Chapter 21
Disclaimer: We do not own Transformers Prime or its canon characters. We do however own our OCs. Blondie-moyashi owns Skye Shelsher and I own Darkstorm, Skybreak, Drift, Shiv, and Jolt.
"I have decoded another set of coordinates. Bumblebee, Skybreak, Arcee, and Drift, prepare to roll out," Optimus ordered.
Smokescreen looked about ready to volunteer before Optimus answered his silent query. "In case Megatron deins to retrieve the key himself once more, I wish to only place Autobots on the mission that I know are. . . experienced."
"Yes. . . Optimus," Smokescreen vented.
The selected team went through the ground bridge and the portal soon closed. Smokescreen vented once more before coming to rest where Skye and the others were.
She smiled up at him, albeit weakly. "He only means to protect you, not demean you."
"Yeah. . . Optimus does know what he's doing, after all," Smokescreen cheered up, if only slightly.
"Well I know I'm certainly glad to have you back." Her smile widened as she finished.
"It's good to be back," Smokescreen smiled. "I'm just sorry I made you worry. . ."
She smirked. "Do it again and you're a goner. But I'm just happy you're safe."
"W-Well, thanks," he rubbed the back of his helm sheepishly.
Miko, meanwhile, watched the exchange and smirked widely. Jack shot her a warning look and Raf simply smiled.
"Umm, Smokescreen? You want to watch the movie with us?" Raf asked.
"Sure," Smokescreen grinned and activated his holoform. He walked up the stairs and sat on the couch next to Skye. "What're we watching?"
"Kung Fu Panda from the looks of it," Jack leaned back before muttering. "At least it isn't another Friday the 13th marathon."
"I heard that!" Miko yelled before grinning and turning to Skye and Smokescreen. "But. . . now that I think about, shouldn't we watch a romantic comedy?"
Skye blushed heavily. "W-Why?"
"Oh, I just thought it would be fun," Miko said innocently before smirking. "And it could set the mood-"
"Okay," Jack interrupted. "What Miko is trying to say is that this movie is fine."
Smokescreen, being totally oblivious, raised an eyebrow at Miko before turning to Skye. "Are you okay?"
"Of course." Her wide-eyed gaze shifted from Smokescreen to the TV. She leaned towards Jack. "Thanks for the save."
"Don't mention it," Jack whispered before glaring at Miko. She simply stuck her tongue out at the boy and turned her attention back to the movie.
The movie was soon over and the others had returned, without the key. Darkstorm and Ratchet immediately rushed to see that they were properly repaired.
"Was Megatron there with them, Brother?" Darkstorm asked once he had explained what happened.
"No," Skybreak shook his helm with a smirk. "He's just as predictable as ever. He'll gain one victory and then spent the rest of the time gloating about it while he sends his lackies to do his dirty work." He yelped as Darkstorm saw to a particularly deep wound on one of his wing tips.
"Hold still!" she scolded.
Optimus turned the others once he finished decoding yet another set of coordinates and, knowing that it was unlikely that Megatron would attempt to interfere, he silently made up his processor. "Smokescreen, Bulkhead, and Shiv, you will attempt to retrieve the other key while Ratchet and Darkstorm see to the others."
"Make sure you keep on eye on 'destiny's child', okay?" Arcee asked as Bulkhead passed by.
"Compared to watching Miko? Piece of cake," Bulkhead replied.
"You come back, alright Smokescreen?" Skye asked.
"Will do, Skye," Smokescreen grinned and saluted.
The team went through the ground bridge as Darkstorm and Ratchet continued to work on the others' injuries. The base was mainly quiet except for the buzz of the television, occasional whirr of a welder, or tapping keys.
Suddenly, the silence was broken. "Aow! Slaggit, 'Storm. Are you trying to terminate me?!"
A clang could be heard as Ratchet got out his wrench and hit Skybreak in the helm with it. "Be quiet and stop whining like a sparkling. I can't work in these conditions!"
"One of these days, old timer," Skybreak growled as Darkstorm held him back. "One of these days. . ."
Smokescreen and Bulkhead returned without a key. Bulkhead's helm was turned towards the rookie and he seemed like he was trying to calm him down, but Smokescreen would have none of it.
"I was so close to getting the key. . . and I let some 'Con sneak up behind me," Smokescreen vented. "Some great warrior I've turned out to be."
