Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.


AFTER THE STORM

Chapter 11: Reconcile

The following morning: 6:36am:

"So you let him get away?" Galloway frowned sarcastically

"Not intentionally..." Ironhide scowled up at the monitor

"It is as we've explained sir: We chased Barricade out towards the southern ridge, where apparently some of his buddies were waiting to give him some cover; the EMP bombs took us completely by surprise, and by the time Prime and his troops managed to get their baring back the cons were well out of range" Will explained.

"Majestrix lead Springer, Portia, Blackshot, Velocity and one of our air units out on a search to cover wider ground, but failed to pick up their trail or even spot them" Prowl added

"And for good reason; soon after we lost them Ravage and the hell-hounds were dispatched to try and pick them up, and in the course of tracking them we discovered a trail of ionized aluminum particles" Wheeljack interjected

"And that's relevant how?" the NEST director raised an eyebrow

"Ionized aluminum is an effective means of masking one's energon trail: it's the oldest trick in the data-tracks; that, and its possible they might be utilizing some form of stealth technology to mask their presence, both visually and electronically. It's the only explanation as to why I and my team weren't able to locate them" Majestrix added reluctantly

"Okay..." General Moshower sighed: "Putting the botched chase aside; what did you manage to learn?"

"Our initial search of the area suggests they know this is our main base of operation. The fact the energon detectors didn't pick them up because of those blind spots in the gullies and surrounding topography and the way in which they were able to deploy the EMP bombs, suggests that they scouted that particular section of the perimeter fence well before hand; and since we can't be sure of how long the hacker was on base, we have no way of knowing just how much data he was able to obtain" Optimus stated in a grave tone.

"The only logical explanation as to how the hacker might have infiltrated the base in the first place: was during the DRD incident. He must have taken advantage of the ensuing chaos and confusion to complete his mission objective. The attempted hack on the classified files must have been an additional study into seeing what consistencies and variables are present during our standard investigation protocols" Prowl added

"But since we caught him in the act (so to speak) he knows that any data pertaining to Teletran's security network is gonna be invalid, because he knows we knew what he was watching for, he'll figure out we're gonna reset the whole security net from the ground up" Will threw in

"So our internal security data is safe for now..." Moshower sighed with a slight sense of relief: "However, this doesn't distract from the fact that the cons now know where we are and what we've got in the way of numbers and firepower"

"Which is why I'm inclined to order an immediate lock-down of the whole facility; nothing goes in our out without my official clearance!" Galloway sternly ordered

"Don't you think that's a little hasty?" Majestrix frowned, "Granted base security is going to need an immediate review (which I will personally see to) with some amendments no doubt. But if the cons are planning something then we have to get out there and find them first, before they have a chance to go on the offensive. We may have enough numbers not to be desperate but we have no idea how many cons might have made planet-fall without our knowing"

"And what evidence is there to suggest their planning anything at all? For all we know last night's incident might have been a bluff? An excuse to try and scare you guys" Galloway threw his hands up in the air.

"I find that incredibly hard to believe!" Ironhide growled

"For what purpose would a con like Barricade pull off a bluff like that? It's a foolish ploy that carries a high risk of getting caught if not killed. Barricade is well seasoned in the art of infiltration and scouting, he wouldn't have attempted to get so close to the base unless he absolutely had to" Ultra Magnus concurred.

"And if I may say so sir," Morri interjected, "The hacker did mention they have a base, so going on the assumption there must be a good few cons out there, last night will have provided them with an opportunity to try and figure out how to get one up on us"

"Hey, you're just an intern, so leave the grown-up talk to the grown-ups okay kid?" Galloway flippantly replied

"In case you 'forgot' sir, I was the one who nearly got kidnapped last night, so don't go telling me what the appropriate topic of conversation is..." Morri deadpanned in a venomous voice, making it loud and clear she was in no mood to be palmed off with excuses. Will couldn't help but smile as Galloway glared through the monitor with the utmost ire, as if trying to stare down the girl to death; but before the Director had a chance to make an ass of himself, Moshower interjected: "-I agree...what's your thought on this?" he asked the brunette.

"Honestly? ..." Morri sighed, all eyes and optics watched as she spoke frankly: "...I think the hacker and Barricade let on more than what they wanted"

Everyone frowned in confusion

"Interesting: what led you to that conclusion?" the General asked while Galloway sighed in exasperation.

"First of all (and as I said before), the hacker mentioned they had a base so unless that was meant to throw me off (which I highly doubt at this point) the cons have recovered themselves since Mission City; whether or not they've got the numbers and means to take us on in a fight, on our front door-step or otherwise remains to be seen. But there's something Barricade let slip last night, and-, I don't think he was joking or bluffing"

"What is it?" Will asked curiously

"Well when he made a grab for me he said: 'you better tell me what you did with them'. Now at first I thought he was referring to the defectors, that he was under the impression that the bots had captured and brain-washed them somehow"

"Well that's a no-brainer" Galloway scoffed

"It would be, were it not for the fact that 'brain-washing' and reprogramming one's personality matrix were strictly forbidden by the Autobots long ago" Prowl replied

"The use of any device to alter the persona of any being was never condoned; I would be damned to the pit before I allow such a technology to serve our cause" Prime stated sternly

"Psychological torture is one thing, but taking away one's free will? Even I didn't stoop that low" Majestrix drolled in a flat tone.

