Starxis
By: PhantasmBabeIvory
Disclaimer: Don't own the Transformers; Hasbro does.
Author's Notes: This installment has now been posted in its entirety. As stated earlier, I'd decided to post just the first half as it was taking longer than usual to write. Hope you enjoy the continuation!
Chapter Ten
From his seat within the throne room in his Cybertron-based stronghold, Megatron watched silently as each of his men reacted to the news he'd just given them. If anything, he had expected them to scoff at the idea just as much as he had. However, the diversity in the reactions had caught him unawares, and he watched impassively to the discussions that were going on.
Wheeljack was the first to respond, in a way that surprised Megatron. But then, the rookie had seemed immensely on edge ever since he'd returned from the battlefield. "What if it's not a trick, sir? I was with, uh, one of the Autobots out there, and he seemed to be just as frightened by this phenomenon… If this proposed alliance is for real, it seems we could all benefit from it."
Megatron's optics narrowed. "Do not test me, Wheeljack," he replied, a slight bitterness to his tone. "I wouldn't put it past Optimus to instruct one of his own to behave in this manner. It is nothing more than a ploy meant to deceive us into letting our guard down."
Wheeljack next words showed that he was backing down, though the expression in his optics indicated he didn't really want to. "Forgive me, Megatron," he said. "The last thing I wish to do is subvert your command. It is just… I ask you to please consider the possibility that this entity, Unicron, is for real."
Megatron was ready to snarl at Wheeljack for once more issuing a "challenge," but was stopped when the tactician to his immediate right beat him to it. "Don't be ridiculous," Thrust spoke out, catching Wheeljack as well as Megatron off guard. "We are Decepticons! We must not allow ourselves to fall for the Autobots' elaborate ruse! The fact that they're resorting to trickery can only mean that our side is winning!"
This earned a response from Cyclonus. "Yeah, maybe," he said hesitantly, drawing Thrust's attention. "But I won't be any good if I get sucked into one of those black holes."
"Silence!" Thrust responded sharply. "You will do as Megatron tells you!"
Megatron turned his gaze towards the tactician, curious by this statement as he hadn't said anything to ease any worry over the prospect Cyclonus was speaking of. Briefly, he wondered if Thrust had nearly fallen victim to said phenomenon. That could explain why the tactician was suddenly behaving so erratically and was more vocal than usual.
"Relax, would ya?" Cyclonus said in answer, and proved just how eccentric he could be at times with his next statement. "I just hope I don't wind up on the other side of the universe again," he continued, immediately following the sentence with his trademark cackling.
Exactly what was supposed to be so funny about that, Megatron didn't know, but it was very much in character for Cyclonus to find humor in the strangest things. What was even more odd was that there was some truth to what Cyclonus was saying; he also had a knack for falling into the most bizarre scenarios.
Megatron watched silently for a moment as Cyclonus' comment kicked off a new round of heckling between him and Demolisher. While it was more often than not amusing to listen to them go at it, he very much wanted to get back to the original topic. "Enough!" he yelled out, causing his men to snap to attention. "Let me make myself perfectly clear. We will not be joining forces with the Autobots, and I don't want to hear any more arguments" (he was focusing on Wheeljack at this point) "to the contrary!"
Wheeljack consented with a sigh, his shoulders slumping in defeat. Much as he would like to continue the debate, he knew that Megatron wouldn't be open to listening. Any further "insubordination" on Wheeljack's part would likely end in a thrashing at the hands of the Decepticon leader, or worse.
"A wise decision, Megatron. The Autobots are only trying to confuse us with this talk about Unicron… If he even exists," Thrust chimed in, adding to his leader's belief that the tactician had nearly died this day as a way of explaining the odd behavior. Thrust wasn't normally this chatty, no matter how much he disliked the Autobots.
"Thrust," Megatron said, breaking the tactician from his mindless rambling. "Perhaps you'd tell me you have a plan to counter this new weapon that Optimus and his men have cooked up."
