The silence hanging over the conference room was so tense it seemed the slightest movement would cause it to snap. Shockwave stood at the window, hand and gun-arm behind his back as he gazed at the Polyhex cityscape, not even a twitch of his headfins betraying his thoughts or emotions. Soundwave and Stormrunner watched him, neither daring to break the silence first. Even Rumble was quiet, refraining from his usual habit of filling any quiet moments with snarky commentary.

Shockwave was content to let the silence continue a moment longer, that he might better put his thoughts in order before speaking them aloud. As much as he had admired Lord Megatron, he had to acknowledge the mech had his faults, and chiefest among them was his habit of losing his temper whenever things became difficult. And Galvatron… well, THAT madmech's temper made Megatron look like a saint in comparison.

In the light of recent events, one might argue that Shockwave had every right to launch into a screaming tantrum. But he refused to sink to that level. Anger was a valuable tool if wielded correctly, but a destructive nuisance when given free reign. Better to let his fury cool until he could forge it into the weapon he needed to fight the crisis of the moment.

"Thank you, Soundwave, for your report," he said at last, and even he had to be impressed by how smooth and collected he managed to keep his voice. "It was quite informative, even if we wish that information were of a different nature."

"How can you be so calm about this?" Stormrunner demanded, her own voice crackling with frustration and anger. "The Autobot Council still refuses to do anything about the Quintesson crisis, we've lost contact with our agent among the Knights of Cybertron, and both our Air Commander AND Starscream's child have gone AWOL! Does none of this worry you?"

"Panic and fear will do us no good at the moment," Shockwave replied, turning to face the Communications Officer and the flight instructor. "And we have not lost contact with our agent among the Knights. It takes time for Steelwing to settle into a role, and we will give her the time she needs before we worry about her fate."

"What about the Quints an' the Autobots?" Rumble piped up, frowning from his perch on Soundwave's shoulder. "'Wait an' see' is all good an' well, but it ain't gonna do slag 'gainst the Quints. 'Specially since the Council voted against takin' action."

"Their decision is regrettable," Shockwave acknowledged. "But simply because the Autobot Council has decided it's too soon to declare war against the Quintessons doesn't mean we can't make preparations. The Quintessons WILL attack Cybertron - it's only a matter of time. And when that attack comes, we must be ready."

Soundwave nodded. "Decepticon forces: mobilizing. Will be ready."

Stormrunner nodded as well, though she still looked troubled. "That takes care of the Quintesson issue… but that still doesn't change the fact that two of our Seekers have abandoned their posts. And I don't like the fact that one of them is Updraft. Who's to say she didn't abduct the Air Commander for some devious purpose of her own?"

"Proof of abduction: lacking," Soundwave replied. "Spoke of leaving Cybertron for personal business. Most logical conclusion: Air Commander left to attend to said business without permission."

Shockwave felt his headfins twitch at Soundwave's words, but he forced them to hold still. After cycles of dedicated service from his Air Commander, he had expected far better out of her. She knew the state of affairs for the Decepticons and the planet, and still she had chosen to abandon her post for the sake of some silly fancy of her own. It was still very mild behavior compared to some of the antics Starscream had pulled as Megatron's Air Commander, but that didn't make it any less galling.

She is still very young, he reminded himself. Just count yourself fortunate that she hasn't rebelled against your authority before now, and in a much more embarrassing fashion. That thought helped, but not as much as it should have.

"I still say Updraft is involved," Stormrunner snapped. "The fact that she vanished at the same time can't be coincidence!"

"Updraft: not disposed toward treachery," Soundwave countered.

"Why are you leaping to her defense?" Stormrunner retorted.

Before Soundwave could answer, the conference room door opened, admitting Blitzwing. The triple-changer stalked into the room and glared at the three mechs present, as if he expected to be accused of something on the spot.

"Thank you for coming," Shockwave told him.

"Like I had a choice," Blitzwing growled. "You ordered me here. What do you want?"

"You are Air Commander Glory's conjux endura," Shockwave replied, ignoring the triple-changer's rudeness for the moment. "She has gone missing."

"You don't think I know that?" Blitzwing retorted. "Though I wouldn't say missing - she left last night. Even said her goodbyes. Not like she ran off in the night without tellin' someone."

