I apologize for the absolute lack of activity from me for the past three or so months. I got a job over the summer and school started back up at the beginning of September, so I was fairly busy. Then my laptop (which I had saved all my work on) died on me, and I was foolish enough to not have anything backed up. Excuses aside, I'm trying my hardest to get everything back on track. My beta reader is missing as well, so I hope this chapter isn't to rough to read.
Text in parenthesis is someone speaking over the com link.
All text that is italicized in bulk is a flashback.
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers and don't get anything but personal entertainment from writing this.
Enjoy.
Chapter 11: Luck
Starscream's optics onlined, and he found himself chained up in the middle of a cell. He sat on his knees, his legs shackled at the ankles and his arms chained above him at the wrists. He had enough room to stand, but he didn't have the energy to do it, so he remained on his knees. While this wasn't the first time this had happened, the Seeker didn't recall what could have led up to his capture. The cell he was in didn't resemble that of the Autobots' or Decepticons'. He scowled at the thought of being captured, again. He never allowed his enemies to get close enough to touch him, let alone capture him.
The memories came flooding back. Starscream growled at the thought of Skyfire and whoever had knocked him out from behind- one of his brothers, no doubt. He adjusted his stiff body as best he could, shifting his wings through various motions to relieve the tension he felt in his joints. His movement seemed to catch someone's attention. The figure opened the cell door and approached the kneeling form of Starscream. When the Air Commander realized who it was, he hissed.
"Shootingstar," he spat as if the name were a bad taste in his mouth.
"Now, now, Starscream, no need to act like that," Shootingstar laughed.
"Where are we?" the Decepticon demanded.
"Why New Vos, of course," the purple flier replied.
"You couldn't have transported me somewhere near Cybertron that quickly," Starscream stated.
"Not through normal means, which is why we used our space bridge."
"How did you manage to get a hold of a space bridge?"
"That's no concern of yours."
A silence fell between the brothers. Starscream began running over escape plans, but the highest success rate any of the scenarios yielded was less than ten percent. The Air Commander frowned deeply and began thinking things through carefully. Shootingstar watched his brother curiously.
"You're awfully silent, Starscream," the purple Seeker teased.
"Oh, my apologies, Shootingstar, was I not paying enough attention to you?" Starscream mocked.
"Why do you always have to be so difficult?"
"This time it might have something to do with the fact that you've abducted me. I'd say that gives me ground to be difficult," Starscream sneered.
"It's your own fault. If you had just joined Suncaller like the rest of us, things would be different. We wouldn't have had to drag you here," Shootingstar replied evenly.
"Why did you join him?" Starscream asked. His bother contemplated answering for a moment.
"If I hadn't, I'd probably be in the same situation as you, and unlike you, I chose the easier path. It's useless to fight it, Starscream. Suncaller is too powerful and you know that at the very least, Sunchaser and Solarwind are so loyal that they would shoot themselves if he commanded it. He is giving me power and freedom from the war. What other reasons should I have?" Shootingstar said, the look in his optics betraying his true feelings on the matter. Starscream took note of his brother's reluctant optics but didn't press the issue further. Instead, he changed the subject.
"Are you bonded?" the Air Commander asked softly.
"No, Suncaller has yet to approve of a bondmate for me," was the answer her received. Starscream frowned.
"You're still in love with the groundling, Slipstream, aren't you?" the bound flier asked. Shootingstar attempted to hide his discomfort at being asked such a question, but Starscream could see it clearly. After a minute, the older Seeker responded.
"Don't presume to judge me, Starscream," Shootingstar growled, "I saw the way your commander held you and the way you looked at him."
"I wasn't judging you. I was merely sympathizing," the red and blue jet-former said simply.
"You? Sympathize? Don't make me laugh. You say that only because you want something from me," the purple flier accused. He stared for a moment longer before leaving the cell in a poorly masked rush. Starscream smirked. He had his brother right where he wanted him.
Megatron finished his conversation with Shockwave fairly quickly. When he turned to address the three other mechs in the Control Room, he caught sight of Thundercracker attempting to patch a more severe wound of Skywarp's. He sighed.
"Go see Hook for repairs. As soon as you're finished, report back here," he ordered.