"Of course, sir," Thrust answered. "I've taken it upon myself to start rebuilding the Hydra Cannon -- a smaller version of it, at least -- that we will be able to utilize from right here in this stronghold. Once it's completed, our enemies will soon be nothing but a memory, and Cybertron will be all ours."
Megatron hesitated, throwing a glance over at the Skyboom Shield and Requiem Blaster that were leaned against the nearby wall. Both had wires attached to them that had kept the Mini-Cons that made up the weapons from "waking up" and separating into their individual robotic forms, for when they weren't being used in battle. Turning back towards Thrust, Megatron said, "You realize we're lacking the Star Saber that would allow this plan of yours to work?"
"No matter," Thrust answered with a short laugh. "It will be easy to retrieve that weapon from the Autobots simply by mounting enough of our troops."
"I'm counting on it, Thrust…"
Like Megatron, Optimus had filled his soldiers in on what had transpired between him and the Decepticon leader. The decision had been thought up on the spur of the moment, but Optimus didn't regret having made it. Neither, it seemed, did any of his men -- at least, if they had any reservations, they weren't saying so out loud.
Optimus and all of the men who'd been under his command on Earth were currently meeting privately on the bridge of the Autobot shuttle; the only other ones present were the human children, their Mini-Con counterparts, and Starxis.
This latest debate was kicked off by Sideswipe, who started by saying, in a somewhat flustered tone, "Is Megatron insane?! How can he think that we had anything to do with what happened out there?!"
Starscream looked towards the naïve Autobot. "Because he only sees what he wants to see, at any given time. He's paranoid to some degree, and that prevents him from accepting some things at face value." Starscream took a deep breath, marveling for an instant over the fact that he'd become the greatest advisor among them in regards to dealing with Megatron.
If there was any doubt in Starscream's mind as to the validity of this thought, it was laid to rest when Optimus turned to look at him and asked for his opinion on how to possibly resolve the situation in their favor. After a moment, Starscream answered with, "I'd say the best way to get Megatron's attention is to hit him with something unexpected first. He's used to his opponents behaving in a way that fits with their character, so acting outside the norm is guaranteed to catch him off guard and just might make him stop to listen for a change."
Across the room, Hot Shot snorted. "Great… Any ideas on how we are even supposed to get near him now? If he's as paranoid as you say, odds are he's not going to be caught alone on the battlefield again."
Starscream bowed his head. "I'd need time to think on that."
Clearing his throat, Optimus continued the conversation. "In the meantime, I think it may be wise to call for all of the Autobots to evacuate Cybertron." When this drew some curious stares from his men, he went on with, "We have to assume that Unicron's attacks are going to persist. If that's the case, I don't want the Transformers on our side to make it easy for him to pick us off. If they were gathered on separate shuttles in outer space, and so long as they all keep their distance from each other, it will lessen the chances that we'll lose a sizable portion of our forces."
The rest of the Autobots were in agreement with this course of action; Hoist, Jetfire, and Scavenger even volunteered to head out and spread the word. Once the three bots in question vacated the bridge, Optimus made a suggestion to the rest of the troops that they get some rest as it had been a long trying day. Red Alert volunteered to stay on the bridge, to sound an alarm in case of trouble, and it was agreed that Sideswipe would relieve him some time later.
It wasn't long before Starscream was sequestered in his room, laying down on the giant slab that served as his bed with Starxis resting comfortably on his chest. Alexis was sitting near the youngling, gently caressing the brown fuzz on the little guy's head. After a moment, she looked over at Starscream's face; the jet's head was propped up by the arms currently crossed beneath it.
"What made you decide not to tell anyone you'd run into Wheeljack?" Alexis asked, surprising him.
Starscream gave a slight laugh. "Do you think it would serve any purpose if I did?" he countered.
Alexis nodded. "Point taken," she admitted. She looked back at Starxis. "I think he's going to look even cuter with the new color. How about you?"
Starscream smiled, surprising her by noting, "Why not? It looks good on you." Off of the look Alexis gave him, he added, "It seems you and Starxis are going to share the same hair color from now on."
