Note: I want to send out a personal apology to predaqueenisarcee256 for taking so long to finish this. This was also supposed to be the final chapter but because of it's length and how long it has taken me to get this out, I decided to post what I have. The actual final part will be a long in a bit. Sorry again!

Megatron was annoyed. Nothing too unusual there. These days "annoyed" seemed to be Megatron's standard emotion, right along with "wicked glee" and "unbridled rage". Mostly, though, he seemed to be in a constant state of annoyance. It was no doubt due to the fact that he was surrounded by people that gave him many, many, many reasons to be annoyed. If it wasn't Skywarp's stupid pranks then it was Blitzwing starting fights. If not that, then it was Rumble and Frenzy getting revenge on Skywarp for his stupid pranks. And if it wasn't that then it was the Stunticons... just being the Stunticons. This level of annoyance he was currently feeling, however, was leaning dangerously close to "unbridled rage" and that's because it involved Starscream.

Starscream had been missing for several Earth months now. In all honestly Megatron was glad that one of the proverbial thorns in his side was gone (If only Optimus Prime would follow Starscream's example and simply disappear, Megatron's life would be total bliss). Things at the base were moving much more smoothly without that sneaky little coward's nonstop attempts to assassinate him, undermine his authority, or gain his favor only to stab him in the back (sometimes literally) later. Still, this situation was worrying. Starscream often wandered off to scheme or brood or both, but he never stayed in hiding for long. Furthermore, it seemed he was nowhere on the base. Megatron didn't like that one bit. As much as he detested the Seeker, he would much rather have Starscream in his sights at all times. Not knowing what his second in command was up to was irritating to say the least.

Megatron had been sitting on his throne for a while as he pondered the situation. He and his Decepticons were preparing to attack a museum that housed an ancient power source. The moronic Earthlings didn't even understand what they had in their possesson. Power such as that belonged only to those that would put it to use instead of treating it as if it were merely a shiny trinket to put on display. Megatron was hesitant to go after it just yet. The Autobots were certain to anticipate such a move and prepare to prevent the artifact from being taken. Of course he had a plan in mind for just such an occasion. He and a selection of his warriors would attack a nuclear power plant on the other side of the country. Meanwhile, Soundwave and a larger group of Decepticons would attack the museum. Optimus would certainly see an attack on a nuclear power plant as a greater threat and send the majority of his troops to put a stop to it. Any Autobots Prime left to guard the artifact would not be expecting an attack. They would be overwhelmed and annihilated. There was the slight chance that Optimus would figure out what was going on but by that time the artifact would already be in Decepticon hands.

Although, there was still the matter of his absent SIC. There was the chance that Starscream could be waiting for him to do something like this. The last thing Megatron needed was for the little pest to show up in the middle of the raid on the museum and snatch up the artifact for himself. Megatron's dental plates gritted at the idea of such power falling into Starscream's hands. He reached over and pressed a button on the arm of his throne. A screen on the wall across from him flicked on. Soundwave's impassive, unreadable face stared back at him.

"Soundwave, have you found any sign of that wretched fool?" Megatron demanded.

"Negative. Starscream statis: Untracable." Soundwave droned.

Megatron huffed and leaned back in his throne. A scowl formed on his face.

"No one's truely untracable, Soundwave. You above anyone should know that. Keep searching and don't stop until you find him!" he ordered.

"As you command." Soundwave responded. "Inquiry: Proceed with retrieval of artifact?"

"Yeah, the boys is gettin' antsy. When we gonna bash some Auto-twerps?" Rumble's voice piped up from somewhere off screen.

Soundwave looked down towards where his creation was apparently standing, giving the Cassetticon the closest thing to a scornful look he could manage before turning back to face the screen.

"Uh. Sorry, Boss. Didn't mean to interrupt." Rumble whispered nervously. He didn't speak up again.

Megatron ignored the exchange between Soundwave and Rumble and took the time to think on how to answer Soundwave's question. After a moment, he'd come to a decision.

"Proceed with the plan. We begin the assault now! " he said finally.

