"You and I have memories farther than the road the stretches on ahead..."

The Beatles

Chapter 6: Report

Megatron requested that Mishap report a month later. She told him about Starscream obeying orders, his grumbling about how things were going, the doomsday prophecies of Megatron's latest attempt to collect energy, his moments of power confiscation when Megatron stubbed his toe. The usual.

"I'm glad I'm not expecting too much from you," he snarled roughly. "I knew that already."

"Perhaps what you don't realize is that whenever you are injured and he takes over, the others obey him without question." The battles she had witnessed brought this conclusion to her with alarm. "There is not a loyal chip anywhere in your warrior's transistors."

"Hmm." Megatron had not realized that. Perhaps this femme was not the scatterbrained fabricator he took her to be. "Does anyone speak on my behalf?"

"They do not even check your body for signs of functioning."

Megatron's thought's whirled. Was this another distraction? No, it was not. He recalled at least three instances this had happened immediately. He stood up from his elevated chair. "What is the conversation in my absence?"

"Cybertron. How they miss it, when will they go back. Starscream speaks only of you. He has no allies, for the others tire of him. When he's with the other jets they play games but they really fight like brothers."

"Starscream speaks of me? What does he say?" She already told him that! Wasn't he paying attention? He started down the few steps towards her, scowling in a way that made her apprehensive.

"Specifically, how you are wasting time, any holes in your schemes, what he would have done better."

"As expected. What does he do when he's alone?" Megatron left his throne and passed her. He was now pacing up and down the front of his monitor, looking for something.

"Downloads data. He has an insatiable demand for input."

"He's a scientist," Megatron said absently, looking for something near the computer. "Of all my Decepticons, he is the one on which I rely for accurate information."

The truth comes out! Mishap smiled. Megatron seemed to find what he was looking for. He produced a small, glowing rod. Mishap's eyes glowed, too. This was a concentrated form of energon, one to keep a robot going for a least an earth month. One that would not have the same effects that the potable cubes did.

"You have not only reported Starscream, you have revealed a vital, albeit disturbing, behavior pattern in my team." Morons! He was surrounded by morons! Morons, a traitor, and a semi-reliable femme whose fantastic appearance made him second-guess his own logic circuits. He was tired of self-control and decided a little play would benefit him. "For that, you get a reward." Mishap was genuinely flattered. She was also excited. Placing a battery like that in her chest cavity receptor was the robot equivalent of rolling ecstasy. Or shooting up black tar heroin. It was so bad psychologically, yet so good. So necessary; it was energon. He took a few steps closer, making the object grow all-encompassing. "There is on other thing I want you to do before you are dismissed." The vial was held in between his finger and thumb. She could see her reflection in it.

"Yes...my leader." Her eyes turned dark purple in anticipation. She would have to find a private place to insert that. Energon that good made her circuits go into overdrive and her whole body shake. Whatever he wanted, she had to have that vial!

Megatron's voice was low, almost a whisper. His arm snaked around her back but she barely felt it.

"I put it in for you...my dear."

Starscream ignored the sound of his door opening as he read the notes on the CD regarding Constructicon repair. He'd played it many times, each time finding something new. Often it made simple a few systems he'd found complicated. He glanced to see if she was visible. She was not. Over the week, his ghost had become negligent in her stealth. He could hear her walking around, she became visible when she thought he was resting, she used his door openly. He tried to pretend he was alone and searched for a way to break free without her. He had a new idea to get rid of Megatron.

She sat down on in the corner and he heard her sigh painfully. Turning off his audios, he changed CDs and began the search for notes regarding the physics of earth. Sometime later, a hand reached out and tapped his arm. He ignored it. It struck him again, harder. He pretended that there was nothing. He was hit with a small but stunning blast that threw out the CD and turned everything on. Starscream sat up.

"What's your damage!" he demanded angrily. There was no one in the room.

"Megatron's been calling all Decepticons to assemble. You'd better get going," said a female voice from nowhere in particular.

"What?' he asked the same time his radio called to him.

"Starscream!" yelled Megatron.

"I'm on my way!" Starscream yelled back, sprinting to the throne room where all the other Decepticons waited.

