Disclaimer: Don't own; wish I did.
A/N: Oh look, an update. Bet no one saw this coming. I totally forgot I had this chapter already done. Figured I'd go ahead and upload it. Please understand that this story is going on hiatus though. I really don't have the time to write for it right now. I'm not abandoning it and I do hope to start writing again at some point, but I dunno when that will be. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)
Skyfire landed on the icy ground with a soft thud. He couldn't suppress the shiver that made it's way up his back strut as he surveyed the area. It hadn't been all that long ago that he'd been re-rescued from the ice by the Autobots. He'd been buried and put into stasis in this general area twice. He'd honestly hoped he'd never have to come back.
But now Sideswipe was missing and his last known location was at the exact coordinates Skyfire now found himself. He had promised to assist the Autobots, outside of combat of course, so how could he refuse to aid them now when one of there own was missing, just because he was afraid of a little snow and ice?
He wished there was someone else to do this sweep over the Arctic Circle, but really, who else was there? It wasn't as if the Autobots didn't have a nice group of flyers on their side, but none of them were equipped to handle the rough weather or the long distance that Skyfire was. Which put him in the unfortunate position he now found himself in. He hoped, that if Sideswipe was stuck somewhere in the Arctic Circle, that he would be able to find him quickly. He wanted to spend as little time there as possible and the sooner he found the red front liner, the sooner he could get out of there and return to the nice, warm Autobot base.
He fought back a second shiver that threatened to run through his systems and activated his thrusters. The ice beneath his peds melted almost instantly as he slowly lifted off the ground. He activated his external sensors, trying to see if he could locate any emergency beacons. He didn't expect to find any, though, so he wasn't disappointed when he was met with only silence. Obviously, he was going to have to start searching the old fashioned way. Fantastic.
He transformed, rocketing off with a boom of his thrusters. It was hard to say how long he'd be out there looking, especially if he didn't locate Sideswipe quickly. He didn't want to abandon the twin and even though he had reservations against being out in the Arctic Circle all on his lonesome, he would not leave the warrior to suffer a fate much like the one he had suffered.
He didn't like that he was all by himself on this mission. He'd hoped Optimus Prime would have someone accompany him. Even if he had to chauffeur another Autobot around, the company would be so much better than having to go it alone. Without anyone to talk to, his thoughts were allowed to wander and he found himself thinking back to his first rescue from the ice.
He'd been so happy to see Starscream, even though he knew immediately something was off. He hadn't known how long he'd been trapped at the time, but he couldn't fight down the feeling that something was wrong, though he couldn't even begin to imagine what. The Starscream he remembered had been snappy and quick to anger, but he valued knowledge and science above all else. It didn't take long for him to realize that that Starscream died long before he had been freed from his icy prison. He didn't know what had changed him or why, but he realized that he could not be a pawn to the Decepticon war machine as his friend had become. It had pained him to turn against Starscream, but he would not allow himself to be used. And so their friendship came crashing to an end the second Skyfire turned to the Autobots.
He was just about to bank left and continue his search in another area when the sound of jet engines caused his intakes to hitch. The sound of a Cybertronian jet was distinctly different from that of an Earth-based one. His audio receptors could pick up the sound of two different flyers and he knew precisely who they were before he even saw them.
He transformed back to root mode just as Thundercracker and Starscream roared by. They obviously hadn't expected to see him, for they quickly pulled a U-turn and headed back in his general direction. He did not expect them to fire on him, but when they did, he hurried into his transformation sequence and took off. There was absolutely no way he could take them like this. Or at all, really. Both jets were faster than him and Starscream was fully outfitted for space flight, meaning Skyfire couldn't hope to escape them by leaving the atmosphere.
But he had to try to get away. He wasn't just going to let them use him for target practice.
The two of them overtook him with little effort, banking in the sky as they turned to once more engage him. As much as he hated the thought, he knew he was going to have to fire back or risk dying in the middle of nowhere. He wasn't built for speed or quick maneuvering but he managed to angle himself sharply to the side as they shot past overhead and he quickly fired upon them. He was grimly satisfied when one of his shots grazed Starscream's right wing, though the damage was superficial at best. However it had the desired effect of bringing the brief aerial battle to an end.
