DISCLAIMER: I do not own this franchise I am only using it and some of its characters as a base universe for this story.
Chapter 24- Freeze
POV: Rainjet
(Note: this chapter takes place during season 1 ep 2o "Partners" of TFP)
" " Normal talking
": :" Bumblebee talking
"Megatron, Airachnid and I." I started guestering to the femme to my left as we stood at the front of the bridge conversing with Megatron over the find she'd brought to me. "Airachnid and I believe that the Autobots have not yet discovered the Harbinger's crash location nor the prototype weapon it was carrying during its air time." I said. "Is this true?" Megatron asked us, his voice boomed as it reverberated off the walls around us. I nodded my helm and waited for Airachnid to make her point on the matter, "Starscream never mentioned it?" she asked the lord in front of us. He gave a brief shake of his helm before he spoke again, "If he's up to his old tricks, I shall grind him into powder." Megatron said as he curled his servo into a fist and made a squishing motion. "Gory, I kinda like the idea." I said bluntly, I hadn't meant to say that outloud but before Megatron or Airachnid could speak Starscream cleared his throat.
"Starscream." Megatron sneered coldy as we all turned our bodies to face the seeker who approached us. "Lord Megatron," Starscream said, placing one of his servos over his spark chamber as he addressed him. "Please excuse Airachnid and possibly Rainjet's impertinence. Now, what was it that I allegedly failed to mention?" Starscream questioned innocently as he came to a standstill in front of us. "The Harbinger." Megatron said in his usual tone, I had been watching Starscream all the while and the look on his faceplates and the fact that he nearly jumped out of his armour plating told me our theory had been right. "What about it?" Starscream said a little ainsty and with a gasp in front of his sentence.
"Eons ago," Airachnid started as she turned to pull up the imagery I'd found for her earlier on the bridge's large holo-screen that covered the window. "A Deception transport crash landed on this planet. " she finished as the ship's model and information popped up in front of us, covering the stars that shawn in from the empty void of space beyond. 'Oh, please. Common knowledge. I scouted the crash site when we first arrived on earth." Starscream interjected, from the look on his faceplates he was clearly proud of his achievements and to seemingly best Airachnid. "Then we presume you recovered the experimental weapon prototype The Harbinger had been transporting?" I questioned as I pulled up it's diagram onto the holoscreen as Airachnod advanced onto him. Even Megatron looked displeased with the information that the situation we were in had brought to light.
Staracream gasped and took a step backwards, finally realizing the very grave mistake that he'd made. "Where is the crash site?" Meagtron questioned Starscream for a far, "It was never logged into your ship's database." Airachnid answered for Screams, who still had a baffled look on his face. "I've searched the database back to front and the only information that turned up on The Harbinger was about the weapon prototype and the fact that it crashed on Earth, nothing more nothing less." I piped in for Megatron's side. "You failed to record the coordinates of a Decepticon transport?!" Megatron screamed, he still didn't move from his standing point. I knew in about less than five seconds Starsctream was going to start groveling and apologizing to Megatron or begging for his forgiveness, right now he was still getting over the fact that Airachnid had bested him.
"An oversight, Master. But I noted it's exact location." He said tapping his helm with one of his digits, a clear reference to his processor. "Then you can Rainjet and Airachnid there, so that they may retrieve the prototype for me." Megatron commanded turning to leave us in the bridge. "My personal native guide- how delightful." Airachnid said sarcastically.
"Make sure those two dont tear each other to pieces." Megatron whispered to me before he left us, I nodded my helm in understanding as I watched Starscream's optic ridges (Eye brows) narrow at Airachnid in anger. I sighed as I watched the tension build between them, it was getting to the point where I could cut it with my blade if I wanted to. "This is going to be one long mission." I thought before breaking them up, "Alright you two." I said pushing between them to break their optic contact. " Let's get to the hanger before everyone in this room disappoints Megatron, yeah?" I finished stepping away from them and heading towards the hanger, I issued a silent prayer to Primus to help me keep my cool for as long as I had to deal with them.
Of course the walk to the hangar was short, so I should expect that by now. They were practically right next to each other, and as we approached I looked over my shoulder to make sure that the two behind me weren't ripping each other's spark chambers out. Thankfully they weren't and nobody was dead, or not yet at least, Primus knows what they'll end up doing to each other. When we finally entered the hanger I let Starscream take the lead because he was the only one out of the three of us who had any clue about where we were going, "I don't want any funny business from you, I may not be Megatron's second in command but I'm the near equivalent to Soundwave in his trust." I reminded Starscream before the three of us transformed and left the Nemesis.