Soundwave nodded and the screen went black. Megatron rose from his seat. He gave his fusion cannon a cursory look over before heading for the door. When his door slid open he was greeted by the last face he wanted to see.

"Starscream!" He bellowed. He grabbed the Seeker by the throat and slammed him against the opposite wall of the corridor.

"Where have you been? What have you been up to? I'm in no mood for your antics today!" Megatron's voice thundered across the Decepticon base.

"Screamer's back." Skywarp's voice snickered from somewhere down the hall.

Megatron's scowl faded slightly. Something wasn't right here. Where was the begging? Where were the pitiful pleas for mercy? Where were the flimsy explinations? Where was the pathetic blaming of others? Megatron examined Starscream's face. Though it was twisted in pain, there was no fear there. If anything Starscream looked... happy...? Megatron dropped the Seeker as if his metal were blazing hot.

"Nice to see you too, Mighty Megatron." Starscream said in a strained but mocking voice. "Did you miss me that much?"

Megatron's optics narrowed. Starscream may not have been acting like his normal cowardly self but he was still a saracastic slagger. Starscream got to his feet and took on his usual haughty air. Though, there was something off about it. Starscream was twitching with what seemed to be barely contained glee. That's when Megatron caught the look in the Seeker's optics. Starscream had never been very stable but the crazed look that was in his optics in that moment went far and beyond instability. That coupled with the demented grin that replaced his usual smirk told Megatron all he needed to know. The fool had finally snapped. Megatron stepped away from the Seeker, the arm welding his fusion cannon twitched slightly. Megatron never backed down from anyone, but no one had ever looked at him the way Starscream was looking at him now.

"What is wrong with you?" Megatron demanded, his face twisted in disgust.

Starscream laughed. It was a sharp, unhinged laugh that sent a chill down the spinal struts of all that heard it.

"Wrong? With me?" Starscream questioned with mock dismay. "Why nothing, Megatron!Nothing's wrong with me at all! If anything, I'd say everything is finally going right with me!"

That statement sent up a giant red flag for Megatron.

"What have you been doing, Starscream? I know you've been up to something. Tell me what you've been planning and I may let you at least crawl away with your worthless life!" the tyrant shouted in Starscream's face. Once again, Megatron expected the Seeker to cringe away from him and beg for forgiveness. Once again, he was instead met with that look of crazed delight.

"Oh I have plans alright." Starscream said with a secretive chuckle. "And I'm sure it will shatter your poor spark to pieces to know that none of my plans involve you."

Megatron's furious expression withered into a very uncharacteristic look of confusion. Everyone that overheard Starscream's declaration blurted out in one collective shout of, "HUH?"

Megatron shook his head, his scowl returning. As much as he wanted to figure out what Starscream was up to he had better things to do.

"I will uncover whatever your ridiculous plans are, Starscream, and I will put an end to them and YOU should it come to that. But I have no time to deal with your treachery now." Megatron warned.

"Oh? What a shame. I guess I'll just do a little catching up then!" Starscream said in a almost cartoonishly chipper tone. He practically bounded towards a very baffled looking Skywarp and Thundercracker. He wrapped his arms around their shoulders and began talking away as if he were just coming back from a vacation.

"So why don't you two tell me about all the fun things that I missed while I was gone?" he said in a voice so friendly it seemed downright sinister. He proceeded to ramble on some more but neither Skywarp nor Thundercracker were listening.

"TC, what's happening?" Skywarp asked, sounding like a lost and frightend child.

"Beats me. I guess Starscream got into some bad energon or got a virus or something." said Thundercracker.

"Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" Skywarp asked again in that same lost and scared tone.

"Frankly I think it was better when he was insulting and screaming at everyone. He's kinda scaring the slag outta me right now." Thundercracker answered honestly.

"Me, too." Skywarp wimpered.

Soundwave, who'd been watching the scene unfold in silence, approached and addressed his leader. Megatron chose that time to answer Soundwave's unspoken question.

"Starscream will accompany my team at the power plant. I want to keep an optic on him and make sure he doesn't ruin everything. I don't want that buffoon anywhere near the museum. And leaving him behind is out of the question. I don't want to think about what he'd get up to if he were left unsupervised in the base! " he said.

