[Earth]
Steel looked into his blazing red optics. Starscream looked back into hers.
His perked smile warmed her spark.
"I don't care," he told the femme nestled between his arms. "He could have the entire army and I still wouldn't care."
She nuzzled closer into his chest and asked him, "Really? The entire army?"
"The entire army," he repeated. "None of that matters as long as I've got you."
"None of it?"
"None of it."
That's how his disappearance started. Thundercracker and Skywarp had started to grow suspicious after a month. After two, they went off in search of their trinemate.
Starscream was elusive. No Decepticon knew his location, save for one. But, she wasn't searching for him. She had him and he had her. They spent every second together. Starscream had grounded himself. He refused to leave her side. If there was a single moment they were apart, they were still connected through their bond.
Two months had gone by. Then three. Then four. Then Decepticons started to get worried. They asked each other "What happened to the former commander?" "Was he captured by the humans, killed by the Autobots, or worse… pulverized by the DJD?" None of the Decepticons knew. Soundwave was absolutely furious. The Communications Chief (and half a Lord) ordered the fliers to go looking for Starscream. The fliers grew tired, easily. Their loyalty didn't lie with Soundwave.
Why trust the mech that attempted to snuff Starscream's spark? Why trust the mech that pushed Megatron to rip apart seekers' wings if they acted up? Why trust the mech who debilitated Space Case? Why trust the self-serving Soundwave? All of the fliers whispered about him. He was the one who advised Megatron to ground Steelwing. What was Soundwave's reasoning? "Starscream must suffer. That femme gives her joy and fool's confidence. Take away her wings, and he'll drop her. Your second command will never stray from your path again, Lord Megatron. And, Steelwing? She'll be stranded without her wings. I can keep her close to me. She'll never be able to leave my 'oversight'. I'll take good care of her. You know I will."
That's what the fliers assumed Soundwave's reasoning was, anyway. They all knew that the Communications Chief had a thing for the femme strategist. They despised the (seeking to be a full) Lord. But, with Starscream out of the picture, nothing stopped Soundwave from claiming the full title 'Lord of the Decepticons'. Soundwave still lacked a Queen, but he was sure she would return to him eventually. Cybertronians could only go so long without energon, and she wasn't exempt from the laws of robotics. She would get tired eventually, Soundwave just had to wait until she slipped up, and then she would be his.
Until that moment, Soundwave had an army to lead. Tensions grew with every passing day. His driving subordinates followed his commands. They manipulated the human world from within. Were they in Phase 3, 4, or Phase 5? Soundwave couldn't tell. The (almost) lord desired to call in the phase sixers. The very least he could do was avenge his master's death. But, despite his best attempts, he had no means of communication that leaped farther than the outer edges of the solar system he was currently stranded in. If he had even a slightly operational long-distance communications system, he would've contacted Shockwave and requested immediate transportation back to Cybertron. But, any hope of returning home was lost upon the analytical leader. In his leisure time, he had set up a temporary base in London.
In wait of his fliers' success, Soundwave entertained himself with notions of conquering Earth and avenging Megatron. His latest project dealt with weighing the benefits and repercussions of awakening Sixshot. If Soundwave could ensure the Phase Sixer would follow his commands, he could have the Earth depopulated in less than a solar cycle. Of course, Soundwave would have to find Sixshot's frame first. The leader couldn't rely on his fliers to find and retrieve such an important figure. Especially since they persisted to have such difficulty in a task as simple as finding their former commander, and Megatron's former adviser. Neither had experience in stealth or survival skills. It should've been easy.
But, the fliers were getting uppity. Soundwave would have been a fool to believe that stubborn seekers would fold. Not willingly, anyway. But, time could bend the wills of all sparks. Soundwave remained patient. He could afford to wait. His resources weren't limited.
[Telos: Moon PH62V]
The Phase Sixer had fallen. Black Shadow. Was. Down.
The Phase Sixer groveled on the ground beneath the DJD's pedes.