"As you command, Lord Megatron," the three mechs replied together and immediately left the room.
Soundwave was the first to return to his leader, having avoided the laser fire rained downed by Starscream's family. He stood quietly in the Control Room, noting that Megatron had calmed down substantially. He knew his leader was attempting to come up with the best way to rescue the Air Commander. The gun-former turned and stared the tape-deck down, and Soundwave knew it was because he had just been noticed by the silver mech.
"Where are the others?" Megatron snapped. Soundwave knew he already knew the answer but indulged him anyway.
"Thundercracker and Skywarp: More gravely injured and in need of lengthier repairs," he said calmly. Megatron grunted in response and turned his back on the Communications Officer.
When the two Seekers finally made their appearance, Megatron wheeled around and set his deadly gaze upon them. With his hands clasped behind his back, he approached the three mechs.
"We are going to find Starscream. Suncaller stupidly admitted to taking refuge on a world near Cybertron. Shockwave has confirmed this claim. As you'll recall, Soundwave," the gun-former looked to the mech in question while the two Seekers waited to be filled in, "Shockwave spoke with us not too many weeks ago about increased activity on Cybertron, activity revolving around the remaining Seekers. Even the Rainmakers agreed that the behavior was odd. Suncaller has obviously been planning to make a move for a while, so we must be prepared for what he might have in store."
"Wait, Shockwave called to report weird Seeker behavior, and you didn't tell any of the Seekers?" Skywarp shot, dumbfounded. Megatron glared at the teleport.
"And why should I be responsible for letting you know about the happenings of the Seekers on Cybertron?" Megatron snapped. Skywarp gave his leader a look that said "Because I'm a Seeker, of course," but before the teleport could open his mouth to voice that concern, Thundercracker stepped forward after nudging his bondmate.
The stoic mech clarified, "What Skywarp means, Lord Megatron, is that had we known, we might have been able to use the other Seekers to find out what exactly Suncaller was up to before he and his family even came to Earth."
Megatron stood silent for a moment. Soundwave braced for the anger he knew was seconds away from being unleashed. Thundercracker seemed to sense the impending danger. He took a step back and felt Skywarp's hand come to his wing.
"Are you implying that Starscream's capture was somehow my fault?" the tyrant roared.
"Of course not, Lord Megatron!" Thundercracker assured, "It's just that before the war really took off, we were allowed to contact the other Seeker forces who were on the other side of the planet or on our moons, which gave us aerial coordination and knowledge of any strange happenings in time to give us an advantage. All I am saying is that we lost that advantage."
"Of course we lost the advantage! Not only was Suncaller worlds away, but he is a Seeker. The leader of all you Seekers, at that! Surely any information the others gathered could already be compromised. The others themselves could be compromised!" Megatron argued.
"Sunstorm, compromised? Or Acid Storm? Doubtful," Skywarp laughed, "They know better than to cross Starscream."
Megatron's gaze narrowed at the teleport, "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, Starscream was pretty much set up to become Grand Seeker when the war ended since his family is dead and all, so they knew they'd have to follow him where ever he decided to go. Why do you think they all joined the Decepticons? They wouldn't betray him," Skywarp explained.
"You forget one fact, Skywarp. Suncaller is not dead, and neither are his sons, all of whom are older than Starscream. They have no reason to continue to give Starscream their loyalty. In fact, all Seekers should be considered compromised if you are all so adamant about following your Grand Seeker!"
Skywarp took a step back in shock. Him? Compromised? Never. Thundercracker shifted uncomfortably.
"Suncaller is dead. I saw his corpse with Starscream. We confirmed his death. That mech parading around as Suncaller is an imposter, along with Starscream's brothers. There is no other explanation. And as a reminder, my Lord, Skywarp and I joined the Decepticons before Starscream. Our loyalty should not be coming into question here," Thundercracker protested.
"Two of Starscream's brothers are unaccounted for in that story. For all you know, they may have placed decoy bodies outside the palace to make everyone believe their family had died in the attack. In fact, the two of you could have been in on it. How am I supposed to know the truth?"