"Affirmative, Lord Megatron." Soundwave droned.

"And afterward send him to Hook to be examined. I don't know if he's malfunctioning or truely gone mad but I want something done about it!"

"Affirmative." Soundwave repeated. He said nothing else as his leader stomped off to begin the raid. He watch Starscream interact with his traumatized Trinemates with wary optics. Earlier, he tried to get a glimpse of just what was going on in Starscream's processor but the Seeker's thoughts were so jumbled and erratic that he couldn't get a good read on anything. Megatron was right about Starscream having gone mad, but the Seeker's already unhinged mind had been pushed to it's very limits. Starscream's hadn't just lost his mind, his mind had been broken utterly. Once the artifact was retrieved, he would mention this to Megatron. Not before then. His leader had enough to worry about as it was. There was no repairing a mind that gone. Starscream was more dangerous now than ever before. He would simply have to be terminated.

You sat alone at an empty table in the mess hall. Your shift had ended and you were just waiting for Brawn to finish up his own shift so the two of you could spend the rest of the day together. No, you still weren't a couple, in spite of what many of the other Autobots seemed to think. Rumors had begun to spread around the Ark that you and Brawn had been caught canoodling in the hallway, no doubt thanks to Tracks being the notorious gossip that he was. Of course the story got steamier and steamier each time another bot told it and several times you were forced to explain that you and Brawn had just been hugging and nothing else. To your irritation, this usually lead to the other bot giving you a knowing grin and saying, "Right. Hugging."

Recently the rumors began dying down and you were certain it had something to do with Brawn overhearing the gossip and slamming a few heads together in order to get his displeasure at such rumors across. Tracks had gone into hiding as of late to save both his neck and his paint job. You liked Tracks just fine but his snobbery could get a little overbearing sometimes. Though you were more than a bit peeved at him for turning you into a topic of gossip of this nature. You wouldn't be surprised if he might be hiding from you as well as from Brawn.

Speaking of Brawn, aside from the whole gossip situation, he'd been acting a lot calmer lately. He seemed less intense and less likely to start unnecessary fights. He also seemed less heavy handed when dealing with you. Didn't slap you on the back as hard or shove your shoulder as roughly. You almost missed it. Almost. There were other little things that Brawn did or didn't do that clued you in to the fact that even though you weren't officially a couple, Brawn was pretty convinced that you were, or at least going to be. You weren't sure how you felt about that.

You weren't sure how you felt about a lot of things lately. Things like romance, for example. And Brawn. You really weren't sure how you felt about Brawn. You liked him sure, but not enough to persue a relationship. At least, that's how you felt when he first confessed to you. As time went on, you were beginning to have different thoughts on that. Brawn wasn't the most handsome of the Autobots, but you weren't the type to only judge a person by their looks. His size wasn't an issue either. You liked Brawn and you liked spending time with him. The two of you were together a lot and not just because you were designated partners.

You spent more time with Brawn than anybody else. Other than Optimus and Bumblebee, Brawn was the first bot to approach you on the day you joined the Autobots on Earth. You remembered how nervous and you were that day. You were intimidated by meeting the legendary Optimus Prime and were trembling as you spoke to him. You heard some of the other bots snickering at you and you felt even more timid and shy because of it. Then a tough looking Minibot spoke up for you, bellowing at the bots making fun of you to knock it off. Something about that gave you a burst of confidence that lasted throughout the rest of the day. You later learned that the Minibot's name was Brawn and the two of your were practically inseperable ever since. He was always on your side, too. It was nice having someone you could rely on when things went badly and not just on the battlefield. You caught yourself before you sighed fondly at the memory. Uh no. Did that mean what you think it meant?

Did you like Brawn? Could you see yourself in a relationship with him? And if not, then should you be spending so much time with him? Were you giving him the wrong idea? Were you stringing him along by not distancing yourself? Should you make sure he understands that the two of you were just friends and nothing else? Did you want to just be friends? Did you want something more with him? Would he be hurt if you told him you didn't want to be with him like that? Would he be angry?

