What's up? Since last time I left you *coughcough*overtendays*coughcough* without an update, I decided to make an early update this time; AND, I decided to try to update further one-shots in weekends... Maybe it would be for the best to make a little schedule for this too.

Thanks to the Guest for his kind comment! I'm fine, thank you!

I hope you like this fic as much as you liked the previous ones.

Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.


Summary: Alone and stranded on Earth, Thundercracker can't help but remember the past and wonder what's the future preparing for him.

Genres: Drama & Hurt/Comfort


-THUNDERCRACKER-

Outcast

His flight didn't last long, not with an injured wing; so, after landing, the cerulean Seeker used his old radars to find an old Energon mine, which fortunately still had some juice in it, and took refuge in there. His trine was probably being taken to some Cybertronian prison at the moment, and the Autobots were most surely looking for him, so he didn't have any reasons to leave his shelter. Besides, with a leaking wing, he wouldn't make it far. "I shouldn't have listened to him…" He thought, remembering Knock Out's words, the very ones that convinced him to abandon his brothers. And yet… Even when he hated the red medic for pushing him away from the only friends he ever met, there was another part of him that seemed to be ok with it. Maybe he did the right thing, forgiving that Autobot's life; who knows? The only thing he knew was that, from the moment he shoot down Skywarp, he wouldn't be able to return to his trine. Especially not with Starscream in it. The purple flyer would most probably punch him on the face for what he did ―or play some silly joke on him, which was more his style―, but the silver grey Seeker wouldn't be satisfied with just that… Ever since they got fired, Starscream has been obsessed with the idea of taking revenge on everything and on everyone.

Sighing, Thundercracker had to admit that, in the end, there was a big chance for Knock Out to be right about this whole thing… Maybe he was better off without those two. But he was yet a fugitive. It hasn't changed. Even when he chose not to fight them, there was no doubt in his spark that the moment in which an Autobot spotted him, would be the moment in which he would be taken back to Cybertron as a war prisoner; and everybody knew that there was no way out from there.

For a week, the cerulean Seeker sat down on the cave, concentrating in heal, in remain hidden, and in remain out of reach from everyone and everything. There wasn't much he could do anyway… except think and remember how things were before, when the last years of the Golden Age were still going. When he and his brothers were safe…

… … …

Vos, his city, was the crown jewel when it came to soldiers. The best men of the Council's guard came from there; and, a much younger Thundercracker, couldn't hide his pride about his origins. He was a child of Vos, a natural soldier; he was destined to greatness. It couldn't be anyhow else. And so, he trained hard, learned all he could, and waited patiently for the day in which he would be trusted to a trine, the day he would meet his brothers in arms. And, finally, that day arrived… Only… not the way he expected it to happen…

"Cadet." A raspy voice called behind his back. When he turned around, the cerulean mech saw a silver grey flyer who was a little older than him.

His whole armor was grey, with a darker shade on the shoulders, wings, forearms and lower legs. Only his crest and the talons of his pedes were red, which was the only color on his frame, besides his yellow optics. The insignia on his chest indicated his rank: commander. The cerulean mech immediately saluted the newcomer.

"At ease, soldier." The commander quickly said, gesturing him to stop. He did so. "What's your designation, cadet?" The officer asked, folding his hands behind his back.

"Thundercracker, sir. I'm in my last vorn of training." He said.

"Have you been assigned to a trine yet?"

"Huh…" A little ashamed, he averted his eyes. No. He wasn't. It was his punishment for a little insubordination of his, because cadets who were on their last vorn were immediately assigned. Still be on his own was strange, and made everyone think that he was an awful flyer… Not many wanted him now.

Disappointment took the best of him, letting go of a sigh, while dropping his wings behind his back.

The commander suddenly chuckled.

"Follow me." He said, while leading the way to the field where they practiced their flying skills. Then, typing a simulation program, the commander turned to look at the cadet with an arched eyebrow. "Which level of simulation have you reached?"

"Forty, sir."

"Hm… That's quite an advanced level. Would you like to try forty two, or, maybe forty three?" The grey Seeker, asked.

"I-I… I never passed the forty one…" Thundercracker admitted, fearing that if he agreed to participate in the simulation he would end up putting himself in ridiculous. Besides, the most advanced programs were for trines, and he had nobody to fly with.

"Maybe a team routine should be a good test…" The commander mumbled, while uploading the program into the simulator.

"What?! But, sir, I don't…!"