His legs wobbled. His arms gave out. His head crashed down into the moon's rocky surface. He was not going to get up again. He tried one time too many. Now, ammo-less and nearly burnt through his energon reserves, the Phase Sixer sobbed.
"Black Shadow," Tarn called out to the guilty. "Former teammate of Visage." The Juror towered over the broken mech. "Former friend to my Conjunx Endura."
Black Shadow's spark stopped beating.
"Today, I am showing you mercy."
Black Shadow's spark started beating again. He sucked in all the air his vents could take, tasting life for the first time in a long time.
"I am offering you a choice between honor and cowardice. If you apologize for your actions, I will allow you to take your own life… If you refuse, I shall grant you a head start on the continuation of our chase."
The DJD remained silent, observing their leader and his captive. Even though they had expected Tarn's action, that hadn't eased their processors. Most wanted the sack of slag Decepticon traitor to suffer. Retribution was only just. But, no. Tarn had to step in again. It was bad enough when they had to 'temporarily' put off Overlord's case when Visage had requested it. "Too dangerous," she had said. "If he hurts you, you might never recover… I-I don't want you to get injured Tarn; not by him." Of course their leader bowed to the waiving words of a sentimental femme. The DJD weren't going to get hurt. They had faced thousands of traitors before. They had battle experience. She didn't have to treat them like they were younglings.
Excluding Tarn, what really annoyed the DJD was Visage's influence over them. Their leader just expedited the process. Visage, the Phase Sixer, always got her way. If Tarn didn't bend to her will, she would speak to high command, and they would enforce her wishes. Visage was a gladiatorial genius. The femme could defeat any opponent. Megatron made sure to keep this feared warrior on his side. If she had a recommendation concerning the DJD, Megatron was keen to listen. Kaon, Tesarus, Helex, and Vos knew that Tarn was excellent at following orders. They knew that If Tarn didn't listen to Visage, their leader would certainly follow an imminent order from Lord Megatron. The DJD were just happy that Visage quieted herself after the base infiltration "incident". She learnt her place, or more specifically, Visage came face to face with her own mortality.
…
Tarn watched the traitor, waiting for Black Shadow to make his next move. The DJD remained silent behind him.
The coward's decision didn't surprise any of the DJD. Tarn had hoped Black Shadow would do the honorable thing. Tarn didn't want to have to tell Visage he extinguished the spark of another of her former teammates. Not after last time.
Tarn knew that Visage valued her teammates. Some more dearly than others. But, they were all only playthings to her. In the end, she valued them as Tarn valued his targets. They were things to help drive off what had turned Overlord traitorous. Boredom. Both Decepticons could kill anyone at anytime without meeting the slightest bit of resistance. Battles had lost their challenge. Their teammates' values shifted. After centuries of lack luster combat, Visage valued her teammates as younglings valued their toys. The Phase Sixer just found a few more entertaining than the rest. Oh, how Visage found Black Shadow entertaining.
[Deep Space: Station 36Alpha2 AKA "Terminal Confutatis Maledictis"]
Black Shadow cowered in a communications booth.
"TERABYTE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY CAN'T?"
"Black Shadow, it would be suicide."
"DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT SUICIDE, TERABYTE! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I'VE HAD TO SAVE YOUR AFT? FOR ONCE TERABYTE, DO YOUR FRAGGING JOB AND RETURN THE FAVOR."
"I can't convince Shockwave to, as you so elegantly put it, 'call off Tarn'."
Black Shadow gripped his servo into a fist, and prepared to destroy the terminal that connected him to his worthless ally. But, he calmed his processor, took a deep breath, and asked Shockwave's valued assistant, "Can't, or won't?"
"Both."
"What if I tried to? Would it work?"
"If you fly to Cybertron, you'll be missing your spark by the time you reach its atmosphere… Shockwave remains loyal to our deceased Lord. I imagine he would honor Megatron's DJD list the same way that he honors the list of basic laws Shadow made, which Megatron enforced on Cyberton."
Black Shadow sighed.
"Although," Terabyte continued, "There are other Decepticons who could help you 'call off Tarn'."
"Who?"