Minutes later we were landing on a forest floor, I had already landed by the time Starscream had begun to hover above his landing area to untransform and before Airachnid dropped out of the sky. "Your chosen vehicle mode lacks thrust." Starscream remarked the moment everyone had pedes on the ground and we were untransformed. "Are you going to preen, or are you going to guide?" Airachnid questioned sarcastically, she silenced his nattering and stopped an argument from breaking out before I could even open my intake (Mouth). "I will reveal the exact location of The Harbinger when you two tell me exactly what we're looking for." Starscream retorted as he approached us, "You know, this is the great start to a mission." I muttered sarcastically. We weren't even an hour in and they were already at each other's throats.
"That information is need to know, and right now you don't." Airachnid retorted bluntly, honestly I was pretty happy that she dealt with Starscream and his noisiness almost immediately. "Oh, you would do well to respect me, Airachnid. Before I joined Megatron, I was air commander of a squadron of energon seekers." Starscream said looking way back into the past. "On Cybertron. And how many eons ago was that?" Airachnid retorted again turning her back to him, she was once again quick to silence him and his gloating. "She makes a point, we all did something before the war and Meagtron. For instance I worked with Optimus Prime before he got the title, but you don't see me waltzing around the ship telling all I meet that." I remarked after my few minutes long silence. There was a scoff from Starscream and a few intrigued looks from both of them but in the end Sarscream spoke before anyone else could.
"Just recently, I personally vanquished one of Optimus Prime's fiercest warriors- Cliffjumper." Starscream said, once again trying to top whatever Airachnid had said last. "Again, not information I'd go telling everyone about. Arcee's probably looking for revenge, and I don't think broadcasting it would aid in your safety." I retorted again, knowing Arcee she was probably out for revenge on whoever snuffed her partner's spark and Starscream may be in more danger than he realized if he said it to her faceplates. "You snuffed an Autobot?" Airachnid asked with a little amazement, "Yes, I did- without mercy." Starscream replied. At this point I couldn't tell if they were flirting or still trying to compete for Megatron's attention, either way it was slightly better than their constant bickering. "Oh. Even Megatron showed you mercy when he planned to terminate you at the mine." Airachnid said taking that information and using it as leverage, "What?! He told you about that?!" Starscream gasped and yelled a little in absolute shock.
"He tells his most trusted Decepticons everything, me and Sounders have been hearing about this kind of stuff for years." I retorted, it was kind of fun seeing Screams in this much distress. "We talk." Airachnid mentioned after I finished speaking, Starscream scoffed again and then decided to tell us something actually useful. "The wreckage lies just beneath where we stand. I will need to find a point of entry." Starscream said almost sadly as he turned to leave Me and Airachnid to scout ahead, I shot Airachnid a look and she just rolled her optics and turned into he drill alt mode and dug us a tunnel straight into the ship. "Or we could use the hole Airachnid just made us." I replied peering into the dark abyss that led into the ship, "Show off." I heard Starscream mutter before he and I jumped down after her.
By the time we'd reached the bottom of the hole Airachnid had transformed her spider legs and was crawling on the ceiling as we went through the abandoned halls of the ship, Airachnid's legs glowed purple while Starscream and I had nothing similar to her so our optics just glowed red in the pitch blackness. "Suit yourselves. I conducted a thorough search of this husk years ago." Starscream complained as he fell behind me and Airachnid, by the time he'd caught up to us I had already accessed the ship's mainframe and was conducting a file search for anything useful. "What are you doing?" Starscream asked a little shocked as he finally got to the doorway of where we'd ended up. "Rainjet is accessing the cargo ship manifest- or didn't you think to do that during your thorough search?" Airachnid asked a little coldy and sarcastically as she watched me work. I could hear everything they were saying but right now I had no interest in joining the conversation because I was busy with my searching.
"Idiots. The ship's systems haven't been activated for eons. The Autobots could detect its energy signature. " Starscream complained as I finally stumbled upon something, "Ah, here it is. Section 23." I said looking at the ship's log. It was the first time I'd spoken since we'd gotten down here and I think I spooked Starscream making him jump, because when I turned around he seemed to be a little flustered.
"We should head there now in case, yes, I'm fully aware Starscream, the Autobots detected that energon signature spike." I said motioning to the hallway to the other two, Airachnid nodded and Starscream sounded agitated but followed slowly behind the two of us as he made our way quickly down the halls and towards section 23 where the weapon prototype would be waiting. "Section 23 should be right about…" Airachnid started as she led me down the halls towards the section we were looking for, well until we stumbled onto a dead end.
