So, the whole uploading another chapter the day after Chapter 35 never happened, apologies. Right now I am juggling a new relationship, a postgraduate degree, unpaid work experience and having no car (my little Nissan Micra failed his MOT test and had to be scrapped, waaaaaaah!) So the overloaded plate of life is more of a buffet at the moment. Thank you as ever for reviews and messages, writing this story is keeping me sane at the moment and I love the feedback. This is short but it seemed a good place to stop it, I will try to write more tonight and upload again asap :-)

Chapter 36

Stormstrike arched his back leisurely, a triumphant grin on his face as he surveyed his captives. 'Aah… so good to be back in my original form… I bet you bone bags would love to be in my heel components right now, hm?'

Behind him, several lackeys bearing his insignia were busy trying to assemble a rudimentary prison for the humans. As Alexis was kicked and shoved nearer to the others, she saw the drones moving around the barn, picking up sections of chain link fence. Thunderblast followed her gaze.

'Why don't we just throw them in there?' she asked Stormstrike, gesturing to the barn. Alexis strove to keep her expression neutral, bowing her head as she was herded to be with the others. Several guns hovered inches from their faces, putting paid to any idea of escape.

'No,' replied Stormstrike. 'I want them where I can see them. These are our ticket out of here.'

He moved off, shaking the ground with his weight, to inspect the house and outbuildings, giving instructions to various mechs to patrol. The fences meanwhile were pushed into the ground, forming a cage round the group. Starscream slowly raised his hands, curling his long fingers round the wire, as if testing its solidity. Thundercracker leaned back against the fence, scowling and sliding his arm around Arcee's waist. Arcee was scanning the area through narrowed lids, her clever mind searching for possible escape routes and attack positions. Alexis was squashed between Skywarp and Frenzy.

They'd been left to be guarded by two thuggish drones. Starscream slid away from the front of the cage, jerking his head at Frenzy to take his place, his voice a low murmur. 'Frenzy, we need a moment. Do what you do best.'

Frenzy nodded, grabbing the chain link and shaking it. 'Hey! Hey guys… Guys… I can't breathe in here, I get scared in confined spaces, you gotta let me out, I won't run, I swear…'

He gabbled at top speed, and the thugs moved in, looming over the cage, torn between annoyance and amusement at the prisoner's protestations. Starscream pushed through to the back, taking advantage of the distraction. Alexis looked up at him as he squeezed between his wingbrothers to join her. She was pressed up against the back of the cage and he leaned over her, placing both hands on the wire either side above her head. She swallowed, feeling cornered, her heart hammering at the prospect of confessing the stranger's presence in the barn. She took a deep breath, but he spoke before she could find the words.

'The barn is the Blaster,' he murmured in her ear. Her eyes widened. 'What? You're sure?'

'Ninety-nine percent sure,' he replied, glancing over his shoulder – Frenzy was still pleading and haggling with the amused guards. 'We need to get inside, the Blaster will protect us, and possibly even lift us out of this stasis. Skyfire agrees. I haven't yet come up with a plan regarding a body for him to return to, but we will find a way.'

Alexis looked briefly to Skyfire for a moment. He was facing away from them, his white hair lifting in the evening breeze, seemingly lost in thought. She inhaled a slow, shaky breath.

'Starscream… back on the Portent… when I went to the armoury to get the Blaster… I picked up the spark, the one from the one-eyed mech.'

He frowned at her, his eyes narrowing. 'What of it?'

'I was looking at it, and I put it down next to the Blaster when Frenzy ran a check on my filter… and when I looked again it had gone…'

'What are you telling me?' he asked calmly, though his eyes had gone hard, and he gripped the wire a little tighter – Alexis saw the movement of his muscles tensing through his jacket.

'He's in there…. In human form… the mech with one eye… I don't know what's happened or why or how but somehow his spark is in the Blaster…'

'What?'

'I'm sorry! I just thought it had fallen off the bench… I was going to tell you but there hasn't been a moment, and then with all this it went to the back of my mind, I …'

He waved away her rapid whispers. 'Primus, Alexis… you had no right… we don't even know what he is! What have you done?'

'I'm sorry,' she repeated miserably. 'What are we going to do?'

