A/N: So we get a little snippet of one of the other crossover characters prominent from this Marvel's universe. I didn't want to get too in-depth or too involved. When doing crossovers things can get really tricky really fast. I didn't want that to happen here or bog this story down, so if I glossed over certain key aspects please forgive me. Remember, this story primarily focuses on Skywarp and crew, not anyone else and my area of "expertise" as it were, is with Transformers. I only ever had limited exposure to other "character" via the old 90s cartoons, lol. But like it or hate it, here we go!
Davis had cleverly chosen the meeting place between the odd assembly of machines and humans well. Hangar 4-Delta was damn near abandoned since the military began retro-fitting or deconstructing buildings that contained asbestos. As such 4-Delta was on the list to be demolished, but there had yet to be an approved bid on the contract.
The hangar was a large, spacey building, tall enough to accommodate a Cybertronian and wide enough to allow all three jets to be towed inside for " temporary storage." Catwalks lined the upper interior walls to allow access to the exposed piping and electrical conduits. This convenience eliminated the need to procure maintenance stands in order to hold less-than-humiliating conversations at knee-level to the Decepticons. Human height was an already over-emphasized weakness; no need to give Starscream and crew the means to capitalize on emphasizing it.
Hanger 4-Delta was also conveniently placed at the least used taxi-way on the runway and was not even close to any currently occupied buildings. As a result, neither humans nor machines had to worry about overly curious passers-by looking in and seeing something they did not need to see.
As the massive doors slid closed with a resounding clang, Chief Davis turned to his superior, anxiety beading on his brow in tiny droplets. This was the closest he had ever come to Decepticons, much less under peaceful pretenses. How in the hell Kessinger was handling this with nary a visible concern was beyond him. The two men stood on top of the catwalk and looked across the deceptively serene scene below.
All three Decepticons had permitted themselves to be towed into the hangar. At first blush, they resembled any other F15 in the US Air Force inventory. Naturally, on the walk over Davis had been keenly curious how the three jets had disguised their notorious color schemes. Starscream adamantly refused to divulge details and had pointedly ignored the irritating questions until finally a sharp snap of "Honestly, haven't you fleshlings heard of cloaking technology before!?" abruptly ended all conversation.
Currently, both men were awaiting the arrival of Dr. Richards. Their meeting was to start in ten minutes. The Decepticon pseudoforms were conspicuously absent.
"Sir, permission to speak freely," Davis asked with no small amount of hesitation.
"Granted," Stinger answered, his grey eyes staring out on some unknown point beyond Starscream's exhausts.
"How are you so freakin' calm right now, Sir?"
Stinger slowly turned his head and regarded his Chief. "Honestly?"
Davis gave a small nod. Stinger allowed one corner of his lips to twitch upwards briefly. "Because I know that he knows," he jerked his head in Starscream's direction, "that causing a scene right now would be counterproductive to both our end goals."
"What 'end goals', Sir? Last I checked we humans and the Decepticons didn't really share a whole lot of common ground. You know, it's kinda the reason we've been fighting for so long and for so hard to begin with," he ended derisively.
"Awe, come now Chief Davis," a chiding, strident voice answered in reply. "Certainly you don't think that two warring sides can come to a mutually benefiting agreement at some point, now do you? How else do you achieve peace?" The last word spat with venom.
The senior NCO damn near leaped off the catwalk from surprise at the sound of the voice emanating behind him. He whirled around, bracing his palms on the handrails behind him. The auburn-haired pilot stood placidly behind Kessinger, arms crossed over his chest and a bemused expression on his features; however, the blue eyes betrayed the icy disdain that laid underneath. A snigger from the far side of Kessinger drew a quick glance from Davis. The "Maverick", as Davis had derogatorily nicknamed the pilot responsible for demolishing his ATC tower, had appeared on Auburn's left. Tall, Dark, and Menacing had materialized, literally materialized! on the right side of them. He realized rather belatedly the "humanized" Decepticons had effectively boxed him and the Colonel in on the catwalk. Despite this observation, Kessinger still didn't appear perturbed. At this point, Davis didn't know which was more unsettling, the very appropriate, menacing and expected behavior of the Cons or the unnatural, very calm, and lack of reaction from his commander!