"With all due respect, Lord Megatron, you're being ridiculous! Thundercracker and I have never shown you disrespect! We followed all of your orders without fail, even at the cost of our companionship with our trine leader, which, I'll have you know, is a great offense! If we did that while Vos still stood, we'd be put to death!" Skywarp said desperately. Megatron faltered a bit at the last bit of Skywarp's plea. Not only that, but Skywarp of all mechs called him out on being ridiculous.
"If it is our loyalty you question, have Soundwave look into our minds. I don't have anything to hide," Thundercracker offered. Megatron sighed in frustration. He felt as though he had wasted precious time arguing with his most loyal followers.
"No, that won't be necessary," Megatron said, his voice much calmer, "Soundwave would have interrupted at any time if you two had been lying."
Thundercracker frowned at his leader's weak save, but he knew Megatron would never apologize for his actions. Skywarp's hand came back to his bondmate's wing and he traced small, comforting patterns along the metal. Given the way the two Seekers stood, Megatron wouldn't be able to see what the teleport was doing. A heavy silence hung in the air. Skywarp and Thundercracker were too frightened to say anything and make matters worse, Soundwave didn't have anything to say, and Megatron tried to think of how to word his next concern without allowing anymore emotion to leak through.
"Our only option now is to travel to Cybertron and find out which world Suncaller hides on," the gun-former finally said, "We will have to use the space bridge to get there. I want the Constructions to get to work immediately on making the necessary arrangements."
Megatron paused for a moment to allow the others a chance to disagree. They didn't. He directed his attention back to Thundercracker and Skywarp.
"While I would prefer to leave you two here to watch over the base, it is important for me to bring fliers. All the fliers in the base will go and you two will command them jointly since you practically share a processor. Soundwave, it is imperative that you come along as well. Astrotrain and Blitzwing must be there too. Hook will come as our medic but the other Constructicons need to stay to ensure the base is guarded. They wouldn't dream of trying anything funny when one of their gestalt members is with us. Everyone else will remain here," Megatron's tone became more serious as he continued, "Thundercracker, Skywarp, you two are officially my joint Fourth in Command, acting as Third in Command and Air Commander in Starscream's absence, while you, Soundwave, are now my acting Second in Command. Our priority remains Starscream's rescue, regardless of what may happen there. I expect you to keep the mechs on track. Inform the others of our departure. Once on Cybertron, we will meet with Shockwave and work out a more specific plan. Dismissed," the Decepticon Commander said, shooing them away quickly so he could brood.
Starscream had been alone in his cell for a while and grew more disheartened as time went by. Megatron had promised his safety, yet there he was, on his knees in a dirty, cramped cell. Would Megatron even come for him? He knew he couldn't count on it. He would have to find a way out on his own before Skyfire tried to operate on him again or bond with him. Footsteps snapped him out of his thoughts. The flier groaned once he recognized who it was. Skyfire stepped inside and approached the captive.
"Here we are again. You have a bad habit of getting captured, Starscream. That's good for me, though. Unfortunately, I won't be able to work on you until after I let Suncaller know I need a few more tools. I left my kit in the Autobot base in my rush to leave, and it seems I forgot a few things. But it doesn't seem like you'll be going anywhere anytime soon, and I've waited this long already. A few more hours won't hurt," Skyfire smiled.
"I hope you remember what happened last time you tried that," Starscream warned.
"Yes, it seems you've grown attached to Megatron for some reason. He's no good for you. It's okay, though, because now I expect it. You won't be surprising me with that again. And when I fix you, you won't ever think about Megatron again," the shuttle-former replied. The Air Commander growled lowly.
"What happened to you, Skyfire? You've gone completely insane! You've changed so much," the restrained flier hissed.
"And so have you. You used to be so kind and friendly, but then you joined the Decepticons and became a ruthless, double-crossing murderer. And it's all Megatron's fault! I'm just going to change you back to the way you were," Skyfire said.
"Kind and friendly? I have never been that way," Starscream spat angrily. The shuttle-former frowned.
"I'll make you love me, I promise you that," he vowed before he walked up to the Decepticon slowly, pacing around until he stood behind the Seeker. Starscream grew nervous. Skyfire's hands rested on his wings, and the Air Commander jerked in panic.
"Don't you touch me, Skyfire!" he shouted, the panic obvious in his voice.