"Look, Smokescreen I understand that you want to be a great warrior. . . and I sincerely hope you do, but this isn't all about you. This is a team and it's about time you started acting like it," Arcee interrupted.
Smokescreen was silent for a moment as the weight of Arcee's words hit him. "You know what? Maybe I'm just not good enough!" he retorted as he transformed and sped away.
"Smokescreen!" Skye yelled but to no avail. The girl gazed after the rookie sadly before sighing and looking downwards.
"I am sure he will come back, Ski'ri. He just. . . needs some time to think," Darkstorm encouraged softly.
Skye looked at her guardian pleadingly. "Can we go after him? Please? After earlier . . . I'm just worried about him."
Darkstorm, knowing exactly how it can feel when a loved one is in danger, nodded and looked at Ratchet for permission.
"I have everything covered here," he nodded. "Go."
Darkstorm gently picked up Skye and began to run towards the exit. Once she reached the threshold, she transformed with Skye safely inside her cockpit and zoomed upwards. "Smokescreen? This is Darkstorm. Please transmit your position. . . Skye is. . . becoming worried," she commed but no one answered. "Smokescreen? Can you hear me? Please answer." Still, nothing. "He must have deactivated his comm link."
Skye leaned her head against the headrest, mildly sighing. "I don't have the best feeling about this, Dar'sain. And I don't mean us leaving base."
"I believe I feel the same. He is a good mech. . . but I fear for him," Darkstorm replied before receiving a comm from the Autobot base. "Yes? Have you found him?"
"No, we were about to ask you the same question," Ratchet said.
"Darkstorm, I cannot stress the importance of locating Smokescreen for he holds the final Omega Key," Optimus informed.
"What? . . . If he had the key, then why hasn't he told us?"
"He has had no previous knowledge of this. Before the Decepticon attack on the Iacon Hall of Records, Alpha Trion must have placed the last Omega Key inside of him. . . and I fear the Decepticons have discovered this, as well."
"We will try our best to find him, Optimus," Darkstorm said.
"I have sent the others after you. Report back if you have any news," Optimus ordered before terminating the comm link.
Darkstorm increased her speed. "What an unfortunate turn of events. . ."
Skye placed a hand over her mouth out of shock. "We have to find him, Darkstorm!"
"And we shall, Ski'ri. I will not allow the Decepticons to take him, especially with their methods of extracting information," Darkstorm surveyed the ground as well as Skye as their frantically searched for the missing 'bot.
After several long, tense minutes, they found him. He lay on the ground unconscious as Soundwave approached. The mech began dragging the young Autobot towards an open ground bridge as Darkstorm quickly descended.
"No!" Skye placed her hands on the glass of the cockpit. "Leave him alone, 'Con scum!" Her voice cracked as she yelled.
Darkstorm transformed and, after placing Skye safely on the ground, activated her weapon systems. "Soundwave, leave him be!" She was thrown backwards as the mech turned and hit her with his resonance blaster. Darkstorm shakily got up and moved to run again, but it was too late. The ground bridge had already closed.
Skye fell to her knees, unable to run. "No!" She placed her hands under herself as she leaned forward.
"Optimus. . . We. . . We were too late," Darkstorm commed the base softly. "Yes. . . right away." Darkstorm slowly walked towards her charge. "Ski'ri. . . we must return to the base."
At first Skye didn't move, but a few seconds later shakily stood, not saying anything as she did so. Darkstorm frowned and transformed, opening the entrance to her cockpit. Skye was still silent as she stepped inside. Darkstorm began to pilot back to the base.
"Ski'ri. . . I know you are upset, but we shall do everything in our power to find him," Darkstorm whispered.
"What if it's beyond our power?"
"Beyond our power? Whatever do you mean?"
Skye hesitated before continuing. "We've gotten lucky every time we learned about the Nemesis's location. And it'll take nothing less to do it again. How many more times can we get that lucky?"
Darkstorm was silent before replying, "Some would say that I recovered from a fusion cannon blow to the spark purely because of luck. . . But, we have to have faith. God will help us." Skye didn't reply, but instead simply stared ahead.
Darkstorm too became silent. I know He will, she thought. We just need to have faith.
Smokescreen groggily onlined his optics and tried to sit up, but found that he couldn't. Stasis cuffs confined him to an upright berth. His brow furrowed and he thrashed, trying to break free from his bonds.