"And the cons always knew the bots were straight bullets when it came to something like that: Even Barricade knew torture was only as far as we'd be willing to push the bar" Jetfire added

"Which is why I came to a different theory; when I remembered Barricade also mentioned, ' those others'..."

"Those others?" Moshower quirked an eyebrow

"I don't know..." Morri shook her head, "That's all he said before Prime and the others showed up"

"Well, whatever he meant: we can only assume he's looking to make good on the rest of his threat" Moshower replied

"Which is why (against my better judgement) the president has ordered NEST to get on this while it's still hot: he wants those cons found, captured and interrogated; anything they know, we have to know and pronto!" Galloway stated impatiently.

"The Joint Chiefs of Staff are keen to nip this in the bud too, so as of now, finding those cons are NEST's top priority; our satellite surveillance net will be keeping an eye on things from above, and we'll allot additional man-power when needed. But in the meantime, I'm authorizing Priority-1 clearance so you can have some 'elbow room' to do what you need to do. Just don't go taking liberties without informing us first you hear me?" Moshower stated

"Understood General" Optimus respectfully nodded

"Very good: Moshower out" and with that, the General's video up-link signed off and the monitor went blank.

"...Just try not to screw this up..." Galloway grumbled as his up-link went dead too.

"Well that went slight better than I expected" Majestrix said offhand

"Guess Galloway must've woken up on the right side of the bed for once?" Epps threw in

"If that's even possible" Jetfire thought aloud, "With that human it's hard to tell"

"Okay..." Colonel Bishop changed the subject: "How do you want to get started on this Optimus?"

"Have everyone report to the ready room; we'll begin the search with a review of last night's data, and strategy and tactical analysis" the Prime stated

"Will do" the human nodded respectfully, "Major Lennox, If you'd please?" he gestured for the Major to follow him.

"Will there be anything else sir?" Morri asked

"For now your free to go; report to your guardian for today's work detail and we'll update you when we're done" the Colonel replied as he followed Prime out the door with the Major in tow. As she watched them disappear down the corridor, Morri's thought's drifted off back to last night: before Sam brought her out of her musings. "So? What do you think?" he asked offhand.

"About the report or last night?" she glanced at him with a skeptical look.

"Both"

Thinking about it, Morri's eye's seemed to cloud over with uncertainty; as if she were thinking one thing but contemplating another: as she folded her arms and passed a sigh, her uncertainty made itself evident in her voice. "...For starters, I don't know if you noticed it, but Galloway seemed a little...too cool"

"He was a little calmer than I thought he'd be" Sam nodded in agreement as he thought about it, "We've been waiting for Barricade to show up for over two years; I thought he'd flip outright"

"That. And what Barricade said still bothers me"

"You think it was the defectors he was referring to?"

"At first," Morri paused with slight hesitation, as she tried to clarify her thoughts: "...It seemed the most logical thing at the time, but-..."

"But?"

"... Why do I have this feeling that he was talking about something else?" she frowned, as if not quite believing her own words.

"Could it have been anything else?" Sam asked offhand

"I don't know..." Was all Morri found she could offer, "It's just a gut feeling"

"But how many times has that gut of yours been wrong?"

"...That's what I'm worried about..."


Later that morning:

"You think he was referring to something else?" Tom asked as he handed a stack of human-sized data-pads to Deathshot.

"My gut says he was, but I don't see what else he could've been referring to?" Morri replied; "...If he knows the defectors defected of their own free will he's hardly going to think the bots had anything to do with it if they never resorted to brainwashing in the first place; and since there aren't any cons locked up in the brig I'm hard pressed to think what else there could be" Morri replied as she scrolled down a check-list on one of the pads.

"It's not impossible" Deathshot reasoned, "We've been away for over a month, and in that time Prime and the others attention was greatly diverted; what is there to say something didn't happen that we don't know about? Our surveillance technology may be up to date that doesn't mean we can survey everything at once; something's bound to slip by"

"If that's the case, then the question is what?" Morri frowned

"Don't know" Danny replied offhand, "But I wouldn't worry about it too much; you don't wanna end up obsessing over it"

"True" Morri sighed, "Perhaps it's just me? A lot of the time the right answer tends to be the obvious one anyway"

"Well there you go" Buzzsaw chirped from his perch high above the humans and sniper, "And speaking of 'gut' instinct; what did you say to Eclipse last night?"

Morri stopped working and glanced up at the eagle: "...You mean in the rec-room?"

"Though I can't sense her initial thoughts: I get the impression your words have been rattling around that helm of hers all night...And I sense you're still not quite sure of what you said either"

Knowing he and brothers didn't miss a thing, Morri sighed in uncertainty: "...I was half worried I might have overstepped the mark; but when I talked to Moonshine and she said not to worry about it I left the subject at that. But today Eclipse seems...different, somehow"

"Different is an understatement" Deathshot snorted: "It's like she's a different femme: all the fear she held over her insecurities isn't there anymore; or, not at the front of her mind at least"

"She actually said good morning to Optimus" Tom added, "And she didn't start the morning arguing with her mum or sisters again"

"What happened last night?" Danny asked

"...I'm not sure" Morri replied offhand, making a mental note to go and check it out later: "...But maybe something finally gave? ..."


