Disclaimer: I owns nothin'! I did it all for the sake of my health! Don't hurt the email!

Thanks, everyone who reviewed. I know it's taken me a loooong time to get this done. Those still reading, your patience is commendable. Now, if you'll bear with me a moment longer, I won't delay you any longer than is absolutely necessary.

Ckret, I think that Megatron was going to steal it, but had some problems with transport – although, looking at Energon, he seems to have them, sort of…And thanks. I'm suitably honoured (i.e. very). Just be sure and update yourself, now, won't you? (I ran out of threats earlier. Iceberg's getting some more for me, though.)

Indigo-ink: As far as I can tell, Starscream's only like that when it'll win him an argument or something. In other words, to be contrary. (sigh) But yes, there's more: there's this. So…(cues the violin music to turn much faster and more upbeat) …Enjoy!

The Last Word

Red Alert stared. It was hard not to. After all, when the enemy is hovering in space, poised to erase any sign of your existence from the bit of reality you happen to be occupying…

… The next logical step generally doesn't involve sending you annoying messages. On Red Alert's list of Top Ten Times To Read Your Mail, this might have been somewhere near seven hundred.

Things made more sense to him after he'd checked the times; apparently the message had been sent nearly a day ago. Why it had taken so long to reach him, he didn't know: the time lag was atrocious – and no doubt had something to do with the oversized super weapon that was currently keeping his team-mates busy.

He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react. On the other hand, if Starscream was dealing with private correspondence, it probably meant that he wasn't blasting chunks off the planet, or helping to blast chunks off the planet, or whatever it was that the Seeker was doing up there.

Even if Starscream really was as much of a Decepticon as he thought himself to be (and he hadn't sounded quite sosure of himself)… well, Red Alert would just have to hope Decepticons couldn't multitask.

He didn't have enough time for repeating himself as Starscream had, and that wouldn't help his case anyway. All he could do at this point was to keep his point as clear and simple as his chaotic thoughts would permit.

It was most likely a good thing for the science officer that everyone else was too interested in the ship carefully positioning itself (the better to kill them), to notice what he was doing. (Except for one of the humans, who looked over and then continued to watch curiously, but Red Alert didn't notice her.)

He did wonder if he should tell any of the others, but decided against it. If they hadn't needed to know yet, they probably never would, he reasoned.

And sent the message.

I understand that it's compulsory for you to keep playing your own stubborn Decepticon role, but it's no use just refusing to believe what doesn't suit you. Maybe even you don't see everything about yourself. I don't know whether you're lying or you honestly believe everything you're saying; either way, the truth is the truth – whether you want to accept it or not.

You may be free of the rules, but have they ever mattered to you before? The very fact that you did play by our rules… that's something, at least. You're right in one sense: people can change their minds and their shape – but they remember. You're a Decepticon for now, but you can remember a time when you weren't, in name at least, if not action. You still know what it is to be one of us.

Whether you use the knowledge against us is not a concern: we use our knowledge of the people around us against them every day, one way or another. But knowing is a two-way thing. Did it ever occur to you that that knowledge could in turn be used against you? No, I don't mean by us, but what you know affects you more than you realise; the more you understand, the more it alters your perspective. You might not agree with our viewpoint, but once you are aware of it, once you've tried another way of doing things, then it becomes an option. And if there's another option, that makes every decision twice as complicated…

If you empathise it will change you; if you can understand something, your behaviour towards it is affected. Even if you fail to notice it. And you might be surprised by how much regret influences your thinking. After all, it is an emotion, and any emotion affects your state of mind, which in turn affects your behaviour… But there's no point in my trying to win this argument when we already have. I can't make you believe me, but that's all right; you know yourself that what I'm saying is true.

Whatever you think you feel, you'll have to admit the truth to yourself in the end. And no, Starscream, we're not about to leave you behind. It's not for us to give up on a friend. I just hope for your sake that you figure it out before it's too late.

But until then, we can wait.

A reply? Now?

Starscream stared at the message (silent, this one) and wondered where these Primus-damned Autobots got their timing from.

As if it mattered. He hadn't the time or the wish to argue with the medic here or now, despite the ridiculous ideas that fool had. But they weren't right. Of course not. The Autobot had no idea what he was talking about.

He couldn't be right.

"-scream!"

The sound brought Starscream back to the present. I'll have to admit the truth in the end, will I? In that case… well, we'll see which of us is the more stubborn.

He turned his attention back to the task at hand. Red Alert's words might be proven true one day, but Starscream couldn't see it happening. Until then, he was a Decepticon, and there was work to be done, and Megatron was calling him.

Well, it's done. Short, but done. And about time, too. So, what did we learn from this?

Starscream: That Red Alert's even slower than you are at replying to messages?

Red Alert: That Starscream reads his e-mail when he's supposed to be working?

Meh… I'm going to go with 'Never argue with Red Alert.'

Red Alert: A very valuable lesson. I think you should try it on Hot Shot. And Blurr. In fact, just teach everyone that before I have to.

Starscream: I object! Autobot propaganda-

Please, guys… no more.