That's when you considered the downsides of being with someone like Brawn. He had a temper and a violent streak several miles wide. This was something he definitly needed to work on. You weren't one of those wide-opticked dreamers that niavely thought you could change someone just by being in a relationship with them. It really wasn't your place to try to change him anyway. But if you did decided to have a relationship with him then you knew that his temper and near constant need to fight was something that was going to cause problems if not properly dealt with.

Then there was the war. You told Brawn that you wanted to wait until the war was over before even considering forming a relationship. But that was the problem. This war had been going on for several millenia now. That was a long time to be at war, and all things considered, it didn't look like it was going to end any time soon. If you two decided to get closer... if you fell in love... and something happened... Well, you knew if something happened to you... if you were killed in battle, Brawn would be devestated. You never wanted to do something like that to him. You breifly considered what would happen if Brawn died and regretted it right away. The thought of not having him in your life made you squirm in your seat and made your optics water. You swiped a hand across your face, wiping the optical cleanser away before anyone could see, in spite of the mess hall being empty that time of day. You thought about your situation a little longer and decided that this was not something you could figure out on your own. You needed advice. Optimus was the first person to come to mind when you thought of who to ask. So it was settled, when you got a chance you would try to find Optimus in a quiet moment to ask for his advice. You felt a little better knowing that you were at least one step closer to making a final decision on the matter.

You were so deep in your thoughts that you nearly jumped to the ceiling when someone nudged your shoulder. You yelped and turned to see the subject of your deep thoughts standing there laughing at you.

"Brawn! Did you do that on purpose?" You yelled, growing angry at having been startled.

"No! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." he said, but he was still laughing at you.

"Well okay." you muttered, still not sure if you should believe him.

"That's what you get for letting your mind wander like that. What were you thinking so hard about?" he asked in a teasing tone.

"Nothing." You fibbed, not ready to fill Brawn in on things just yet. "I was just zoned out from boredom."

"Yeah I guess it's nice to just let your mind go blank ever so often." Brawn mused.

You opened your mouth to make a joke a Brawn's expense but the Minibot stopped you.

"Don't say it!" he said in mock angry tone.

"Okay. I'll behave for now." you said coyly. Brawn gave you an admiring expression that made your spark do weird things. You looked away from him and laughed nervously.

"So what's on the agenda now that we're both off duty?" You asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Oh yeah!" Brawn cried as if he suddenly remembered. "I thought we'd go to the drive-in. That new movie you wanted to see is playing."

Drive-ins were a the perfect way for Cybertronians (especially those with ground based alt-modes) to watch movies. The bad news was that they were mostly a thing of the past in human society. The good news was that there was a least one local drive-in still up and running. The owner was more than welcoming to the Autobots and even allowed them and their human friends to watch movies for free. Though when Brawn asked you to go you felt as if you'd been turned to jelly.

"Oh... ah... well..." You stammered. Just say "Yes"! One half of your processor screamed. No! He'll get the wrong idea! The other half protested.

"It's not a date." chuckled Brawn as if reading your mind. "Bumblebee will be there with Spike and Carly. I think Jazz, Hound, and Beachcomber are gonna be there too."

"Oh." You felt both relieved and a little disappointed. Mentally you were berating yourself. You hated how indecisive you were being about this. You couldn't keep doing this! You had to make a decision. You had to talk with Optimus as soon as possible. After the movie would be a good time. Optimus didn't really have much to do late in the evenings so it was the perfect time. You felt a little guilty about putting your personal problems off on him but Optimus was an understanding mech. You knew he wouldn't mind. You just hoped he could help you figure this out and steer you towards making a final decision.

For the second time that day you were startled out of your seat. This time it was due to the alarms blaring across the base.

"Great." Brawn grumbled sourly. "Guess we'll have to do movie night another time. But those Decepti-creeps are gonna get it for messing up our evening!" He added while slamming his fists together in a huff.

You smiled at him before you could stop yourself.

"Let's go kick some chrome!" You yelled as you ran passed him.

Brawn stood there in surprise for a moments before grinning and chasing after you.