Elsewhere:

The brig was quiet today; as Longrange and Coldbore recharged in peace, Ashley crept by and softly paced up to the cell at the very far end of the corridor: the one that had been isolated from the rest, and retrofitted into a medical holding-cell. As he approached, he knew its sole occupant knew he was there as her ears flicked back and forth, she didn't move as she lay on her side, staring up at the wall opposite the cell entrance.

"...What are you doing here? ..." Shadowstar softly asked in a tired horse voice, her tone devoid of any emotion.

"I came to see you..." Ashley replied softly as he stepped up to the stasis field, being careful not to get too close as the force field hummed with raw energy, "...Portia say's you've calmed down a lot since-..." he cut himself off, not wishing to stir up memories of the event that led her to be in here in the first place.

"...The sedatives Ratchet prescribed are helping" she replied, "...It's kinda nice; not being so agitated all the time..." The drowsy tone of her voice made Ashley wonder if she was sedated right now, with the stasis field isolating the air in the cell he couldn't smell anything. But he didn't press the subject, and kept his mind on what he came here for.

"...Listen..." he stated with uncertainty in his voice: "...I came down here to talk to you, about what happened a few days ago..."

"Mother told me you recovered from your injuries" she said offhand

"Yeah, but I wanted to explain something, just so we're clear..." he stated,

She didn't move, but she didn't seem to disregard him either...

"...I get that you've been through a lot, and I'm not going to insult you by saying I know how you feel, because I don't...But what I am going to say: is that while I'm willing to forgive you for what happened, I'm not going to forget it..."

Shadowstar didn't reply

"It's one thing to spite someone and hurt them for the hell of it; but when you're not right in the head and you can't keep it together, it changes things, and I'm not going to waste my anger on you, for two reasons; one, I've got better things to do with my time and I ain't gonna spend it thinking of all the ways I could get back at you for nearly killing my dad. And two..." he hesitated, "...I don't want to be angry"

"..."

"...I've not had an easy life you know? I grew up in a rough neighbourhood in a very rough town: everyday you had to make a choice and it wasn't easy for anyone, you could do one thing that would mean trouble, or you could do something else which would mean you stayed clear of trouble. But you couldn't choose both, and most of time I got into more trouble then I should've, and even now there are things I still look back on and wish I could do over, and do better...I don't want to be angry, because I don't want to repeat my mistakes" Ashley admitted

"...Your point?" she replied curtly

"My point being: I hope you use your time in here to really think about happened, and don't just go along with the psych-treatment for the sake of getting out of this cell...My dad may be willing to make peace with you over it but I can't I am; not yet anyway"

"Then why forgiveness?" she frowned

"...Because..." Ashley tried to think of the right words, "...If this past fortnight has taught me anything it's that I don't want to become like him..." he gestured to Longrange's cell, "I don't want to become so consumed by my anger that I disregard the people I love and care about; trying to hold onto the past isn't going to do any favors: you just get stuck in your ways and ignore the new things that come along. And in the process you forget how to get use to them and so you ignore, or even get angry at them because you didn't take the time to try and understand them..."

"Like me? ..." Shadowstar raised an optic ridge,

Silence

"...I'll admit, I've made some poor choices, some that-, cost me more than I anticipated..." Shadowstar thought aloud, "...But not once did I ever think to doubt in what I believe. I don't procrastinate, I never hesitate, and I've always known what I want and what I don't want...and all I'm left with-, what I've come to understand from all this is-..." she hesitated with bitterness in her voice, "...I don't know anything; and I don't understand anyone..."

"That's not true" Ashley objected softly

"Then why am I here?" her voice trembled slightly

A long moment of silence stood between them before Ashley replied: "...Because you couldn't let go..."

"..."

"...Stop living in the 'then, and try living in the 'now'..." Ashley sighed as he turned to leave, "...Just think about it okay? ..."

Shadowstar didn't move or reply as Ashley slipped away. She simply watched her reflection in the polished metal plating on the wall...watching her left optic, as it flickered between blue and yellow.


A little while later:

"I suppose I should be grateful that you still have an inch of forgiveness left for me?" Blackshot thought aloud as she approached Majestrix in her command chair, the Prima glanced sideways at her as she surveyed over The Black Solstus's bridge.

"It would be a start" Majestrix reluctantly sighed, "Though, I wouldn't be so eager to assume that I've totally put aside the events of the past two weeks"

"As if I'd even dare to try" the black femme replied as she stood by the Prima's side

A long moment of silence passed before Blackshot continued: "...I've been doing some thinking...". "Well that's dangerous" Majestrix smirked, but Blackshot silently dismissed it and carried on, "And, I must confess: I find myself both at a disadvantage, and not much wiser for trying to comprehend the state of things as they are now..."

Majestrix stopped what she was doing and gazed over at the femme slightly perplexed: "...Comprehend? As in why? Or how?" she frowned.