Lightly biting her lip, Alexis turned back to look at the youngling, simultaneously grasping a lock of her own hair and pulling it into view to compare the two. After a few seconds, she determined that Starscream may be right. "What do you know?" she said lightly, marveling over the coincidence.
"Starxis is just full of surprises, isn't he?" Starscream asked her.
Alexis shifted her position so that she was laying across his chest, her head cradled against Starxis' back. "That he is," she answered, following it up with a small yawn. "Mmm, I'm tired," she continued in a slightly weary tone.
Starscream partially raised his head to look at her better. "Did you want to go back to your room for the night?"
Alexis lightly shook her head, surprising him by saying, "Would you mind if I slept here?"
After a moment, Starscream gave a warm smile, providing a definite answer by moving his left hand to gently blanket her and Starxis. "Don't worry about me possibly tossing and turning during the night," he said, before she fully drifted off and easing any concerns she may have had about that. "I'm a heavy sleeper."
Alexis couldn't resist cracking a joke. "And if not, I'll just come back and haunt you until you die," she responded, earning some laughs from him. After a brief moment, she added, "Goodnight, Starscream."
He dimmed his optics, preparing to enter a sleeping state. "Goodnight, Alexis," he said softly…
Hot Shot didn't rest nearly as well as the other Autobots that night, as he kept going over in his head any possible solutions to their current dilemma. Come daybreak, the formation of a plan had him outside the door to Starscream's room, knocking lightly in case his comrade was still asleep.
When there was no answer, Hot Shot tentatively let himself in, too impatient to wait until Starscream was awake and not caring if he was bawled out for the intrusion. The last sight he expected to see was Alexis snuggled up against Starscream's chest, looking so content that Hot Shot didn't dare do or say anything that might wake her.
After a second or two, Hot Shot backed right back out the door and closed it, taking care to be as quiet as he could manage. Silently, he made his way to the bridge where he expected Sideswipe would be waiting (he wasn't disappointed), in the hopes that talking with his "bro" might take the edge off.
Though engaging in conversation did help, Hot Shot's thoughts kept periodically returning to Alexis and Starscream. He'd known that they were becoming friends with each other, but he hadn't realized to what extent until now. The mere fact that Alexis was now sleeping in the same room with the jet was testament of just how much she had come to trust him.
Briefly, Hot Shot found himself concerned over the intimacy that the situation implied. He couldn't see Alexis ever asking the same of any of the other Autobots, let alone that any of them would even agree to the request. It made him wonder if her and Starscream's bond had grown beyond mere friendship.
Such were his worries that Hot Shot was quick to ask Optimus if they could speak privately when the latter came to the bridge. It wasn't long after that that the two bots ducked into Optimus' office, with Sideswipe giving them a curious stare.
Much to Hot Shot's surprise, Optimus didn't seem all that fazed by the news. Leaning over his chair with both hands resting on the rim, the Autobot leader gave a soft sigh. Looking up at Hot Shot, he said, "I suspected that this might be coming, ever since that day that the Shield was stolen from us. When I saw the way Alexis jumped to Starscream's defense when he was being accused…"
Hot Shot bowed his head, disbelieving that there had been signs of this even then and he hadn't noticed. "So… What do we do about this?"
Optimus sighed again. "It's not our place to do anything, Hot Shot," he replied, standing up straight. "We're not Alexis' parents, and we don't have the right to interfere in her choices… Even if we did, I don't know that humans have any precedent for something like this." He paused, then, without waiting for a reply, said, "Okay, now that you've roused my curiosity, perhaps you'd say why you were looking for Starscream to begin with."
Hot Shot raised one hand to rub at the back of his neck, scarcely believing he'd forgotten his purpose for doing just that in light of what he'd discovered. "Well," he said hesitantly. "I think I may have an idea on how to get Megatron to agree to the alliance. The thing is, I may need Starscream's help to pull it off… I'm not sure that you're going to like what I have to say."