"Shockwave always commented on how the seeker, Starscream, was always willing to bend his loyalty for a better offer. You could go bargain with him."
"Is he still alive?"
"On Earth, if he is. If not—"
"On Earth? That's where Steelwing was deployed. Visage loved toying with that walking battle calculator… they were good friends! Perhaps she'd help me out, get Megatron's replacement to call off Tarn, to appease Visage."
"Speaking of Visage, the Phase Sixer, and Earth—"
"It's the perfect plan. All I need to do is bargain with Starscream."
"Black Shadow, I don't want to dash all of your… hope? But, Earth may not be the best option."
"If Starscream's still alive, he's my best shot at survival."
"Black Shadow, Starscream was the mech who offlined Sixshot, another traitorous Phase Sixer."
Black Shadow broke into nervous laughter. He asked Terabyte, "Starscream wouldn't make the same mistake twice, right?"
Terabyte stared blankly into the monitor, and refused to answer his ally.
Black Shadow laughed again, "Right?"
"Yeah," Terabyte responded in the least sincere sounding voice Black Shadow'd ever heard. "You keep on telling yourself that, Black Shadow. Hope really improves one's quality of life, especially near the end."
[The DJD's Home Compound]
Silence. Ghost was used to it. The youngling sat alone in the lounge of the DJD'S home-compound.
The small femme's armor was a silver-white metal covered by ghostly black wisps, which resembled the last breath of smoke from a recently put-out flame. The red-optic'd femme read "After the Ark: Nominus Prime and the Illusion of Progress," on her creator's data pad, while she curled up in a chair six times her size, which faced the doorway. Between paragraphs, Ghost's tiny red optics lifted from the data pad to check the compound's entranceway. Empty. It remained empty. The youngling sighed.
The tiny femmeling continued re-reading Megatron's first treatise, waiting for her creator to return...
Ghost heard a ship touch down outside the base. Movement. Footsteps. Multiple assailants. Her red optics focused on the door. Ghost returned the data pad to her sub space and shifted her empty servos into claws.
The door opened. Tarn stood in the doorway. Ghost retracted her claws and jumped down from her favorite chair. The femmeling excitedly ran up to her creator, who lifted her up into his arms.
Tarn held his creation and spun her through the air. Ghost smiled and laughed as a youngling her age should. Tarn brought his creation close to his spark, and hugged her to his chest.
Ghost said, "I'm happy you're home."
Tarn returned, "I'm happy too." Tarn leaned the top of his mask against her forehead and told his creation, "I missed you too."
The other DJD members stood in wait.
Tesarus asked their leader, "Uh, Tarn, can we be relieved of duty?"
Tarn held his youngling in one arm and waived off his team with his other servo. "You may go," he told them.
Tesarus, Vos, Helex, and Kaon walked past their leader, exited the lounge, and went further into the compound.
Ghost tentatively watched her creator's teammates walk around Tarn and pass by her. The femmeling squirmed a little bit as The Pet brushed by her when he followed Kaon out of the lounge. She pushed herself closer against her creator, nuzzling into Tarn's chest, to better hide from The Pet.
"Autobots are scary," Ghost whispered.
Tarn held his femmeling closer, cradling her, and hushed her, "I know... I know."
Ghost's memory core overtook her processor. Her mind returned to the time –hundreds of stellar cycles ago- when Autobots breached the base and attempted to take them all away.
One moment –in real time- Ghost hugged Tarn's chest. The next thing she knew, the youngling was reliving the terrifying memory; Ghost's arms were wrapped around her stuffed hellhound, hugging the toy as tightly as she could.
Ghost hid, scared, underneath her berth. She heard the screaming voices of younglings cry out from the nearby berth-rooms, and she heard the sound of tiny frames being dragged, and Ghost heard heavy footsteps growing louder. Closer. Approaching. Her spark was pounding. Her lip was quivering. She used all of her will power to stop herself from purging her tanks and crying. The femmeling did not want to give away her position.
