Skywarp's eyes opened slowly, he looked straight forward and saw the dry cracked ceiling of the motel near the coast. His head throbbed and his vision was hazy, odd murmurs drifted to his ears, he couldn't make them out, but he didn't seem to be concerned over their presence. His body felt light, as if it wasn't really there, but he felt the rhythmic rise and fall of his lungs. The body was human but it didn't seem to matter to him.

Sitting up, he looked around the tiny room. He was sat upright in a double bed that creaked and moaned from years of over use. Melissa stood at the window, right where he expected her to be, her long red hair cascaded down her back, perfect, not a strand out of place. She was gazing out over the ocean, at such an angle where he could not see any part of her face, but he could see the arms of her glasses arch back towards her ears.

"What would you die for?" Melissa asked, her voice somehow more melancholic that he was used to. "If it had been a choice between your survival and the survival of your comrade, which would you have chosen?"

"I wouldn't die for him." Skywarp replied without a moment's hesitation.

"If it were your brother and your best friend? Would you die for Thundercracker?" She asked again.

Hesitating for a moment, Skywarp considered the question. "No." Was the reply however.

The murmuring intensified, but it still seemed like a distant buzzing. Too far away to be of concern. Though he thought at times he could pick out words. But nothing that meant anything to him.

"Even though, he died for you?"

Skywarp didn't reply. Why was she asking him this? The murmuring was growing louder, now he could hear it, entire sentences were beginning to spill into his ears though he could not tell where they were coming from.

"You ended three other lives without a thought. Yet you went back for someone you wouldn't die for? Why?"

"Why?" He replied, sounding surprised. As if the question was absurd. "Because you asked me to. That's why."

"Then tell me, Skywarp. Would you die for me?" She asked, not even a hint of emotion in her voice. "His motor functions have ceased. Yet his core and maintenance functions are still active."

"What did you say?" Skywarp asked again, the murmuring had grown so intense at this point he couldn't distinguish between all the voices.

"Then he's useless!" Her voice became shrill yet emasculated. Before he knew what was happening he felt his body tumble and expected to meet the carpeted floor of the hotel room. But all he met was cold metal. Cybertronian text scrolled across his field of view, diagnostics ran and his power supply confirmed it was within operating capacity. He was suddenly inside a hollow metal compartment, his matte purple hands pressed against the dull metal surface. The sound of excited chatter echoed behind him. Skywarp pushed himself up, returning to a standing position.

"There, you see, it was probably a loose connection." The voice was unmistakably Starscream.

"What do you think you're doing, Starscream?" Skywarp asked, his eyes adjusting to focus on the figures in the room.

"While you've been resting, I have freed the rest of the Decepticons." Starscream exclaimed proudly.

Skywarp looked around at all the faces in the room, some of them he recognized, others he didn't, but the space they were in was Astrotrain's cargo hold. It was an unwelcome sight, the last time he was here, he had been tossed out into space for being one of the Decepticons unfortunate enough to actually fight.

"Where are we going?" Skywarp asked, ignoring Starscream and turning to Shockwave for his answer.

"Astrotrain is currently on course for the desert planet Char." Shockwave stated. "However I recommend the current battle plan be reconsidered."

"Nonsense!" Starscream lashed out, his arm slicing through the air with a swift swoosh of sound. "This is our revenge, revenge for Galvatron's betrayal!"

"Our chances of defeating the bulk of the Decepticon force are approximately fourteen point eight seven percent."

"You will cease your defeatist statements, Shockwave, or I will tear your vocal components right out of you!" Starscream advanced on him, the murderous glint in his eyes growing brighter.

"I obey, only Megatron. Your irrational actions will only serve to make our escape a futile act." Shockwave stated.

"Megatron is DEAD!" Starscream raged, "And so are YOU!" Starscream raised his preferred weapon, intending to strike quickly and decisively at Shockwave, before he could retaliate. However, a pre-emptive attack lanced out at Starscream, striking his raised weapon, knocking it straight out of its socket. Starscream turned to the source of the strike, and his eyes widened, his maddening rage further driving his determination to carry out what Shockwave had described as his irrational actions.

