Author's note: I can't quite believe it's actually done. It's not an epic as fanfics go, I know, but damn if certain temperamental Decepticons weren't a bitch to write. (They're also my favourite part of the plot, so go figure.) So yeah, there may be more at some point in the future. I think I've learned a lot from doing this fic, and… well, we'll see if I manage to improve on it.

As always, a big thanks to all you reviewers for the encouragement and the spiffy comments, and also to everyone who has yet to review 'cause I have no idea when the next author's note will be. You may have the right to remain silent, but anything you do say will be accepted into evidence and squeed over mightily. Please drop a review if you've anything to say, concrit included.

Just one last part to wrap up, then. Hope you all enjoy it!

Epilogue: Rekindling

They'd fixed the engines, not the navigation systems. Now the Megastar was going blind. Not a major problem, while it was in the air. When it came to land, they had be careful. Decepticon ingenuity being what it was, they solved it.

Ro-tor flew alongside the hull, dropping down to watch closely as the ship lowered itself into a string of narrow gorges. On the far side, Movor was keeping well clear of the engines, and not just so he could give Megatron a better view.

Ro-tor reported a few quick estimates of the space and the ship's position over the comm for Megatron's benefit. "Port nacelle's about to graze an outcrop," he added, giving the heading, and the massive ship slowly shifted away from it.

"Hold it just a nano, there's another one this side. I'll get it for you." Movor charged his lasers, two flashes of light either side of the shuttle, and fired. Ro-tor heard rock shatter on the far side of the ship. "There you are, boss, go right ahead."

Megatron barely responded to them; neither Decepticon expected it. He had a blind ship to pilot, didn't he?

Ro-tor dropped with the ship, into the cool shadow of the gorge. The ship lowered and shifted, preparing to set down. The helicopter flew a quick inspection tour, banking around the curved sides and back. Then he wheeled around and dove between the engines, between massive armoured purple walls still moving back and forth and into his way…

He was out in a second, bursting into the dying sunlight beneath the wind of his rotor blades. He climbed and then looped around the edge of the ship, feeling as much as seeing the great bulk settle into place.

"Hey, show-off," said Movor over a private channel.

Ro-tor didn't deign to acknowledge it. It wasn't remotely impressive enough to count as showing off, unless you happened to be amused by your partner's caution.

"Didn't Ruination use you as a blast shield a few hours ago?" The gestalt had lifted both arms to ward off the barrage, but the left arm had caught the brunt of it.

"Big deal," he said. There were aches along his tail and sides, but it didn't stop him flying.

"Yeah, and you'll be first in line for repairs when we're finished playing pilot fish."

"At least we got here in one piece." Ro-tor hovered with his nose angled down toward the ship. He cast his sensors in a sidelong glance at his partner. "Even you have to admit Scourge was good."

"All right, already! Scourge did good! When'd I ever say different?" He grumbled when Ro-tor just laughed. "Yeah, I don't know what you're laughing at." He lowered his voice. "He's a pain in the aft to work for, but I'm glad he's on our side."

"Well," Ro-tor said with amusement, "duh. He's one of us."

He could see now. His eyes had adapted to the dark hours ago, but it was more than that. Now there was a glow, reflecting down the oversized halls from lights that had flickered into life before they took off. Seemed like everything had powered up in that moment.

Doctor Onishi looked down, head resting against the wall behind him. The pathetic pile of melted wires and plastic beside him had begun to cool.

By the time that the rumbling of the ship's engines subsided, he'd regained enough strength to stand and wonder exhaustedly where to go next.

The signal… the signal had looked like it was working, in the second before it overloaded. He had to hope that was long enough… but even then, there was no way to know if anyone had heard it. And no-one had come to rescue him. There had been no time for that.

What if the Predacons didn't win? he wondered in a sudden burst of optimism. What if the Autobots have taken the ship?