"A little of both..." Blackshot reluctantly admitted, "...I'm a cynic, a critic and faultfinder. I don't dare to dream or to hope because such notions are a form of denial: a subliminal means to save the mind from panic and ultimately falling into despair..." she stated: and as she let her thoughts become words, a passive sense of, what could only be described as admittance, came over her optics; "...But I admit, my own prejudice has gotten the worst of me of late, and in so doing I failed to see the logistics in the details"

"Your point being? ..." Majestrix asked cautiously

Blackshot merely frowned: "...I may be in the minority as far as objections to our situation stands; but for the sake of staying on good terms I'm willing to swallow my pride and move on"

Majestrix wore her poker face well, and in the back of her mind something about Blackshot's sincerity didn't quite ring true: "... Just like that? ..." she sceptically replied.

"Considering how I've abused your trust in the past I don't blame you for being skeptical"

"That's an understatement" the Prima deadpanned

"But I've got better things to do than spend my time hovering over everyone's shoulders...that's Carrion's job anyway..." she glanced up at the cyber-griffin vulture that was perched on one of the support struts above the bridge; eying her with a sharp piercing gaze. "At the very least I can put my tactical knowledge to some use"

Majestrix didn't reply

Blackshot knew why she didn't respond (not with optimism at least), and knew there was nothing she could say that would convince her otherwise.

"...How many times have you made such a promise?" the Prima stated unexpectedly; "...And how many times, have you strained it to the point of breaking? ..."

Silence

"...Too much..." Blackshot replied quietly

"... Too much? Or not enough I wonder? ..." Majestrix glanced at the femme with a sharp glare, her crimson optics narrowed dangerously; "Your contempt for the Prime Directive has never once left your mind, why should I believe you now?"

Silence

"...For the sake of not wanting to repeat past mistakes, and for not allowing the past to haunt the present; my inch of forgiveness withstands" Majestrix stated in a lighter tone, before turning deadly serious again: "...But; do not forget your own words. You are at a disadvantage; you maybe tactically able to get your way around other people but you don't have the spark to figure out what really goes on within their minds. Remember that, the next time you frown upon the humans or one of Prime's bots"

Blackshot didn't reply, and simply stood there as if contemplating Majestrix's wisdom; she then turned to leave, but stopped just as she entered the door, and looked back over at her commander: "...Do you ever wonder why? ..." she asked offhand.

"Why what?"

"Why you still keep me so close after all these years? I outgrew your confidence long ago, and I certainly have no love for Prime's philosophy" Blackshot stated.

"Then why do you still hang around? ..." Majestrix shot back with an unreadable look in her optics.

Blackshot said nothing, and headed off out of the bridge.

Majestrix sat there in her command chair; her expression growing broodier and darker as she listened to the femme's footfalls disappear down the corridor. 'After all this time, she still thinks she can get one up on me...' she thought darkly, '...What the pit is she up to? ...'


Later that day: mid afternoon:

"I still feel useless for not sensing him sooner..." Crystalwing sighed with wiry exasperation as she dragged her hands down her face and rubbed her tired optics under her visor: "If I'd been able to reach my mind out I could've sensed him before he attacked Morri"

"What happened wasn't your fault," Portia assured her, "With Shadowstar still not completely present within your family bonds your telepathy will have knock-on effects; and for the duration of her treatment your abilities will be strained even further"

"This couldn't have come at a worse possible time" Prowl sighed in frustration, "Of all the times Barricade chooses to finally show his face, our best possible means of tracking him down is compromised"

"Mother may be the most experienced telepath but she's not the only one" Obsidian reasoned, "Both myself and Twilight have psychically tracked targets before; between us we can pool our abilities together to do a wide-spread search"

"Do you think you'll be up for that?" Ultra Magnus asked

"We're both very strong, we can concentrate on the search and still spare enough energy to support mother's mind as well as Shadow's. Plus with Ravage and his brothers volunteering to help bare some of proverbial weight it should help the search go smoothly"

"Are you sure?" Red Alert frowned sceptically

"Red, I assure you: Ravage won't try anything, and Shadow won't be too much of an issue either. We wouldn't have stepped up if we knew we couldn't do it" Obsidian assured them.

The mechs glanced at one another before nodding in agreement; "Alright, report to the command centre for the mission debriefing, I'll comm Prime and fill him in" Prowl replied as he opened a comm-link to Optimus while the twins smiled and left the rec-room together. As she watched them leave, Crystalwing noticed something moving out the corner of her optic, and upon glancing down, saw Morri standing underneath the table with a cup of tea in hand: "Oh-, hello: what're you doing under there?" she greeted as she bent down to offer her hand to the human.

"Trying to find somewhere to sit and rest: it's my last break before the three to seven shift," Morri replied as the femme brought her up onto the table, and let her sit down in her palm: "...I didn't get to see you the other day; I've been meaning to ask, about..."

"Shadowstar? ..." Crystalwing finished for her, Morri nodded, to which the femme nodded with a nonchalant expression. "She's-...calmed down: and has started listening to us at long last"

"Well that's a start" Morri offered

"It's as good as any, but we've barely started the 'reintroduction' process back into the bonds; and it won't be possible until her mind is ready to accept it" Portia offered

"And since my 'issues' concerning my own grief has yet to be completely addressed: we've both got a long way to go" Crystalwing sighed

"Will you do it together?" Morri asked as she took a sip of her tea.

