"Come on now, try to understand the way I feel under your command. Take my hand as the sun descends. They can't hurt you now..."
10,000 Maniacs
"Hello there, the angel from my nightmare...the unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley...where are you? And I'm so sorry, I cannot sleep, I cannot dream tonight, I need somebody and always, the sick strange darkness comes creeping in, so haunting every time, and as I stared I counted the webs from all the spiders catching things and eating their insides, like the indecision to call you, and hear your voice of treason. Will you come home and stop this pain tonight? Stop this pain tonight!"
Blink 182
Lyra tore through the halls, practically knocking over Mirage in her haste. The desire to see Starscream was PULLING her to him, like a black hole. She tried to override it and properly greet her brother.
"Mirage! Hello!" She was flustered as she hugged him again.
"Oasis. How are you?"
"Better, thanks."
"Were you injured?" He didn't KNOW?
"Megatron got me." Lyra tried not to appear dismayed. He didn't even miss her!
"Oh. Well, I'm sorry to hear that."
She shrugged. "It happens. What are you up to?"
"Well, right now I'm back on patrol for a few days, but when I get back, you and I are going to catch up with a walk around this area. The desert at night kind of reminds me of home, before the war."
"Nice!" It was nice, in that bittersweet twist that Mirage hid from a lot of people. She hoped it wasn't a group excursion with those nasty twits he hung around. "Just us?"
His face fell. "Well, if you want to bring Skyfire, you can."
"No, just us is fine." Lyra ignored the reference and wished him luck on his job. She would have flown down the halls, there was enough room for the whole slew of Aerialbots, but that was considered rude; it was pointless anyway, she was already at the detention center. A haggard Skyfire greeted her there, not surprised to hear of her assignment. Starscream sat on the floor, leaning against the side wall, arms folded.
"He will speak to no one," the mech's gentle voice sighed, exasperated. "As I predicted, our terminated relationship is an impediment rather than a tool."
"You two were friends?" She could hardly compute, out of anticipation, looking only at him. She missed Skyfire's uneasy expression.
"Colleagues, but that was a long time ago." Skyfire walked over to the sulking Seeker. Lyra felt the life force inside of her aching to be reunited with him, to touch him. He looked up at her, ruby eyes dull. Skyfire's blue optics reflected concern. "Do not allow him to manipulate you."
"No," she murmured, barely hearing him. Her energon pump was screaming.
Skyfire walked away to recharge, uneasy about leaving her with the tangled wires of petty evil that was Starscream. He had prior events to process, however.
Sinking to his level, energon bars crackling, she faced the robot that would not leave her thoughts.
"You," he whispered hoarsely to her.
"You," she echoed, reaching through the bars and getting the shock of her life. Starscream cracked up.
"Mishap, you clumsy fool!"
Lyra rubbed her arm, as if that would help. "I thought I could get around them. I didn't."
"You can't!" Starscream laughed harder. "How can you miss that?"
"You try operating three different systems with three different languages and see how graceful YOU are!" He was still laughing at her, but she didn't care. He was HERE.
"How on Cybertron did you manage to tie up those two goons at the space bridge?"
This made Lyra smile. "War is the same language, no matter the system."
"That's my femme." He leaned through the bars, unscathed. "I happen to be coated with the same material Megatron has, keeping me from being shocked." Starscream gently placed his hands around her face, looked into her violet optics for a moment, and kissed her on the forehead. He settled back down behind the bars. "A more suitable greeting?"
"It'll do," she replied. He reached through the bars again and took her hand.
"The formula was an experimental concoction I produced to repel Decepticon fire, or maybe it was electricity..." Perceptor explained. "It must have been both."
"We figured it out, it's both," Optimus replied. "How do we stop it?"
"I don't know. It was merely a prototype."
Prowl interrupted. "You have your notes, right?"
"Correct," The scientist was offended. He had notes for EVERYTHING.
"Can you make another, and find a formula for our blasters to penetrate the coating?"
"Of course!"