"So good you could make it," growled their leader. Turning towards the screen on the wall computer, Megatron showed a shot of the earth's sun. "I have decided to send us to this star to collect a great deal of its energy," he announced. "To do that, I need a large spaceship built to collect it." He proceeded to make his plans and assign tasks. Then he shocked them all by discarding his head scientist.

"Starscream, you will stay behind to use the computer to track our progress. Draw up the plans. Go with Mixmaster to the Constructicon's laboratory."

Starscream stay behind? Since when? All were open mouthed, including the subject at hand. Grumbling, he followed the green and purple robot out.

"The rest of you: the first robot finished, task perfect, will accompany the energon cubes we collect to Cybertron for vacation. Now go!"

Cybertron! Vacation! The evil mechs rushed out of the room, practically running over each other in the process.

Chapter 7:Autobots

"Warning! Warning! Warning! Decepticon activity in the following locations!" Teletraan-1 showed several spots on the globe where industrial activity thrived.

"Zoinks! Optimus!" yelled Cliffjumper, scarlet head turning to see who in the ark was still in proximity. Several Autobots were on patrol. He pressed a few buttons to see if any were close.

Spike, a human being allowed to associate with the Autobots, made it there first. Hound and Bumblebee were close behind. So was Optimus Prime, their magnificent leader. He read the commentary on the screen in front of him.

"Mirage and Brawn are over in the vicinity of the steelworks," he said in his gruff voice. "Prowl and Bluestreak are far away from the NASA Space station, but might make it. Radio them and tell them backup's on the way. Autobots! Transform and roll out!"

Quickly moving, the leader of these heroes became a large truck. Spike leapt into Bumblebee's waiting VW form. Cliffjumper remained to get the others on the horn.

"Yes, Teletraan!" responded Bluestreak.

"I'm Cliffjumper!" he snarled.

"Sorry! You sound the same!"

That was all Spike heard before they raced out of the ark. Being Autobots, they could drive at 500 miles per hour easily. Minimal. Optimus, the slowest in the bunch due to his massive size and lack of aerodynamics could do 1000 mph without breaking coolant. They were at NASA headquarters in ten minutes.

"Whoa," Spike murmured softly. The Decepticons had lain the place to waste. Smoke billowed everywhere, tanks were upside down, and alerts rang in a deafening tone. Buildings were in ruin. Where were the culprits?

"Red Alert!" thundered Optimus. "Enemy scan!"

The car next to him computed for a few seconds. "They're overhead!" This statement was punctuated by a laser blast next to him and coneheads emerging from an unknown place. Red Alert was blown aside but transformed without pain. "I'm all right!"

Optimus transformed rapidly. Taking aim, his gun blasted at the jets above him. Ramjet was hit. Spiraling down, the Decepticon screamed for the others to help. They ignored him. Optimus was in front of him immediately, gun drawn.

"What's Megatron up to?" Optimus demanded. The other Autobots rolled over and transformed around the jet, weapons out.

"I could've been on Cybertron!" he yelled back. "Now I'll never get a vacation!"

The others looked at each other and shrugged. Vacation? Spike comprehended.

"Did Megatron offer you guys a trip to Cybertron if you did – whatever this is?" Spike asked.

"That's not important," Optimus Prime reminded him. He could not care less about Megatron's employee motivational tactics. "What are you building?"

By now Ramjet's self repair was complete. "None of your beeswax, Auto-dorks!" he snarled, lifting off and releasing a bomb to send them scattering. Optimus rescued Spike from its blast but could not get up in time to stop Ramjet from escaping. The other Autobots slowly stood up, groaning. Optimus requested a status report.

"We're OK," said Hound. He lifted a foreign object. "Ramjet forgot this."

It was a large container of rocket fuel-empty; Ramjet did not want to crash with a full one in his possession.

"There's other stuff missing, too!" exclaimed Bumblebee as he rolled up to them. "The NASA guys got cleaned out of anything scheduled to take into space!"

"Optimus Prime, come in!" Mirage called over the radio urgently.

"What is it, Mirage?" he asked, picking his blaster out from the rubble while he talked into his arm's radio.

"We arrived at the steelworks in time to see Skywarp and Thundercracker leaving with all the steel they could carry! We are in pursuit!"

"We'll be there soon. Autobots! Transform and roll out!"

Spike dashed into Bumblebee's passenger seat. He was glad he'd quit the oilrig business.