"Of course, but there's a lot between us we need to resolve first. Break down the barriers that have been barring us from connecting as mother and daughter" the femme thought aloud, "And hopefully her sibling's influence will offer some additional support"

"She's not the only one..." Morri glanced across the rec-room, and gestured towards Eclipse and her sisters as they chatted together. "I'm still amazed at how well she's confronted her issues" Portia smiled

"Indeed; I sense her insecurities are not shadowing her conscience the same way they used to..." Crystalwing sighed, "I just hope-, she keeps what she learnt in mind"

"Well you can never totally banish your fears, they always stay with you in one form or another" Morri reasoned with a shrug.

"Yes; but with Eclipse I sense there are still some things she hasn't totally resolved. Whether she'll be brave enough to face them remains to be seen, and ultimately it will be her choice" the telepath pondered aloud.

"...Do you think she can do it?" Morri thought aloud

"Hm," Crystalwing smiled, "If there's one thing Eclipse always underestimates, it's that she's got more strength than she gives herself credit for. All she needs is the opportunity to truly discover it"

"But for now..." Portia added, "She's done well for herself"

"It would be nice if this 'new' Eclipse can hang around awhile" the brunette said offhand

"Oh I don't think she'll be going anywhere, not if Moonshine has anything to say about it" Portia smiled

"And I have no doubt Novastar will breathe a little easier, now that she's not on the receiving end of her frustration" Crystalwing concurred; she was about to say something else when a small beeping sound emanated from her helm. "Oh, is that the time?" she blinked in surprise. "Indeed, it's time for our three o' clock session; call your creations and we'll head down to the brig..." Portia replied as she finished the last of her energon cube and got up to leave; "Nice talking with you" she waved goodbye to Morri.

"We'll take a-, what do you call it? Water-check?"

"Rain check" Morri corrected, "That'd be great. Good luck..." she waved as the two femmes left the rec-room, and she was left on the table with her tea. Morri was about to jump down into the bench-seat below when she spotted Velocity peering over the back of the seat, from the next table-booth along.

"Oh, hello; where've you been hiding?" she watched as the femme slipped off her seat and came around to stand at the table.

"Oh, around: as soon as you finish one job another needs doing somewhere else..." the femme shrugged offhand; a brief moment of awkward silence passed between them before Velocity spoke again, this time with seriousness and concern in her voice. "...Deathshot-, told me about what happened last night"

"Yeah" Morri sighed, "Pretty close call"

"Close call?" Velocity's optic ridges flew up in surprise: "That was Barricade, a close call with him is an understatement. He's a real piece of work and then some"

"Really?" Morri raised an eyebrow, not quite sure if she heard the femme right.

"You should read his profile sometime: Primus does that con have some horror stories..." Velocity stated, "I have to admit; keeping your cool like that, you've got some brass bearings on you" she smiled

"So I've heard" Morri smirked dryly

"I'm serious, most rookies can't take on a con like Barricade and pull off a straight shot let alone keep their cool in the heat of the moment...", she hesitated as a look of mild shame came over her optics, "...I guess, Longrange was wrong about you humans"

"...It's easy to judge on size, but once the chips are down and it's a question of do or don't: you can be surprised by what the little guy can do in the heat of the moment" Morri offered

"Yeah..."Velocity sighed with slight regret as she let her shoulder's go slack, "...Listen; I wanted to apologize for the things I've said...I can be pretty 'critical' if not quite spiteful when I want to be (I won't deny it), but that's just me, it's nothing personal. Being what I am, being with the 9 for so long: when you get used to playing dirty and stooping to some pretty low tactics, you kinda lose track of what's important. And after that whole thing with Longrange, and then Shadowstar, and Eclipse...Well? I guess it's time to move on with life...not much point being stuck in 'yesterday'"

"...'Being spiteful' is an understatement" Morri deadpanned

Velocity stared down at her blankly, "I'm not a sentimental femme, and I certainly don't mind calling it as I see it. With a second in command like Blackshot hanging over your wings it's better to be honest then to try and test her forgiveness. And when you're in the thick of battle and you have to make a move, you have to be certain your teammates or partner can be up to the job. It's not so much a question of spite as it is 'tough love', sometimes you have to push people, and sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind about it; that way people are more subliminally 'encouraged' to want to do better, to really prove themselves. True it doesn't do much for making friends, but it's like you said: when the chips are down and it's a question of do or don't, you'd be surprised what the little guy can do in the heat of the moment; if he has the right incentive..." the femme reasoned with a small smile.

Something about Velocity's logic didn't sit quite right with Morri: pushing your teammates to do better by effectively bullying them? No way could that end well. But at the same time the sincerity in her voice and the apologetic look in her optics told her she was being honest, and if this was her way of saying sorry, then who was she to be so critical? She decided it would be another argument for another time, but for now, after all the craziness of the past fortnight it would be better to bury the hatchet and move on.

"...I can't say I totally agree with that" Morri stated frankly, "...But, I appreciate your honesty" she offered with a small smile.

"Thanks" Velocity smiled, "...Deathshot made a good call in choosing you for a partner: but be sure to leave some of him for me okay?"

"Oh I can't promise anything" Morri grinned

"Hm," the femme grinned. "Well, I have to be going; they'll be starting the search for the cons tonight, and those checks for the aerial search-patterns aren't going to correct themselves. See ya later kid..." she said as she turned to leave, but stopped and looked back down at the human: "You know, I'm glad we had this talk"

"Me too" Morri smiled, "Catch you at dinner later?"