Though Hot Shot's impetuous nature more often than not landed him in trouble, it also allowed him to take risks that his comrades would never dream of. Letting out a deep breath, Optimus decided he'd wait until Hot Shot revealed what this idea was before making a judgment. "Let's hear it…"
As Starscream would find out, when he met with Hot Shot and Optimus in the latter's office an hour after awakening, the plan was quite simple. If they couldn't confront Megatron on the battlefield, the next best thing was to infiltrate the Decepticon stronghold. Still, it would be something of a suicide mission, especially if they were caught, and Starscream was quick to voice this.
"Then we don't get caught," Hot Shot answered in a slightly heated tone. "If there's anyone who knows the layout and how to avoid detection, it would be you… In any case, it would be a good way to get Megatron's attention. He wouldn't be expecting anything other than a full-blown assault, so if it's just the two of us who go in…"
Starscream shook his head. "And what's to stop him from killing us the instant he sees us?" he asked aloud. A short silence ensued, and Starscream's own thoughts on the matter led to a even more insane idea. As he expected, voicing said scheme got Hot Shot into an uproar and caused Optimus to regard him with widened optics. "Look," Starscream said sharply, cutting off the reckless bot's tirade. "What I'm suggesting isn't any more risky than what you came up with! But if we play our cards right, it just might be the thing that will save our necks!"
When Hot Shot didn't respond, Starscream turned to look at the Autobot leader. "It's your choice, sir. Will you sanction this?"
Optimus bowed his head slightly, looking more tense than Starscream had ever seen him. "If you're wrong," he said softly, "it could doom us all."
Just as softly, Starscream said, "You have to trust that I'm not… If there were any one thing that would disarm Megatron, this would be it. It would be the last thing he'd ever see coming."
Optimus blinked once, giving a deep sigh. For a moment, he didn't say anything, though his demeanor suggested he was seriously weighing the options. Finally, he consented, "Do it." This earned a new set of protests from Hot Shot, but Optimus silenced him with a stern gaze. "I've made my decision!" A pause, then, "I wish the both of you the best of luck… You're going to need it…"
As Starscream expected, telling Alexis the plan got her in just as much of an uproar, and it took more time than he would have liked to calm her down and convince her that this was for the best. When she saw that her arguments would not sway him, she surprised the jet by unhooking some sort of necklace suspended from her neck and handing it out towards him.
Starscream kneeled down to take it from her and get a better look. Gently, he ran his thumb over the green jewel, then looked at her and asked, "Where did you get this?"
"From you, in a sense," Alexis answered. "That rock you brought back from Mars… I took it to a jeweler and had all the gems from it fashioned into a pendant." She paused, smiling shyly. "Call it a good luck charm. Maybe it will keep you safe."
Starscream thanked her after a few seconds, standing and securing the necklace within one of his compartments. "I promise you will see it again," he said, subsequently thinking, And me as well. Alexis nodded in response to the thought, sending him on his way.
Making their way across Cybertron's surface, into enemy territory, wasn't the easiest thing to accomplish for Hot Shot and Starscream. Many of the Decepticon troops had proved to have recovered from Unicron's attack from yesterday and were out in force, which made sneaking around a little difficult.
Somehow, they made it to the building that Starscream identified as Megatron's stronghold without being detected. Once at the door, Hot Shot stood guard while Starscream tried the keypad with one access code after another. Much to their displeasure, this is where they hit their first snag.
Starscream looked up with a light snarl, catching Hot Shot's attention. "They've been changed," he said quietly, taking care not to be heard by any nearby roving guards. "The only way we're getting inside is by blasting our way in… And we'll be discovered for sure if we do that."
Hot Shot hesitated, then raised the gun he'd been holding at his side, clasping it in both hands in a way that showed his determination. "No guts, no glory?" he asked, in case Starscream wasn't convinced over taking this course of action.
With a sigh, Starscream showed his consent by detaching his wing sword, holding it at the ready. "Follow my lead once we're inside. Do not stop for anything unless I indicate that you should." Hot Shot nodded, and, at Starscream's behest, fired a shot at the door, instantly blowing it open…
By the time the reports of intruders reached those who were gathered in Megatron's throne room, said trespassers had already made it as far as a passageway on the same level. Even though the location was on the far side of the building, it still made the Decepticon leader slightly nervous that any Autobot could have evaded his forces so easily up to that point. Without a second thought, he dispatched Demolisher, Cyclonus, and Wheeljack to go rectify the situation.