Cheesy Flashback #4

"Hurry up, Swindle!" Brawl was never known for his patience. He hated diving around in this dilapidated neighborhood, especially with so many Autobots behind him able to call for backup. He did not fear a fight. He just wanted to go home. Decepticons headquarters was not any closer to comfort, but at least it was the location of tasty energon.

Swindle picked up the remaining pieces of his Autobot discovery hastily. "This could come in handy," he chirped to the other two. "We need a spy for some of our operations."

"You assume an Autobot can be turned. This is foolish. They are far too noble to ever consider that."

"You mean, stupid, " reminded Onslaught. "You forget, Blast Off, this particular femme is very valuable. She's a great asset to the Autobots." He transformed, allowing Swindle to load her onto him. "Swindle is correct, she will be a great asset to us, too."

"Oh no," moaned Vortex, who had overheard the whole conversation. "We are doing nothing of the sort!"

The van carrying the prisoners fired up, ending the discussion.

Chapter 8: Family

Megatron was pleased. The nearly remodeled, modified ship was nearly finished already. Amazing what a stupid promise accomplished.

"Keep it up! It's almost complete!"

The monitor on the portable computer beeped. "Calling Megatron!" It was Starscream, no doubt calling him to tell him why his plan won't work.

"What is it?"

"I have received a distress signal from Skywarp and Thundercracker. The Autobots are following them. Request permission to render aid?"

"Permission granted." Starscream going after the Autobots was a win/win situation.

"Starscream out." Starscream turned to the empty space next to him. "I suppose you will follow me."

"That's my assignment," replied the voice. She was not where he expected, causing him to jump.

"Fine! Then you should also help me by fighting!" He walked quickly to the door.

"I was not hired to be your bodyguard!" Mishap snapped, hands fluttering to the space in her chest where Megatron had placed her 'bonus.' She could afford to be his bodyguard, but she didn't want to. She hurried to catch up.

Skywarp and Thundercracker were nearby. Following them, on the ground, were half a dozen Autobots, most of whom Mishap knew. Somewhere she was glad to see them but this was drowned by a impulsive surge of contempt. Mishap was filled with rage. Piles of disloyal scrap! As quickly as it came, the feeling left her. She had to get it together. She almost lost it when she recognized one of the vehicles as her long-lost brother, who hadn't been in any of the prior battles. Underneath her Starscream gunned his engines and swooped down.

"Hit the dirt!" Optimus yelled, transforming into robot mode. Firing back at Starscream, he hollered commands to the surrounding troops. "Some of you follow the other two Seekers!"

"I'll get the steel stealers!" Brawn called gallantly. No one laughed. "C'mon, it's funny!"

"Not the fifth time you've said it!" Bumblebee yelled as his tires were shot out.

Mirage transformed and ran behind a hood-shaped rock. Turning invisible, he ran back out to hit Starscream where he least expected it. Mirage was tackled, dragged back behind the rock again, and pushed up against it as a shot ricocheted towards him. The shot missed but the pressure on his body remained.

"What the-" A figure appeared before him, arms squeezing him tight. Mirage felt his energon pump stop, causing him to reappear. "Oasis! Is it really you?" She was dead! It couldn't be! It barely looked like her!

She ignored the spark of anguish she experienced when he used her old, Autobot name. "Brother!" she sighed, voice box breaking. "Thank Primus you're still safe!" He stared at her. "It is me! Remember our races? Our card games? How you were afraid of the dark?"

"I was not!" he reacted to her old taunt instinctively. "It is you!" He staggered a little, still in shock. She backed away cautiously. "You look so-"

"Different?" She saw him appraising her lack of wheels, slimmer body, and more sculpted face. "Yeah, they tooled around with me a bit. There wasn't much to look at in the beginning." The twinge inside of her intensified. "I missed you so much!"

"What are you doing here?" Shots rang out around them as the Autobots tried to bring Starscream down. They ducked. "What happened to you?"

"The first million years?" she asked bitterly. "After my capture I was given two options: death or re-alliance." She fingered the Decepticon symbol on her chest. They made me swear to Megatron and I withered away in the pits until I was given a new directive."

He hugged her back "I am so sorry. We thought you were dead." Mirage embraced her tighter. "I'm so glad you're alive."