"I'll try and make it...later" she waved goodbye, and strode out into the corridor.

She didn't notice Deathshot standing in one of the large alcoves in the wall, his arms folded as he watched her walk away; the cold glare in his one optic sharpened dangerously as he frowned disapprovingly at her. As soon as she was out of range, he quietly stepped out and headed into the rec-room.

Velocity headed back to the Black Solstus, and back to her quarters; as soon as she stepped into the 'living room' she headed straight for her recharge chamber. Once inside she locked the door, and disengaged the holoform that concealed the hidden room behind her recharge birth: slipping past the birth and stepping inside, she breathed a sigh of relief as she sat herself down on the bot-sized chaise lounge and gazed up around the room.

From floor to ceiling, the walls were covered in hundreds and hundreds of photo images of Deathshot: all of them depicting him doing various things, and all of them showed he'd been oblivious to being caught on camera, as he didn't look straight into the lens. Some were of him in his altmode, some of them showed him in the heat of a battle or firing a shot, some were pictures of him doing mundane things, but most were pictures of him deep in recharge. She plucked one picture off the wall and held it up; it was a picture of the sniper with Morri sitting on his shoulder. She studied the image for a long moment, before her lips curled into a smile.

"...It's been so long. I can't believe how much you've changed" she said softly as she gently caressed her finger along the picture, stroking Deathshot's cheek, "...I think I prefer the new you. Oh don't get me wrong, I always loved that hard steeled exterior of yours; but I have to confess, she's done a good job at bringing out the gentleness in you..." she said as she ran her finger over Morri's face.

"...I can see why everyone loves her so, she's certainly got spunk, and she's not short of tactfulness...No, she's done you good: but sooner or later you will realize you can never be together; after all, she can't offer what I can give you..." She sighed sensuously as she activated her holo-projector and brought up an image of her and Deathshot locked together in an erotic embrace; "...It takes a femme to make a mech truly happy, and you know I can make you happy..." she smiled with a devious glint in her optics, "...But, all things in good time, and I'm content to wait. You'll come back to me, in the fullness of time..." she smirked as she activated a laser in her right optic, aimed at the picture, and singed a hole through Morri's face, burning her completely out of the image.


Later: early evening:

: This is Majestrix command one, requesting priority clearance over airspace in the vicinity of grid reference six, five, thirty four, twenty two, one, zero:

: Copy that Majestrix, you and your search party are cleared to go:

: Copy that radar tower: keep your optics and audios hot, anything so much as twitches in the wrong direction I want to know about it:

: Affirmative, we got you covered commander:

As the bots prepared to move out, the kids watched their guardians from up on the suspended walkways as they made the final checks and preparations to their gear and artillery; Que was busy explaining how to operate some of the urban combat weapon prototypes he'd made for the NEST troops, Ironhide was finishing up calibrating his cannons, and the Lambo and Chevy twins were twitching about in excitement, relieved and excited to finally get a chance to serve Barricade his aft.

"Think they'll find him tonight?" Hailey thought aloud as she waved to Bluestreak, who eagerly waved back.

"Barricade's a sly one, he won't be caught so easily" Rumble replied

"Yeahyeahyeahyeah!" Frenzy nodded rapidly, "Won'tgodownwithoutafighteither!"

"It's not just him I'm worried about; if there are more cons out there how many will they run into?" Danny speculated

"If it's a scouting party not many, if more cons have arrived they won't congregate in large numbers unless they're gonna mount a full-scale attack" Rumble reasoned

"Considering the bug was able to best Barricade before, I don't hold a lot of hope for the cons if Prime's on point with his sister covering their tail-fins from above; plus with the rest of his little party it's ten to one in Prime's favor" Thundercracker thought aloud in a brooding manner as he gazed over at Bumblebee.

"Good odds" Tom shrugged

"Alright: Autobots! Transform and roll out!" Prime ordered, and without another word the Autobots transformed and sped out of the base with the NEST armored transport vehicles bringing up the rear: outside the thundering boom of Majestrix's jet engines could be heard firing up as she shot off into the evening sky. As the bots disappeared across the desert and the hanger doors closed up, the kids looked at one another as they sighed in boredom.

"So? Shift's over and the guys won't be back 'till morning...Movie night?" Ashley suggested

"Yeah!" the Waineright twins chimed

"Ohohoh! What about Star Trek?" Glen grinned

"Pft!-" Ashley waved it off, "Hell no, let's have something fun like die hard!"

"What! No way! It's gotta be a Disney classic!" Hailey frowned

"Oh come on! We've not watched a good horror flick in ages!" Tom protested

As the kids continued to debate their choice of movie, Thundercracker shook his head and sighed heavily through his vents as he turned to leave.

Pacing along the empty corridors, he made his way down to the lower levels and the brig, where tonight he'd been given the task of watching over the prisoners. Glancing along at the cells and seeing nothing was out of place, he took up his post by the control terminal and made himself comfy on the one seat by the wall. Tonight should prove to be quiet and pretty straight forward, with all the bots out looking for Barricade, he shouldn't expect any visitors.