"Skywarp, you're required on the flying tracks. Make yourself present within five kliks." The older mech ordered to someone over the commlink, completely ignoring Thundercracker's pleas. "Don't worry about your lack of trine, I'll proportionate the two other required players."

As soon as he finished explaining this, a third Seeker, one of purple and black paintjob appeared in the sky. The commander turned to look at him, before jump in the air and transform, ordering Thundercracker to do the same.

Gulping, the cadet followed his superior officer, and the simulation started.

Surprisingly, it turned out to be easy enough, and, soon, he was no longer afraid of making a fool of himself; he was actually enjoying the exercise. After four more simulations, the commander ordered the other two bots to land at the platform, saying that he saw enough. Thundercracker landed and transformed with a smile on the face. It was his first team practice, and he accomplished it with a high ranked officer! No trainee in the War Academy of Vos could say such thing before!

"Alright!" The purple Seeker celebrated, while landing next to the cadet. "He's the one, Scream! I'm telling ya'! He's a natural! A..!" In the middle of his cheering, the mech locked optics with the cerulean bot. "Skywarp, by the way." He introduced himself, offering a hand for the other one to take.

"Thundercracker." He shyly shook hands with the strange mech, before let go when the other started to talk about the training again.

"Call Fireblast! We found our new partner!"

The commander simply turned off the system, after sending a copy to someone; all in complete silence. Then, he turned to look at the cadet.

"Impressive skills, soldier. Why haven't you been assigned to a trine yet?" He asked, crossing his arms and arching an eyebrow.

Oh… That was the one million question… The cause of him being the only cadet from his group who wasn't promoted yet…

Sighing, the cerulean bot scratched his neck, wondering whether it would help him or doom him to answer that question. However, in the end, he told the truth:

"I… kind of…" He cleared his throat. "I might have insulted brigadier Fireblast… in my last training… a quartex ago…"

"Don't say? What did you call him?" The purple mech wanted to know.

"… Rusted pile of Scraplet waste…"

Klik of awkward silence.

And suddenly Skywarp and the commander were bended over, laughing their afts off.

"And he suspended you for that?!" Skywarp wondered. "Big deal! We've said worst things about him!"

"Huh?" Thundercracker was so confused by their reaction that he wasn't sure of what to think of it.

"Remember when we were about to graduate, Scream?! The names we used to call him at his back?!" The purple flyer asked through his laughs.

"Oh… Some were priceless!" The grey Seeker said, wiping a little lubricant tear that came out of his right optic from laughing so hard. "He did caught you once, didn't he?"

"You bet! He made me wash the barracks for twenty deca-cycles! Oh… But the laughs lasted forever. Some still calls him 'Torchaft', you know?" Yeah, the poor bot didn't have the best design: when he transforms into his bipedal form, parts of his thruster ended up either on his hip… or in his lower back… near the aft… And Skywarp noticed when he, and the now brigadier, were yet on their first stellar-cycle of training ―yes, to make things worse, Fireblast and Starscream had the same age; their only difference were the ranks they achieved.

"You started that?!" Thundercracker suddenly asked, surprised.

"Why so surprised? Nobody likes that guy." Skywarp asked with a bright smile, while shrugging a little.

Suddenly, he was laughing too, as these two strange characters started to remember some other nicknames they gave to the mech that ran the War Academy of Vos, specifically the Seekers' trainings. Some names were really creative, while others were merely comparisons to some beasts and vermin; and, before he noticed, Thundercracker found himself having a drink with the two mechs who miraculously allowed him to train with them.

It wasn't until a couple cycles after that the notification arrived to his quarters: he got assigned to commander Starscream's trine, and he had to present himself for training immediately. Elated, Thundercracker hurried to present himself to his new commander… only to find out that it was the same guy from days ago.

"Unlike others, I don't mind soldiers who has troubles with authority." The grey mech explained. "I have them myself, to be honest." He added with a chuckle and a little shrug.

That day, he was, officially, a member of the Energon Seekers. He earned his place in the world. His trine. And nothing would ever ruin the fraternal connection that he was building with those two awesome mechs…

… … …

But the war and Megatron got in the way.

Now looking at it in perspective, he cursed the day in which they heard about a gladiator who was running into politics to try to make their society a little bit fairer for everyone. And, since their trine got 'suspended until further advice' due to an unimportant administrative mistake, the three of them joined the Kaonian's campaign without even think it. Sighing, Thundercracker admitted that he should've talked Starscream out of it. They might've been soldiers, but it didn't mean they loved the war…

The sound of a propellant followed by the noise of a T-Cog activating made him wake up abruptly from a dreamless sleep in which he fell without notice. Frantic, the cerulean mech analyzed his surroundings, remembering where he was and why; and, then, he prepared his weapons. If it was an Autobot planning to attack him, he would go down fighting; but he wouldn't go back to jail, to a stasis pod, willingly.