"Wait up!" He called.

You sat next to Brawn and a few other Autobots inside of Skyfire as he flew towards the scene of the attack. Optimus had briefed everyone on situation on the way there. The Decepticons were targeting a nuclear power plant of all things. The plan was to steer the battle as far away from the plant as possible. It didn't need to be said how bad it would be if one of the reactors got hit during the fight. At some point Optimus stated that he felt that there was more to this attack than just another energy raid and that everyone should be extra cautious. Everyone seemed on edge but you were feeling especially nervous about this particular attack and it had nothing to do with the possibility of a nuclear meltdown.

You were thinking of the last battle you took part in. You were thinking of the possiblity of running into him again. You knew there was a very high chance of Starscream being present at this battle. The thought of running into him again made your metal crawl. The way he cornered you and overpowered you so easily made you feel weak and vulnerable. It made you feel pathetic. Of course things were different now. You weren't on the verge of shutting down due to lack of recharge and energon. If he sought you out again, you'd be ready for him (maybe). And yet, the thought of confronting Starscream again filled you with an overwhelming sense of dread. His behavior was so erratic last time that you were uncertian if you could deal with him or not.

You felt a gentle nudge against your arm and looked over at a concerned looking Brawn.

"You're not getting cold feet are you?" he asked.

"Of course not!" You blurted unconvincingly.

Brawn stared at you for a moment before his face went grim.

"Don't worry about Starscream." he said, once again, as if reading your mind. "If that creep so much as gets within shouting distance of ya, I'll rip his wings off and beat him to death with 'em!"

You grinned at Brawn's declaration. You didn't know how he did it but Brawn always knew what to say to take your mind off of your troubles.

"Don't worry about me, Brawn." you said, feeling more at ease now. "I'm not letting Starscream get the drop on me this time."

"Yeah well, let's just plan to stay close this time." Brawn said. "I mean it. Let's make an effort to not get seperated."

You smiled to signify your agreement but said nothing else. You couldn't help but notice that Brawn had stopped referring to you as "kid" all the time. You spent the rest of the flight silently reveling in that fact.

So far the false raid had been going smoothly. The initial attack went off without a hitch with the weakling humans surrendering almost instantly. Well, not without throwing a few rocks. They always had to throw rocks at them. (Where the humans just keeping them in their pockets in case of Decepticon raids? I mean, where does one even get rocks in a nuclear power plant?) Megatron surveyed the area as his minions began gathering the energy and converting it into energon cubes. Everything was happening as if draining the power plant had been the real goal all along. No one would ever guess otherwise, as long as one of his troops didn't do something stupid and blurt out something that would reveal the truth. Megatron made it perfectly clear before the raid that if anyone so mentioned the words "artifact" or "museum" he would personally tear out their vocal processor. It had less to do with the Autobots discovering the truth and more to do with keeping his treacherous SIC in the dark.

Megatron cast a wary glance at the seeker. Starscream hadn't said a word since they arrived at the plant. In fact, he hadn't complained once. Nor had he insisted that things would be going better if he was in charge, nor thrown a fit because he was forced to do any work for himself. He hadn't even started bossing around his Trine mates (who were distancing themselves from him much more than usual). Actually, all the other Decepticons seemed to be actively avoiding the Seeker since he'd returned. Not that any of them ever sought out Starscream's company, but they all seemed disturbed by his unusual behavior.

The smarmy grin hadn't left Starscream's face since they left the Decepticon base. It would be a cold day in Unicron's belly before Megatron would admit it, but it genuinely gave him the creeps. The Decepticon leader wanted more than anything to beat that self-satisfied smile off of the seeker's face but that would have to wait until later. The Autobots would be there any moment.

And right on time one of the Earth germs spoke up.

"The Autobots are here!"

This statement was answered by a chorus of cheers from the human captives as the enemy forces rolled into veiw. Megatron responded to the Earthlings' jubilation with a thunderous bellow.

"SILENCE!"

The cheers ceased then and there. Megatron towered over the human who'd dared to speak and glared down at him.