The tiny femmeling looked to the door that connected her and her sisters' berth-room to the hallway. Smoke consumed the edges of their locked door's frame. Ghost heard a light pushing sound, and the door slammed against the metal floor, falling into her room and leaving an empty doorway for the intruders to walk through.
Peds walked to the middle of the room and stoped. Ghost's fear reached an all time high. The femmeling whimpered, crying into the stuffed toy she was curled around; her spark beat faster than she'd ever felt it beat before, and she felt so nauseous she had to cup her servos over her mouth to stop herself from possibly vomiting.
Colors faded from the femmeling's vision. Ghost felt as if she'd died, in hindsight, Ghost identified this experience as a painful teleportation to a limbo of sorts, an alternate plane, where she could watch the intruders from under her berth, but not interact with him.
Her stuffed hellhound dropped from between her arms, and landed softly on the floor. Ghost's spark felt completely disconnected from the sparks of her family members.
Ghost looked to the far side of her room – the side that lead into a wash room- where she knew her older sister was hiding… One of the sisters that she could no longer sense.
Ghost's memory core shifted the memory to a few breems earlier.
Ghost remembered how her older sister, Nova, ran through the door to their berth-room and locked it behind her.
Nova turned to her two younger sisters and told them, "Our carrier was drugged." Nova stared straight into Ghost's optics and emphasized the severity of the situation, "Visage is out cold." Nova took a breath and continued, "the exits are blocked… I barely made it back here alive. The intruders are heavily armed, with Decepticon-looking stun-weaponry."
The middle sister –Solus- postured, "possible rebel group? Angry at Dad?'
Nova told Solus, "it'd be too dumb a thing for any group to do. No one would come here for that."
Ghost thought to herself, Inside job? But, Ghost remained silent.
Solus asked, "revenge, then?"
Nova told her sisters, "We should hide."
Solus asked, "where?"
Nova said, "we should split up. It helps our chances if we can't all be caught together."
Solus ran into the storage area the femmelings used as a closet, and she locked its door behind her.
Nova walked over to entrance to their wash racks, and looked back at Ghost, who stood alone, watching.
Nova typed a code into the panel by the wash racks' door, opened the door to the wash racks, then disabled the berth-room panel all together. She could close and lock the door from within the wash racks.
Ghost ran to her sister's side and begged, "Nova, please, let me hide with you."
"No," Nova told her. "Ghost, you're on your own." Nova placed her servo on her younger sister's rotator cuff, "It's for your benefit, Ghost. The intruders are more likely to check behind locked doors."
"More likely to check behind locked doors than where? Where else can I hide?"
"Under your berth."
Nova stepped backward into the wash racks. The door shut and locked between her and her sister. Ghost grabbed her stuffed hellhound and did as her sister instructed. Ghost crawled underneath her berth, turned around, and watched the door for any and all signs of movement.
Ghost's memory core brought her consciousness back to the moment the intruder's peds stopped in the middle of their room. The previous memory of Nova and Solus calmed Ghost some; colors slowly phased back into existence, and Ghost's mind snapped back to reality.
The mech with the large loud peds said, -in a rough, gravelly, gruff, voice that reminded Ghost of strong deceptions- "two possible exits." The mech waited for a response from his com link, and then said, "I'll proceed with caution."
Ghost's optics focused on the intruder's hesitant inaction, then she turned her head and looked at the entrance to the wash racks, then she re-focused in on the intruder.
The large peds walk up to the wash rack's locked door. Then, a loud bang shook Ghost's audio receptors.
Ghost knew that there was no place to hide in the wash racks. They were open. Efficient. Nova's death sentence. Nothing more than an area to shower and an area to dry.
And then the intruder entered the empty doorway.
Then silence.
Then screams. Both of them. Nova was scared. The mech was in pain.
Ghost heard a frame crash against a wall. A single shot rang out. Ghost felt her sister's link fade, becoming quiet.
Then silence consumed all.
Then Ghost watched in silence as her sister's frame was dragged on the floor in front of her and dropped.