However; sitting near the cells, the harsh venomous gaze boring into the back of his helm hadn't escaped his notice, and as Thundercracker glanced over and met said optic's owner, he huffed in frustration...this was going to be a long night.

"I suppose I should be grateful you didn't kill me?" Longrange huffed facetiously

"You mean you should be grateful Deathshot didn't kill you: he did go to town on your aft remember?" the seeker corrected.

Awkward silence

"..So why aren't you out there? I'd have thought you'd be pretty desperate to get out and find your con-buddies so you can warn them of Prime and his little posse" the young sniper taunted him

"*sigh*", Thundercracker sighed, "This isn't going to work"

"Huh?"

"Your attempt to provoke me" Thundercracker stated dryly, Longrange blinked in surprise; "I've been called every curse and name under all the suns of the galaxy kid, little jabs like that have long since worn off of me...They ain't quite worn off you though" the seeker observed

"Pft! As if!" Longrange scoffed in defiance.

"Oh really? How else do you think I was able to goad you into that attack? You rushed head-long at me only 'cause your ego wouldn't stand up to a little bruising...Even when I was your age I wasn't that stupid, and thinking you could best Deathshot? That was just plain reckless" the seeker frowned disapprovingly

Silence

"..What is it about him you like anyway? Bots like him are hated by all you seekers, so what makes him so special huh?" Longrange changed the subject

"It's one thing to hate your enemy for his ideology and what he stands for, but it's another to respect him for his talents. Regardless of how much hatred you have you never underestimate your enemy just because he's the opposing force. And snipers like him are never to be disrespected" Thundercracker stated.

"Hm, at least you know your place" the sniper scoffed

"It's not a question of knowing one's place; he's a good sniper and I'm a good seeker, its mutual respect"

"But he can put a bullet through your helm from up in orbit, how's that for respect?"

"So can you" Thundercracker glanced sideways at him, "...So why didn't you?"

Longrange sat in silence with no comeback to insult him with.

"You could've easily taken a shot and killed me without second-guessing. But you didn't: you've got too much anger, too much ego, and not enough patience or self-restraint to temper them with; so I'm left to wonder, what value does an out-of-control hot-headed rookie hold for a top-flight commander like Majestrix? It sure as pit ain't for your snipping capabilities and it's certainly not for your fighting prowess. So the only conclusion I can draw up, is that she knows you can't cut it, but at the same time your much too much of a risk, so rather than leave you to your own devices with another commander, she keeps you close so she can keep a short leash on you..."

Longrange scowled bitterly at the seeker; he knew he was right, but no way in hell was he going to let him have any satisfaction. But much to his surprise, Thundercracker simply leaned back in his chair with a regretful look in his optics.

"It's a always a problem when you get one rookie who thinks he's got it all" The seeker thought aloud, "With the bots discipline is taught, but with the cons it was a way of life: step out of line once and it could be your last. Megatron never took it lightly, and Primus did he make an art-form of it"

"Like that's surprising"

"Not really, but if it was you on the receiving end chances are he'd rip your wings off and have you grounded for a full ten solar cycles...You're lucky those days are long since behind us, and your even more lucky Prime threw you in here. Believe me, there are far worse punishments to be had than just sitting in the brig indefinitely"

Silence again

"...I could've killed him" Longrange blurted out quietly

"Hm?"

"...You say Megatron would rip my wings off? I'd have ripped his spark out before I even let him get close to me..." he said offhand.

Thundercracker simply looked at the young sniper, deep down he sighed internally: this kid just doesn't get it.... At the back of his mind something made him thankful that he had been thrown in the brig, if not for everyone's sake than at least for his own safety. The idea of Majestrix keeping a watchful optic over him couldn't have been the only plausible reason she kept him around for so long. Did this rookie really go on missions at one point? Had he been different once? Disciplined? Restrained? Loyal? And had simply descended into what he was now? As he studied the look on the sniper's face, Thundercracker couldn't help but get the impression that something about him was...troubled; as if his anger was not who he really was, but rather his shield against the world. To speculate that he'd been hurt on a deep level at some point in his past wasn't completely beyond the realm of possibility; in his many years as a seeker Thundercracker had seen some pretty embittered warriors try to take him on: just about all of them relied on their anger to get them through life, and the war as a whole. Anger and bitterness tends to stem from tragedy, and at the back of his mind, he wondered if he (or a seeker just like him) had killed someone he loved at some point long ago.

But seeing as Longrange was in no mood to talk (let alone be open about anything), he didn't say anything, and simply let the silence stretch out between them, before something else came to mind: "...Did you ever think, that one day he'd die?"

"Huh?"

"...Megatron; who he was, what he was...There were some days I used to wake up, stare up at the ceiling of my quarters, and think: this is never going to end, he's never going to end. That's how much he hated everything, everyone... You know? I look back on my old life and wonder if there was anything he ever really wanted out of the war? Besides gaining the Allspark and using its power for his own means; what then?...In the end I don't believe he could live without the war, even if he'd won and gotten his way, he'd long since gone past the point where he couldn't live without it...couldn't live without the bloodshed, the screams, the terror, the fear and the carnage: he came to love it all too much..."