"I don't want to hurt you, Starscream," the shuttle-former said sweetly. He ran the tips of his fingers along the length of his captive's wings. Starscream couldn't suppress the pleasant shudder that racked his body.
"See, I just want to show you how much I care," Skyfire assured.
"No! Get your hands off me!" the Decepticon demanded. He resorted to an age old tactic in hopes of coercing Skyfire back into his line of sight.
"Sky, please don't," he begged, using his old nickname for the shuttle-former. The hands left his wings and Starscream was released from his tormentor's hold. The Autobot returned to Starscream's front, a gentle smile on his face. He placed a hand on the smaller flier's canopy lightly. The Seeker tried to still himself to keep the larger mech from returned to his place behind him. Skyfire leaned in, hoping to kiss his captive, and Starscream didn't hesitate to act. When Skyfire drew near, Starscream reared back briefly before swinging his head forward, striking Skyfire in the nose with his helm. The shuttle-former tumbled backward, holding his face in his hands.
"I can see that you refuse to make this easy on yourself. You always were stubborn, though. I'll just have to wait until you've been fixed to take you as mine. I'll be back soon enough," he declared before making a hasty exit to clean his faceplate. The jet-former relaxed a little, but the sound of more footsteps had him tensing once more. The cell door opened and a kinder mech stepped in. Skyshot approached him with a few Energon cubes in hand, and after a reasonable pause, he spoke.
"Hello, Starscream," the mech smiled. Starscream wasted no time.
"Skyshot. How did you escape the palace? You know, during the Riots of Vos. The riots you died in," the Air Commander asked.
"Died? Starscream, that's impossible. If I had died, I wouldn't be here right now. Did you hit your head? I hope Shootingstar wasn't too rough with you," Skyshot said, only concern in his voice. Starscream fought the smile that tried to rise to his lips. Skyshot had always had a calming effect on him, something he desperately tried to ignore.
"I saw your corpse, Skyshot. How do you explain that?" Starscream asked snidely.
"You must realize that many of us Seekers look alike. You could have seen anyone."
"I've never met another Seeker with wings like yours, Skyshot. In fact, Jetstream used to dote over you and how unique that wingspan of yours is," Starscream countered.
"I'm sorry, Starscream, I truly am, but I am not dead. I assumed that would be apparent to you, since I'm standing here in front of you."
"The fact that you're standing here now doesn't mean that it wasn't your corpse that I saw at the palace."
"I don't know what else it could mean."
Starscream narrowed his gaze at his brother, "What did you come here for?"
Skyshot jerked and lowered his helm in embarrassment.
"It is my duty to make sure you're fed properly during your stay here."
"You mean my imprisonment?"
"Starscream, please. I am not your enemy. We're brothers. Now, I'm not supposed to release you, but you need fuel and it would be most disgraceful if I fed it to you by hand," the yellow-green mech smiled. Starscream forced a smile of his own. The stasis cuffs restraining Starscream's wrists were released, and an Energon cube was pushed into the skeptical flier's hands.
"Please drink it. It isn't poisoned, if that's what you're worried about," Skyshot sighed after a few moments of inactivity from his brother.
"Prove it. Drink some."
"The Decepticons have forced you into a state of paranoia, it seems," Skyshot mumbled sadly but took the cube and drank from it nonetheless. Satisfied, Starscream took the cube back and drank the remaining Energon greedily. He tossed the cube aside shortly after and stared at his brother in deep concentration.
"If you aren't my enemy, then tell me something," Starscream began suddenly, "Why did you join Suncaller?"
"What choice did I have? Had I not joined, he would have forced me. He is stronger than me, and he is my creator. I envy you, Starscream. You have the courage to oppose him, but I do not. Perhaps it is because you have nothing at stake here," Skyshot trailed off sadly.
"I have more at stake than you think," the Air Commander said solemnly. Skyshot gave him a weak smile before turning away to retrieve the discarded cube, intending to leave.
"Tell him I was already free and jumped you," Starscream said softly. Before Skyshot had a chance to figure out what he meant, the Air Commander brought his fists down on top of his brother's helm, effectively knocking him unconscious. The Decepticon grabbed his patented Null Rays from his brother's arms and used them to disable the stasis cuffs around his ankles. When his gaze returned to Skyshot, he sighed. With another quick two shots, he hit the stasis cuffs that would have held his wrists. It had to look like he had managed to break out of his restraints. He took a moment to mount the weapons on his arms before sneaking out of the cell and searching for an exit.