He transformed just as soon as his attackers did. For a moment they stared at each other, or in Starscream's case, glared, hovering several yards apart.
"What are you doing out here?" The tri-colored jet snapped.
Skyfire replied coolly, "Looking for a lost Autobot. What about you? You're both a long way from home."
"Ha! I could say the same for you." Starscream didn't seem to be willing to offer the shuttle any sort of answer to his question and he looked quite content with possibly shooting him out of the sky, but Thundercracker was in no mood for games.
"We're looking for Skywarp. He's missing too."
"Thundercracker!" Starscream rounded on him, the feeling of betrayal perfectly evident in his vocalizer.
The blue jet merely shrugged. "What? The search would go a lot smoother and a lot faster with three pairs of optics instead of two."
Apparently Starscream couldn't deny the logic, for he just scoffed at his trinemate and turned back to face Skyfire.
"You know, given the circumstances, I wouldn't be adverse to a temporary alliance." The shuttle called over to them.
Starscream's glare intensified but he didn't snap back at him like he expected.
"I can't deny that Thundercracker's suggestion makes sense. So, for the time being we will work together, until we locate our missing comrades. But know this Autobot," that last word was said in a hiss, "once this truce is over, I will not hesitate to extinguish your spark."
Skyfire couldn't deny that hearing such vehemence in regards to himself from the mouth of his old friend stung, but he knew that the past was the past and nothing could make things go back to the way they had been.
"That is acceptable. Our truce will last until we have located our wayward affiliates."
He wondered just how long it would be until their alliance came to an end.
/~/
Sideswipe's rationality slipped in and out. One klik he'd know exactly where he was and what he was trying to do, but the next, he'd be moving in a daze, willing himself to move for reasons he could not understand. The moments where everything made sense had become shorter and less frequent and in those passing fits of understanding he assessed the newly acquired damage to his frame. He didn't dare stop, though. He knew he was being chased and if he allowed himself even a brief respite, that could very well spell the end for him.
As he moved up the incline, he looked down at his knee. It had been relatively numb for the past day, but after his latest skirmish with Skywarp, the patch he'd put in place had been torn open and the damage was worse than it had been for the initial wound. He grimaced at the sight of energon leaking down his damaged limb and realized that he was leaving a trail. While Skywarp was far worse off than he, it stood to reason that if Sideswipe was having moments of clarity, than so was the Decepticon. While Skywarp, in moments of sanity, would follow him simply because he needed a heading and following him was better than nothing, the moment he slipped again, the seeker would no doubt attack. Sideswipe just couldn't risk taking on any more damage and despite having sworn to himself to help get Skywarp off the island, he couldn't very well help the jet if he was dead.
Cursing softly, he came to a stop. He needed to patch the oozing wound in his knee and he needed to do it fast. He didn't even want to stop at all, but looking back over his shoulder and seeing the distinctive trail he was leaving, he knew he had no choice.
Finding a sturdy tree, he braced his back against it and slowly and gently slid to the ground. He pulled his knee up to his chassis and surveyed the damage. His only functioning optic flickered and went dark for a klik and panic seized at his spark. If he went blind, then he was done for. Thankfully, the loss of sight was only temporary and soon he could see again, even if he still had a terrible lack of depth perception.
He stuck two fingers into the tear on his knee and hissed. It hurt. There was still some numbness, but the new damage was in areas where he was still receptive to pain. He carefully withdrew his servo from the injury and wiped the wet energon off on his thigh. He did his best to push the tear closed and then pulled a welding torch from his subspace. Even with a new patch, the injury would still bleed, but at least the energon would not leak out and leave a trail. It wasn't a very bright idea, for if left alone for too long, the energon would damage his internal wiring making it very likely that he could lose the use of his leg entirely. However, it was a risk he had to take.
He fired up the torch and aimed it at his knee. He winced at the flood of pain, but pushed through it as best he could. Thinking he'd made some progress with the patch, he pulled the torch back to see. He growled low in his chassis. The gash was still open and oozing and all the torch had succeeded in doing was drying some of the energon in a sticky, burnt mess. The wound was still open and the continuing leak made it impossible to seal the site. He set the torch down and tried to push the metal around the tear further together in an effort to stem the flow of energon, but his fingers had become slick with his lifeblood and could not find purchase on the metal. He growled, realizing that there was no way he could keep himself from leaving a trail. He'd wasted precious time and come out with nothing to show for it.