The peds re-entered the room. They stopped outside the storage room's locked door. Ghost watched as history repeated itself. The door crashed against the floor. The intruder didn't wait for his victim to respond. One shot. Bang. He didn't hesitate. Multiple shots shook the air. Items toppled over, boxes fell. Ghost felt her sister scream, silently. She was shot before she could raise her voice. Solus's link quieted after the shot. Things scattered across the floor. The intruder dragged the limp frame out.
Another Autobot walked into the room and lifted Nova and Solus's frames from the floor. The Autobot asked the first one, "Is anything else here?"
The first mech stoped in front of Ghost's berth.
Ghost felt a cannon go off in her mind. Colors faded from her vision again. Energy filled her frame. She wanted to run, or fight, or die before he got the chance to take care of her. Ghost's spark beat faster and stronger than a jackhammer.
The mech dropped down and scanned underneath the berth. His bright blue optics stared right through Ghost. The mech said, "just a stuffed toy." The mech moved on to check underneath the two other berths. "Nothing."
The second mech told him, "Come on, then. We have a schedule to upkeep."
Tarn's voice brought Ghost out of the memory, "Shhhhhh, shhhhhh my little one. It's alright. I'm here now. Everyone is here, now. That happened vorns ago."
Ghost remembered how angry Tarn was. She remembered how scared Tarn was. Even after the intruders left, Ghost refused to move. Ghost stayed underneath the berth for orns. She was afraid to move. She was afraid to leave. She was afraid to fall asleep, incase the Autobots came back. Eventually she got really tired, and she fell asleep. When she woke up, she had her optics closed from fatigue, but she felt that she was being held. She panicked and squirmed, then thrashed...
And then Tarn held her closer to his chest and he told her "Vector! It's me, your sire. You're safe, now."
Ghost recounted how she couldn't remember exactly what Tarn said next, but she remembered him saying how scared, and angry he was.
Tarn was in the dark. He was on a mission during the well planned, perfectly executed attack. Tarn had lost the connection between him and everyone else, which, at first, he assumed was due to distance between him and them while he was on his mission. But, Tarn became more worried when he got closer to the compound and realized that he still couldn't feel anything. Their sparks were lost to him. Tarn panicked and searched all around base, while the other members of the DJD looked for their offspring and femmes. Tarn was terrified because everything looked busted or destroyed, like there was major resistance, with the exception of Visage's quarters. Tarn had trusted Visage to protect everyone.
Ghost remembered how tightly Tarn held her after he had found her. Tarn apologized to Ghost for leaving her alone, thinking she was safe, when she wasn't.
Ghost cleared her throat (finally calmed down enough to speak) and told her creator that Visage was drugged.
Tarn held Ghost closer to his spark, and she felt his anger through their bond. Ghost realized that Tarn was angry because it was very possible that everyone in their family was dead… That's what Tarn was convinced of, anyway. It was the only thing his spark emitted. Ghost let the theory sink in. The femmeling cried.
Tarn noticed tears fall from his offspring's optics. He reasoned that his anger and assumption had caused it.
Tarn told Ghost that their family members might be okay, just somewhere else. After all, Ghost survived. Then, Tarn said how happy he was when he found Ghost's tiny, little, signal; weak, but still in the base. He searched until he found her, sleeping underneath her berth, next to her stuffed hound. Tarn told his youngling how happy he was that he found her, and how he'd never let anything happen to her while he was there. Tarn held her, and hummed to her, calming the young femme.
The other DJD members entered the room and reported that they couldn't find anyone else. They wanted to know what happened.
Tarn asked Ghost what she remembered.
"Blue optics," she said, forgetting all about the Deception-stun rifles. "Blue optics…"
Tarn's voice brought Ghost out of her memory. He gently whispered to her, "I'm never letting blue optics get anywhere near you again."
Ghost's senses re-adjusted to reality. She realized that something felt wrong with Tarn.
"You smell funny," she told him.
"No," he told her as he lifted her up into the air, "If I smelt funny, then you would be laughing." He glided her around in the air like a flier, and she giggled.
The smell started to really annoy Ghost. The femmeling asked to be put down. Ghost thought that the smell reminded her of fear.