"Here? The ship just ends." Airachnid questioned as we came to a stand still at a wall of rock and the torn edges of part of the ship we now stood in, "It must have broken in half during the crash." I pointed out. There was yet another scoff from behind us, "Man Screams really likes to scoff today." I thought as Airachnid and I turned around. Starscream was looming over us like Megatron would have if we'd failed him, "Or in the air. If you performed actually research, you would have learned that an Autobot battalion shot The Harbinger out of the sky." Starscream said looming more over me than Airachnid now. "How far away is the other half?" AIrachnid asked a little frantically, she didn't seem happy we'd been led astray and that Starscream was currently trying to get the upper hand.
"I'm afraid that information is need to know." Starscream said pridefully as he brought one of his servos near his face and started examining one of his digit tips, "You do realize that if we don't bring that weapon back, that Megatron will have all three of our helms." I practically yelled. I was angry, really angry, Starscream was having yet another ego boosting moment and had jeopardized our mission yet again for the sake of getting the upper hand on AIrachnid. "Or just your two." Starscream gloated again, there was a "Grr!" from beside me and I knew right then that it wasn't a good time to be Starscream. Webbing shot from Airachnid as she seethed with anger, and in less than a second Starscream's arms were pinned against his sides as he fell to the ground bound by the webbing AIrachnid had just shot at him. "WHAT ARE YOU-" he started but an davancing AIrachnid cut him off, "You're trying to make us look like a fool before Megatron, have us return empty handed while you locate that weapon yourself." she seethed as she stood over him.
"HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME?! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A SCAVENGER, AN OPPORTUNIST!" Starscream yelled as he laid on the floor while AIrachnid stood over him, probably completing if she should snuff his spark. "Aren't you one to talk? As I recall you've tried to double cross Megatron more than anyone on that ship has, maybe even more than Optimus Prime." I hissed. I was getting to the point where sniffing his spark was starting to look pretty good, to be finally rid of the pest.
"Perhaps, but I've changed, seen the error of my ways. I live to serve Megatron now." Starscream said calmly, attempting to cool off the situation but we were well past that faze. "You won't live to serve anyone if you don't tell me where to find the rest of this ship- now." she demanded, and Starscream didn't seem in a place to bargain at the moment. There was a begrudged sigh before Starscream finally opened his intake to speak, "A few clicks north of here, through a stone arch. Now release me." He said and demanded. I looked up to see Airachnid already walking away and got the memo, "Starscream, we can't trust you. So you can stay here for the Autobots to pick up, you're the bait if you will." I said stepping over him aand joining next to the only other femme on the Nemisis.
"When I have the weapon in servo- that is, if we can find our way back without our guide." She added sarcastically, "This is not funny , Airachnid, Rainjet. Come back here right now and cut me loose! Airachnid, that's an order!" Starscream yelled as he watched us walk away from him. "No you're right." I said turning around, he gave me a small look of hopefulness that I would soon extinguish. "It's hilarious." I finished returning around, I knew that the hope he'd had before had just all but faded or was extinguished.
"I am your commanding officer!" we heard him yell as we entered into the next hallway, we giggled a little as we heard him struggle from behind us and then we stopped dead in our tracks after we returned our focus forward. The Autobots had arrived and didn't look too thrilled to see us, especially Arcee and Twinwave. "Airachnid!" Arcee gasped, "Rainjet!" Twinwave added and then there was a surrender but I didn't think that was happening because both Airachnid and I were already battle ready. I fired a couple shots at them as we made our grand get away, which was of course back through the same door we'd come through but this time we had two more femmes and a mechin tow. "Airachnid, Rainjet, you traitors! Starscream screamed and yelled the moment we came into view and jumped over him to evade capture, Airachnid got to the wall and started drilling us an exit hole as I ford two more rounds the Autobot's way.
Then I too, turned tail and bolted up the hole just as Arcee and Twinwave began to climb through it after us. By the time I reached the surface Airachnid had already dug another hole to use on Arcee, I simply crawled into it and waited till they cleared it so I could attack. In less than a moment there were drilling noises and a boom, I jumped out of the hole to stand by Airachnid as we watched the two femmes get up after Airachnid assumingly knocked them to the ground. "Arcee." Airachnid said with a chuckle, "I didn't peg you for resigning with the Decpeticons." Arcee responded, rushing us.