As the departure time neared, Megatron steeled himself. He was the commander of an entire army and couldn't be seen brooding over one soldier. Of course, he was going out of his way to rescue said soldier under the guise of stopping the supposedly dead Suncaller from interfering with Decepticon plans, but he could at least do it with some sense of dignity. The gun-former rose from his throne and made his way to the exit. His troops were waiting anxiously for him when he arrived. Soundwave approached him to report.
"Decepticons: Prepared to move out on your command," the tape-deck informed. Megatron nodded.
"Decepticons, move out!" Megatron ordered. Everyone quickly obeyed, taking to the sky in a matter of seconds.
Optimus Prime stared at the Autobots chosen for the impromptu meeting he was about to begin. Prowl, Jazz, Ironhide, Red Alert, and Ratchet sat across from him in the Command Center, waiting to hear what their commander had to say.
"As you all know, Starscream has been kidnapped by Skyfire and other unidentified mechs," Optimus began, "We can't have one of our own going around committing such acts. We need to find Skyfire and put a stop to this reckless behavior of his. According to Red Alert, the Decepticons have been working on their space bridge again. That can only mean that they intend to travel to Cybertron to find Starscream and his captors, which includes Skyfire. We have no choice but to follow them."
"But Optimus, how do we know this ain't some Decepticon trick?" Ironhide asked.
"Ironhide, I know it might seem strange, but on the battlefield I could tell that Megatron desperately wanted to get Starscream back. I've never seen him so wounded, even after all the years I've fought him," the leader replied.
"Surely we should be taking advantage of this moment of weakness, if that's the case," Prowl interjected.
"I know you have the Autobots' best interest at spark, Prowl, but there is still the issue of Skyfire running around, possibly wreaking havoc. We need to find Skyfire before the Decepticons do, and before he does anything else he would regret later," Optimus replied.
"What if Skyfire's rejoining the 'cons?" Ironhide demanded.
"I understand you concern, but Skyfire has been a loyal to the Autobot cause since he was awakened. If you'll recall, he only fell in with the Decepticons because of his past with Starscream. He was quick to see that the Decepticon ways weren't right, and defected within the day. That is why we will give him the benefit of the doubt and hear him out."
"We must find him before the Decepticons, then. Their rush to save Starscream showed just how displeased they were that he was captured by us in the first place. They'll certainly want revenge. Not to mention Megatron's promise to punish Skyfire," Prowl mused.
"Then we must act quickly. The Decepticons are headed for Cybertron, and so are we. Red Alert, you've been monitoring their activity, correct?" Optimus asked his Security Officer.
"Yes, sir. They're finished constructing the space bridge, and a small detachment is en route as we speak," Red Alert replied as he nervously shifted his gaze around the room.
"We must assemble our own team and head to Cybertron as well. Prowl, Jazz, and Red Alert: Assemble a team to send based on the mech Megatron is taking with him. I'm going to contact Elita One to coordinate our eventual arrival on Cybertron."
Optimus received a slew of affirmatives as he turned to contact Elita. Prowl, Jazz, and Red Alert immediately huddled together, discussing the best mechs for the mission at hand. During the discussion, Prowl stopped mid-sentence and turned to his leader as a thought occurred to him.
"Sir, we don't possess a space bridge. How will we be traveling to Cybertron? I can't imagine that Wheeljack has enough time to properly construct one given that we wish to arrive on Cybertron as close to Megatron's arrival time as possible," the tactician frowned.
Optimus excused himself from his conversation with Elita to address his Second, "We're just going to have to wait for Wheeljack to sort it out. He's already been informed of the task at hand, and he and his team are hard at work."
"I got an idea," Jazz said, "How about we just use the 'cons' space bridge. It's already built. We'll just have to supply the energy and coordinates."
"Well, they don't have any guards posted on site, but it could be a trap. They could want us to try to follow them," Red Alert countered.
"That's messy, even for Megatron. What if it is a trap?" Prowl asked. Red Alert gave him an appreciative nod.