"It would be wise to conserve your strength, youngling," a cool baritone voice cautioned him.
Smokescreen tensed and found that a large blue and gold Seeker stood in front of him. "Who're you?. . . And I'm not a youngling."
"My designation is Dreadwing. I am here to guard you until Knock Out is fully prepared for the procedure."
"Procedure?" Smokescreen's tanks sank.
"The Omega Key must be removed from your chassis in order to be of any use to us," Dreadwing explained calmly.
Smokescreen was silent as he contemplated this. Omega Key inside of him. . . But how. . .? His optics widened. The explosion when he was knocked out cold. Alpha Trion must have placed it there.
He vented. Skye must be worried sick about him. . . "And Darkstorm'll probably kill me for making her worried sick," he muttered to himself with a wry smile. . . . Well, that is, if he ever makes it back. Decepticon medics weren't exactly known for their fines.
"What did you say?"
Smokescreen turned his attention back to the Seeker. "What?"
The rookie looked on curiously as an almost fond look entered the Decepticon's optics. "You mentioned. . . Darkstorm. You are familiar with her?"
"Yeah. . . Why?"
Dreadwing ignored the question. "Tell me, how does she fare?"
"Why do you care, Decepticreep?" Smokescreen retorted. "She's an Autobot now. Why ask about her?"
Dreadwing's optics became cold once more. "Need I remind you that here you are the prisoner and I am the warden? It would be wise to hold your glossa and answer my question, youngling."
"Well, seeing as how I have nothing to gain whether or not I divulge that information, I'm not feeling the pressing need to sate your curiosity."
Smokescreen tensed as the Decepticon's optics glowed dangerously but the cold Seeker withheld himself from any violence. "Very well. Do as you wish."
"What, that's it? Where's that rage and brute savagery you 'Cons are so well-known for?"
"You are obviously ignorant of what a true Decepticon is, youngling. We stand for liberation and honor and I try to uphold those qualities," Dreadwing replied. "And I am certainly no savage."
"Oh I'm sure all the 'Bots who died at the sadistic servos of your fellow 'Cons would agree. Right after acknowledging Megatron as the next beauty queen."
Dreadwing clenched his servos. "I am certain some of my Decepticon comrades would claim the same. The Autobots. . . the ones who slaughtered countless squadrons of soldiers. . . who slaughtered my own twin brother. And yet we are called monsters." He glared at the mech. "It would also behoove you to show respect to Lord Megatron, especially seeing that you are imprisoned here."
"Why? What's the great Lord Megatron done for me lately deserving of respect? Had a lackey knock me out with his sonic blaster, strap me to the hardest table I've ever seen, and had me bored to tears with a lecture from his great lieutenant . . . yeah, I should definitely show him my respect. Back to the point though, you don't hear the name Six Lasers over Cybertron attributed to the 'Bots, now do ya? The 'Cons started the violence when they bombed an amusement park. I'd say that's far from honorable."
"I heard of no such event. We are the ones fighting for an equal Cybertron without the oppressive castes that your Autobots so lovingly supported. Violence was taken as a last resort when the council listened to Orion Pax's weak pacifist ideals instead of Lord Megatron's," Dreadwing retorted.
Smokescreen averted his gaze from the Seeker. "I give up. There's no point in trying to convince a Constructicon he can't fit into a rust mite hole when he's clearly intent upon it."
"As do I. I would rather ingest poisoned energon than listen to your lies any longer."
"You go do that. Meanwhile, I'll be busy busting out of this joint." Smokescreen shifted his wrist as best he could, fighting the restraints to no avail.
Dreadwing vented heavily. "Did I not tell you to conserve your strength, youngling?"
"And why would I listen to a 'Con? I don't even listen to my own team."
"And yet you have the audacity to call me a savage," Dreadwing snorted. "A military unit is not effective unless all individuals cooperate. I know see why Soundwave captured you so easily."
"'Effective military units' plow over entire cities and bend the weak to their will. I'd say Team Prime are more the freedom fighting hodge podge band. Humanitarian, not a conquering force."
"That still does not justify why you willingly disobey your commanding officers," Dreadwing vented frustratedly and looked away. "But I should expect nothing less from a spoiled Praxian youngling."