"Greetings," a new voice called from the end of the platform. A tall, brown-haired man approached the small group, wearing a white lab coat and pressed khakis. The sides of his temple were brushed with grey, but his dark eyes were bright and sharp. He stopped short of the group and gave a nod of acknowledgement.
"Dr. Richards, I'm grateful you are able to be here. Things are not looking well," Stinger opened, stepping away from the handrail and shaking the scientist's hand.
"It's good you are back, Colonel. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Richard's dark eyes swept the assembly almost casually. He took notice of the olive-drab flight suits and bright colored patching on the right breast. His eyes raised and met Starscream's pointed, blue stare for just a moment too long. In a split second, the stare was broken and Richards resumed the pleasantries, shaking hands with CMSgt. Davis.
The Decepticon stiffened and his blue eyes narrowed icily. He did not like this human. He appeared cordial, but Starscream had not spent millennia reading the body language of other entities to glean nothing. This one was hiding something...
"We need your help, Doctor. My friends and I think your most recent research project may be what is needed to stop this fight before we well and truly pass the point of no return," Stinger gestured to himself and the other pilots on the deck.
"Fair enough," Dr. Richards responded. His eyes once again drifted across the group before briefly taking note of the parked aircraft below them.
"Gentlemen," Stinger motioned at Davis and Richards, surprising the former and catching the curiosity of the latter, "I would like for you to meet Starscream, the Decepticon Second-in-Command and Aerial Commander for the Decepticon Forces," he announced languidly.
The human image of Starscream sneered in disdain and looked down his nose at the men. "Trust me when I say the pleasure is not mine," he growled irritably; however, despite the prickly tone he followed suit and jerked his head to the left. "This dithering idiot is Skywarp." Another head jerk to the right, "And this is Thundercracker."
To his credit, Richards didn't even blink at the introduction to such infamous names. "Curious. I thought that you'd be...bigger," he mused almost to himself.
"That can be arranged," Starscream growled in response before disappearing altogether, quickly followed by the other two.
The clicks of shifting metal plates and the soft hisses of hydraulics filled the hangar space. The greyed plating of the three "ordinary" Eagles rippled like mirage waves before disintegrating completely. The dull greys were soon replaced by the vivid and brilliant paint schemes of more nefarious natures. The ground trembled under the combined weight and mass as three very large and heavily armed Decepticons transformed on the hangar floor and stood towering over the three humans, despite their elevated height on the catwalk. The overhead lighting was blocked as the combined spread of their wings cast the humans in deep shadow. Glowing red optics regarded them with equal parts of derision, contempt and reluctant civility.
Nonplussed as ever, Stinger turned his back to the towering trio and rested out-stretched arms across the handrails. "Better, Doctor?" he snipped good-naturedly and crossed his ankles.
Davis looked as if he were about to have heart failure. Stinger would have laid money on the fact that 95% of his blood content was probably in his feet by now. The man looked damn near transparent. He decided to intervene before Allen collapsed from shock.
"Easy does it, Chief," he soothed. "If these three wanted to stir up trouble we'd have had it by now. Besides, I told you what to expect."
"That-that may be true," came the stuttering reply, "but holy shit, Don, it doesn't exactly soften the reality of all this!"
"Astounding," Richards breathed, taking in all three Cybertronians with enthused curiosity. "I had always expected that I would meet an Autobot first, given your faction's predisposition to being hostile to humanity."
"Rest assured, I have no problem maintaining the status quo," Starscream's raspy voice ground out, "but present circumstances, dictate that I adjust prerogatives for the time being. Now then, let's 'cut to the chase' as you human's say. You," he leaned down and pointed a large blue index finger at the scientist, "have something of interest to me."