"It's a risk our time restraint forces us to take. If Megatron finds Skyfire before we do…I don't even want to consider what may happen to him," Optimus shook his head. His words left a feeling of dread hanging in the air, but it quickly gave way to determination as everyone continued their planning at an increased pace.
Megatron and his team arrived at the space bridge as fast as they could manage. Wasting no time, the proper coordinates were keyed in and the small group of mechs was ready to depart. Over a private com link, Ramjet spoke to Dirge.
"Do you see how blinded Megatron is by his desire to rescue Starscream? I don't know about you, but I'd rather not die for that fool," Ramjet said quietly, standing far enough away from the others to go unnoticed yet remain inconspicuous as they waiting for the space bridge to power up.
(Die?) Dirge balked.
"Yes, Dirge, die. This mission is suicide, especially since we're crossing Grand Seeker Suncaller. However, if you agree to help me, I can make sure you don't end up dying like Megatron will," the white flier smiled wickedly. Dirge caught his trine leader's gaze and nodded in agreement.
The space bridge came up to proper power and the Decepticons stepped through.
Mechs chosen, Prowl reported to Optimus with the details. The truck-former looked at the data pad his Second handed him and frowned.
"Is it wise to take so many officers, Prowl?" Optimus questioned.
"Megatron is bringing his top officers and all his flight capable soldiers. We must be prepared to combat them if such a need arises. We're leaving the base in capable hands, though," Prowl assured calmly.
"Gather our team, then. I'd like to leave as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir."
In a short period of time, all required mechs stood anxiously in the Command Center. Optimus gazed at each one briefly- Prowl, Jazz, Ironhide, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Ratchet, and all of the Aerialbots. With one final nod to those remaining on Earth, Optimus and his team transformed and sped away to the site of the Decepticons' space bridge.
Scouting ahead, the Aerialbots reported no Decepticon activity, which set everyone on edge. Would the Decepticons really leave such a device unguarded? Was Megatron in that much of a hurry to rescue Starscream?
When they arrived, the landscape was completely devoid of Decepticons.
"This is unsettling," Prowl whispered. Optimus had to agree.
"We might as well take advantage of it, though," Jazz said, stepping forward to enter the proper coordinates. After a quiet moment of waiting, the space bridge came to life. The Autobot team stood in tense silence, convinced it was a Decepticon trick.
"The energy readouts are nominal. Everything appears normal," Prowl said finally, surprised by his own words.
"That's the problem. This seems too easy," Ironhide grumbled.
"Better not jinx it, then," Jazz laughed, stepping toward the space bridge.
"Jazz, wait! We don't kno-,"
"Come on, Prowl. Don't worry. The readings are nominal. You said so yourself," the saboteur interrupted. Prowl rushed up to his side.
"We go together, then," he whispered. Jazz smiled and the two continued forward. The others followed suit, slowly and with cables tensed in worry. There was a blinding flash of light…and then they were on Cybertron, in the base of the remaining Autobot femmes, exactly where they intended to go.
"I can't believe that was so easy. The 'cons are getting sloppy," Ratchet chuckled.
"Thank Primus," Silverbolt sighed.
"Optimus!" a voice cried. Optimus turned to see Elita One rushing toward him. He caught her in a brief hug.
"Elita, it's been far too long," Optimus rumbled.
"Yes it has," she sighed.
"Where are the others?"
"Firestar is tending to Chromia's most recent injury- she's fine, Ironhide- and Moonracer is up top manning one of the turrets. She's on guard duty. You all make yourselves comfortable- stay out of the Med Bay, Ironhide- I need to go speak with Moonracer. I haven't had the chance to speak with her about this most recent development," Elita said before waving and disappearing down an adjacent hall. The base they stood in wasn't the largest, and the Aerialbots were already shifting about nervously.
Starscream crept around the building stealthily, trying to get a bearing on his surroundings. He committed every square inch of the building he passed through to memory. So far, it resembled the palace of the Grand Seeker from the original Vos. Starscream scoffed inwardly. Of course Suncaller would recreate the building. The structure itself had wide hallways with high ceilings, clearly intended for fliers. It was all smooth and streamline metal that formed the building with old Seeker adages engraved along the walls every so often. The sight sickened the Decepticon. He reached an intersection and was about to turn right when the sound of voices stopped him. It was Suncaller.
