Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or any of the characters mentioned in the story. They are trademarks of Hasbro and the other companies responsible for their creation. So pleeez don't sue me.
When We Were YoungChapter –16
Sharp teeth….
Five faces….
Has the imperial magistrate reached a verdict?
Soundwave's optics snapped online. He sat up and looked around. He was in his familiar room at the academy, there were no faces or teeth and Ravage was recharging peacefully next to him….
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Astrotrain groaned slightly as he stretched this stiffness out of back and wings. Nearly getting his wings shot off, going out into space to stay safe, re-entering, and having to recover in med bay always left him a little stiff. If that weren't enough he was due to take a trip to Polyhex in two hours.
"What's a matter with you Astro?" Flywheels slowly sat up from the med table he was lying on. Flywheels had been one of the injured Astrotrain had brought home for high tech repairs.
"Oh nothin'. Just a little stiff, that's all." Astrotrain sighed, his left wing felt particularly sore.
"Hey. What did you do with that music your friends sent you?"
"It's in my subspace pocket. Why?" Astrotrain mumbled while trying to look as far as he could over his shoulder as he could to try and get a good look at his aching wing.
"Can we listen to it again?" Flywheels perked up.
"Oh, no. Not that again!" Flywheels moaned.
Astrotrain's head turned from examining his wing to face Flywheels.
"Hey, I've got a right to listen to what I want!" Flywheels spat.
"Not if it's gonna annoy the slag out of me!" Flywheel retorted.
One of the medics noticed the slightly unnerved expression on Astrotrain's face.
"Don't mind him, he's one of the newly created Duocons. Unfortunately, he has glitch in his system, his two parts have separate personalities." The medicbot stated matter-o-factly.
"Right……" Astrotrain muttered, still slightly disturbed at seeing a transformer argue with himself. However, his attention was detracted from Flywheels when a small messenger bot came in and handed Astrotrain a message disc. The Triple-Changer sighed as he pulled his laptop out of his subspace pocket and inserted the disc.
He hoped it was a cancellation on his trip to Polyhex and he could get a couple days of break time, he expected it to be more details of his mission, he found out that it was something much more serious.
"Y'know what I would like very much is that you would give your mouth a rest!" Flywheels snapped.
"My pleasure." Flywheels snarled.
"Thank you very much." Flywheels growled.
"You're welcome." Flywheels griped.
"So, how about that music Astro? Astro? Hey where'd ya' go?" Flywheels had been so enthralled in his personal argument that he hadn't noticed Astrotrain's optics go wide as he reads the message, then dash out the medbay door.
"He probably took off to get away from you." Flywheels sneered.
"Now don't start that again…….!" Flywheels roared.
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"Do I really have to do this?"
"If you want to get away from the Combaticons then, yes."
"I know, but why me Scrapper?"
"Because it has to sound like the team came up with it without my help, so I can't. Hook is down in the med center. Bonecrusher and Mixmaster are not articulate speakers, and Scavenger is off…..looking for……stuff." Scrapper sighed. "So, that means you must do it."
The other Constructicon still looked a little nervous. Scrapper patted him reassuringly on shoulder. "Look just do what we all talked about last night after the Thundercracker incident. If it doesn't work out, we'll improvise. We're Constructicons for Primus' sake. Remember this is for the team."
"Right! For the team!" The Constructicon marched directly up to the Headmaster's office door and knocked…
"Enter." A deep stern voice answered from inside.
The Constructicon walked into room and shut the door behind him.
"Whatever it is Longhaul, please be brief." The Headmaster sounded tired.
'Good.' Longhaul thought. 'It'll give me a little bit of an edge'.
"Um sir, y'know that abandoned house about a block up from Aerial House?"
"Yes." The Headmaster leaned back in his chair slightly.
"Well, I…I mean the Constructicons and I were wondering if, in exchange for building the place up to safety standards, we could live in it. I mean the current conditions for us now are kinda crowded, y'know with the Combaticons and all." Longhaul shifted uncomfortably.
"Well, I don't see why not---"
"Excellent!" Longhaul headed for the door.
"----as long as Scrapper does not help you at the construction site."