Skyfire nodded in agreement. "I can assist."
Wheeljack offered his assistance and was politely refused. Prime did not want Wheeljack near any potentially dangerous chemicals. Grapple was there, too. He volunteered his time to aid them, even though he was more of an architect and less of a scientist.
"Excellent. Make it a priority." Optimus moved to speak to Skyfire alone. "Any word from Starscream?"
"None, Prime. Perhaps Lyra will be more effective." Skyfire didn't believe that. It sounded better to say it out loud, more optimistic. Besides, the Autobot leader did not need to know everything. Optimus nodded and moved on. He had to hear Powerglide's report from Buenos Aires.
They spent the whole day sitting on the floor, holding hands, saying nothing. When Lyra heard someone coming she disappeared. This backfired when Prowl, who knew what she was doing and had seen her go in, walked by. He did a double-take. "Lyra?"
"I'm over here," she whispered to Prowl. "I didn't want him to detect me."
"That was not a part of your assignment," The tactician replied. "You're interrogating, not spying."
"Oh," she said cheerfully. Lyra appeared. "I'm glad we cleared that up." She resumed standing by Starscream's cell.
Prowl shook his head. Something about her annoyed him, but he couldn't place it. He walked away, making a note to talk to Optimus about Mirage's strange sibling.
Optimus did not greet her as she walked in the door. He was busy. Elita-1, Jazz, and Prowl were yelling things over each other to be heard as he typed something into one of Teletraan's side computers.
"Just jump in," Bumblebee told her as he breezed by. Lyra felt ridiculous. She didn't want to have to fight to make herself heard. She watched Bumblebee run up, hand Optimus Prime a datapad and hurry away. Lyra pulled him aside.
"Does he hold all his meetings like this?" she asked. The yellow mech shook his head.
"Snarl shot Teletraan-1 by accident during an exercise. When Optimus wants to get his updates we usually e-mail them, but since Teletraan is down, and Prime has to help Wheeljack in this corner, they just present. Hey Hound."
"Hi Bumblebee." Hound joined the fray as Elita-1 left. When Prowl left, he was replaced by Perceptor. Lyra sighed.
"You wanted to see me, Optimus?"
"The weapons' antidote has hit a standstill. Do we have any more Cybertonium?"
"-Sixteen point two meter targets had a ninety-nine percent reliability rate-"
"The smaller Autobots think they're being shorted at the recharge plate-"
"Yes, Lyra, I wanted to hear your report on Starscream."
"Well, he-"
"The smaller 'bots also want fewer menial tasks. They feel the bigger ones can do janitorial more often."
"My notes were too difficult to decipher ever since we changed the code, and the other backup notes were erased that time Megatron gave us a database scan, therefore I unfortunately must start from scratch."
"Perceptor, I'm sorry to hear that. Take your time. You can get Cybertonium from Hound."
"Optimus, he uses too much of it. I have to consider the rest of us-"
Bumblebee raced back in. "Prime, Wheeljack got Teletraan working, but it's speaking Japanese!"
"Hound, Elita-1 brought Cybertonium with her. We can spare some for Perceptor. The rest of you, follow me." He strode down the hall quickly, Jazz and Lyra following. "Lyra, report."
"Starscream is coated with the same material as Megatron."
"Then why is he here?" Optimus demanded. "He should have flown away when he had the chance." He turned to Lyra. "Watch what you say around him, he wants something. Jazz, if the smaller Autobots want more cushy jobs, start putting them to work guarding Starscream around the clock. Bumblebee, go get Hound back here. I need an alarm to trigger the moment Starscream tries to escape. Where's Prowl? No, where's Bluestreak? Jazz, get him and tell him to initiate Phase Two. Wait, I want to talk to Prowl, too. And Perceptor. Get them all back here. Dismissed." Prime walked into the main room to a busy Wheeljack and a stubbornly recalcitrant Snarl sulking in a corner. "Konichi-wa, Wheeljack?"
"Very funny, Prime-san."
