Chapter 11: Survival

Disclaimer: I do not own the Transformers. The only characters I own are my previously mentioned OC's. I make no profit from this fanfiction; it is for entertainment purposes, only.

Author's Note: I would like to, once again, thank my reviewers. Your support, advice, and critique have been invaluable. I hope you continue to read and review, as my story unfolds.

Edit: As I have done with previous chapters, this one has also undergone some editting. This will vary from one chapter to another, and some chapters may not wind up editted at all (if I feel they're at the best quality I can produce at this time). I apologize to my readers for not doing this sooner. Thank you all for your support. :)

Optics shifted around frantically, locking onto the faceplates of friend and foe alike. With the Triple Changers oblivious to the fact that the spacebridge had been destroyed, and the Apocalypse Cannon in their possession, things began to look rather grim.

It was decided that groups consisting of both Decepticons and Autobots would split up, searching the rainforest on all sides. This way, they'd be able to cover more ground, while simultaneously keeping an eye on one another. Member of the Elite would join them as well, while the rest of them would search the skies.

"Rapidfire, I want you and your brother to join the ground forces." Starscream ordered. It was decided that Pulse, Rainstorm, T-Clone 3 and Warp-Clone 1 would join Rapidfire. "The rest of you will join Slicer," the Air Commander indicated, "except you, Stinger."

The black and yellow striped mech looked at the ground, shuffling his pedes against the moist earth in embarrassment. His optics were hidden in the shadow of his helm, but the frown on his lip components betrayed his regret.

But, now is not the time for leniency. Starscream reminded himself. He had warned Stinger of the conditions, after all, and the young seeker had accepted them, in return for Starscream's forgiveness, and through that, the ability to rejoin the Elite.

Thundercracker broke the awkward silence, as each recruit looked at Stinger with a mixture of pity and disgust. "All right, you've all been given your orders. Get to it!"

They acknowledged, both groups breaking off hurriedly to join the Autobots and Decepticons, whom had already begun the search.

"Now, prepare for flight." Starscream proclaimed to those who remained. "We must find the Triple Changers, before it is too late."

And we had better do it fast.

The ground forces seemed to shrink beneath the jets as they rose into the air. If not for the urgency of their mission, the trine would like nothing more than to lazily circle the sky, to feel the wind caressing their wings as they looped and barrel-rolled.

The scent of rain tickled their nasal processors, causing them to look overhead and observe that heavy, dark clouds loomed over them. Starscream, as was customary, took point. Stinger was directly behind him in his wake, with Skywarp and Thundercracker on either side. They soared, the whistling of the wind in their audios blocking out all other sound.

"Keep careful watch over Stinger," Starscream cautioned through the trine link, "he is currently on probation."

"I'm surprised you granted him clemency." Thundercracker remarked, surveying the mottling of rich and dark green beneath them, which was occasionally punctuated by reds, pinks, and yellows of exotic flowers.

"I don't think he'll betray us, again." Starscream replied, his tone thoughtful. He turned his sensors up high, scanning for any sight or sound of the Triple Changers.

"Why is that?" Skywarp asked, the ebony and violet seeker sounding doubtful.

"I believe his alliance with the Triple Changers was an act of desperation, made rashly and out of fear."

"And you're basing this on what, exactly?" Thundercracker ventured.

"He was desperate to get away from them. He came to me, at a moment of their triumph, begging to be allowed back."

"That doesn't mean anythin' Starscream." Skywarp scoffed. "You've done the same thing with Megatron."

The Air Commander let out a warning growl. "I never did when I was at the advantage. If you can't differentiate between the two-"

Thundercracker interrupted them, his sensors flashing. "I'm picking up Blitzwing's signature."

Starscream's frustration with Skywarp lapsed momentarily, and he took the opportunity to double-check Thundercracker's pinpoint of the Triple Changer.

"Good work, TC." Starscream switched back to the Elite frequency, relaying the information to both Rapidfire and Slicer.