Skywarp's arm was outstretched, the barrel of his cannon smoking, from the energy having burnt away the surrounding oxygen. In that instant, looking into Starscream's eyes, Skywarp realized this wasn't the same person he had known all those years ago. The look in Starscream's eyes, he couldn't describe it. Gone were the cold calculating eyes of a scientist, who had aimed to ascend the dizzying heights of power with grace and patience. Replaced instead with the fiery eyes of a being possessed by pure unbridled hatred.

"KILL THEM! DESTROY THEM!" Starscream's feet left the floor and his engines ignited. His body slammed into Skywarp and the two of them tumbled through Astrotrain into the rear wall. The other Decepticons, still drunk on the promise of power, closed in around Shockwave.

It was useless to struggle, but even Shockwave was not free from the war protocol. Using his inbuilt weaponry, Shockwave let out a rapid succession of shots at his assailants, but as he suspected the effort had proven to be futile. The mob of Decepticon muscle overpowered him, and tossed Shockwave's body into the air, his head being the first part of his body to make contact with metal floor.

Skywarp had grossly underestimated his brother's fighting ability. Starscream's power was ferocious, his speed and dexterity beyond anything he could have mustered. It took all of Skywarp's meagre ability to prevent Starscream from landing a killing blow. With his remaining weapon, Starscream fired a shot, intended to pierce Skywarp's chest, immobilizing him. At the last second, Skywarp shifted to avoid the shot, it grazed his body shattering the casing surrounding the equipment that controlled his ability to teleport. Skywarp felt the system go dead, and with it the confidence he had in his own survival.

While it was active he knew he could get away whenever he needed, but now that it was gone, the war protocol was commanding him to flee, to beg for his life. To do anything that would prevent Starscream from taking his life. He fell into a sitting position and scrambled backwards, trying to get away from the white seeker's advance.

'I will not die, I will not die.' Skywarp repeated the message over and over internally, fighting the compulsion to beg for his life.

Starscream stood over Skywarp, now aware of the paralysis that had overcome his weaker sibling. His rage filled eyes grew cold once more and the snarling expression was replaced by the arrogant smirk. He had won, now all he had to do was enjoy it. Skywarp backed off further, until he was pressed firmly against the wall.

"Poor, Skywarp." Starscream spat, "Trapped with nowhere to go, and no one to help you."

Skywarp's fists clenched and the interference from the war protocol was suddenly silent. Raising both his weapons he opened fire directly at Starscream. But Starscream was too fast, the shots sailed past him and Skywarp raised his remaining weapon, ready to fire it at point blank range.

"It's over!" Starscream yelled in triumph. But his celebration was short lived. It was pure luck, though Skywarp would have like to say he had planned it. The two shots Starscream avoided, struck against Astrotrain's cargo wall. The wall was blown apart, its structure was already strained to the limit from mass shifting to accommodate passengers.

Shockwave was the first one to fall foul of this accident. As the air was blown out of the compartment it took Shockwave with it, and the rest of the Decepticons scrambled to fasten themselves to any object they could.

Starscream was fast to ignite his engines once again, but the damage was done, and his balance was off. He was thrown towards the opening, the black maw outside threatening to swallow him whole. As a last ditch attempt at saving himself, Starscream gripped the fractured edges of Astrotrain's hull, his evil eyes glaring at Skywarp.

Skywarp himself was caught, with nothing to prevent him from being drawn towards the breach, he was going to collide with Starscream. But if he was going, he'd take him too. Skywarp's remaining engine engaged, using himself as the spear to drive Starscream out into space.

What would have been an astonishing reversal of fortune was turned over once again. Starscream's arrogant smile had not faded, even now he was silently mocking Skywarp's weakness. Skywarp snarled and put everything he had into that one engine, but it was for nothing. Starscream's own propulsion re-engaged, flipping him horizontally from the breach, safe against Astrotrain's upper wall.

Skywarp couldn't stop, the last of the escaping air and his own momentum carried him from Astrotrain back out into the darkness. He shifted his weight,trying to get a glimpse of Starscream. There had to be something, anything, he could do to turn this around. But in the end, all he saw was a violet streak lancing out towards him. For an instant he thought he felt his armour crack as it was pierced. But all too soon, he was immersed once again in darkness, he couldn't see anything, not even the light of the stars.