"Starscream!" hissed an all-too-familiar voice. It was Megatron. He looked over at Mishap to see her talking to her superior (everyone seemed to be her superior), Prowl.
"Not now!" Starscream turned off his radio.
Later he contacted his leader. "So far, no one suspects what we're doing. I would suggest you attempt a distraction. There is a surplus of Autobots over here."
"We're doing nothing involving you, you pile of parts! And I know there's an overabundance of Autobots! When are you returning?"
"Miss me already?" Starscream chuckled.
Silence. "Knowing you, you have given away half of our secrets for lenience. I want you under my thumb, where you belong."
"I have not collected what is mine."
"You have enough playthings! Nobody wants a female Autobot toy, anyway. Get back here or I'll start clearing your game scores off of the X box!"
"Starscream out." Megatron was clearly not in one of his sweeter moods. He'd better up the ante with Mishap.
Most of her attempts to get Starscream to talk were unsuccessful. He somehow always got her to talk about herself.
"I happened to land in the path of a scouting team. They took me in when I offered the energon cubes as a gift, as well as the employment of the radio frequency I use with my brother-"
"You have a BROTHER!" Granted, most of them were produced en masse or the survivors of gestalts, but Mishap's creators did not seem the type to do quantity over quality. He had no idea!
"-and they used that to contact Optimus. Since I wouldn't give them a name, they called me Lyra."
Starscream's arms reached through the bars and opened her chest compartment. His hands tenderly touched the parts he had made himself, lost in the pride of his workmanship. It was the most unsettling sensation. Almost a reminder of debts due.
"Are you going to let those bars hold you?" she asked nervously.
"I am certain I would not get very far with their unfamiliar alarm system," he explained. "That is where you would come in."
"Starscream!" Lyra drew back in horror. "I'm not going to do that!"
"I thought you loved me!" he taunted.
"I thought you knew better than that!" she cried, standing up. He stood up with her, eyes glimmering. "I can't-I-that's betrayal-the Autobots are not so forgiving-uhh-why didn't you escape when you had the chance?"
"Who are you betraying?" he asked, ignoring the last question. "A group of robots who reluctantly welcomed you? Do not trust you?" She did not answer. "You are always welcome wherever I am. How could anyone reject a part of the greatest warrior of all time? Rejoin the Decepticons; be second in command only to me." He stretched his hands out through the bars.
She stared at him, uncertain. His remarks hit close to home. She also knew Megatron wanted her dead. There was nowhere to go, but his offer of a companion was tempting...
Nova came into the holding area to see Lyra and the prisoner having a staring match. Lyra's chestplate was open, her expression unreadable. "What is going on?" Nova demanded. Suspicion hung over the air like the smell of burnt carburetors. Lyra looked at her rival guiltily as Starscream enjoyed the scene with sardonic amusement. No one spoke, until Starscream decided to play.
"She almost had me talking!" he gasped histrionically, leaning against his cell wall with the back of his hand against his forehead. "Thank Primus you came along when you did! You broke the spell."
Nova gawked at him. Was he serious? "Your diodes are seriously scrambled," she proclaimed.
"Your arrogance will be your downfall," Starscream smoothly replied. He peaked at Lyra, who was closing her chestplate and keeping her optics on the ground. "Whatever your name is, you will not have a second attempt to extract data from me. Count on it." Lyra left, shaking her head. That was close.
Mirage was not back from patrol yet. As Lyra looked around the commissary she saw no one she really knew. Her old acquaintances were on their way back from South America. Mercuria sat at a table with Moonracer and a few others, but there was clearly no room for her. Not that she wanted to go there, anyway.
"Excuse me," came a modulated voice behind her.
Lyra realized she was blocking the door. Apologizing, she stepped out of Skyfire's way. She watched him calmly walk over to the energon dispenser, ignoring the random stares from other conversing robots. He walked to the door, mug in hand.
"I thought we weren't allowed to do that," Lyra said. It was messy to leave energon lying around the base, potentially dangerous.