"Speak without permission again and you'll end up as a stain on the bottom of my foot!" The tyrant warned the human that spoke up in the first place.

The human cowed back into the crowd and did not speak again, though he did send a glare towards Megatron, but only after his back was turned.

Megatron had become aware of another sound that was beginning to drown out even the rumble of the approaching Autobots. It was a faint buzzing sound. Megatron looked skyward to see a black cloud moving rapidly in the direction of the power plant. His sensors quickly told him that this wasn't a cloud. It was a host of living beings of Cybertronian orgins. Insecticons! What were they doing here? He hadn't called for them! The relationship between the Insecticons and the Decepticons was rocky at best and hostle at worst. Both sides had betrayed the other on numerous occasions. There was no reason for them to be here now... unless...

Megatron's rage flared.

"STARSCREAM!" he roared turning on his SIC. He aimed his fusion cannon at Starscream threateningly. "This is your doing!"

Starscream merely smirked in response.

"Of course it is, Leader." he admitted. "Surely you don't mind if I sent for a little back up?"

"Back up?" Megatron repeated in confusion.

Megatron watched, shocked, as the swarm of Insecticons flew over their heads and straight towards the approaching Autobots. In moments a full blown battle had broken out between the two opposing forces. The swarm not only blocked the Autobots from advancing but they were managing to push them back as well. Megatron was dumbfounded. Had Starscream actually done something competent for a change? Had he actually contributed to the Decepticon cause rather than hinder it with selfish schemes? Megatron wasn't buying it. He rounded on his SIC.

"Who are you and what have you done with Starscream?" Megatron demanded. While the question would normally come off as a joke from anyone else, Megatron was very serious when he asked it. But Starscream seemed to find it amusing.

"It's as if you don't trust me, Megatron." Starscream said with a snicker and a mock pout. "I'm hurt."

No, there was no doubt that this was the real Starscream. That insufferable smarm was unmistakable.

"Starscream, you tread a dangerous road!" Megatron warned, having grown very tired of the Seeker's current behavior, as well as his past wrongdoings.

"The insecticons will provide us with cover long enough for us to drain this place dry and escape with our spoils, unless you say otherwise of course." Starscream said.

Megatron looked back toward the Autobots to see them being overwhelmed by the swarm, so much so that it looked like they may be forced to retreat soon. It would be a welcome change to see the Autobots forced to retreat for once. Megatron turned back toward the power plant. His troops had amassed more energon cubes than they could possibly carry.

"It's your call, Leader." Starscream pressed.

Megatron glowered at him a moment before making the decision to contact his troops at the other site.

"Soundwave! Status report!" he demanded.

A moment later Soundwave's electronic tones filled his audials.

"Artifact retrieved. Mission completed. Returning to base."

Relief washed over Megatron. Still he fixed Starscream with a supicious glare.

"Don't think for a nanosecond that you've fooled me, Starscream. I'm well aware that there is treachery taking place here today and I know that you are behind it. While I do not yet know what kind of tricks you're up to, it is only a matter of time before I find out. And when I do, mark my words, you will suffer for it." he said in a voice that promised much pain.

Starscream just kept smiling.

Megatron's left optic twitched but he contained his rage. There would be time enough to straighten Starscream out later.

"Decepticons! Return to base!" he ordered.

His minions grabbed their stolen goods and took to the skies. Starscream transformed and took his place along side Skywarp and Thundercracker (who immediately manuevered a few wingspans away from their oddly behaving leader). Megatron glared after the SIC before ultimately taking flight himself.

Starscream on the other hand could barely contain his joy. While Megatron was contacting Soundwave, he had recieved a message from his own underlings.

Earlier, with the Autobots

Your group was nearing the power plant when Skyfire suddnely gave a cry of pain and his whole frame shuddered violently causing the Autobots riding inside to tumble about. Brawn grabbed you before you could slam into a wall.

"Skyfire! What's happening!?" called Smokescreen from somewhere under a pile of his fellow Autobots.

"Insecticons!" came Skyfire's panicked and pained answer. "Everyone hang on! I've got to shake them off before they eat me alive!"