He wasn't going to risk it, of course. The thought still buoyed him, lent him a mood approaching cheeriness as he lurched in the direction that (he guessed) led outside.

This time it was a mistake.

He knew that when a 'wall' up ahead slid open, spilling light into his face. He flinched, covering his eyes and stumbling backwards, giant footsteps hitting the floor in front of him.

"There you are!"

A clawed hand snatched him up and the doctor fought for the strength to struggle, but Sky-byte paid it no heed as he lifted the human up to his face. "Sorry to interrupt your stroll, doctor, but this isn't a free-range facility, if you know what I mean."

Sky-byte carried him back into the elevator, the Predacon musing to himself. "I wonder how you got out... Oh well. At least I found you before you caused any trouble. That would have been the last thing I needed."

The Spychanger had taken his share of damage in body, but it wasn't that which he longed to mend.

"I'm sorry, Optimus," he said, staring at the bank of screens in front of them. Back in the command centre of Cybertron Headquarters, and in his mind he was still playing over that sequence on the threshold of the Megastar. "I was so close…"

"It's all right, Hotshot. You and the others did all you could."

"I wish I was so sure of that," Hotshot muttered. "But who knows when we'll get another chance like that?"

He gave the other Autobot a sidelong glance. Optimus didn't look at him.

T-AI's hologram appeared in front of them. "You might want to see this. I've analysed the signal Hotshot received before the Megastar took off."

"Do you think it's important?" Hotshot asked sceptically.

The AI nodded seriously. "It's a distress signal. A simple one, but it looks human."

"Human? But it came from inside the Predacon base…" His voice slowed as he looked to Optimus, his visor widening.

A blazing light had returned to his friend's optics. "Doctor Onishi! Somehow he was able to call for help."

"That has to be it…" How many other humans do we know in there? "But how did he do it?"

"I don't know," T-AI said excitedly. Her image was beaming at them both. "But from my analysis, it's the most likely explanation."

Optimus nodded. "He's alive. That's all we need to keep the search going."

Hotshot felt the tension that had built up in his servos over the last few days clench and then begin to evaporate like morning fog. He lifted his head and let out a triumphant "Hah!" at the universe.

"We're going to tell Koji, aren't we?" T-AI asked, the little hologram glowing brighter.

Hotshot nodded slightly and turned. "That depends on whether Optimus still remembers how to deliver good news."

His leader chuckled, looking back down at him. "Thank you, Hotshot – but this is all thanks to you and the Spychangers. I think you should be the one to do it."

"We couldn't have done it without you." He shook his head, and then leaned forward, dropping his voice. "And I don't have a promise to keep."

Optimus paused, looking at his friend with a quiet intent that to the Spychanger said 'thank you' more than the words could ever do. Finally, slowly, he nodded.

"Then you'd better get ready to tell him," said T-AI cheerily beside them.

"Tell who what?" Koji stood in the doorway, putting down a bulging schoolbag.

Optimus lifted his head. "Koji." He walked over to greet the boy, then knelt down to speak to him as Koji came in further.

Hotshot and T-AI shared a brief look. Hotshot nodded, and the hologram beamed with pleasure.

It's good to know the doctor's alive, he thought, looking back at them. But really, Optimus. As if you ever needed a sign.

"Congratulations, Scourge. Not only are the Megastar's repairs almost complete, but thanks to your strength and unquestioning devotion to my orders, Optimus Prime has lost his greatest opportunity to stop my plans."

"I am honoured to serve you, Megatron," Scourge said, bowing. He was conscious of Mega-Octane standing smartly at his side.

"You've proven yourselves well," Megatron said idly, bestowing a pleased look on them. Now that the danger was past, all the minor debacles seemed forgotten. "And you shall reap the rewards as soon as our enemies are destroyed. I will send for you when I have new instructions."

"We will… await your command," Scourge said, and Megatron's image disappeared.

Alone together in the room, the Decepticons were silent for a minute.