"You take care of her, I've got the other on." I said motioning to Wave as she started to get up. I bolted over to her with my blade already transformed, she seemed to notice I was coming so she shot to her pedes to greet me. "Hello love, or should I even call you that now?" I said taking my first swing at her, she was off balance already so the force of our blades colliding sent her flying backwards a little ways. "No you can't, until you're ready to give up the Decepticons." she said as she stumbled to get up. "Airachnd, release her." Optimus Prime's voice said behind me, I moved my optics to see him running our way with a transformed blaster. "Scrap." I muttered, I transformed and hovered just out of my femmes reach, "We'll finish this discussion later." I said to her as I flew higher to get out of the Prime's range and to follow Airachnid.
"The stone arch is just up ahead." I said into my comm link with Airachnid as we made our way away from the Autobots and towards the other half of The Harbinger. As of right now we could see the ship half sticking out of the rock just past the archway, we in turn landed right next to it and made our way into the ship via yet another hole Airachnid drilled into the side of it.
We walked the hallways for a few minutes until we stumbled upon section 23, then Airahcnid approached the container and ripped it's lid off to grab the inversion that was inside. "Be still, my ever beating spark." She said astounded, "So what is it?" I questioned from behind her. She turned to face me and let the prototype expand, as soon as it did she turned it on and shot rings of blue light in the opposite direction of me. "An immobilizer. Oh the Autobots are so fragged." I said with some astonishment in my voice, "Why don't we go test it out?" she asked me with a devilish grin on her face. Instead of speaking I returned her one and we both made our way out of the ship and then in turn to the top of it. "This is going to be fun." I marveled one we were out of sight and in position to attack.
It didn't take long for the Autobots to begin approaching the second half of the ship, it was pretty clear the Starscream had ratted out the location to them. From where we were behind the ship's fins we could see everything but remain out of sight, well maybe not everything but a good most of it. "You ready?" She whispered and I nodded my helm in agreement, there was a whirring sound. It sounded different than the ground bridge but still similar, the immobilizer turned on and Airachnid took aim at the incoming Autobots and shot down towards Optimus Prime.
They ducked away from the blast and fired blaster rounds at us, I transformed my blaster and fired back as Airachnid jumped from where I was to the middle of the ship to assumingly get a better aim on them. I stayed where I was and continued to draw their fire my way so she could get a clear shot, I got her." Bulkhead said as he took aim at Airachnid and fired, instead I aimed at him and fired, making him slowly move backwards to give Airachnid the perfect shot. I heard the immobilizer turn on again as Airachnid shot it towards Bulkhead and froze him mid step. "The immobilizer, true to its name." Ariachnid said as she examined it.
Optimus, Bumblebee and Twinwave fell behind the now frozen Bulkhead and had complete shock written on their faceplates. I took a couple more shots to draw them backwards as Airachnid took another round of fire from the immobilizer and missed as they ducted and jumped out of the way. This pattern continued twice more as I kept firing on them to draw their fire from her so she could continue to get clear shots on them. Optimus Prime hid behind a rock and fired at her vantage point on the ship, so in turn she jumped from rock to rock so she could get a clear shot at him. I swiftly moved out from my hiding spot behind one of the ship's fins and slid down the angled top of it to join the fighting below. I left Arachnid to take care of Optimus as I distracted Bumblebee, he was already firing on me when I landed a few feet from his cover behind a rock.
I fired on Bumblebee and without a second thought he ran towards Optimus Prime's cover spot behind a nearby rock. Of course they didn't hear it but I did, Airachnid was drilling and would end up behind them which would probably be unexpected. "Freeze." I heard her say as I heard the weapon charge and hit both Optimus and Twinwave, whom I hadn't realized was hiding behind the rock with Optimus at the time. Airachnid missed Bumblebee in all that however because in less than a second after she'd frozen the Prime he was firing on her in turn. "A little help here?" she yelled in my direction and I nodded though she couldn't see it and I stepped out from behind my rock to fire on Bumblebee. He dove out of the way and landed on his side, though his fore was still concentrated on Airachnid, she jumped out of the way to get a new vantage point on top of a nearby stand-alone rock. And fired the immobilizer again, only to miss him and for him to hide behind a nearby boulder for cover.