"Nightwing, use the space bridge to travel to Cybertron. Skyfire has requested tools that we don't possess to aide in his construction of my new weapon and his reprogramming of Starscream. Here is a list of what he needs. I expect you back quickly," the Grand Seeker ordered.
"Of course. I will be back so quickly that you-," Suncaller growled.
"Just go, Nightwing," he shouted angrily, clearly annoyed with his son's ever present showiness. Starscream smirked. Suncaller had no idea how perfectly he had set up his captive's escape. He pressed himself up against one of the high, arching walls as well as he could, completely hidden in shadow. He offlined his optics and carefully tuned his audio receptors. Heavy footsteps were getting louder, and therefore closer, to his hallway: Suncaller. The lighter set of footsteps grew softer down the right hall: Nightwing. Suncaller passed the hidden form of Starscream, not even noticing the flier. When the footsteps were a good distance away, Starscream onlined his optics and rushed after Nightwing as quickly and quietly as he could. He kept his brother in sight but stayed as far back as he could. A couple more times he was forced to hide as other fliers passed. After a few more minutes of pursuit, Nightwing's footsteps ceased. He stood in a large room with computers lining the wall. In the center of the room was the space bridge. Nightwing sauntered over to the control panel, keying in the coordinates he needed. Starscream inched closer, ready to make a break for the convenient exit. When Nightwing stopped typing and looked up, Starscream made his move. He transformed and kicked on his thrusters, zooming past Nightwing and getting sent through the space bridge. Nightwing stared for a moment, dumbfounded. He snapped out of it quickly. Before pursuing Starscream, he sent a message to Shootingstar: "Starscream has escaped through the space bridge, and I'm hot on his trail."
He did as the message promised and was sucked away by the space bridge. He looked up and saw Starscream tearing through the sky. He transformed and quickly gave chase, but the younger Seeker didn't seem too concerned with him. When he got closer, Nightwing began yelling.
"You won't make it far, Starscream! The others know you've escaped now and they'll be after you soon." The red and blue flier didn't respond. Nightwing growled and fired at the Decepticon. One shot grazed Starscream's left wing, peeling away the paint. The Air Commander swooped low and landed, transforming to his bipedal mode. Nightwing took the hint and followed suit.
"So, Starscream, do you give up?" the blue flier asked.
"You're crazy if you think I'm surrendering to you," Starscream frowned. Nightwing leveled his weapon.
"Brother, I figured you and I of all mechs would stick together. After all, we are the best looking. I would hate to have to ruin that for you," Nightwing said with faked sorrow.
"You are second rate compared to me, Nightwing," Starscream sneered before firing. Nightwing dodged. He rolled toward Starscream and struck his younger brother in the face hard. Starscream tumbled back in surprise, having forgotten how agile Nightwing was. The blue flier didn't stop his assault. He attacked Starscream fiercely, his playful demeanor replaced with the seriousness of battle. The Decepticon received a few more fierce hits before fully regaining himself and fighting back. The brothers exchanged blows, moving with great speed. Starscream started gaining ground over Nightwing and smirked. In mid-swing, the Air Commander was tackled away from his blue brother. When he came to stop, Starscream realized his attacker was Shootingstar. He growled and pushed himself off the ground. Nightwing was smirking.
"So nice of you to join us, Shootingstar. I take it the others are on their way?" Nightwing mused.
"No, Nightwing. I wanted to finish Starscream myself, so stand aside," Shootingstar hissed.
"What? You idiot! You were supposed to tell the others what was going on! That's why I messaged you!" the blue Seeker shouted.
"I came out here because I knew you wouldn't be able to beat Starscream, but I can!"
"I was doing fine!"
"He was beating you!"
"No he wasn't!"
"Yes he was!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
The sound of thrusters silenced the arguing brothers. Starscream blasted off into the sky. Nightwing frowned.
"This is your fault," the blue Seeker pouted before transforming and flying after the escapee. Shootingstar transformed as well and quickly tore through the sky.
"We'll see who the fastest flier of Vos really is, Starscream," he yelled, quickly catching up with Nightwing. He passed his older brother and sped up further.
