A/N:

lightning bird, pikachukite, CaptainShort19: Thank you so much for your reviews! OP AND MEGS ARE GONNA KICK SOME AFT. Gotta get there first though. Glad you all liked our sneaky seeker, it was a lot of fun weaving some of this together. Thank you SO much for reviewing, keeps me going!

The next morning, they waited for Artuz to show up to take Starscream away, but he never showed. Their internal chronos indicated that it was now past noon, but Starscream merely shrugged, seemingly relieved. They all agreed that it was still very, very odd though. The Quintessons hadn't really failed to follow through on something that they had promised in advance.

It made them think something was wrong.

Artuz eventually showed up in the afternoon, all warbling platitudes and wiggling appendages. Without comment on why he was late, he started telling them about how their next challenge would start immediately.

"You said we would have two extra days," Jazz said flatly. "It's not over yet."

Artuz bowed in recognition. "Yes, apologies, dears. Some things. Have. Erm, escalated," he said, turning slightly towards Starscream. "We need to take you to your next arena. Now." Artuz sighed.

The four Cybertronians exchanged quick looks. Something was clearly wrong.

"Your next challenge will be to survive. The environment will not be kind to you, and you will have other participants competing for the same resources. But you will perform excellently I am sure," Artuz said nodding.

"Artuz," Jazz said quietly. "You have been so kind to us so far. We… greatly appreciate your help," he said with a kind smile. The Quintesson looked a little shocked.

"It's true, master," Starscream added. "We could not have gotten this far without your assistance."

The Quintesson nodded mutely, his tentacles turning a slightly different color. Was that a flush of embarrassment?

"Y-you will follow me," their small handler stammered out. Jazz threw Starscream a glance, and they shared small smirk.

The arena was huge, similar to the cityscape they had seen on their first mission. This time, however, it was full of organic foliage, not unlike the jungles of Earth.

Without the dramatic preamble they had grown accustomed to during their time as Quintesson entertainment, they were thrown into the arena and just told they had to survive until they were picked back up again.

A strange flash of light bathed over them, and the four Cybertronians felt a small wave of nausea but the feeling passed quickly.

"So… that's it? Just go and survive?" Jazz asked, looking around into the deep jungle.

"Quintessons: Never that simple," Soundwave said.

"What do you think he meant 'escalated?'" Prowl asked, throwing a look to Starscream.

The seeker squinted his optics a little in thought. "I… might have an idea of what that's about," he said smirking, his wings flicking back.

"Care to explain?" Jazz said.

Starscream flicked his wings and gave Jazz a knowing look. "Well. They are trying to arrange a call with Megatron, but for some reason that didn't happen. Possibly because they can't find him. And if they can't find him, it might be because he doesn't want to be found."

"Because something is happening," Prowl added, barely able to contain his smirk.

"A small and distant hope," Jazz said quietly.

"Proposal: Move forward and seek advantages. Discuss more later," Soundwave said, starting to move forward into the undergrowth.

The other three Cybertronians followed quietly.

The emerald green undergrowth was thick and kept catching on the doorwings and wings of the Cybertronians as they walked. Vines and branches swatted them in the faceplates and tangled their pedes. The air was cool and smelled of damp mingled with the slight decay of a forested jungle. Starscream was complaining, but only half-heartedly, as if he knew it was expected of him and he was merely fulfilling the role.

It would have been beautiful if they didn't think pain and suffering was waiting around every corner for them. There wasn't much sound of a typical forest, just artificial wind rustling the tops of the canopies. Starscream occasionally looked up for a clear few of their fake sky, but only the occasional peak could be seen. The seeker also commented that it was odd that the organic trees and plants were as large as they were; on most organic worlds, organic growths usually didn't get this large to dwarf a combiner if they had been standing there with them. Even the leaves here looked like they would completely cover their faceplates.

It had started to rain, which made their misery increase. Paths through the organic forest that were once solid packed dirt now ran with water and mud. Their seeker grew quiet but grimaced more often.

They decided to rest beside a stream, taking a moment to take stock of their situation. There had been very little instructions other than to survive, which would mean securing energon and a safe place to recharge would be paramount.

Soundwave was even more quiet than usual and kept glancing at Starscream. Jazz and Prowl had both noticed, and Prowl suggested that he and Starscream do a perimeter check while the other two rested.

"Something wrong with our seeker?" Jazz asked once they were out of earshot.

Soundwave dimmed his visor, clenching his fist. "Negative," was the answer. "Amended," he added after a few moments. "Something will be wrong with Starscream. Soon."

Jazz processed this revelation carefully. Soundwave had been characteristically quiet during their entire capture, but Jazz had suspected it had a lot more to do with the tape-deck's past and proximity to Quintessons and less to do with his personality. Jazz had a deep-seated respect for his rival spymaster, and he often felt like he was playing a grand espionage game with the blue mech more than any other Decepticon.

So when he saw the tape-deck's frame sag a little, he felt his curiosity increase.

"You know something."

Soundwave actually seemed nervous.

"Quintessons: Desire me to tell him."

"Tell him what?"

"Their plans."

Jazz's optics narrowed behind his visor. "You know what they are planning? Why haven't you told us?"

Soundwave sighed, looking down. "Jazz: Incorrect. Soundwave did not understand that Quintessons wanted to replicate the same treatment that-" but he was cut off by the distinct sound of yelling from Prowl and Starscream.