"You can't judge me, 'Con." The Autobot sat up as much as he could before the positions of the restraints forced him back onto the table. "I watched you and your precious army destroy my home, despite its lack of military significance. Don't you tell me what's justifiable!"
"More lies! I was informed by Lord Megatron himself that the Praxians were in the process of constructing highly advanced weaponry that could have taken innocent lives," Dreadwing stated, but in his mind, the doubt had already begun.
"Listen to him for he speaks the truth. . ." the voice quietly urged him.
"If there was any construction going on, it was remodeling the Helix Gardens. Praxus was a cultural center, not some military research facility. And the 'Cons turned the whole place to rubble." There was just hate in Smokescreen's voice.
Dreadwing shook his helm but Smokescreen could clearly see in his optics that he was starting to believe it. "It. . . cannot be true."
"I had to watch my home fall to savages. Don't tell me it can't be true."
And, in his spark, Dreadwing knew it to be true. The youngling would not be so angered if it were otherwise. "I-. . ."
"Well, well, well. Look who's online," Knock Out smirked as he entered the room, a case of medical tools in hand. The medic stopped by the metal berth and began to unload his supplies, all of them very sharp and very dangerous. "And no need to worry. No sedatives will be used."
"Knock Out, those tools will not be necessary," Dreadwing interrupted, surprising both Knock Out and Smokescreen.
"Why?" Knock Out asked incredulously.
"Lord Megatron informed me that he wished to keep the prisoner alive, so more information can be gained from him via a cortical psychic patch."
Knock Out rolled his optics saucily and began putting his instruments away. "Oh, very well. That will not be nearly as fun. . . but I guess we all have to do what the big M says," he smirked wryly. "I guess I'll get that patch then."
Silence reigned as the Decepticon medic exited the room.
"Why. . . Why did you do that? I thought I was going to be offlined," Smokescreen asked.
"For Darkstorm. . . for the truth," he melancholy whispered before he too exited the room.
D/N (Dream'sRealm Note): And cliffhanger! XD Yes, we are evil that way. And what will Dreadwing do next? You'll have to wait. Well, as always, we thank our lovely fans who have followed, favorited, and reviewed this story. We thank you for all of the support.
Theme Song: Cold by Breaking Benjamin
To Savvy Orion: Thank you so much for the compliments, Savvy! We did try our best when writing the chapter :3 As for Skybreak, you can hit him with the Forge whenever you want. XD 'Storm'll hold him down for ya. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving too and may God bless you!
And the Lord has really been putting it on my heart to post this instead of a verse so here you go!
(from All Day Long by Sheila Walsh)
It's easy for me to spend time with the Lord in the morning and then get so caught up in the busyness of my day that it's bedtime again and I realize it's been hours since I've taken in the life-giving water of hope He offers all day long.
"Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long" Psalm 25:4-5
The psalmist's cry is to know the ways of God and to walk in those ways consistently, every moment of the day. Some commentaries suggest that this psalm may have been written after David's adulterous affair, so there is a renewed sense of a need for God's help each moment. By God's grace I have never found myself in that particular place but I know that without God's help and hope I, too, will lose my way. I know that I need to partake of the Living Water all day long.
I have found all sorts of new ways to do that. I listen to worship tapes in my car and lift my voice in praise to God whether I feel like it or not. I choose a verse of the day to chew on all day long. I have made a practice of noticing the world around me and thanking God for the beauty of His creation. I pray with my son as we drive to school in the morning, and I have my Bible with me in the car as I sit in the carpool line at the end of his day.
It's one thing to acknowledge that God is our only hope but does the way we live our lives on a daily basis reflect that reality? All day long God longs for our company. All day long God longs to show mercy to us. All day long God loves to hear our needy hearts and fill our thirsty lives. Today, let's drink deeply of the one who is our hope all day long.
Jesus, thank You that today and every day You long for my company. You are my hope and my life- my consistent nourishment whether the voyage is smooth or rough. Teach me to drink deeply of Your living water all day long. Amen.
May you have a wonderful weekend and may God bless you!
Until next time, Dream'sRealm
B/N (Blondie-moyashi Note): Aahhhh angst and some Miko mischief. What more could one want? Well, aside from the obvious feels, of course. And I must say, witty responses are quite fun too, I never knew! As always, thanks for the continuing support that gives us the motivation to continue trucking on :D it's a lot harder without all the lovely reviews and faves and follows and love you guys give us and every bit is appreciated