"We still don't know where that signal came from," said Mega-Octane as Scourge turned to him. "Or who sabotaged the repair module."

"No." Scourge folded his arms. He'd had a thought about that. He didn't like it. When he spoke it was reluctantly. "We were the only ones in the ship who could access that component… apart from Megatron."

Mega-Octane jerked away, staring at his commander. "You're not suggesting… why would he do that? It doesn't make sense. And what about that signal?"

"A malfunction, perhaps- I don't know," he snapped, seeing Mega-Octane shake his head from the corner of his vision. "The ship was powering up, and you admit you don't know how all of the systems are connected."

"Right." Neither of them were satisfied with that explanation.

"What's our energy status?" Scourge asked suddenly, still burning holes in the wall with his stare.

"Taking off used up almost all of our energon," Mega-Octane reported. He couldn't help a snort as he added, "And what's left there stinks of Autobot contaminants."

Scourge gave a nod, and faced him. The mission was dealt with. Now they had something else to settle.

"So, Mega-Octane," he said in a low voice, "where do we stand now?"

A Predacon would have feigned confusion. Mega-Octane didn't bother. Scourge found himself appreciating that. His fellow Decepticon looked down at him with a glowing pink visor, an air of weighty seriousness making him seem to loom even more than his tall frame.

"I… owe you an apology, commander," said Mega-Octane. Part of Scourge wondered cynically if he'd used the same tone with Optimus Prime. But the rest of him doubted it. He wasn't sure why. Perhaps because he'd half expected this.

Mega-Octane went on, holding Scourge's gaze and speaking frankly. "I've been underestimating you. I forgot that you were a Decepticon…and that you were our leader."

"So now you don't have a problem with my command?"

"No." He straightened slightly. "I thought you were too volatile to trust outside of a straight fight. And I realise I was wrong. I let a couple of incidents distract me from what you were capable of. Watching you today reminded me why Megatron chose you to lead us."

Scourge stared at him. "What were you expecting me to do, rush mindlessly out to engage Prime in battle and leave the plan to burn?"

"Like I said," Mega-Octane reiterated simply, bowing his head. "I misjudged."

He growled, angered again that anyone would dare to think so little of him – but that anger was tempered as he studied his second. He'd spent the last weeks interpreting the other's behaviour as if it were his own. And then been surprised at what happened when he actually challenged Mega-Octane...

For that matter, the Commando's behaviour in the battle today. He could have stayed in the ship, fussing about any more sabotage to the engines. Instead he'd followed at Scourge's back. Dashed out headlong after his leader, in fact.

Why had Scourge assumed he knew the other's intentions? Because they were both Decepticons? He remembered the circumstances that had made them so, and realised what he might have missed. The obvious, really.

They were cast in the same mould, he and his second, but perhaps it wasn't quite the same fire that drove them…

He gave a short 'hmph', and then admitted, "You weren't the only one." Mega-Octane's visor brightened sharply; Scourge went on, "Perhaps it's time we both remembered our places."

"Agreed," said Mega-Octane, "sir." Again that voice registered as oddly sincere, oddly… proud, maybe?

One had been imbued with the spark energy of an Autobot commander, and the other had not. Scourge had always accepted that that made him stronger than the others, carrying part of Prime's essence as well as Megatron's. But did it make that much of a difference to the way they thought as well?

He looked down at his armour, still dented and scorched from the battle, then up at the green mech. "If your services are no longer booked for the ship, I'm in need of repairs."

Mega-Octane looked him over, his natural state of brisk efficiency starting to take over once more - but still sounding unusually pleased when he said, "It won't take long. You're not easy to damage."

"What about the rest of you?" Scourge asked, turning to lead the way to the repair bay.

"Even shorter. Why?"

"The Autobots dared to strike at our base itself." He cast a glance over his shoulder, optics narrowed in a smirk. "Let's see about returning the gesture."

"Yes sir!"

And maybe it was the programming, but it seemed to Scourge that things were the way they should be.