"What he means, gentlemen, is that we have a huge problem on our hands and things are going to get a hell of a lot worse unless you can help, hence this meeting," Stinger elaborated much to Starscream's annoyance. "Decepticons may be attacking our nation as we speak, but we," he gestured at the Seekers, "have conclusive evidence that this attack is being orchestrated by someone else. Someone I've tangoed with before and let me tell you, he was a shitty dance partner."
"And whom are you referring to, Colonel?" Richards asked.
Before Kessinger could reply, Starscream interrupted brusquely. "Victor Von Doom, dear human," his voice harsh, malevolent, and poisonous.
Behind him, Thundercracker "cracked" his actuators similarly to how a human cracks their knuckles just before a fight and to Starscream's left, Skywarp's optics darkened to a murderous vermilion. His clenched left fist lightly smacked the palm of his right, creating a steady metallic ringing tempo that indicated a restrained kind of violence.
"Know him?" Stinger asked rather offhandedly and not truly expecting the reply he received.
"Actually, yes I do."
After Richards' surprising revelation, things began to smooth out. An extremely abbreviated account of recent events got both Davis and Richards up to speed and while Davis remained slightly more dubious to believe the former Aerial Commander, Dr. Richards seemed to not only understand what was happening but also why. It seemed Stinger and the Trine weren't the only ones that had a history with Victor Von Doom. However, the scientist's willingness and understanding of their situation did not assuage the Air Commander's suspicions, rather it heightened them. Even when asked directly what Richards connections were to Doom, the human artfully avoided giving a direct answer; however, this only served to deepen the Seeker's curiosity about the researcher and reaffirmed his suspicions. Dr. Reed Richards had his own agenda. Starscream was sure of it. He was hiding something and the Air Commander wanted to know what it was.
It was soon agreed upon (if reluctantly) by all, to move their secretive meeting to Reed's research lab. For one it was where the nullifier was located and moving it to the hangar was much more suspicious-looking than having a group of curious "VIPs" be given a tour of Reed's facility. Second, Starscream wanted to inspect the weapon himself, by any means necessary. Sure he would have preferred to use his Cybertronian body to conduct his scans, but prudence was more important than function at the moment. Rudimentary observation would have to do.
Plus, if he was honest about this Richards human (and it pained him sorely to admit so!), this human scientist actually knew what in the Pit he was doing. Duplicating the research results appeared superfluous, time-consuming, and unnecessary. Casual skimming of Richards' documentation showed immaculate calculations, massive notes, and pain-staking attention to detail-he was hard pressed to find something that he himself would have done or tried differently.
But there was something else Starscream noticed pertaining to Richard's research, a disturbing trend in the observations, data calculations and projected extrapolations. If Reed's projections and hypothesis were true…
"Dr. Richards," he spoke softly so as not to disturb the others, who appeared to be in a semi-civil conversation with the CMSgt about coordinating a joint air defense in the very near future. Judging by the look of utter shock on the chief's face, it was going well. It was best to leave those negotiations in the capable servos of Thundercracker.
"Yes, Commander Starscream?"
Richards moved closer to the large flat examination table that currently displayed the object of their interest. The humanized Seeker shuffled a few of the papers and then laid a succinct conclusion statement from the most recent experiment conducted.
"I've just finished reviewing your documentation," Starscream began slowly, leveling Richards with a calculating blue stare, "your...observations are promising if not a little disturbing. According to this," he shoved one of the papers over to the table's surface, "this device appears to do what you claim, that is, nullify items that are empowered," he paused and the stare intensified, "but what is this 'cost' you allude to?"
Richards, to his credit, didn't flinch under Starscream's scrutiny. He met the Air Commander's criticism with his own intensity. "I know who you are, Commander, and also that you were a bit of a scientific mind yourself."