"Skyfire, try to land!" Prowl said as he shoved a grumbling Gears off of himself.

"I can't!" Skyfire cried. "They're all over me! I can't see anything!"

Terror was seeping into your spark but you kept a brave face. You'd heard stories of these insecticons. If they were anything like what the other Autobots had told you then you truely felt for Skyfire in that moment. You weren't exactly eager to face off against monsters like that either.

Skyfire yelped and lurched in the air as many sets of sharpend mandibles began gnawing on his wings. Panicked, he began to spin in midair in an attempt to rid himself of his attackers.

"Land! Land!" Prowl ordered again, his voice marred by a rare moment of panic.

Skyfire obeyed this time and blindly tried to put himself on the ground. Unable to see where he was going, he wound up hitting the ground on his left wing and went into a tail over head tumble. You, Brawn and the other Autobots were rattled around like beans in a set of maracas. That is, until Skyfire's doors flew up and the lot of you were tossed out. You bounced against the ground so hard that you went into a roll until you hit something. Stunned you lay there a moment in hopes that everything would stop spinning.

"Are you trying to kill us, Skyfire!" you heard Gears shout. He sounded far away. You weren't sure if that was because you'd rolled so far away from the others or because your audials were damaged and malfunctioning. After a moment your balancing mechanism kicked in and you were able to get to your feet. That's when the pain set in. You looked yourself over to assess the damage. You left arm looked a bit knackered. You moved it a bit. Bad idea. Pain seared into your cables and you clutched your arm, wincing. A small amount of energon seeped out of the elbow joint. That was gonna be fun to have fixed. Your paint job was a wreck, too, but at least you were still functioning.

You scanned the area around you. Skyfire lay in a heap some distance away. The force of the crash had actually knocked him back into his root mode. Guess it was a good thing you and the other Autobots got tossed out of him when you did. Otherwise, you would've been crunched up in the larger bot's innards as he transformed. The poor guy had bite marks and scratches all over him and his wings looked like they'd been chewed to bits. He wasn't going to be flying back to base, that was for sure. He moaned and sat up, rubbing his head. You were slightly surprised he was still functioning.

Gears, Prowl, Smokescreen and the others were pulling themselves out of the dirt. They all bore various degrees of damage, some worse off than others. The only one not accounted for was Brawn.

"Brawn!" you called out for your mini-bot buddy. No reponse.

"Brawn!" you called again. Silence. Anxiety was rising in your spark.

"BRAWN!" you yelled, voice etched with worry.

"I'm right here! Don't get your wires in a twist!" Brawn's voice grumbled from somewhere behind you. You whirled around to see the mini-bot untangling himself from a chain-link fence.

"Primus, I thought..." you started but couldn't bring yourself to finish the sentence. Brawn gave you an incredulous look.

"Thought what?" he said, wrenching his foot free from the fencing. "That I'd turned to scrap? It'll take a lot more than a little tumble to send me to the junkyard!"

You looked Brawn over. He was a bit scuffed up and covered in dirt but seemed no worse for wear. Brawn seemed amused by your fretting over him.

"When you're done admiring my physique we've got a battle to get to. " he taunted.

You're mouth dropped open in indignant humiliation. You sputtered and huffed in an attempt to form a reponse but words failed you. Brawn chuckled at your shame. His good natured expression changed to one of grim seriousness when the sky grew black. It was only then that you became aware of the buzzing sound. You looked up to see a massive swarm of insecticons heading towards your group.

"You can chew me out later! The bugs are back to finish us off!" Brawn said holding up his clenched fists in preperation for the upcoming fight.

You weren't ready for a fight though. You had only one good arm and had no idea where your blaster had been tossed. The only built in weapons you had were short blades in your wrists. You knew you should've opted for the shoulder cannons!

"Brawn, I'm down an arm!" You told him.

"Big deal." He said with a grin. "You only need one good arm to deliver one good punch. And you got two legs that know how to kick, don'tcha?"

"Yeah but... that's a lot of Insecticons!" you said, panic rising in your voice.