"And you didn't see fit to notify your commander?" Stormrunner demanded, scowling.

"Who put YOU in charge?" Blitzwing snapped. "She left to take care of something! As far as I knew, she had Shockwave's okay on it!" His visor flickered as he looked Shockwave in the optic. "Wait… you're sayin' she didn't? Not like her to pull a runner like that."

"Indeed," Shockwave replied. "If you have any information on where she could have gone, share it with us. It's imperative that we track her down as soon as possible."

Blitzwing opened his mouth, then seemed to reconsider and shut it again. "What's gonna happen to her when she gets back?"

Shockwave was silent, processing the best possible answer to that question. He must have hesitated too long, however, because Blitzwing's jaw clenched, his stubby wings hitching higher with tension.

"She's in for a court-martial, ain't she?" he demanded.

"Not necessarily…" began Shockwave.

"I ain't sayin', then," Blitzwing retorted. "Not unless you can promise me she's not getting arrested for this."

"Blitzwing, her life could be in danger!" Stormrunner protested. "Especially since Updraft has gone missing as well! For all we know, that spawn of Starscream's could have abducted her, or could be trailing her hoping for an opportunity to kill her! If you care about your bondmate's safety, you'll tell us where she is!"

"I care," he replied. "And that's why I'm not sayin' where she went. If Updraft's really after her, then Glory can take care of herself - she handled Cyclonus just fine, she can handle a short Seeker. But if giving you her location is just going to launch a mech-hunt for a deserter… then no. I'm sayin' nothin'."

Shockwave vented deeply to cool his mounting frustration before replying. "You will disobey your commanding officer, then? Do you understand the consequences of such insubordination?"

Blitzwing just smirked. "Last I heard, I'd been pulled from active duty to take care of my daughter. So technically, you ain't my commanding officer at the moment. And if you wanna punish me for insubordination - an' leave Swift without a caretaker - then do it. I dare ya."

Shockwave had no optic shutters, but he dimmed his optic anyhow and focused on venting a few times before he said or did something rash. Well, Glory and Blitzwing shared at least one thing in common, then - they both knew exactly how to infuriate him without even trying. "You're dismissed, Blitzwing. Return to your daughter. And if anything should happen to Glory due to your silence, let it be on your head."

Blitzwing snorted and stormed out.

Stormrunner glared after the triple-changer before sighing and rubbing the bridge of her olfactory sensor. "Primus, what DOES Glory see in that mech?"

Soundwave said nothing… but Shockwave decided he did not like the smug aura the cassette-carrier seemed to be exuding at that moment. Were all his officers and soldiers out to annoy him into insanity today?

It was a long flight from Cybertron to Beta Geode, and Glory was quietly grateful that Updraft had agreed to accompany her. She was confident in her own ability to defend herself, but felt much safer with another capable Seeker by her side - and though she had yet to see Updraft in action, if she fought half as well as she flew she'd be an asset in a scrape. And her presence made the journey far less lonely and dull, and helped her take her CPU off the inevitable confrontation at the end of said journey.

"What's Beta Geode like?" asked Updraft as they took off from the asteroid where they had taken a brief break to rest and refuel from their stores. "I grew up on Velocitron, but never saw any of the other colony worlds. Our family never traveled much."

"It's a beautiful world," Glory replied. "No organic life, but it's covered in crystals and colored stone, and there are plenty of silicon-based life forms. The only ones that gave us any trouble were the star-dragons… but they were fascinating in their own right."

"I've heard of star-dragons," Updraft replied. "Never saw one up close, though I've always wanted to. Are they dangerous?"

"I never had any trouble with them. They're dangerous when provoked, but if you mind yourself around them they're calm enough." She sent an image file she'd managed to save during her brief stay among the neutrals - the star-dragon family, with the little red hatchling she'd dubbed Wildfire wrestling with one of his nestmates.

"Oh my… they're beautiful." Updraft's voice brimmed with wonder. "Those alone will make this journey worth it."

Glory chuckled. "So what's Velocitron like? I've never been there."

"Oh… not terribly different from Cybertron, I suppose, except there are far fewer fliers. So much of the culture is focused on racing, though, and given that the only one in our family that does much racing is Knock Out… well, few of us really felt at home there. Which is why he insisted we move to Cybertron once we were sure it was safe for Decepticons again."