"Tell me, bug. Do you think Megatron will enjoy his new trophies?" Airachnid asked, jumping down from her vantage point and approaching Bulkhead, I still had my blaster drawn and was waiting for any signs of movement from the scout so I could fire. "He'll probably use the Bulky one for target practice." Airachnid started, there was a clang and I assumed she'd tipped him over. I kept my optics focused onto where Bumblebee had run off to for cover to make sure there was no movement. "Maybe he'll unfreeze the Foxy one for you to keep as a pet, Rainjet. I know how much you like her." Airachnid said, her tone sounded genuine and not teasingly like one might expect. I heard her chuckle behind me as she jumped on top of Optimus Prime's shoulder, "Prime is the true prize. Perhaps he'll adorn the prow of Megatron's warship. " she finished. I heard her chuckle again and out of the corner of my optic I saw a small tint of yellow so I opened fire on the mech scout, that drew him back behind his rock and then I fired above him and onto the cliff face.
The rocks came tumbling down in front of the scout and in turn he opened fire on the falling rocks to save himself, and then turned his fire on me. I jumped out of the way and Airachnid shot the immobilizer in his direction through the cloud of the rocks had turned into and had kicked up. She didn't move from the Prime's shoulder until the dust finally settled and we could see a perfectly frozen Bumblebee mid stride. She chuckled again and hopped off of Optimus Prime's shoulder as I lowered by blaster, "But you, bug- I suspect Megatron will simply gift you to Rainjet or dismantle you for spare parts." Airahcnid said gleefully as she got close to examine Bumblebee to make sure he wasn't moving and then she turned her back and headed back towards Optimus Prime. "Want me to call for a ground bridge so we can get these transported?" I asked turning around to face her but I clearly wasn't heard because AIrachnid was already knee deep in her monologue so I just let her keep going.
"As a rogue, a scavenger, I should disappear into the night with this treasure, but using it to worm my way into Megatron's favour is too good an opportunity to pass up. Wouldn't you say, Rainjet?" she asked me without turning around from Optimus' body, clearly admiring herself in his reflection. 'Anyone is better than Starscream, he's way too entitled to do anything but gloat. And with results like this I'm pretty sure you'll win his eternal trust." I said stepping next to her to admire the handy work we'd accomplished today, but knowing the Con's she'd take all the glory and I'd be left with nothing. There was a step behind us and we both spun around to see Bumblebee, unfrozen and completely fine. We didn't get any words in however, because with one swing of his he knocked both of us to the ground and the immobilizer out of Airachnid's servo and into the air. He fired one blaster shot and shattered the inversion to pieces, "You fool, you realize you needed that to unfreeze your team?" Airachnid yelped as he turned his blaster on us and started firing.
We shared a glance and the two of us jumped into our alts and flew out of the range of the scout, I flew a head and Airachnid stayed behind to do something but soon I heard the whirl of her helicopter blades behind me as we flew back towards the Nemesis to await our screaming at in the bridge. I knew there was no sense in dragging this out so the moment I landed I went straight to the bridge. "Lord Megateon, forgive me for failing your orders but Starscream was captured by the Autobots during our fight." I said kneeling down, Megatron waited a moment as we heard pad steps enter the room and Airachnid joined beside me.
"YOU TWO LEFT STARSCREAM WITH THE AUTOBOTS? DO YOU HAVE ANY NOTION OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF BOTH YOUR BLUNDER?!" Mgatron yelled, his voice booming around the empty bridge. I knew better than to speak while Megatron was getting his point across so I stayed silent, Airachnid however didn't seem to understand that. "But, My Lordship, it was Starscream's incompetence that cost us the immobilizer." Arachnid reasonened, it wasn't going to work but instead make things worse for us.
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT SOME TRINKET." Megatron yelled moving closer to Arachnid's faceplates, so much so that she backed away from the angry lord a little. "MY SECOND IN COMMAND IS A PRISONER OF THE ENEMY. WHICH MEANS ALL DECEPTICON INTELLIGATE COULD BE AT THE SERVO-TIPS OF THE AUTOBOTS!" Megatron finished yelling, when I turned my helm to look at Airachnid she had shock written all over her faceplates. I knew this was bad, really bad, for all we knew Starscream could be spilling every drop of Decepticon intelligence to the Autobots.
"We're so fragged, Mwgateon is going to scrap us for parts." I thought as I watched the Decepticon lord loom over the two of us like an unappeased parent. "Rainjet, you are dismissed while I teach this bug about loyalty." Megatron said a little more calmly to dismiss me, all I did was nod my helm and bow and quickly leave the bridge before things got any messier than they already had.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to leave some feedback for me so I can make it a better reading experience for you guys!
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