Of all the Autobots that Wheeljack had expected to see, the second he stepped out onto the walkway, Hot Shot certainly didn't rank very high on the list. His former friend was currently pinned down and under heavy fire, literally, by one of the troops whose vehicle mode was a flame tank.
Wheeljack took a step forward, a wry smile coming to his lips. Before he could say anything, however, he was caught off guard when he saw Cyclonus (who'd gotten here ahead of him and Demolisher) thrown roughly onto the catwalk, from somewhere off to the right. Looking up, Wheeljack was nearly blown away when he saw Starscream hovering in mid air, appearing mad enough to kill.
The assumption proved valid when Starscream activated his laser cannons, firing a disabling round at the flame tank attacking Hot Shot. A second later, he swooped in for a landing, looking down at Cyclonus dispassionately.
"Maybe you didn't hear us right," Starscream said fiercely to the former, ever-eccentric comrade at his feet. "And if I have to listen to you say one more time that we need a reservation to see Megatron, your processor is going to be in desperate need of rewiring, Cyclonus! You'd be lucky if your sense of humor would survive what I'd do to you, so you may want to watch yourself."
Demolisher scowled, holding his guns upraised but giving no indication he was going to use them. "You've got a lot of nerve showing your face here, you traitor!"
Starscream turned to focus on the hard-edged bot, reaching down with one hand and helping Hot Shot to his feet without relaxing his stance. "Call me what you will… That doesn't change the fact that we demand an audience with Megatron." He willed the cockpit on his chest to briefly slide open, allowing Demolisher, Cyclonus, and Wheeljack to view what he'd brought with him. "I think he'd be very interested to see what we have to offer."
The three Decepticons exchanged glances. While his comrades looked wary by this development and perhaps wondering if it was a trick, Wheeljack had to admit to being intrigued. Where he had no chance of changing Megatron's mind, Starscream just might succeed, and at this point, Wheeljack was very much for that. He had no desire to die just because his commander was being unreasonably stubborn. "Tell me, Starscream," he said, drawing stares from all the bots around him. "Is this a ploy to get us to ally with the Autobots?"
When Starscream nodded, Wheeljack surprised his comrades (and even the two Autobots, for that matter) by stating, "You heard him… Let's take them to Megatron." Convincing Cyclonus and Demolisher to follow through took another few minutes, but Wheeljack swayed them by saying, "There's no harm in just letting them talk. If they try anything funny, we all know what to do."
Megatron was a little harder to convince, as the instant he saw Hot Shot and Starscream enter his throne room, his first instinct was to come at them with sword drawn. Fortunately, Wheeljack had anticipated that, and he was quick to go stand between his leader and the two Autobots, halting the advance of Megatron's blade by raising one of his own guns\swords into its path.
"Wheeljack," Megatron spat out, his sword remaining locked with that of his soldier's. "What is the meaning of this?"
Wheeljack steeled himself, forcing himself to meet Megatron's angered gaze without flinching. "They're not here to cause any harm," he answered, hoping that the risk he was taking would count for something. "Hot Shot and Starscream are only asking for a few minutes of your time. You must listen to them!"
Grimacing, Megatron looked towards the intruders, his outrage growing slightly. "Don't tell me you actually allowed them in here."
"Yes, I did… But my loyalty is to you, just as it always has been," Wheeljack said fervently. "I ask you to trust me, sir… You have to know I'd never do anything to betray you!"
While the Decepticon leader was weighing the validity of his soldier's words, Thrust suddenly spoke from his spot up on the nearby dais, causing several pairs of optics to turn towards him. "Megatron, get away from them! This is some kind of trap!"
Without looking at the tactician (and treating Thrust's words with nothing more than a grain of salt), Megatron gradually came to his own conclusion. He had saved Wheeljack's life, once upon a time, and that was a sure way to gain one's unwavering loyalty. Perhaps, then, he would give the soldier who dared to challenge him the benefit of the doubt.