Starscream's glower narrowed dangerously. "You're playing a dangerous game, Dr. Richards. I suggest that you answer my question promptly and not exhaust my finite amount of patience for your kind."
"I only allude to your past because, as a fellow scientist, you are familiar with the laws of physics. In the case of the nullifier, we are dealing with two such laws. On Earth we call it the Law of Conservation of Matter/Energy. Energy and matter…"
"...cannot be created or destroyed. Yes! Yes! I am familiar," the pilot snapped in increasing irritability. "And what of the second?"
"Every action possesses an equal and opposite reaction," Richards supplied evenly, ignoring the Seeker's pugnacious attitude. "In the case of the nullifier, it will negate the object it is directed at. You saw in the first few tests I conducted it would drain a AA battery immediately; however, it uses the wielder's own life force as compensation for such an action. That is the cost."
"How did you discover this?" Starscream asked.
"I didn't at first. It wasn't until I began testing on larger items, like a car battery, that I noticed the physical exhaustion. After that, I began taking vitals prior to, during, and after the tests. It became conclusive. Suffice it to say, I did not want to discover the nullifier's, or for that matter, my own upper threshold. I suspended study shortly thereafter."
"Hmmm...So what you are saying is anyone that uses this...weapon...is at risk of extinguishing their life force if it is used against an object of equal or greater energy."
"Yes."
"Primus, help us all!" Starscream cursed softly and looked away. On one hand he was relieved. The amount of power necessary to nullify the Allspark was quite literally indefinable. Maybe one life would be enough, it could very well be 1,000 lives. They could not know. It was a powerful ancient relic and it wasn't as if their society had allowed testing on it! Even before the War such requests had been adamantly denied by the Council.
Sacrilege! Blasphemy! Council Members had cried. How dare you suggest the desecration of one of our most sacred objects!
But we only wish to understand it!
You and your ilk spew lies. You don't need to understand. You need only to obey. And thus the seeds of discord had been further watered by derision and righteous pomposity. Looking back on all those thousands of vorns, Starscream couldn't help but wonder if things had been different, would the War have ended sooner as a result of such knowledge? Had their ignorance prolonged the fighting or would knowledge have expedited one faction or the other's extinction?
They were almost dealing in the realm of the supernatural now. And he, Starscream, had never put any trust into pseudosciences, myths, and legends. He liked concrete facts and proofs. Things that could be supported by evidence, repeated, and then supported again. He despised dealing with unknowns!
On the other hand, what did one do when there was evidence to support the supernatural? "Dr. Richards, do you think this weapon has the capability of negating life as well, not just instruments?"
The question hung in the air like a potent stench.
Finally, Richards spoke, his voice even more quiet than before. "Yes, but the rule would still apply. A life for a life."
Starscream met Richard's stare, his mouth set in a thin line. "There is more to this than what you are revealing." His tone held an edge of warning that indicated his patience was nearing exhaustion.
"Your Allspark," Richards began, "is not the first nor is it the only relic of its kind."
"What do you mean? And what does this have to do with the capabilities of the nullifier?" Starscream asked warily, his curiosity at war with his tolerance.
"You and your kind call it the Allspark. Here on Earth, I've heard of other such relics referred to as 'Cosmic Cubes.' Your Allspark matches all the hallmarks of such a powerful item. Your fears are justified. In the hands of Victor he will not only be able to enslave your race, but he can refashion the very seams of reality as we know it. If Doom discovers the Cube's true potential, our world, your world, the very fabric of space and time are at the whims of a madman."
Richards' revelation rendered him speechless. And he had no doubt the human was speaking truthfully. He himself was too well-versed in the ways of lying to be fooled by another liar and as such he kept his human features impassive and neutral. But how did this creature know so much more about the Allspark than he?
"But a cosmically powerful item such as the Allspark can only be negated by an equally powerful, cosmic weapon. And what we have before us," he gestured at the very unassuming and quite plain nullifier, "is such a weapon."