Tarn hesitated for a moment, not wanting to put her down, not wanting to let go of his youngling, but then complied. Tarn asked Ghost, "Where are your siblings?"
"Napping," Ghost said. The femmeling pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. She acted as if she was offended that her creator wanted to know where his other younglings were. Ghost wasn't as good an actor as Starscream was, but she managed to send out strong indications through their link about the implications of Tarn's question. What? Ghost wanted to say. You don't care about me or the time you spend with me? All you want is information on my siblings' whereabouts?
Tarn dropped down to one knee and told the upset femme, "Ghost... You know you're my favorite youngling."
Ghost smiled briefly and her face blushed a bright red. But, she didn't want to lose to Tarn. She quickly forced herself to go back to pouting with scrunched up optic ridges, with the most annoyed look she could muster.
"I'm still mad at you." Ghost glared at the ground and said, "and you still smell funny."
Tarn dropped to both of his knees, opened his arms wide, and said in a playful voice, "Do you know what else smells funny?"
Ghost was intrigued. She raised an optic ridge and asked, "what?"
"A tickle monster!"
Tarn leaned in to tickle the femmeling, but Ghost's reflexes were too fast for him. The femme backed up. Tarn dropped down to his arms and knees, and crawled closer to her. Ghost fell for his tactic and ran for the furniture. Tarn chased after her. Ghost laughed. Tarn roared. The game went on. Eventually Tarn caught the tiny femme and tickled her until she gave in and called for his mercy.
…
The area surrounding the DJD's compound rang out with laughter and joy. Ghost's siblings played with the rest of the DJD's offspring, and with each other.
But, not Ghost. She sat on the compound's stoop and watched. Even after everything they had been through, she still wasn't welcome to play with the rest of them. Most of her siblings were more adamant about excluding her than before. They were jealous. While they were away, captured, Ghost had Tarn all to herself. While Visage raised them, Tarn raised her.
The only one of her siblings that ever showed Ghost any kindness after the event was Nova. Ghost reasoned that Nova showed her kindness because Ghost was the one who informed Tarn of the situation. If Ghost hadn't, Tarn would have assumed that all of his offspring were dead. The leader of the DJD would've mourned them, and then he would've gone back to work, instead of going out of his and his team's way to go out and look for the missing Decepticons. Nova was the only one of Ghosts's siblings to realize that the only reason she was safe, recovered, and okay, was because Ghost somehow survived the attack and Told Tarn all he needed to know that the missing Decepticons were captured with link inhibitors, not dead.
Nova noticed her youngest sister on the stoop, staring off into the horizon, lost in thought. Nova walked over to Ghost and asked, "What's on your mind?"
"I sensed something off with Tarn."
"So," Nova encouraged, "go spy and find out what's off. You have a real knack for spying without getting caught."
Ghost nodded. She did love to spy. The femmeling re-entered the compound and searched for her creator. The spy-in-training tracked her target all the way to the kitchen, where she decided the best course of action was to hide near the empty doorway and overhear her creators' conversation.
It seemed to Ghost as if both her creators had been talking for a while.
"All I'm saying," Visage said, "Is that we should consider moving our family to Cybertron. At least, temporarily."
"Why?" Tarn asked her. "Haven't I given you everything you wanted? Everything we wanted? Offspring to serve the Decepticon cause? An upbringing for them that would limit possible psychological issues that could corrupt their usefulness?"
"That's not it." Visage sighed and formulated differently worded sentences in an attempt to find one her spouse would listen to. She told him, "I've been summoned to begin Phase 6 on the planet that murdered Megatron. My information is sparse." Visage waited for Tarn's reaction. She decided to shift her tone. "Apparently, there might be Decepticons trapped there. Shockwave refuses to waste resources on long-distance travel until he knows for sure. But, because the planet's inhabitants did team up with Autobots to slaughter our kind, the least Shockwave could do is authorize a means of retribution."
"You?"
Visage nodded.
"And telling me all of this is a overly complicated way of answering my question, how, exactly?"