Much to Megatron's irritation, the fact that he lowered his sword and relaxed his stance drew another protest from Thrust -- some foolish notion that Wheeljack was in league with the Autobots and that perhaps Optimus Prime was also somewhere on the premises. He gave his tactician a short glare, one guaranteed to warn Thrust to keep quiet, then turned his attention to the two "intruders" before him as Wheeljack took a couple steps off to the left. "This had better be good," he growled, fixing Starscream in particular with a severe look.
Starscream raised his head a notch, taking it as a good sign that he and Hot Shot were at least being given a chance. Clearing his throat, he began with, "You know that I would never have waltzed in here unless the situation were truly desperate… What Optimus had told you yesterday was the truth. There is a new and much more deadly enemy out there whose only goal seems to be the annihilation of all Transformers."
Hot Shot jumped in when Starscream broke off. "You have to believe us when we say the Autobots had nothing to do with the formation of the black hole! This Unicron sent one after us as well just as we were approaching Cybertron!"
Thrust scoffed at this. "Oh, not more of this Unicron business," he started.
Just as quickly as he'd stood down, Megatron raised his sword again, pointing it threateningly in the tactician's direction. "That's enough, Thrust… I don't care to hear any more of your dribble!" he said sharply. In the next instant, he turned back towards Starscream and Hot Shot, though he gave no indication that their words were having any affect on him. "You may continue. You won't be interrupted again."
Starscream sighed, and a quick glance at Hot Shot convinced him that they'd better play their trump card. Looking back at Megatron, he said, "In case you didn't believe us, we thought it best to offer you proof of our intentions. We give this to you only as evidence that the Autobots wish that our differences be put aside and that we call an end to this war."
With those words, Starscream opened the cockpit on his chest; this time, he allowed the three diminutive robots sequestered within to jump down to the floor. A moment later, when the Mini-Cons had combined into the weapon, Starscream planted the Saber slightly in the floor, letting go of the hilt and taking a step away from it.
Megatron's optics widened at this turn of events. It was unsure as to what his next move would have been, had he not been rudely interrupted and/or distracted. As it was, the fact that Thrust couldn't keep his mouth shut completely altered the outcome of this meeting.
"This is just the opportunity we've been waiting for, Megatron," Thrust said eagerly once his optics focused on the Star Saber. "The fools have given us just what we need to launch the Hydra Cannon." He raised one arm, aiming his gun attachment in Starscream and Hot Shot's general direction. "Let me blast them so we can be done with this insanity."
At the mention of the Hydra Cannon, Starscream exchanged a nervous glance with his comrade, then turned to look up at the dais. He hadn't seen it right off as he'd been intent on securing the deal with Megatron, but there was a much smaller version of the Cannon sitting on the platform behind Thrust. Starscream had only begun to work out the meaning of this when Megatron turned his head, focusing every ounce of his attention on Thrust with open suspicion and causing the tactician to realize his mistake and recoil slightly.
For a few seconds, Megatron could only stare at his soldier up on the dais in silence, thinking that his initial assessment for Thrust's behavior was proving unfounded. Many of the troops had already recovered from yesterday's events, so why was the tactician still acting so irritable and jittery? "You're sounding unusually tense over the fact that this meeting is taking place, Thrust," Megatron stated in a low, dangerous tone. "What's going on…?"
"Well, nothing… Nothing at all," Thrust protested, but the fact that he came off as rather flustered didn't help his cause any.
While the exchange between Megatron and Thrust was going on, Starscream had bowed his head, working out a number of answers in a matter of seconds. Alexis' declaration that Megatron had been provided the surveillance feed of the Autobot base even though Sideways had been the one who hacked it, the assumption that Sideways might have helped the Decepticons build the Hydra Cannon, and now this new development pointed to a single answer.
Thrust was an out and out traitor!