"And you know this how?" Starscream challenged, allowing one eyebrow to quirk up in irritable doubt.
"Suffice it to say that Earth is not quite as degenerate a planet as you would like for us to be, Commander. Organic and young as a species we may be, but you are not the first alien species to show an interest in our world, but you could be the last." Richards gave a tired, long-suffering sigh. He suddenly looked older than he truly was. "I know all this because this is not my first experience with a Cosmic Cube or with alien species. My...team and I have become well-versed in confronting things that most of humanity have no idea exists. Using the information you provided and then cross-referencing it with my own, I am certain your relic is a Cube...certain enough that I am willing to give one of the most powerful weapons in known existence, a weapon of a god if you will, to an alleged Decepticon traitor, and known enemy of humankind, in order to save both our worlds."
"You claim to know me so well," Starscream replied with oily sarcasm. "How do you know I won't take this weapon and try to claim the Cube for my own ends? I've always known the Allspark was powerful and our own myths and legends give it god-given origins, but the threshold of its limits were a mystery...until now. Such power is...tempting."
Surprisingly, Richards laughed. It was a wry, humorless laugh, but a laugh all the same. "I don't," he replied candidly. "Your reputation for treachery precedes you, Commander. But I would hope that recent events," his eyes flicked over to his wingmates and the Colonel, "would persuade you to consider your choices wisely. It's not often one has the opportunity to redeem their past. Even fewer still the opportunity to rectify transgressions against two worlds." He paused and gave Starscream a measured look. "Would you truly see yourself taking Doom's position, trading one dictator for another in the name of power, or would you become the catalyst needed that may mend the rift between two warring factions?"
"Why not do this yourself if you are so full of righteous zeal to set things right? Or why not entrust this with the Autobots since they are more than willing to rectify 'transgressions of the past?'" he argued while deflecting the prickly question. "Why did you tell me all this?"
Richards gave him another cryptic stare before replying. "Because. My team," there was that hesitation again, "is indisposed and I cannot face him alone, not in the face of such power. And with the Allspark being such a revered object in your culture, I'm afraid that Terran "interference" would only exacerbate the tensions on this planet, especially with Doom's misappropriation of your relic. How much worse would things be if I, an outsider, were to destroy the Cube too?"
"Ah, I see. So why not encourage a few ex-Decepticons to do the dirty work, eh?" the Air Commander replied snidely. He folded his arms across his chest and raised his chin. "No wonder you were peddling the "greater-good-for-your-species" guilt trip! It's so much easier to say when one's own hands won't be filthed," he snapped harshly.
Richards at least had the decency to appear chastened by the Decepticon's candid observation; however, before the scientist could mount a reply, the others gathered around.
"Hey! So what's the verdict?" Stinger's voice interrupted from behind the two scientists. "Can we use this thing or what?"
He eyeballed the square-ish band of metal that rested inside the glass casing on the exam table. "Doesn't look like much, really," he mused under his breath.
"Yeah well, you didn't look like much either when we first met," Skywarp, no "Prawsky," snipped.
He received a good-natured punch as a means of response.
"We can, just not in the way we had planned," Starscream growled, the crowding around of genuine humans and pseudo humans making him even more sullen and irritable.
"How do you mean?" Thundercracker asked, giving the nullifier his own brand of scrutiny.
"This device will not only neutralize it's target but it will also neutralize its bearer in the process," Starscream supplied. He leaned back and rubbed his temples in a showy display of fouled temper.
"That doesn't sound too awful. Why don't we get one of those bleeding heart Autobums to sacrifice themselves?" Skywarp said, "They fraggin' love being martyrs 'for the cause' or some stupid slag like that."