Glory winced. Knock Out had meant well, but his timing in moving his family had been lousy. Though it wasn't as if he could have known the Knights and Quintessons would start moving against Cybertron at the same time. At least he hadn't shown up with his conjux and sparklings in tow just in time for Unicron to descend on the planet…

"I can't imagine what it must have been like for you," Updraft said suddenly. "To be raised on a military base, by active soldiers. That's no place for a sparkling."

"It's not like I had a choice," Glory replied. "And neither did my uncle. It was either take me in or let me go to a foundling home or Shockwave's academy - and at the time that academy was little better than a boot camp. He did the best he could under the circumstances."

"I get that… but still, you were basically raised by active soldiers. That's not a good environment for any child."

"Megatron felt it was best for me to be raised by my closest living relative. And looking back, I can see that he bent over backwards to accommodate my presence in the base. He could have easily shipped me off to Shockwave or just forced me to upgrade early, but instead adjusted my uncle's duties so he could have time to raise me, and even arranged for me to have some kind of schooling aboard the Nemesis. Maybe circumstances weren't ideal… but we made the best of them." She didn't mention Megatron's attempt to upgrade her at one point, or her uncle's rebellion against it - it wouldn't help her argument at all.

"I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm criticizing your uncle," Updraft told her. "It does sound like he was trying his hardest to make the best out of the situation. I just wish the situation had been better for you."

"I was actually very happy on the Nemesis," Glory confessed. "I missed my parents, of course - I still miss them. And it could be frightening at times, especially when Megatron lost his temper or Starscream…" She hesitated.

"You can say it," Updraft assured her. "When Starscream was in one of his moods. I'm fully aware that my father was a narcissistic bully."

Glory relaxed a little. She hadn't been sure whether Updraft still harbored a little loyalty toward the mech whom she shared programming with - and while she was sure her feelings toward him were more complex than she wanted to admit, at least she wouldn't have to walk on flimsiplast shells regarding him.

"Still, I had a lot of friends on the Nemesis," she went on. "Rumble and Frenzy, Swindle, Skywarp, the Stunticons… they were like a giant extended family to me. Which is why I fought so hard to protect them when Galvatron was using his authority to abuse them. Family isn't always about who you share programming with."

"Oh, don't I know that," Updraft replied. "Though… doesn't it frustrate you that they basically pushed you into becoming a soldier?"

"I wanted to become a soldier," Glory countered. "I wanted to fight alongside my friends and family, to protect them at all costs. Maybe that came from watching my parents die, maybe that came from seeing my uncle come back wounded from combat… but I knew I wanted to be able to fight to defend my family and my people. I wasn't exactly aiming to become Air Commander, but… somehow that happened."

Updraft snorted. "I still don't understand why they made someone so young Air Commander. No offense…"

"None taken."

"But there are far more experienced mechs out there who actually want the job. Why someone barely out of upgrade, who never really wanted an officer position?"

Glory supposed she should have been insulted by Updraft's blunt assessment. But it was hard to be offended by something she'd often wondered over the years. "Optimus Prime insisted he be the one to approve of the new Decepticon Commander, and he'd only accept Shockwave as Commander if I had an officer position as well. I guess it was only logical that I get the Air Commander position - it's not like I'd make a decent Communications Officer."

"No, Soundwave probably has a lock on that position," Updraft admitted. "Still… I don't think much of Optimus Prime if he insists on pushing someone so young to be a military officer. I thought he was against making children into soldiers-"

"Updraft, I'm not a child," Glory insisted. "Maybe I grew up a little too early, but I'm past the age when most sparklings are upgraded by this point."

"Still, you should have had some time to live your own life," Updraft retorted. "To attend school of some kind, to spend time with mechs your own age, to decide for yourself what you wanted to be. To find yourself, not have it decided for you. And it angers me that you didn't get that chance. That it was taken from you."

Glory went silent, realizing that she'd never thought of that before. Her short life had been so chaotic, so dominated by the simple task of trying to survive in a galaxy torn by war, that she'd never considered that she had some kind of choice in her own destiny. Older mechs had constantly decided her fate for her - Megatron, Swindle, Optimus Prime, Shockwave, even her beloved uncle had all had their own ideas of what she should become. And while she had rebelled against some of those expectations, she had never really thought she'd had that much of a choice in her fate. That she could be something other than a soldier, than the Air Commander of the Decepticons.