"...Is that why you up and left? You got scared?" the sniper asked dryly

"In part; I had a number of reasons for defecting" the seeker admitted frankly, "But mostly it was because my curiosity got the better of me...More than anything I used to wonder what would it have been like if things had been different? And the more I grew curious the more I pondered it, until eventually I realized everything I believed in as a con was backwards. Living for Megatron's vision was the dream, and life with the bots was the real world..."

"What slag" Longrange scoffed

"Call it what you will, but it's the truth..." Thundercracker stated as he let his gaze drift off into space: "...War is a storm that reaches far and wide: it destroys everything without mercy, and once caught in its fury it'll never let you go. Your only priority then is to stay alive; your only thoughts are to navigate the darkness, traverse through the rain and wind, and pray the lightning doesn't strike you down...It's not until after the storm passes, that you see just how much damage has been done, and what if anything is left to rebuild..." he mused aloud in an emotionless voice, "...By the time the storm left Cybertron, we saw we had nothing left. And even now we're still trying to put it all back together, even though, there's nothing left to fix; but each other..."

"And what chances do we have on this dirt-ball huh?"

"...When something breaks, you can't always put it back together; but it does give you the chance to try something new. Try following the human's example, and move on..." Thundercracker replied

Longrange sat in silence for a long moment; his temper had long since worn off, but his cynicism was still evident: "...We can't move on..." he blurted out, "How can we? After all we've been through, how can we just leave it all behind?"

"That's up to you rookie; as far as I'm concerned this war is over, and if cons like Barricade have got half a processor they'll know it's not worth it to carry on fighting for a lost cause. The future's what we make of it now, and I intend to see it gets a fair deal..."

"Geez," the sniper grimaced: "You're even more full of slag than Prime..." he huffed as he folded his wings back, laid down on his birth and tried to fall into recharge.

"Perhaps, but at least he makes more sense and reason" Thundercracker glanced sideways at him: 'And when you start to get curious, and wanna ask some questions; come talk to me about it...' he thought offhand as he leaned back in his seat, folded his arms, and savored the silence.


A little while later in the rec-room:

"Come on Hails! Glen's putting the DVD in the machine and the popcorn's all popped!" Miles called out

"Coming!-" Hailey called back, "...Now, are you sure you're gonna be okay? She's had her energon, had her bath: she shouldn't be too much of a handful" she gazed up at Jetfire as he leaned down to offer his hand to Jay-jay. The little femme eagerly hopped on and made herself comfortable in his cupped palm.

"Listen, I used to sparkling-sit Bee and Blue when they were her age, it'll be a synch!" the ancient seeker waved off, "And besides, you'll be up on the upper deck..." he gestured to the highest platform on the far-end wall: the one where the human-sized rec-room was situated on, well above the floor to avoid anyone getting accidentally stepped on. "Now go have fun!"

"Thanks Jets, You're the best!" Hailey called as she ran to the stairs and started climbing up to the platform, "Have fun Jay-jay!"

"Bub-buy!" the sparkling squeaked as she waved her stubble little arm. As soon as Hailey was out of earshot, the seeker got back up and wandered over to the other end of the rec-room; sitting the sparkling down on one of the tables, he sat down, placed his cube of energon next to her, and allowed a big grin to spread across his face. "Alright, so what's it gonna be tonight?" he glanced down at her.

"I wanna storwee!" she beamed up at him while rocking back and forth on her aft

"A story eh? Hmmm..." Jetfire thought a moment as he stroked his metal beard, "Storwee! Storwee! Storwee!" the sparkling begged him. "Ah! I know the perfect one..." he smiled as he leaned down, and spoke in a convincing story-teller's voice. "Once upon a time: there were two little turbo-bunnies called Sunny and Sides, and a big 'ol gnarly turbo-vulture caller Screamer! Who wanted to steal they're energon-carrots!..."


Sunny & Sides the turbo-bunnies XDDDDDD I've been waiting weeks for an opportunity to to sneek that in! & no doubt it'll lead to trouble later! XDDDDDD

A/N: Well, Only the Epilogue to go and the story will be complete! :D Hope you've liked this cheaper of the Tomorrow's Forever Coming saga: This was a bitch to put together as the story completely ran away from the original draft; I only got about two pages in when the story took on a life of its own and said "F*** this shit I'm doing things my way!". Despite turning out a far cry from what I originally put together, I glad it came out better than expect :) There were several key issues I wanted to touch upon, such as Shadowstar, Longrange, Eclipse and Velocity (keep your eye on her, she's trouble! & I'm talking bunny boiler trouble D:) and several other items in the plot that help lay the ground-work for the rest of the saga. So all in all this turned out splendidly.

And without giving out to many spoilers, here's what you can look forward to in the next chapter of Tomorrow's Forever Coming: Lemon's & Cherries:

(1) A whole butt-loada new OC's! We get to meet Darren's cousins: Roxy, Allie, Rosy, Jeanie, Lizzy, Violet, Max & Chelsea; and four new femmes: Veebee, Bluebird, Firefly and Tangostar. It's gonna be nuts! XDDDDDD

(2) More bot on con action! Barricade will be making more on an appearance so be sure to get a good ring-side seat XD.

(3) A serial killer, & a pretty hardcore one at that, so if you don't like blood and gore please feel free to skip those chapter (the story will be rated M for good measure)

(4) More mysterious developments, 'naff said!

Let me know what you think! much love sweeties!