"So am I."

"Will you join us?"

Mishap was taken aback. She hadn't planned this, merely reacted to seeing her own metal and energy for the first time in forever.

"What? I can't do that!"

"What do you mean, you can't do that? Oasis, you're an Autobot!"

"Not anymore! I had to allow a part of myself to die to keep insanity at bay. I hated all of you for leaving me to decompose in that...(shudder) hole. Everyday I'm reminded of the horrible thing you left me to become, and I HATE the Autobots for it. I can't go back! Autobots give. I have nothing left to give, so I must be a Decepticon and take." Parts of her body hurt while she said this, as though some part of her programming was taking over her CPU. She tried to process clearly but everything was fuzzy.

"I don't believe that!" he cried, blue eyes pleading, royal blue hand stroking her arm. Robots hardly ever touch, unless it's affection. Mishap smiled. He never believed her when she was lying, even after all this time. She couldn't explain to him the conflict warring within, because it didn't make sense to HER.

"I don't either," she declared wearily. "But I don't know what to believe any more. The only ideals I had were erased from my memory banks. I want to come back-"

"Mirage!" yelled Optimus. "Are you alright?"

"Over here!" he answered, peering around the rock and waving his hand to his leader. Mishap cocked her gun at him. "What?" Is she insane?

"I have to get back. This is so you won't get into trouble for not fighting," she explained. "It's set on the lowest power." He collapsed at her shot, glaring in dismay. "I love you, my brother."

Chapter 9: Energon

Starscream was elated. Five Autobots in various wounded categories! Beat that, Megatron! Thundercracker and Skywarp had escaped, thanks to him.

"Are you impressed with my abilities?" he simpered to his invisible companion. She did not reply. "It was no thanks to you, either." Silence.

"Starscream! Where are you?" The only voice he heard was Megatron's.

"I'm on my way," he bayed joyously. "I beat five Autobots by myself! It was a grand sight to see-"

"-Megatron out," he interrupted, annoyed. Starscream got on everybody's circuits worst when he was bragging.

When Starscream arrived he beheld a sight unbelievable to him: a tower of energon cubes!

"Your modified ship idea is working well, Starscream," Megatron purred.

"Of course it works," Starscream hoarsely berated. His vocals had been used up boasting to his companion.

"Now take these back to base with you and recharge everything," Megatron commanded. He knew his head Seeker hated that task, which was why he delighted in assigning it.

"As you wish, Megatron." Starscream pressed the cubes into the more concentrated form and immediately placed them in his cargo hold. 'A pity my spy can't carry some for me,' he thought. 'That would spare me an extra trip.'

"And bring those empty cubes back! I need them!"

Starscream groaned. This would take forever! He flew back towards base and snarled at his secret trailing femme. "Why don't you do all of this and save me a great deal of labor?"

She still refused to reply to him. So she wanted to play that game! He could play it too. Arriving at the base, Starscream had the Decepticon computer do an energy scan. He refilled empty tubes, poured energon into some recharging plates, replaced empty cubes...bah! He was above this menial drudgery. After the second unloading the tower was almost gone and the base was nearly full. The third time over Starscream broke his reticence and asked Mishap of she was lacking any energy.

"I'm alright, thank you," she replied, surprised. This was the nicest gesture he'd made. Lucky for her he'd been found during his second trip to the base; her tracking device was not working on him. She was glad Megatron knew what to do with him, without her losing Starscream and giving anything away.

"She speaks!" Starscream replaced the last cube and turned to see where she might be.

"I don't have to engage in conversation with you," she returned, scooping a few energon cube containers up for him as he transformed. She placed them in his cargo hold and transformed herself.

Starscream was silent the long trip back. When he returned to the area where Megatron had energon cubes there was a cessation in work while Megatron gave a speech. They were cheering as Starscream landed.

"What's the excitement about?" he demanded as he stacked the last of the empty cubes.

"Megatron's putting us on skeleton crew!" Rumble crowed. "The jets, Soundwave, me, Lazarbeek, Frenzy, Ravage-"

"-Are going to Cybertron," Megatron interjected. "You, the Constructicons, and I will harvest more cubes here."

"Me! Why me!" Starscream howled.