Starscream tapped at his chin, staring over her head into space. 'Whoever he is, he won't stop us from getting out of here. If I have to kill him a thousand times over, so be it. What did he say to you?'

'He told me to tell you I had brought him here,' said Alexis, feeling as though she was shrinking in front of him as his mouth thinned, his eyes glittering.

Before Starscream could reply, Stormstrike and Thunderblast were back, the latter idly kicking at the side of the house, smashing a downstairs window and dislodging a few bricks. The sun was starting to set, shadows lengthening across the gravel. Stormstrike strolled in a circle round the cage, his optics roving over their heads as if waiting for someone.

'So Stormstrike,' Starscream said coolly. 'You must be eager to gloat about all this. Who are you waiting for? Who's so keen to see me?'

Stormstrike chuckled. 'Everyone said strange things waited for those with a core key,' he said. 'I never guessed anything like this though. I didn't take to it, being put in a disgusting little organic body. But then we got offered a way out. Find Starscream and his weapon, and put a stop to him using it. When we found you at the hotel we got the first half of the bargain – we got our bodies back. Now all we need to do is hand you over to the Mouth of Unicron himself, and we get to go free. Back out of stasis and into our true selves. I don't know what he has in store for you, but I don't think it'll be pretty.'

'But who is he? And how have we offended him?' Thundercracker called up. Stormstrike laughed. 'How should I know? And why should I care? I've done my bit. We may not have found the weapon, but you don't have it either, and that's good enough for me. The only thing that remains is for you to tell us where Fallout is.'

Thunderblast leaned in at this. 'Yes. Where is he?'

'You made a mistake, sweetspark.' That was Skywarp. All eyes turned in surprise, including Starscream. Skywarp's voice had a chilly calmness Alexis had never heard before. 'You were in our ranks, you were part of something bigger. Now you've turned your back. You're nothing now. You'll regret it.'

'Oh, save the dramatics, fleshbag.' Thunderblast pouted in mock fear. 'You're in no position to...'

'We're not fleshbags.' Starscream spoke up quietly. 'We're Decepticons. All this… this parading your so-called victory, it's all fake.'

'Well, so what?' Stormstrike jeered. 'If it's so fake…I don't see you breaking out of your pathetic prison, Starscream!'

'Don't you?' Starscream tilted his head, as if Stormstrike had just said something stupid, and the faction leader hesitated.

'Don't listen to him,' said Thunderblast, sliding her arm through Stormstrike's and charging her weapon. 'Now answer our question. Where is Fallout?'

Starscream's mouth curled in a contemptuous smile. 'You can't hurt us, or you would have done it already. You're under orders. And as for Fallout…' he gripped the wire tightly, eyes alight with relish. '…His blood is dirt under my fingernails from where I gutted him. He died with no honour, twitching at my feet. And my, wasn't it fun!'

Thunderblast shrieked and lunged forwards, but Stormstrike pulled her back. 'Leave him! He'll be done for soon enough!'

'Not before I've dispatched you both myself,' goaded Starscream, and as he gripped the wire some more, his knuckles white, the wire seemed to flicker for the briefest instant. Starscream's suited shape also seemed to blur and expand… Alexis stared, blinking rapidly, glancing at a bemused Arcee. The wire was back, Starscream's body solid and human once more, but for a moment...

Stormstrike noticed it too, taking a step back, looking around once more. 'Where are you?' he called urgently to the darkening countryside. 'I've got him, like you wanted! Why don't you show yourself?'

'I am here, subordinate.'

A silence fell as the deep, booming voice rang out, echoing round the cluster of buildings. The ground shook beneath them and the group of humans turned in their cage towards the voice, which seemed so familiar. Alexis felt her knees buckle and in the huddle groped for Frenzy's hand, squeezing it tight. Her insides turned cold as the huge figure approached.

He was hunched and monstrous, strange additions bulking his already enormous frame. His colours and plating had changed, but the distinctive helmet was still there, as well as the gravelly, menacing voice.

Alexis couldn't see Starscream's face as he lifted it to the Mouth of Unicron but she found herself unable to keep looking, burying her face in Frenzy's sleeve, feeling her friend tremble next to her.

'Starscream,' said the Mouth of Unicron, coming to a halt, swamping them all in shadow.

'Megatron,' Starscream replied.