Then again, it's not like I had much of an opportunity to be a carefree young adult after my upgrade, she thought bitterly. It's not like Chaar exactly had a social scene. Still, Chaar hadn't lasted forever, and there were plenty of younger Decepticons who had the chance to decide their own futures on Cybertron.

Updraft slid closer and nudged Glory's wing with her own. "I'm sorry. I'm honestly not trying to cause trouble. I just worry about you. Someone so young shouldn't have the weight of Cybertron AND a family on their shoulders."

"You're not the only one," Glory admitted. "Blitzwing flat-out asked me to step down from my post at one point - though I don't see how I can do that without causing chaos among the fliers."

"That's for Shockwave to worry about, not you," Updraft pointed out. "And Optimus Prime, given that it was his scrap-headed decision to put you in this position in the first place. He can't really be surprised that you're cracking under all this strain."

"I suppose not."

Updraft nudged her again. "Look… forget about it for now. You've got some time away from your duties, even if it's temporary. Just enjoy it, all right?"

"I'll try," Glory replied. She felt guilty for having abandoned her post and her family - and worse, for enjoying the break from them. But at the same time, she couldn't deny that it felt good to be able to spend a little time as she saw fit, even if it was to track down a wayward Sweep.

"So… enough of this serious talk," Updraft prompted. "Tell me a little about some of your honorary family. I've heard about your parents and your uncle…"

She was all too happy to shift topics, and spent the rest of the journey to Beta Geode regaling the red Seeker with tales about some of the epic pranks she and the cassettes had staged, and the impromptu races and brawls she'd joined with the Stunticons. Perhaps there wasn't a way for her to go back and revisit those days - far happier times, before the war had turned against the Decepticons and she'd been forced to grow up too fast - but sharing them helped her relive them a little. And that helped lighten her spark.

The neutral base on Beta Geode hadn't changed a bit in the five years since Shockwave and his Decepticons had retaken their sigils and launched their attack on Chaar. A rectangular gunmetal-gray building nestled amid the crystal spikes and columns that bristled from the planet's crust, it was a dull splotch on the colorful, glittering landscape. It was as if someone had uprooted a warehouse from one of Cybertron's industrial districts and plunked it down here without any regard as to whether it fit.

It fits Bulldog's style, Glory thought as she touched down a few kilometers from the base. He was always a practical sort. Though ironically, this base would stand out less if it was a bit more ostentatious…

"Primus," Updraft murmured, landing just beside Glory. "This place is gorgeous! Here I thought you were exaggerating!"

Glory chuckled. "The view's even better at sunrise and sunset. The light does amazing things when it hits the crystals." She gestured ahead to the base. "We go on foot from here. I didn't want us to land too close - they're leery of outsiders. We're better off letting their sentries come to us."

Updraft nodded, her wings flicking with an anxiety she wouldn't let reach her faceplates. "Are these neutrals dangerous?"

"They claim not to be," Glory replied. "But they chased off the Destrons when they tried to seek sanctuary here, and Deszaras is hardly a pushover. They're dedicated to protecting their home, but not aggressive enough to pick a fight."

"That's pretty much any Cybertronian, though," Updraft noted.

"Point," Glory conceded. "Just don't reach for your weapons and-"

The click of a safety sliding off killed the rest of her sentence, and both Seekers froze in their tracks.

"One move, 'Cons," came the snarl. "Just one move. I dare you."

Updraft didn't so much as twitch, though she fired off a comm to Glory - I thought you said they weren't aggressive.

"Hello, Bulldog," Glory said as calmly as she could manage. "I didn't expect you to come out to meet us personally."

The brown tankformer stepped out from behind a chunk of opaque green-black crystal, rifle trained on the two Seekers. His unpatched optic narrowed as he scowled at them, and his pedes crunched against the pebbles and crystal shards that littered the ground. He gave Updraft a long, calculating look, then shifted both his attention and his weapon toward Glory.

"I warned you, kid," he grumbled. "If you came back, you were cuttin' off ties with us. You'd be greeted with the business end of a weapon if you came back."