"I have to leave for a long assignment," Visage said. "I know you have your own work, as well… equally important work… I just didn't want to burden you with the task of watching our younglings while I'm away on assignment."
"But, why Cybertron?"
"Shockwave and his femme-slave could look after them."
"A job we could entrust to any other of your contacts."
"Cybertron is safe. Besides, it's our home-world."
"This compound is our home."
"I just want to make sure our offspring are always safe. Shockwave would ensure that."
Silence hung in the air. She could sense the intensity of her creators' staring contest.
Tarn hesitantly agreed. He did not want to entrust his offspring to anyone other than himself or Visage. But, he also knew that his parenting skills were limited. He and the rest of the DJD had a lot of offspring to take care of. Tarn couldn't just bring his kids with him on the hunt for Black Shadow because he didn't trust the compound's security system. He also couldn't ask Visage to bring them with her on her mission to take over a planet. They were stuck. Tarn couldn't ask his team to take a vacation until Visage returned from her mission. He could sense that they were peeved enough at him for showing Black Shadow mercy.
Visage surprised her conjunction endura with a kiss. She whispered into his audio receptor, "Thanks for giving Black Shadow a chance."
"You can't say I've done nothing for you."
She nuzzled against him. He embraced her.
Tarn offered, "We can go drop the younglings off together—"
Visage finished his sentence, "As part of Black Shadow's head start."
[Cybertron]
Cybertron was a helpful detour. Visage knew Black Shadow's allies better than Tarn or any other Decepticon in the faction. Visage knew who owed her friend favors. And, like Tarn, she didn't need to know how to interrogate a Decepticon for answers. Fear did that on its own.
Black Shadow was headed for Earth. Under normal circumstances, the femme would've kept this information to herself. But, these weren't normal circumstances. Earth was her target. Black Shadow was his. Where interests collided, Megatron made it very clear that his will always reigned supreme. Whichever mission he –or his replacements- had the most direct control in initializing, took priority over all other inactive decisions. Black Shadow and Visage had taken advantage of that rule in the past; intimidating or interrogating targets on the DJD's list in exchange for classified benefits. Megatron knew. When Phase-Sixing colided with DJD-ing, the Phase Sixers had priority. Always.
The DJD weren't as informed about the unspoken rules of power persuasion as the Phase Sixers and their handlers in high command were. A simple reminder would have sufficed. But, none came.
Visage was careful when she disclosed her findings to Tarn. She said enough. But, not everything. She and Tarn decided that they should travel to Earth together. Shockwave thought it was a grand idea. Carpooling was efficient, after all…
Without Visage, Tarn wouldn't have walked back onto the Peaceful Tyranny. It only took the group an orn or so to get their familial units settled. Vos, Kaon, Tesarus, and Helex moved their younglings and caretakers into renovated apartments in the rebuilt city of Iacon. Visage and Tarn had Shockwave's word that their offspring would be taken care of. Shockwave saw the value in properly tending to weapons, especially to those with as much potential as the offspring of Megatron's two best outlier/ point-one-percenter soldiers.
Tarn didn't want to leave his offspring alone, even when they were guaranteed the best possible care. Visage had to forcibly grab him and take the mech with her after Shockwave's final 'go away' 'your offspring are safe here' tour.
As soon as they reached the atmosphere, Tarn swore to Visage that he'd never forget Ghost's last words to him. They echoed in his helm. They haunted him. He could still remember the depressed look on his youngling's face plate.
Ghost didn't want to see her creators go. She tried –desperately, she tried- everything she could to stop them from leaving.
Before they left, Tarn made one final promise to her… "we will return".
Even though she wanted to, Ghost didn't believe him.
[Earth]
Moonlight lit the edges of their armor.
"Starscream," Steel asked her sparkmate, "What happens if the DJD come after me, or us?"
Starscream stared into his sparkmate's optics and told her, "If either happens, I will extinguish the DJD's sparks before they get a chance to harm you or our sparkling."
"How?"
"I'll get the Autobots to do it if I have to." Starscream took Steel's servo in his own. He promised her, "I won't allow anything to come between us… Never again."