"Do you wish us to inform the Autobots, sir?" Slicer queried.

"For the sake of cornering the Triple Changers, yes." Starscream replied.

It may seem like overkill, but they've slipped passed us too many times, now. Starscream reasoned with himself.

Both Tomcats acknowledged the order, the comm. frequency going silent.

The four jets focused on their navigation, easing their throttles as they descended into the rainforest once again. As they landed, they transformed, each one looking around warily. They treaded through the damp undergrowth, the smell of plant decay hanging in the air, sweet and pungent. Moisture clung to the glass on their cockpits, trickling down in rivets. The sun was setting, nearly twilight, the sky streaked with violet, gold, and red.

"Make sure your optic sensors are at full power," Starscream whispered, "we don't want the Triple Changers to get the jump on us."

The foursome continued walking, the occasional twig snapping underfoot, sometimes followed by the startled cry of a roosting bird. The sound of night time insects thrummed to life, the seekers straining their audios for a hint of their quarry amidst the chirping of crickets.

Glinting orbs of green peered at them through tree branches and bushes, the animals to which these belonged not daring to approach the large metallic beings, for fear and instinct warned against such action.

After several agonizing moments, Starscream stopped abruptly. Skywarp, not expecting this, crashed into him, earning a hissed insult. The Air Commander glared at him through narrowed optics, and then returned to what had caught his attention in the first place.

"I'm sorry." Skywarp murmured softly through the trine link.

"I'm use to your clumsiness." Starscream replied dismissively, glancing around cautiously in hopes of seeing a glimpse of what he'd seen before.

I could have sworn I saw a flash of red…

"Not for that," Skywarp elaborated, "I'm sorry for…well, y'know…"

Starscream knew perfectly well what Skywarp was apologizing for, but he wasn't ready to forgive him yet. What his wing-mate had failed to understand was this; it wasn't cowardice that had compelled him to grovel before Megatron-at least, not in and of itself. For many, many orns-more than Starscream cared to admit-he had felt a kinship with Megatron. It was true that the High Commander angered him as much as Starscream himself, angered the tyrant. But, there had been points where Starscream had felt closer to him; the way a son felt toward his father, or toward an older brother.

Many times, the Air Commander had begged forgiveness, not just for his survival, but out of genuine remorse for his actions. It had only been as of late, that it had become less sincere, and borne more out of self-preservation.

Starscream could grudgingly respect Megatron's leadership, but it angered him that, as second-in-command, he was given little, to no respect, himself. This had been the final straw; he believed in the Decepticon ideals as much as Megatron did, but he would no longer follow his lead.

He allowed Skywarp to sense this revelation through the trine bond, only to receive startling amounts of regret in return.

Thundercracker wasn't ignorant to this, but remained silent throughout the ordeal. He had learned many orns ago that it was best to let them work it out on their own, and so resolved to keep a sharper look-out whilst they did this. Stinger remained oblivious of the silent communique, but followed the Wing Commander's lead, scanning the area for danger.

"All right, all right…" Starscream vented in resignation. "You are forgiven, Skywarp."

The amount of pleading he had felt through the bond had been overwhelming, but it had been nothing compared to the big, sad optics following his every move.

Skywarp grinned lopsidedly, relief etched into his faceplates. Starscream shook his head, stifling the exasperated groan that rose in his throat.

Only Skywarp can use that 'slapped puppy' look, and get away with it. He thought wryly.

He silently thanked Thundercracker for keeping watch, and they continued their journey deep within the forest, ever vigilant as they stepped over logs and tree roots.

Thunder rumbled overhead, the sky opening up as rain lashed across the land. Lightning cracked the sky, the wind whipping branches of trees to and fro.

"I guess this is why they call it a rainforest, huh?" Skywarp wondered aloud.

Thundercracker snickered in response, but didn't dare to look away from the area he was scanning.

Starscream heard a sound, then. It had been faint, and if not for the momentary lapse in the thunder, he wouldn't have caught it at all.

