an Omega Key from my gears, but it was only half and when they removed it. I was hurting like crazy and then I slipped into unconsciousness."
"I felt your pain and that's what brought me in here, you need to get free and get out of there."
"I'm strapped to a table, but I'll work on it."
"Just get home to me, with the keys"
"What about the one that was removed from me?"
"Just get them all and return home, I love you"
"I love you, too" We kissed just as our world grew brighter and disappeared.
Smokescreen POV
I woke up and found that I was still strapped to a table and Megatron and Knockout were still in the same room.
"You're awake; now tell me the function of these relics." He could never know about them or my relationship with Gail.
"Doorstops, shavers, bling; beats me"
"A pity this little gadget won't let me reach into his brainpan and pluck out the info,"
"Fortunately, we possess a device that can," I knew exactly what device Megatron was referring to and I knew that I had to fight it off to protect my family at all cost. In my heart I said goodbye to my love.
'I'm sorry Gail right now it looks like I won't be coming home any time soon'
Shadow Storm POV
Opening my optics yet again I found myself lying on a medical gurney again. I sat up and looked around at my father and my teammates.
"Storm, are you ok?"
"I'm fine father, I just collapsed because the Decepticons removed Smokie part of the Omega Key. I guess with the split between us were able to feel what happens to the others part of the key.
"So now we know that Megatron has one half and we must rescue Smokescreen as well as the other Omega Key's"
"Yes we do" Beep Beep. The main screen changed and Smokie picture appeared on the screen. "Smokescreen's signal, It's back online"
"That's my husband!"
"Kid escaped the warship"
"Smokescreen to base, I could really use a ground bridge."
"Setting coordinates," the old medic started to input the information, but he stopped "That's strange. . ."
"What's the problem?"
"Smokescreen's telemetry data doesn't make sense. I can't lock on to his position!"
"Work fast, doc!"
"I've isolated the problem! Smokescreen is in freefall! My husband the crazy stunt bot he had to do that, but he had to get off the cons warship and he saw this as the only way to do it. "Smokescreen, I'm opening a ground bridge directly below you!"
"Brace yourselves, I'm going to make an entrance!" he definitely was as he was falling through the sky into the base.
"He's off course!"
"You missed?"
"Open another one. FAST!" Ratchet worked hard trying to open a new bridge, but before he was able to Smokie signal vanished like it was never there. I didn't believe it, I just couldn't, because something in my spark told me that he was alright.
"No"
"Hey, Ratchet?" he was whispering, but he was alive and that's what mattered to me. "I could still really use that ground bridge." When my husband came through the gate I hugged and kissed him immediately.
"Here you go Optimus the two keys that Megatron had, but I don't know where the other half of one of the keys are and Megatron knows what the keys are used for, but he doesn't know about my relationship to you or to Gail."
"Thank you, Smokescreen"
"Smokie, can you take hold of the omega key half and give the phase shifter to Ratchet."
"Ok, what's going on Gail?"
"Just hold my hand, Ratchet you ready."
"Are you sure about this, Storm?"
"Yes, we need to do it" Smokie looks at me not sure what is going on.
"It'll all be explained in a moment." I nodded to Ratchet who immediately phased his hand into my chest.
"Ratchet!"
"Don't let go Smokescreen." Ratchet withdrew my half of the Omega key which was a lot easier than Smokie removal. Ratchet handed me the key and I held it next to Smokie and the key lit up and joined as one.
"Oh"
"Told you it would be explained in a moment" My husband rubbed his head and he certainly felt embarrassed.
"You're right."
"Nice work, Smokescreen"
~But I thought Megatron had three of the four Omega Keys, Why did you only grab two? ~
"Besides mine, it's the only one that I found in Megatron's vault!"
"Then three keys are now accounted for."
"Now the fourth is still somewhere on the Cons warship."
"Unless . . . Megatron never had it to begin with"
"A high frequency signal . . . with an embedded message"
"Starscream"
"It says 'I have obtained something of interest to you which is of no practical use to me."
"It's gotta be the Omega Key!"
"He's the one who blindsided me!"
"Yip, Yip! . . . There's more, bring medical kit, I only ask for the surgical placement of my T-Cog in return."
"Like we're going give 'Scream back his wing'"
"But without the missing key, Cybertron will remain devoid of life!"
"Broken record, I know. But … it could be a trick"
"It's possible that Starscream does not yet realize the significance of what it holds"
"And we do know that he has been incapable of flight for some time." My father thought it over before replying.
"The stakes are too great for us not to consider Starscream's proposal. However, we will take precautions." It was decided that my father, Ratchet, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead would meet up with Starscream. While Smokescreen and I guarded the bridge against unwanted passengers and Arcee stood by the ground bridge.
We separated and awaited further instruction from my father, immediately the base shook.
"What the world?"
"Whoa?"
"What was that?"
~What happened? ~ Fire sprinklers activated, in the base, and then my father's voice was heard over the com channel.
"Arcee, close the ground bridge now" the bridge closed.
"What was that about?"
"I have no idea?"
Optimus Prime POV
Starscream had all three Omega Keys in his possession and I'm sure that he had the fourth key somewhere.
"He has the Omega Keys." I was able to aim my blaster at his head, but he was able to get a shot off and escape through his personal ground bridge device.
"Noooo"
"We'll get them back"
"The keys can be of no use to Starscream's while he scrounges in the wild like a Scraplet. There must be something we can offer him in exchange!"
"The fate of Cybertron now rests in Starscream's hands, whatever his intentions?"