"I hope you can go faster than that, Starscream!" he shouted ahead. The Air Commander picked up the pace, rapidly increasing the distance between himself and Shootingstar. The purple flier shouted a few Cybertronian obscenities. He brought his thrusters to full power. Starscream allowed his brother to get close, and just as Shootingstar began to brag about being so fast, the red and blue Seeker sped away, leaving Shootingstar completely dumbfounded. Where had that extra speed come from? He continued his chase and opened fire. A few shots grazed the Decepticon but failed to knock him from the sky.
Elita One walked through her base, heading to the guard at which Moonracer was stationed at a quick pace. When she finally reached the top of the tower, she found Moonracer clearly aiming at something.
"Moonracer, what is it?" Elita One asked.
"There are two Seekers up there! One's a Decepticon, and I think it's Starscream!" Moonracer yelled excitedly. She fire off a few shots.
"Moonracer, no! Don't shoot at Starscream!" the female Autobot Commander cried. The younger femme looked at her commander.
"But he's a Decepticon!" she yelled, turning back to her work. She fired again and one of her shots hit Starscream's right wing, punching a hole through the appendage and sending him spiraling to the ground.
"No! Fire at the one following him! That's an order, Moonracer!" the pink femme yelled. Moonracer obliged but only managed to rout Shootingstar with her shots. Elita One ran from the guard tower, yelling for the younger femme to follow. She called for Optimus, who grabbed Jazz and Ironhide before following Elita and Moonracer out of the base.
"What's going on?" Jazz asked as they sped down the road.
"Moonracer caught sight of Starscream and some other mech flying around our base. She shot Starscream down and scared the other one off," Elita replied.
"We should hurry. If the Decepticons are close, they'll have heard the shots," Optimus warned.
"Shockwave and his drones don't frequent this area. We should be alright," Elita said.
"We shouldn't take any chances, regardless," Optimus warned as he sped up. The others followed suit.
Starscream plummeted to the ground, transforming to his bipedal mode to tumble and avoid the greater damage he would certainly receive if he stayed a jet. He hit the ground hard enough to get knocked into stasis lock. His body rolled and bounced a few more feet before coming to a stop. The Autobots arrived on the scene shortly after.
"Ironhide, transform and load Starscream into my trailer," Optimus ordered. Ironhide complied. After a few minutes, the Autobots were speeding back to the femmes' base. Along the way, Moonracer spoke.
"Elita One, why are we rescuing a Decepticon?" the curious young femme asked. Elita sighed and began relaying the story Optimus told her.
"The Decepticons are here to rescue Starscream. Optimus and his team are here to find Skyfire and solve the mystery of Starscream's kidnappers. They're worried that the Decepticons might find Skyfire first, though, so if we have Starscream and the Decepticons get hold of Skyfire, we could trade them. It's a way to try to assure Skyfire's safety."
"Oh. Well, who was the other Seeker following Starscream, then?" Moonracer asked.
"We aren't sure. He was the one who knocked Starscream out during a fight we were having with the Decepticons on Earth, though. He and some other Seekers showed up out of nowhere to snatch him and run," Jazz answered. The Autobots fell silent the rest of the way back to base.
Suncaller stood before his sons, anger plastered on his faceplate.
"How could you let him escape!" the Grand Seeker shouted, not even looking at Skyshot but instead eying Nightwing carefully.
"How could you not notice him following you?" he asked.
"I was under the impression that he was properly restrained, and there were others roaming the halls. I just assumed any footsteps I heard belonged to the others in the palace," Nightwing said, glaring accusingly at Skyshot.
"Why didn't you inform me of his escape?" the Grand Seeker questioned.
"I told Shootingstar that Starscream had escaped and then I chased after Starscream. Shootingstar just followed me so he could steal the glory instead of informing you of Starscream's escape like he was supposed to," Nightwing replied angrily. Suncaller's gaze shifted.
"Explain yourself, Shootingstar," he commanded.
"I knew that Nightwing couldn't handle Starscream on his own, so I went to help him. I had Starscream in my sights, but some femme with a turret starting shooting me. She was definitely an Autobot. I think they want Starscream for themselves," Shootingstar declared.
"Where was this femme?" Suncaller growled.
"I'll show you," Shootingstar answered.