"We're not. One day I forgot and nobody said anything. Nobody does."
"They don't care?"
"They care. It annoys them that I do that. They just can't be bothered to talk to me, since I'm not one of them."
"I thought everybody liked you."
"Hound and the smaller 'Bots sort of do. Perceptor likes the extra hands around the lab. Other than that, no one notices me unless they need a lift somewhere." He walked past her, not really sounding sad about it. Lyra followed.
"Well, I'll be the first one then: you're not allowed to take that out of the cafeteria. Bring it back in and sit with me; I need someone to talk to." He turned around to follow with his expression unchanged. At least she wouldn't be sitting alone.
Nova leaned on the same wall Lyra had and studied the prisoner. She remembered his numerous attempts to eradicate the female Autobots, his sarcastic comments caustically fired at them, his complete lack of bravery. "You really are worthless," she snarled. "I don't know why we're keeping you here."
Starscream heard worse from Megatron on a good day. He also saw an opportunity with this Autobot. This one's clouded judgement might be useful.
"Perhaps I know something you don't," he suggested, backing away a little as if threatened by her. She fell for it and stepped from the wall, blaster drawn.
"Then perhaps I should pick up where Lyra left off." There was a small note of contempt in Nova's voice when she mentioned that name. Starscream hid a smirk.
"Lyra...that's a lovely name. Pretty girl." This struck a nerve.
"She's a nut! Nothing she does is normal! Worse of all, important people like her! Powerglide, Optimus Prime, Elita-1..."
Starscream was fascinated. So that's what had happened to her! It was a mirror of his own position, down to the resentment vented from the green and yellow female. He encouraged her vitriol. What made Lyra so special? Nova did not know. Moonracer's animosity had slackened regarding this total stranger taking over her job, now that she had reunited with Powerglide. This was the whole reason they disliked her! That and the total blank of five million years that was her past. Nobody got along with her. Starscream gave her a sympathetic look as Nova paced in front of his cell, waving her arms in agitation.
"She's so irritating! She thinks she knows everything. Elita-1 can't see what a self-righteous pain she is, and she dragged us down to this stupid planet for a spy mission...ugh! I hate her!"
"You seem unhappy here."
"I hate it here." She stopped her pacing and looked at the prisoner. "Why do you care?"
Starscream waved his arm in an antiquated gesture that minimized his perspective, as if to say, 'this is merely my opinion, but...' "Autobots are so...complex," he explained. "The emotions and psychology vary from robot to robot. Decepticons are simple: we all want power and glory, and we get it."
"Really?" There was a hint of envy. Starscream took it.
"We've been successful so far."
Nova considered this. Decepticons must be doing something right. They were well-fed, happy, ruling Cybertron. Personally, Nova was sick of losing, scavenging for energon, functioning in a hole in the ground, and routinely cast aside for better Autobots. She was weary of sacrificing her needs for an unattainable ideal. She took a step closer to Starscream, face dangerous.
"How successful?" she asked, intensely curious.
"We've conquered the universe..." He did the wave again. "...Earth falling is only a matter of time." Starscream saw her coming closer as he lowered his voice. She really was innocent, for a hardened warrior. Elita-1 should give them acting lessons. "Which side do you think will be victorious?" He had her now. Their faces almost touched. "Which side do you want to be on?"
Nova started. 'What am I DOING?' she thought, hastily retreating away from Starscream. She turned her back to him, walking away to compose herself and missing his expression in the process. Had she seen it, maybe things would be different. Instead he radiated concern in his voice.
"My dear, if you dislike your new replacement this severely, allow me to help you out a little."
She turned back to him scornfully. "What could YOU do?"
"I'm the second-in-command of the Decepticon army. I didn't get there through sheer atrocity. I like to help."
Nova contemptuously laughed. "I don't believe a word you say, but I like the idea of one-upping that blue menace. What do you want out of me?"
An ally with a sadistic bend, like he. This was a positive turn. "A simple favor: tell me their reaction to what I'm about to reveal."