"Because there isn't time!" the lead Seeker snapped. "By the time we rendezvous with the Autobots, we could be facing our former comrades and whatever else Doom has decided to throw in the ring!" He opted to not inform them about Richards' revelations concerning the Allspark, not now. As of this moment such knowledge was a nonfactor on the battlefield and it would only create more trepidation amongst them. Foremost they needed to find Doom first and then implement their newfound weapon. But who would carry that burden?
"There is an exception to the rule concerning the nullifier," Reed said quietly, his dark eyes looking at each man in turn.
"Wonderful. More addendums. Please enlighten us, doctor," The humanized Starscream threw his hands up in maximum exasperation. He turned and walked off a few steps, partly to relieve his agoraphobia and mostly to avoid punching Richards across the jaw for his endless amount of surprises and half-truths.
Richards cleared his throat, but otherwise didn't appear perturbed. "When the nullifier was...retrieved, my colleague learned that the only way to overcome its life-taking properties is for the user to have overwhelming strength of will and power of focus. If the user is not weak-willed and can focus on the target with absolute concentration, then and only then, can the nullifier by-pass its destructive tendencies."
"Phenomenal," Starscream muttered sourly, arms still crossed.
The others shifted about nervously as they processed the new information.
"Well, that's a little better than it being an absolute death sentence," Stinger supplied helpfully.
"Still doesn't solve the issue though," Thundercracker pointed out, "Among us here, who is mentally capable enough to use the thing and possibly survive?"
The question hung in the air unanswered as everyone silently wondered if they had what it took to make such a monumental gamble with one's life. Well, everyone except Skywarp. He leaned back against the table and crossed his arms and ankles, an arrogant smirk on his lips.
"What the frag is your malfunction, you cross-threaded bolt head?" Starscream snapped upon seeing his wingmate's ridiculously smug grin.
"I think we all know I'm the least mentally capable mech in this room. So nose goes!" he declared triumphantly.
The flippant remark instantly disintegrated what remained of the Air Commander's patience. In two large steps he crossed the distance between himself and Skywarp and delivered a right hook that would have been devastating had it landed. As it were, Prawsky flickered out of existence and left his commander fuming and spitting curses, some in English most in Cybertronian.
However, no one had time to say anything further when suddenly air raid klaxons began to blare loudly, the sound being channeled via the loudspeakers within the building as well from outside. Red alarm lights flashed and the electricity dimmed to emergency lighting only.
"Warning! Warning! This is not a drill! This is not a drill!"
Then the sound of an explosion, distant and muffled but unmistakable.
"Discussion time's over," Stinger declared while snatching the nullifier from its cradle. "We need to get this thing outta here!"
"Triplechangers and the slagging Coneheads," Starscream determined, the angry rage he had displayed so animatedly gone and replaced by a cold, calculating mask.
"How do you know?" Chief Davis asked.
"Their biosignatures. I may appear human here, but my internal scanners back at the hangar still function perfectly," he sniffed. "Now if you will excuse us, we have some garbage to dispose of!" And on the cusp of those words both he and Thundercracker disappeared.
"Does that mean they're helping?" Davis asked, completely bewildered by the thought of Decepticons fighting other Decepticons.
"About as close to an assist as you're going to get," Stinger replied. "Chief, I need a favor, right now."
"What is it, Sir?" the CMSgt asked as they and Richards quickly made their way to the designated safe point. From there the two senior leaders could contact the remainder of the chain and then rendezvous to their assigned stations; however, Stinger had his own ideas.
"I need a plane."
"What!? Sir! You can't be serious!? You aren't qualified anymore! And besides you haven't flown in years!" Davis protested vehemently.
"I'm not sitting in a bunker giving orders while my men and my friends are fighting for our existence!" the Colonel snapped.
"But the nullifier-thing-! What happens if you get shot down?"
"The same thing that will happen if we don't chase these guys off!" Stinger retorted. "At least in an aircraft I have a fighting chance. Now are you gonna stand here and argue with your superior all day or are you going to do what I asked!?"
Effectively defeated Davis closed his mouth and nodded once. "Follow me, Sir."