The two spymasters jumped into the undergrowth as fast as they could move.

It was a giant mechanimal towering over Prowl and Starscream by at least twice their height. Its plating was white and it had a giant, gaping maw that was salivating and drooling lubricant onto the ground as it considered its prey.

Starscream looked like he was itching to jump into the air, but the creature was too close, and it had large talons that looked they could easily swat him down in a moment. Prowl was trying to figure out if the creature had any weaknesses when they heard the crashing of pedefalls from Jazz and Soundwave.

The creature turned its attention to them and then went in for the attack.

Jazz rolled to the left. Soundwave did not have enough time to do the same and instead held up his servos to catch the top and bottom of the creature's jaw and hold it there. Its barbed tongue lashed against his frame, but Soundwave held strong.

Starscream alighted into the air, using his thrusters to try and burn the creature, but it seemed impervious. Snarling in frustration, Starscream used his thrusters to get momentum into a spinning kick. The creature gave a piercing shriek that grated their audios but still it pushed forward, trying to close its jaw around the blue mech holding it back.

Prowl and Jazz had managed to gather some thick vines. Prowl braced himself with his knees bent, his servos laced together in front of him. With practiced grace, Jazz jumped and landed his pede into Prowl's waiting servos. Prowl was then able to vault Jazz into the air and onto the creature's back. Using the vines, Jazz and Prowl were able to wrap them around the creature's mouth and start to pull.

Starscream gave another kick, distracting the creature again, giving Soundwave the time he needed to throw the jaw of teeth away from him and roll away to safety. Jazz tied the vines tightly around the creature, and it attempted to pull the vines off its face but was unable to do so. It whined and began to run off into the woods. Jazz flipped off and landed handily next to Soundwave on the ground who was now flexing his servos to try and get feeling back into them.

"Survive is right," Jazz said with a smile. Starscream rolled his optics as he landed next to Soundwave and pulled him back to his pedes.

They kept walking in relative silence, determined not to split up again. They had yet to see another creature or another set of participants, or even the evidence of them. The rain picked up and so they sought out some shelter.

There was a shallow cave that looked like it could afford some temporary respite from the storm. They sat down in silence and stared out at the storm for a little while.

Jazz moved and then cuddled with Prowl, murmuring some things in his audio that made the Praxian smirk. Starscream watched them with something like wistfulness. Soundwave in turn watched Starscream, carefully.

The seeker began to notice.

Starscream stood and stretched and then sat down quite close to Soundwave. He stared at the tape-deck expectantly and then rolled his optics and sighed. "Why do you keep looking at me?"

Soundwave looked away at the rain. "Soundwave: Watching Starscream for Megatron."

The seeker was biting the inside of his cheek as he drew his knees up. "I… miss him," he admitted, looking out at the rain. "I didn't think I could. But I do."

"Your relationship is complicated," Soundwave observed. "It defies definition."

Starscream snorted. "Sometimes I wish it could be… simpler," he said throwing another glance at Prowl and Jazz, who were now leaning against each other in light recharge.

Soundwave wondered if the seeker really did want something simpler with Megatron. He was not unaware of that the relationship that had developed over the millennia was more than just loud disagreements and attempted assassinations. Megatron and he were physically damaging of each other probably about as much as they were physically intimate.

The tape-deck had always stood poised to dispose of the seeker should Megatron grow bored of him. Soundwave had often thought the seeker had only rose to his rank because of Megatron's ill-placed affection for him, and eventually, Megatron would realize his mistake. Soundwave would have been eager to fulfill any wish the warlord asked of him, but especially if it meant that the treacherous second-in-command was taken out of the equation.

But the order never came. Megatron took to disciplining Starscream personally, and then would also coddle him afterwards, whispering platitudes and offering soft caresses far away from the optics and audios of the army. Yet Soundwave had seen. Soundwave knew. Megatron desired the seeker, and Soundwave struggled daily not to hold it against the warlord.

But he had never considered what Starscream wanted out of it, other than possibly a vain grab of ambition. Soundwave now regretted much of his past resentment.

Starscream turned his gaze back to the tape-deck. "What about you?"

Soundwave gave a look to the Autobot couple. "Soundwave: Lives for cassettes."

The seeker nodded as if he expected this response. "I'm sure they're okay. Especially Ravage. She'll make sure the rest of them will stay safe."

"Her creator was beautiful," Soundwave said, smiling behind his faceplate.

Starscream froze slightly, probably realizing what he had just said. The seeker had likely suspected that Soundwave was not the creator of all his cassettes, though it didn't seem to lessen his devotion to them in any sense. "And the others?"

"Laserbeak as well, her creator was so intelligent and quick-witted. Similar to you," Soundwave said. His vocalizer was almost… fond. "But only Rumble and Frenzy came from my spark," he said quietly. "The Quintesson Judge who killed their creators is dead."

Starscream said nothing, as the memory that Soundwave had shared to him earlier in their ordeal spoke volumes. Starscream would understand why Soundwave had phrased the sentence the way he had as well. The Quintessons might have pulled back their presence here in this arena, but they were always listening.

"I'm… sorry what they did to you," Starscream said quietly. He allowed his shoulder to slump against Soundwave's.

Soundwave wondered if this was the moment where he explained that they wanted to do the same to the seeker.

But he felt Starscream fall into recharge beside him and knew the moment had passed.