"Because you whine the loudest!" Megatron countered. "Now, fill these energon cubes for the space bridge!" Decepticons raced furiously to accomplish the task that would bring them joy. Mishap smiled, wondering what other clues she dropped he would pick up.

Starscream began a litany of complaints that were ignored by all but Mishap, who could not think of her brother's words without the noise of this robot interfering. She wished he would shut up.

Cheesy Flashback #5

"So what's the story with the two blue Autobots?" Moonracer asked Powerglide. They had watched Sunstreaker leave with both Nova and Andromeda after promising to show them his fuzzy dice collection. Moonracer was glad to have the handsome glider all to herself.

"Mirage and Oasis?" he asked.

"Yeah. That's cute!" She delighted in clever name schemes. "Are they bonded?"

"No!" He laughed. "They're siblings!"

"Oh!" she laughed too, hoping her innocent mistake would not be taken the wrong way.

"They get that a lot. I think it's a sibling thing; Sunstreaker has a twin that practically forms a gestalt with him."

'Is that healthy?' she wondered. 'How can robots grow and develop when they depend on each other so much?' She nodded to agree with him and changed the subject. Later in the hallway, on her way to report for patrol duty, she waved to Oasis, who was going the opposite direction with a set of keys in her hand. "I'm glad I met you guys," she said. "I'm sorry Mirage didn't get along with Nova."

Oasis nodded curtly. "He was a little shyer than I thought, I guess."

'I bet.' She watched the blue-and-white transformer play with the ring of keys nervously. "Well, I'm sure we'll all be great friends."

"Yeah!" Oasis sounded like she was trying too hard to be enthusiastic.

"Yes. Anyway...I'm on patrol in five minutes. I will talk to you later!" Oasis walked away without waving back. 'What a weirdo!' Moonracer thought.

Oasis met up with her brother around the next bend, where he had paused while she went to get the ring of keys. He frowned at her.

"You were kind of rude to her," he accused, accepting the keys from her.

"I have nothing to say to her." He stared. "Sorry Mirage, I just don't."

"It wouldn't kill you to try to be friends with the females here."

"Like you are?"

Mirage winced. "That's not very nice."

"Sorry. Tell you what: We'll both make an effort to get to know one the females, and we'll try to be friends with her."

The mech gave her a funny look. "You're a lousy actress."

Oasis was annoyed her ruse had been seen through. "That was good! You know me too well, that's why you can call me out."

"You need to practice. Anyone who really pays attention would notice how bad you are."

"Thanks a lot! You think I should pretend I like Moonracer?"

"There's no need to do that. We're all friends here."

"That's easy for you to say. Everybody likes you here. I sometimes wonder if I belong."

"You belong!" They were traveling down the hallway at their usual leisurely pace. Gears, in his favorite breakneck speed, caught up with them and cleared his voice box twice to get them to allow him through. Oasis watched him shoot by, nearly running over Bumblebee.

"That bot is a menace!" she complained.

"I have him for patrol buddy all next week," Mirage teased. "I'm telling him you called him that!"

"No!" she gasped.

"Yes! Too bad he'd consider it a compliment."

"Coming from you, it would be!"

"What does that mean?"

"He respects you." Everyone she knew had great things to say about the male blue racecar.

"I wish Optimus would," Mirage sighed. "He promoted YOU, not me."

"That was only because I got better marks on all of their tests. You're a much better communicator. Prime's coming around."

"You really think so?" They were at Ratchet's recovery room, ready to deliver his keys to the oil chest. He had left them in the cafeteria, was in a hurry with another task, and requested the favor. Now he was in the room, talking to Gears, one blue optic monitoring the pair at the door. When he saw the blue Autobots he motioned them to come inside.

"Of course! You're great!" Making Mirage feel better about himself was a full-time occupation.

He smiled at her and patted her arm. "You're the greatest." He said.

Chapter 10: Revelations II

Sparkplug, the earthling Spike's father, was repairing the last of Mirage's damage. He was the last in line for repairs. After that, they would converge together for a meeting.

"Well, whatever it was didn't hit you that hard. Luckily, all you need is a little soldering and some polish." Sparkplug slammed his panel door shut with a satisfied bang. "Are you covered by HMO or PPO?"

"What?" Mirage was confused. Earth jokes went over his head.