"What?" Longhaul whirled around
"The competition is still on. It lasts for two weeks and we're only a few days in. So which ever is done first will decide when it ends for you Constructicons. If the building project is done first, then the Constructicons have shown they can function together with out the constant supervision of their leader and they have made a contribution to the school, so they will automatically be allowed to stay at the academy. However, if it is not done by two weeks, they will be judged like all of the other combiner teams at the end of the competition." The Headmaster spoke calm and plain.
"I……see…."
"But you have my approval to start whenever you like. You best go, first period starts in a few minutes and I have much to do."
"Yes sir." Longhaul slowly exited the office, not sure whether to be happy the Headmaster accepted the proposal or sad that their leader would not be allowed to work with them…….
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Astrotrain smiled slightly as he walked back on campus. It was good to be home for a little while, too bad it was under such terrible circumstances.
Astrotrain quietly walked into the Medical Wing, classes for the day had already started and he didn't want to disturb anybody. He hoped he wouldn't receive bad news when he finally arrived at the med bay.
Unfortunately, he wasn't looking where he was going, so he failed to see the other student as he turned the corner.
Bam!
The other student fell back onto the ground, clutching a blue box tightly to his chest.
"I'm sorry, my mind's a little off track right now." Astrotrain held out a hand to the other student.
"Well you ought to start getting it back on track around here." The other student brushed Astrotrain's hand aside and helped himself up. "The instruments in this box are sterile and delicate, do you have any idea how much trouble I would be in if they spilt out all over this dirty floor?"
"Not really." Astrotrain said absently, as he studied the other student. He knew he'd seen that color design before, but where?
"A lot, that's for sure! Now if you will excuse me I have to get these to the Med bay. If only I could find it! I mean I've only been at this Academy for 36hours!"
You're a Constructicon aren't you?!" Astrotrain suddenly blurted out.
The other student stopped and turned back to Astrotrain.
"You've heard of us?" A smile slowly spread across his face.
"Yeah you're the guys who built Crystal City right?" For a moment Astrotrain felt a small smile cross his own face.
"Yes, it was one of our greatest achievements." The Constructicon student said almost wistfully.
"Amazing! My name's Astrotrain. What's yours?"
"My name is Hook. It's good to finally get some respect from my peers."
"You're welcome. By the way, the Med Bay is this way." Astrotrain pointed. "I'm headed there myself."
Hook nodded and followed. "So what are you in for?"
"I got word my friend, Thundercracker, had been attacked and badly torn up. For my good service in the war effort they've given me a 24hr leave period to visit him." Astrotrain sighed sadly.
"You mean the goalkeeper? Don't worry they're about to release the info that he's going to pull through."
"That's good." Astrotrain lightened a bit. "You think they'll let me see him."
"Hmmm. Well now that he's out of the danger zone, I don't see why not. The question is, do you want to see him? He's still in pretty bad shape." Hook raised an optic brow.
"Yes, I do. I only have a limited amount of time before I head back to my own danger zone…"
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The vote for Blitzwing was unanimous.
After the attack on Thundercracker (the goalkeeper), and the resulting system crash of Skywarp (the right forward) were made known to the populace of the Decepticon War Academy, even the students and teachers who disliked Blitzwing voted that he should play in the War Ball Championship Tournament. They disliked the idea of losing the tournament more than they disliked the triple changing center forward.
"Hey Dirge what did Death's Head have to say about Skywarp?" Megatron turned his head to the blue coneheaded jet, as the War Ball team took a stroll around campus to discuss the team's current problems.
"Still down and out." Dirge sighed gravely, as he put away his pocket communicator.
"Well, at least we've got Blitzwing back, but who are we gonna get to replace Skywarp and Thundercracker." Thrust worried.
"I do have an idea of who can be our new right forward." Megatron stated authoritatively.
"Oh, yeah? Who?" Blitzwing muttered.
"Starscream."
"The science nerd?" Blitzwing raised an optic brow.
"Actually Blitzwing, you gotta admit. In Arial Combat Class, Screamer's got some good moves." Dirge declared matter-o-factly.