"I seem to remember you telling me words to that effect," Glory noted. "Look, Bulldog sir, I don't want any trouble. I'm just here to look for someone."

"Everyone on this planet is under my protection!" Bulldog snapped. "We don't extradite anyone to either side, and we don't allow bounty hunters here either! You can turn around and go back to where you came from, or I'll fill your wings full of holes!"

"Over my dead chassis," Updraft growled, stepping forward to put herself between Glory and the neutral leader.

If Bulldog's optic narrowed any further he might as well just offline it. "Who the frag are you?"

She threw her shoulders back, visibly bracing herself for a terrible reaction. "Updraft of Velocitron."

"Never heard of you." He gestured with the muzzle of the rifle. "Are you with her, or just seeking sanctuary here?"

"I'm with Glory," she replied. "And even if I were seeking sanctuary here, seeing you greet my friend with a weapon would have had me fleeing immediately. Is this how you greet everyone wanting asylum with you?"

"We don't take kindly to turncoats here," Bulldog retorted. "Especially those who take half our defense forces with us when they run!"

"That was Shockwave's doing, not mine!" Glory retorted. "And we weren't just going to stay on this planet and let that mad-mech Galvatron wipe out innocent mechs in his stupidity!"

Bulldog barked out a laugh. "Since when were Decepticons innocents?"

"Says the former Decepticon general," Glory pointed out.

"And as a former Decepticon general, I know full well what Decepticons are capable of," Bulldog shot back. "There are decent ones, but too many come here asking for refuge, only to try to stab us in the back or steal from us, or both. And if Shockwave taught us anything while he was here, it's that very few 'Cons turn in their sigils unless they're plotting something."

"We're plotting nothing!" Glory insisted. "Like I told you, we're just looking for a mech! I need to talk to him!"

"No one comes all the way out here just to talk." Bulldog tightened his finger on the trigger. "You have until the count of three to activate your thrusters and clear outta here, you two. If you're not off the ground and on your way by then, you're dead."

Glory stepped back, thrusters already warming up and preparing to launch herself skyward. So close… to have come so close only to be turned away just short of their goal…

"Bulldog, sir!"

The tankformer's gun remained trained on Glory and Updraft, but he turned slightly toward the speaker. "Slaggit, I'm in the middle of something right now, Scourge!"

Glory's spark leaped as a deep blue form emerged from a stand of crystal spikes nearby. The curved bat-like wings, the black facial ornamentation that mimicked a human beard and mustache, the queerly-shaped helm, the stylized armor and bright pink claws…

"Hold your fire!" he shouted, running up to intercept the neutral leader. "That's the Decepticon Air Commander! You kill her, you'll bring an army to our doorstep!"

Bulldog's optic flashed, and he turned back to Glory. "Is this true?"

She wasn't sure whether to be grateful toward Scourge or irritated that he'd revealed her rank to the neutral commander, but she nodded anyhow. "Air Commander Glory. I was promoted to that position after the Battle of Chaar, shortly before Scourge defected."

Bulldog curled his lip but lowered the gun. "Should've said something right off the bat. Though what business does a fraggin' Air Commander have with a neutral colony?"

"She's told you twice now," Updraft snapped. "If you would actually listen instead of automatically assuming the worst out of everyone who wears a Decepticon symbol-"

"Enough!" Glory shouted, silencing the red Seeker. "That's enough. I didn't come here to pick a fight - I came to talk to Scourge."

The former Sweep commander started, optics flickering in surprise. "Me?"

Glory nodded… but everything she had wanted to ask, to say, died in her vocalizer. After coming all this way, facing down Bulldog's gun and risking so much, she finally faced the mech she had longed to speak to, but the words wouldn't come.

"Get inside the base," Bulldog said at last. "All three of you. As Air Commander, you're our guest for now - even if I trust you about as far as I can throw Trypticon. Whatever you have to say to Scourge, you can say it in there."

As the tankformer turned and headed toward the base, Scourge gave Glory a puzzled look. She searched his gaze for some flicker of something deeper - recognition, even warmth and affection - but he turned away and hurried after Bulldog before she could catch anything. Well… it was too early to tell anything at this stage. She'd wait until she had a chance to talk to him before she drew any conclusions.

Please remember, she thought. Please, Uncle T… if there's any fragment of you in there, please remember…