"Nothing." Sparkplug jumped off of his bench and followed Mirage and Ratchet to Teletraan-1 to hear what Optimus had to say. The meeting had already started, and as far as Sparkplug could tell they were in search of Decepticons. His son and Spike's friend Chip were pushing buttons.

"Cosmos has picked them up over by South America-Brazil-look!" Teletraan showed their enemies in a far-off jungle gathering energon cubes and taking off. "Judging by their trajectory, they appear to be going to...Death Valley!"

"The space bridge!" Everyone yelled at once.

"Nah..." scoffed Ironhide. "We destroyed that space bridge last year! They'd never be stupid enough to build it in the same place!"

"I'm not willing to assume that," pondered Optimus. "Trailbreaker, Ironhide, Gears, Wheeljack, Jazz, Brawn, Hound, Red Alert, Powerglide! Follow me to check it out. The rest of you be ready to be called in."

"Let me go too, Optimus," offered Mirage at the same time Spike and Chip chorused likewise.

"Negative. It's too hot and too dangerous." He transformed into a truck.

"I have to! My-sister...might be there." Mirage hadn't planned saying it, but that wouldn't help now.

"Sister?" the surrounding vehicles asked. Optimus transformed back.

"Oasis? She's alive?" The magnificent red mech took a step back in shock. "The scouts said she was dead! You said she was dead! Are you certain?"

"As sure as the day we were created...Well, except that now she's a rebuilt Decepticon."

"What did they change?" Jazz knew he shouldn't interfere, but he couldn't resist. Did they make her look pretty?

"She's a jet! Except...she blames us for her fall, saying we could have saved her!"

Optimus' face, although almost never expressive due to the large facemask, had sapphire eyes that revealed grief. "If I had known..." He put his hand over the exposed part of his features.

Mirage felt desperate to comfort his leader. For some unknown reason Oasis had been one of Prime and Elita-1's brighter prospects, groomed to climb the ranks quickly. She and Mirage, leaders in espionage, had been set to join the commanding officers' rank at any time. She beat him to it. For some reason this had created a slowly growing rift between them, one that was never resolved. When they had been captured due to an explosive trap Mirage's team saw her in the wreckage, a smoking hulk that was an all too familiar sight in the war-ravaged area. By the time Mirage had been freed there was no trace of her among the rest of the mutilated machines. With no evidence, no recognizable body, and eyewitnesses including her own brother, Mirage had to admit to himself that she was dead. They had mourned her loss as every other robot did: unspoken, repressed bereavement, hidden away to keep a brave front going. Optimus seemed to take it hard, as he did with all of his Autobots, promoting Mirage immediately to her office and telling him that Oasis would NEVER be forgotten. Now Optimus appeared to wish she had been, as he silently shook his head in self-reproach.

"Is she a willing constituent to the Decepticon cause?" he asked. Mirage looked at him blankly. "Did she say that she was no longer an Autobot?"

"She did, but I don't think she meant it. She was a POW for so long. She thought we abandoned her!"

"How could she not mean it?" Gears demanded. He, like the others, had been eavesdropping. "Even if you are a Prisoner of War, you shouldn't join the other side. How do we know she's not exploiting that for sympathy; or a way to get to us through you, or even to hold out and see which side wins?"

"There was a POW like that here," Chip remarked casually. "He ran for President."

"Did he win?"

"No. Now BOTH parties fight over him, and he's stuck in between because of ideals he shares with each side. He's lost a lot of credibility trying to stick up for what he thinks is right."

"Yes!" Mirage did not want everyone to get sidetracked. "That's the same problem with Oasis!"

"I doubt it," Optimus Prime seemed to be agreeing with Gears. That was not good. Gears was a menace.

"Optimus, there's still some good in her," he plead. He recalled being shot. "...Somewhere. She's confused. I have to find her and get her over here! She can break whatever hold they have on her, I know it!"

Prime weighed his options heavily. He thought for so long most of his selected team returned to robot form. He stood, silently contemplating every possible outcome to every probable action. Finally, he spoke.

"Chip, what is the Decepticon's expected destination right now?"

"Same place, fifty miles father north." Even though these were impossible predictions to calculate, Chip could do it. Sparkplug had claimed more than once that Chip was psychic.

"Powerglide, you and Mirage go check it out. The rest of you be prepared for any call for backup."