"Easy, there. I'm not here to fight." A mech's voice said.

Even when he didn't lower his weapons, the Autobot flyer, Nightglider, entered the cave. His hands were in the air, indicating that he had no hostile intentions; but Thundercracker simply couldn't believe it.

"How did you find me?" He asked.

"Simple: you were hurt, you needed Energon. We've been checking mines ever since." The black mech answered with a shrug. "This one was in my quadrant of search. Nobody's aware that this is where you're hiding, but if they see that my signal went inside the mine and never exited it, the others will figure out why."

Grunting, the Seeker lowered his guns and crossed his arms.

"So, either way I'm trapped. Is that what you're trying to say?" He snarled.

Nightglider sighed, shaking his head.

"Look. Optimus has been talking to the Council back on Cybertron, and… It's been agreed that, all Decepticon who wishes to be granted with a second chance and proves to be worthy of it, will be put on parole instead of prison or stasis." The Autobot said, looking at the cerulean bot.

Thundercracker arched an eyebrow.

"What does it has to be with me?"

"You forgave my life." Nightglider answered almost immediately after the question, taking the cerulean mech aback. "To me, that counts to you earning your second chance."

"To be what? An Autobot?" The Seeker bitterly chuckled at the thought. "I don't think so…" He added with a disdainful smile.

"Fine. Don't be an Autobot if you don't want to." The black mech said with another shrug. "Knock Out didn't accepted to be a 'Bot either."

"The traitor still calls himself a 'Con?" It truly surprised the Seeker, though not as much as what the other guy said next:

"He's a Neutral now." Nightgtlider said, quickly, making the cerulean mech end up in a stunned silence. "Just think about it, ok?" He added before turn around to leave, much to Thundercracker's surprise.

"Aren't you going to turn me in?"

"After offering you a second chance? That would be rude, and unfair from me." The Autobot said, looking at the Seeker from above his shoulder. Then, he walked out of the mine. "Think about it!" He added, before his propellant revealed to Thundercracker that he flew away.

Once alone, the Decepticon sat down, still dumfounded for what just happened. Did that Autobot actually let him go? Not only that, but also gave him a second chance? Why? What would he get out of it? "So he's a Neutral now, huh? Well, better than an Autobot I guess…" He thought. And, all of the sudden, he realized that he was considering it. It took him unprepared… The fact that he was actually thinking about that offer was a total surprise for him. But… Actually, why not? He couldn't keep calling himself a Decepticon after walking out of his trine just like that. And he sure couldn't rely on Starscream and/or Skywarp anymore…

Sighing, he lied down to recharge.

Maybe, being a Neutral wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.


*Calliope and her OCs appears next to an average tall white mech whose wings, forearms, shoulders, and lower legs are red and orange; some of his bronze colored protoform is visible. His optics are creamy yellow* Uh... Say hi to your new little brother?

Galatea: *Smiling and waving a servo* Hi!

Solar Flare: Another OC?! Seriously?!

Daybreak: C'mon... This place is started to feel stuffed!

Fireblast: *frowning* Show some respect to our creator! *Suddenly points towards the door* Twenty rounds around the property, now!

*Solar Flare and Daybreak stares in disbelief at the new OC before look at Calliope* What? I did described him as a high ranked officer from Vos, remember? I just wrote it, guys! By the way, you better get going... *Both OCs leaves, groaning under their breaths*

Fireblast: *Crossing his arms* I'm surprised you put up with those two insubordinates for so long, creator.

Sunscorch: *Facepalm* Oh, great... Another Ultra Magnus... with wings...

Nightglider: It... might not be so bad... I mean, he just put my bro and Flare in their place.

That's the spirit, Glider! Why don't you two show him around, please? *OCs leaves the place* He, he... Well, while I try to make my old OCs accept the new addition to their crew, I'll leave you the name of our next character: MIKO!

Here's the summary: Unknown to most, Miko's insecurities and personality had its origins in a relative of hers. And, when said person decides to show up after a year, our favorite rocker will look for comfort somewhere else… Maybe in some giant friends of hers.

Please let me know what you thought of this fic!

See you!