And yet, this was far worse than a member of one faction betraying their own in favor of the opposing team; Thrust stood to sell out all the Transformers. By throwing in his lot with Sideways and Unicron, the tactician was proving he was capable and willing to help commit mass genocide!
Starscream turned towards Hot Shot briefly, just long enough to quietly say, "It's over… All bets are officially off." Turning back, Starscream took a step forward, grasping the hilt of the Saber and pulling it from the floor. Megatron would likely be too infuriated by the situation, no matter how it came to light, to listen to reason at this point. Out loud, he said, drawing the attention of every Decepticon in the room, "Tell me, Thrust… What did Unicron or Sideways offer you to make you turn on your own kind?"
Megatron glanced briefly at Starscream, startled by the inclusion of Sideways (wasn't he dead?), then focused back on Thrust with a new level of fury. While he had suspected that one of his men was a traitor, he had expected nothing more than for them to have been in league with the Autobots. Thrust hadn't fit that bill, which was why Megatron hadn't been looking at him too closely. "How dare you plot against me like this!" he growled, moving towards the small staircase leading up to the platform.
Thrust was quick to teleport, twice in quick succession. In no time at all, he was at an exit located at the top of a second staircase, to the left of the dais. What was even worse, he had snagged the other two weapons (the Shield and the Blaster) along the way. Even as several sets of optics swiveled in his direction, Thrust couldn't help but gloat. To Megatron, he actually dared say, "You were never worthy of commanding the Transformers. You're nothing compared to my true master!"
Even more outraged by this claim, Megatron took another few steps towards Thrust, but was deterred when the tactician teleported once more, likely to some distance away down the corridor behind him. Quickly, the Decepticon leader activated his comlink, alerting all nearby troops that Thrust was to be detained by any means necessary and brought to him.
Starscream, on the other hand, didn't once hesitate. Tightening his grip on the Star Saber, he leaped up onto the dais and took off running down the passageway after Thrust. In some corner of his mind, he trusted that Megatron would be too distracted to pay much attention to Hot Shot; the latter could get away on his own.
Moments later, Starscream stood on the rooftop of the building, where he had a perfect bird's eye view of the surrounding area and could easily spot Thrust if by some chance the tactician made it out to the planet's surface. More than anything, he was determined not to let the traitor escape. Starscream didn't know why Thrust would steal the weapons, or what Unicron would want with them when he was already so powerful, but he didn't much care.
If Thrust was on his way to meet up with Unicron, then it would be wise to follow him to see what they were up against. And just maybe, the Transformers' new enemy could be killed before any more damage could be done.
Starscream's scrutiny of the ground below paid off, as he caught sight of the tactician moving down a dark alley. Quickly, Starscream ordered the Saber Mini-Cons to disband and secured them within his cockpit once more. In the next instant, he transformed into his vehicle mode, soaring through the skies in hot pursuit.
The chase ended temporarily at the entrance to a cavern network below Cybertron's surface. Having seen Thrust hurry underground, Starscream went in for a landing, standing at the mouth of the tunnel and feeling slightly uneasy. He had never explored this part of the planet before and couldn't help but curse Thrust for escaping into the one area he was most unfamiliar with.
With a sigh, Starscream activated his comlink, sending a message out to Hot Shot to say where he was at and to request backup. The answer he got surprised him, as his impetuous comrade said, "Okay, we'll be there. Until then, do not let Thrust out of your sight."
"We?" Starscream asked, wondering, Is one of the other Autobots joining us?
"Wheeljack's coming with me," Hot Shot answered, surprising Starscream further. "He wants to bring down the traitor as much as we do." A pause, then, "Until we catch up with you, be careful down there, Starscream."
"I will," Starscream answered, then turned back to the cavern before him with a sigh. After a split-second of hesitation, he leaped off the overhang, and soared off into the tunnel, ready to face whatever he'd find down there…
Author's Notes: I'm hoping that the next installment won't take nearly as long to write down as this one did. Though it is likely to be very angsty, it will also be the chapter that all you Starscream/Alexis fans have been waiting for. :)
Next up: The origin of the Mini-Cons revealed... and Alexis faces her worst nightmare...