"Haven't you heard?" Brawn said as he got into a battle stance. "Quantity don't mean slag! It's quality that counts! Now let's stomp some bugs!"

Fueled by your partner's words, your fighting spirit kicked in full force. You unsheathed the blade of your good arm and stood next to Brawn.

"Give 'em Hell, Brawn." You said with a laugh. Brawn grinned broadly.

"I always do!" he quipped as the swarm dove in for the attack.

You prepared to swing out with your blades but as the Insecticons drew near they seemed to pass right over you and head straight for Brawn. You looked on in confusion and horror as Brawn was dog piled (or bug piled) by Insecticons. Mighty though the mini-bot was, there was no way he could take on that many enemies at once. With each bug he swatted, another would take it's place. Followed by more, and more, and more. Brawn was very quickly being overwhelmed.

"Brawn!" You shouted.

You rushed forward, ready to plung your blade into one of Brawn's attackers when a strong, clawed hand suddenly grabbed you by the wrist. The hand lifted you effortlessly off of the ground, leaving you dangling helplessly in the air. Your only working arm was in your attacker's grip so all you could do was kick wildly in hopes of hitting whoever had you in their grasp. The hand holding you turned you around so that you were facing your captor. You knew instantly that you were looking at Shrapnel, the unoffcial leader of the Insecticons. You recognized him from seeing his face while browsing through enemy files on Teletran-1. You also remembered what those files said about him, and you remembered not liking any of it.

"What a cute little morsel morsel!" he rasped in the creepiest voice you'd ever heard. "If it weren't for the mission, I'd keep you all to myself myself." The way he said that had you twisting in his grip even harder. You had no idea what he was talking about and you had no desire to find out! Besides that, Brawn was still in trouble.

"Buzz off, bug boy!" you spat. Shrapnel merely chuckled awfully before noticing the state of your arm. At that he snarled.

"Idiots idiots!" he shouted at a group of sheepish looking Insecticons. "You damaged the goods goods! If my pay is halved because of your stupid-"

You didn't let him finish. Taking advantage of his distraction, you swung both legs backwards as far as you could manage before swinging them forward and into Shrapnel's face with all your strength. It wasn't enough to do any major damage, but it was painful enough to cause him to release your wrist. Shrapnel clutched his face in agony as you landed on your feet. You spun around, still gripping your blade, and slashed upwards in attempt to stab the Insecticon in the gut. You didn't have time to waste with creepy bug dudes. You had to save your friend!

For the second time that day, your attack was stopped. Only this time it wasn't by Shrapnel. Something soft and sticky wrapped around your hand causing you to drop your blade. You looked at your hand in shock. It was covered in some kind of silky threads like that of a web or cacoon. A long thread of it lead back to the clawed hands of an Insecticon that you didn't recognize. Most of the swarm was made up of clones of the three main Insecticons Shrapnel, Bombshell, and Kickback. This guy was something completely new. Judging by the many tiny legs lining his body, you guessed that his alt-mode had to be some kind of catipillar. He grinned at you before turning to Shrapnel and making strange buzzing/clicking sounds.

"No, we don't eat this one this one!" Shrapnel said, seemingly in answer to the other's buzzing noises. "We take this one with us with us. Be sure to wrap it up tight tight." He added that last part with a venomous glare in your direction. You guess he didn't appreciate the kick to the face. You tried to pull free but to no avail. Whatever that sticky stuff was it was a lot tougher than mere silk. The catipillar bot began yanking on the threads and pulling you towards him. You dug your heals into the dirt and tried to pull back but he was too strong. He ended up yanking you to the ground. You fell face first in the dirt, but didn't stay there long as the Insecticon snatched you up and began rapidly wrapping you up in sticky threads. You screamed, swore, and squirmed but could not break free. Throughout it all, you could only think of Brawn. Was he okay? Did he escape? Was he hurt? Was he... was he...

You'd been encased all the way up to your head now. Only your terrified optics peered out as Shrapnel leered down at you, still rubbing his sore jaw. "I can't wait to see what Starscream has in store for you for you." he hissed. Your scream was muffled as the final threads of your cocoon were wrapped around your face.