Mirage smiled gratefully. "You won't regret this."

Optimus watched the hopeful Autobot leave. His chances of finding a stubborn turncoat jet willing to backslide, even for her brother, when asked a second time, did not fill him with hope. "I already regret this."

Megatron punched a button to lock in the needed latitudes/longitudes and the space bridge was ready. Coordinates set for Shockwave's building on Cybertron. He watched his jubilant team, except for the stoic Constructicons and the pouting Starscream, cheer as the circular walls lit up. The cloudy sky opened, swallowing them through a hole. When it closed sparks flew in the air and thunder clapped loudly. The sight could be seen for miles.

"Oh no! We missed it!" Mirage lamented.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch!"

"What?" What was WITH everyone today? Couldn't they communicate?

"Earth-saying. Hey! There's a few in the canyon!" He could barely make them out from their distance but it seemed a manageable number. Megatron, after hearing Starscream complain of the dust and sand in his gears, rolled his optics and resigned himself to a long month of worrying. An alarm went off and his sensors scanned the area to see Autobots far too close.

"Only two!" Megatron was insulted.

"They've discovered the space bridge!" Starscream wailed.

"Stop your complaining! Constructicons, disassemble the space bridge for a later use. Starscream, pick one and shoot! You defeated five last time!" His second in command chose Powerglide, leaving Mishap's relative to him. Mishap was in a quandary now! Her feared leader with a twisted fetish or her recently wounded brother! Well, this was a non-CPU-er. She beat a hasty spot to Mirage's audioreceptors and told him to roll for it.

"Powerglide! We've been spotted! There's another half-dozen in the canyon!"

"Whoo-hoo!" yelled the foolhardy motored glider, shooting at Starscream now that he was in range.

"Optimus! We need backup!" radioed Mirage, frustrated with the situation. "I found Oasis-"

"Augh!" she screamed, as Megatron's well-placed shot aimed for the object under her pierced through her armor, wounding her deeply. She remained invisible.

"Powerglide! Get out of here!" Mirage tried to find where his sister might have landed but the distractions above kept him from connecting enough to sense her. "There are Constructicons nearby!"

"Never!" Powerglide was joined, thanks to Optimus' paranoia, by the Dinobots.

"Retreat!" hollered Megatron, already bored with this. The Constructicons were finished anyway. Starscream followed after a parting shot to Powerglide that could not have hit the broadside of the ark. Halfway to base, Megatron halted, hovering for a moment. Starscream reverently changed to robot mode.

"I'm going to find the Constructicons and tell them where to build the space bridge. You go on ahead." With a menacing look Megatron flew to the left, leaving Starscream alone.

"Wow. Ever since you came along, he's been giving me a lot more freedom," Starscream commented, awed. He transformed back into a jet.

"Could we..." Mishap came in too faint to hear over his engines. He responded with a 'what?' "Could we...please...stop a moment?"

She had never asked him for a favor before. Starscream was so bewildered he landed in the middle of a dusty farm without a word about his gears.

Mishap became visible and painfully transformed into a robot. She immediately collapsed, groaning. She was a mess. Sparks flew from her left shoulder, which had almost come off. Her back armor was roasted black. She must have been shot.

"Let me look at that," he demanded, coming closer. Her shoulder short-circuited as he approached. "This doesn't look too good." It looked WIERD. Who made her? There were parts in her Starscream had not seen in aeons. This piqued his curiosity. If he fixed her, he might discover a new type of body to make him stronger. "I need to get you back to the lab to see it without all of this electricity in the way." She shook her head, opening her chest cavity. It seemed fused shut until she swore at it to open. Mishap pulled out an almost-empty vial that had once held concentrated energon. The sparks stopped, showing a bad ion cannon wound.

'So that's how he pays you,' Starscream thought indignantly. Without her consent or foreknowledge he scooped her up, shoulder dangling, and alighted to the sky. Her lucidity was wavering as she asked him not to tell Megatron.

"Almost there," Starscream muttered, holding her tighter as the ocean winds blew harder. She was very cumbersome. "What do they call you, robot spy."

"They call me Mishap," she moaned, lavender eyes darkening in pain. Her arm was still sparking slightly.

Starscream chuckled as they entered the dripping tower amidst the tumultuous sea.

"A fitting moniker."