That sounds like a weapon being cocked. He realized. His optics darted around, sweeping the brush to his right, where the sound had originated from. A pair of optics, as crimson as his own, glared at him through the dense foliage.

With a start, he stumbled backward, shouting, "Triple Changers!"

There was a blast, the other seekers barely having time to react. The Air Commander stared in horror, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

At the last moment, Stinger had leapt in front of Starscream, taking the full blast of Blitzwing's attack.

He let out a pained gasp, and crumpled to the ground, energon gushing forth from his chest cavity.

Starscream raised his null-ray, blindly firing where the red optics had been. Thundercracker hefted Stinger to his feet, one arm supporting beneath the wounded seeker's wing joints, the other pointed where the Triple Changer had been, emitting a sonic blast.

There was a loud crack, a tree beginning to fall over, the wood splintering in every direction. Blitzwing crashed through the dense foliage, and launched himself at the blue seeker. Starscream tackled him from the side, allowing Thundercracker more time to pull Stinger to safety.

Blitzwing landed with a thud, the Air Commander on top of him. Soft earth sprayed up from where they landed, splattering all over their armour plating. Starscream punched his adversary, only to have the Triple Changer plant his feet against his midsection, launching Starscream backward off of him.

The two clones under his control joined the fight then, attacking Skywarp, who had taken to shielding Thundercracker and Stinger.

His knees buckled, as one of them grabbed him around the ankles, the other one leaping onto his back. He fell face-first into the mud, unable to fight back, as his wings were weighed down by their bulk.

Securing Stinger into a safe area behind a thicket of trees, Thundercracker ran out to help his friend. He grabbed his secondary clone by the back of the neck, and hurled him off of Skywarp. The teal clone snarled savagely, drawing back from the mech he'd been duplicated from.

Skywarp continued to struggle with S-Clone 2, hesitant to harm the faded copy that resembled the Air Commander so much. He managed to lock him in a half-nelson, and asked through gritted dentals, "Why…are you…fighting us? We created…you!"

"You…left us…for…dead!" the clone shot back, his voice softer than the real Starscream's.

Skywarp froze, his grip remaining tight on his captive. So that was it. The Triple Changers had reprogrammed their combat abilities, maybe even made them a little more self-aware; but the clones had willingly changed their allegiance.

"I-I tried to save you." Skywarp's voice was desperate, pleading. "Don't you remember?"

"And…then you…left." The clone struggled harder than ever, now. Skywarp tightened his grip, digging his pedes into the ground a little harder.

"I thought you had died!" Skywarp said, becoming more defensive. "If I'd known you were still online, I woulda come back for you!"

The clone went limp, as though he was chewing on this bit of information. "Really?" The question was soft, barely audible.

Skywarp released him, the clone turning to face him. "Yes, really." He panted, doubled-over with his hands on his knees.

"Why?"

This question puzzled Skywarp, but he answered it honestly. "Because, you're a member of the Decepticon Elite," he straightened up, still panting. "And that's as good as being family."

Having overheard this sentiment, T-Clone 2 backed away from Thundercracker, who had been only seconds away from blasting him to Primus-knows-where.

He raised his hands, his fingers splayed submissively. Thundercracker lowered his weapon in bewilderment, suddenly aware of a faint pressure at the edge of his spark.

The trine bond. He realized. He can use it! The sensation was light, but he understood the intention behind it. He glanced over at Skywarp, the other nodding his head in encouragement. Convinced, he turned his attention to where Starscream was still brawling with Blitzwing, the others doing likewise.

Metal fists pounded against one another, the seeker finally managing to fling the purple-and-white mech off of him. Blitzwing landed with a thud, his head colliding with a thick tree trunk.

The Air Commander stood over him, Skywarp and Thundercracker at each side, the clones flanking them. His null-ray was poised, level with the mech's faceplates.

Optics flared dangerously, his tone equallyas threatening. "Now, where is that weapon?"