"Well, screamer maybe fast, but does he have the strength to last a War Ball game." Blitzwing questioned.
"He's a lot stronger than he looks, believe me I've sparred with him. He has a lot a potential that could be brought out with practice and conditioning." Megatron affirmed.
"Well, it's not like we have a lot of options and time so let's give the guy a try out and see how he does." Blitzwing shrugged.
"What about me?!" Octane almost screamed out
"You're not fast enough Octane you know that." Dirge answered calmly.
Octane turned his head to the ground grumbling.
"Octane, actually you can take part in a very important job for us." Megatron walked over to the disgruntled Triple-Changer. "Whoever we chose as the replacement for the right forward position Octane you will be in charge of conditioning him for the tournament. When he's not in practice with rest of us, in classes or the required recharge time, we want you getting him physically and mentally ready for the tournament by any means necessary.
"Hmmmm." Octane smirked. "I like the sound of that."
"However, stop short of maiming or killing them, and don't think doing that will get you on the team because it won't." Megatron added.
"Damn!" Octane snapped his fingers, but was still smirking.
"Well now that we've got that established. I'll go call him…." Megatron pulled out his pocket communicator.
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"Skyfire! Skyfire! Skyfire! Skyfire! Skyfire! Skyfire! Skyfire!" Starscream ran into the Chemistry Room, where Skyfire was working on the next day's lesson plan.
"What? What? What? What? What? What? What?!" Skyfire smiled, looking up his work.
"Guess what?" Starscream was beaming. He looked as if he was about to bounce right through the roof. "Megatron just called and he says I've got the best chance of being the new right forward on the War Ball team!"
Skyfire's smile faded and he remained silent.
"This is the part where you say 'way to go,' 'congratulations'" Starscream raised an optic brow.
"Way to go." Skyfire's voice sounded as lifeless as junked jet.
"Congratulations?"
"Congratulations." Skyfire's voice kept its deadpan tone.
"Thanks for all of the enthusiasm." Starscream's own voice went from beaming and happy, disappointed and confused.
"Starscream, I thought you were above of that cheap entertainment violence." Skyfire said with an exasperated sigh.
"I know, but this the War Ball team. No matter what position you play, if you're on it everyone will admire and look up to you. I'll get noticed and my peers won't look at me as a science nerd anymore." The beaming excitement returned to Starscream's face.
"I would rather see you as a science nerd than a partaker in such meaningless violence!"
"Meaningless?!"
"I raised you to be better than that!"
"Wait a minute!"
"Even if you do make the team, do you really think you're strong enough to for that brutal game?! I mean you've got savages like that Megatron running around there!"
"Stop it!!" Starscream shrieked at the top of his air intake valves, right into Skyfire's face.
Skyfire was stunned silent at Starscream's outburst.
"Megatron may be a savage, but he's one who has faith in my potential! That's a lot more than I can say for you or anyone else who has met me!" Energon tears of frustration and rage began to well up in Starscream's optics. "You saved me once from deactivation by those who thought I was weak. Now I intend to save myself forever, from those who doubt. This is my one chance to prove myself to be strong, to put myself in a place where no one can touch me! Ever!"
Starscream turned and stormed toward the door.
"Starscream, I---"
"I thought you! You! My friend! My protector! Of all bots would happy for me!" Starscream cried, slamming the door behind him.
"Good one Skyfire," the Scientist jet sighed to himself.
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Hah! You guys thought that I had forgotten about Astrotrain. Nope he's alive and well….for now anyway. Now I'm not sure I portrayed Flywheels right, unfortunately I haven't seen a lot of the third season so I don't know how he's portrayed in the show. So I just went with what it said on the tech spec, then again this is his only appearance.
I'm so sorry for the long wait. I was taking part in Sorority recruitment week (I got rejected =_=), and it left little time for story writing.
Will Thundercracker recover? Will Skywarp wake up? Will Starscream be able to last War Ball Practice and Octane's "conditioning". And what will be the fate of Shrapnel, Bombshell and Kickback? All that and more to be found out in the next chapter of When We Were Young. As all ways keep those reviews and opinions coming. Thank you so much!
See you next time!
-Vega Sailor