He used the tree for support as he climbed back to his peds, but froze before he could move.
What...what am I doing here? Where am I?
Everything shot out of focus and he felt dizzy. His head spun and his knees buckled and he clung onto the tree as if it was the only thing keeping him alive.
The moment passed almost as quickly as it had come on and Sideswipe found he was able to stand without the support of the tree. His intakes heaved and he looked around. He still had no idea where he was or what was happening to him, but something in his processor urged him to move, to continue up the incline laid out before him.
He was all too happy to oblige the feeling when the sound of someone moving through the trees behind him met his audio receptors. He thought the noise sounded a little ways off, but he soon realized how wrong he was when Skywarp came crashing through the trees, actually uprooting one in his rage when he locked optics on Sideswipe.
That was all the incentive he needed to move. He was off in a run before he even registered it, blind panic numbing him to the pain that flared up his damaged leg. He weaved and dodged through the trees, hearing as Skywarp raced behind him. The jet had difficulty maneuvering in the enclosed space, but Sideswipe was smaller and quicker on the ground and did not face such problems. He quickly pulled away, the distance between the two of them growing.
As the terror receded from his processor, the pain in his knee was pushed to the forefront of his thoughts. He sucked air through his intakes as his leg threatened to give out beneath him but through some miracle he did not tumble over into a heap in the dirt. He looked down at the injury as he limped on, wondering how he'd gotten it. Had Skywarp somehow caused the damage to him? Why didn't he remember what had happened to him? Why was one of his optics offline?
Question after question presented itself to him and it terrified him to learn that he had no answers for any of them. He was so confused, so lost in his own uncertainty that he walked straight into a rock wall. He stumbled back a few steps and looked up, optic widening at the sight of the cliff face before him. The thing was massive by human standards, though not an impossible climb to a Cybertronian. Still, he hadn't been expecting it so the sight of it took him by surprise. He glanced down at his injured knee and wondered if it would be able to support his weight if he attempted to make the climb. Knowing Skywarp was somewhere not too far behind him, he decided to take the risk.
He started slowly, at first, moving one arm, then one leg, and then resting where he was suspended over the ground. His knee groaned in protest and his ascent was further inhibited by his damaged optic. He was forced to climb in the pitch black of night and the looming forest, unable to use his highbeam to aid him as it was pressed firmly up against the cliff face. He sped up his movements only a little when he'd made it halfway up the rock wall, but he still kept his movements measured and steady, knowing one wrong move could send him plummeting back towards the ground. If that were to happen, he had no doubt the fall would cripple him, leaving him stuck until Skywarp eventually found him and offlined him. He could not allow that to happen. He refused to die there, wherever there was.
Right arm, right leg, left arm, left leg. Cautiously he climbed, never daring to look down. His feeling of vertigo was bad enough without him having to make it worse. He already felt like he might purge his tanks and only the sheer force of his will kept him from doing so. The cliff face was all he knew in that moment, refusing to let his processor wander to other things. He had to keep himself focused, had to climb.
He nearly cried out in relief when his servo fell flat on the ground atop the cliff. He pulled himself up and over the ledge and rested on his back, optic flashing and threatening to go dark. It stabilized after several kliks and it was then that Sideswipe was aware that it wasn't as dark. He sat up, looking all around him, noting that the trees atop the cliff were spread much further apart. He could actually see the horizon off to his right and it was with a sense of elation that he noticed the sun was starting to rise, lighting up the surrounding area in a fiery glow. His optic flickered again and he knew it was starting to fail. His vision was blurred and it was becoming harder to make out his surroundings.
He turned his head from side to side, trying to see if there was anything distinctive amongst the blurring shapes filling his sight.
Nothing...no, wait...
As the sky grew brighter with the rising sun, he saw it. At first he didn't know what it was, but his optic slid back into focus long enough for him to figure it out.
It was a radio tower.