"OH NO! The fight's out I'ma 'bout to punch yo lights out. Get the F-- back, guard ya grill. There's somethin' wrong, we can't stay still. I've been drankin' and bustin' two and I been thankin' of bustin' you upside ya motherf---' forehead! And if your friends jump in, "Ohhh gurrlll", they'll be mo' dead!"

Ludicris

"Hits like a Phillips head into my brain. It's gonna be too dark to sleep again. Cutting my teeth on bars and rusty chains, I'm gonna break my rusty cage and run."

Soundgarden

The warehouse was hidden with a slew of others outside of a major Japanese trading dock. Noise erupted from every corner, from the humans to the boats to the helicopters above their heads. Here the Decepticons hustled undetected amidst the vast reaches of commerce.

Human engineering had come a long way in the last few years after Decepticons made it a habit of bursting through walls. Under the command of stealth and a reluctance to mar his paint job on concrete and titanium Skywarp transported himself inside and unlocked the large, sliding metal garage door. Thrust, Ramjet, and Ravage followed him down between the rows and rows of crates.

"Dr. Fujiyama says it was labeled "Hamdingers," announced Skywarp.

"That makes sense, nobody likes Hamdingers," Ramjet commented with a grin. "So where is it?"

"Don't know. It's been awhile. Let's split up and start breaking boxes open."

They tore at everything with the reckless abandon children have at Christmas. Ramjet was knee deep in old Simpson's T-shirts when his radio beeped. "Ravage found something!" They found him in front of a giant box. "How come we didn't notice this before?" It covered half of the wall.

"Doesn't matter, open it up!"

All four tore at any packaging with a vigor. There she was. Skywarp radioed The Insecticons to pull themselves out of the rice paddies of Viet Nam and fly over. "There's a prize in that box of Hamdingers! We need Bombshell to reactivate his pet!"

"We're coming, coming," Shrapnel returned, voice already weary from the prospect of dealing with these morons.

"So when will they get here?" Thrust asked, nervously eying the ninja.

"Give 'em an earth hour, then we radio Megatron to yell at them. 'Til then...what's in that box over there?"

"Warning! Warning! Decepticon activity in progress!" Teletraan-1 showed Insecticons, followed by Megatron and company, headed into a large Japanese warehouse.

"Skyfire!" barked Optimus Prime. He arrived quickly. "Get a strike team assembled and get to Japan. When I find the Aerialbots I will send them to aid, but I need you and a group to go there first!" This was when he noticed Skyfire's latest sidekick. Usually it was Cliffjumper or Swoop or Hound, but lately it was Lyra. That should keep her out of trouble. He nodded to the Seeker. "Go with them," he ordered. "Autobots! Transform and roll out!"

Skyfire had as many small Autobots as he could carry in his hold. In a moment of stupidity Lyra agreed to carry Spike, until she realized that she had no interior built for human transportation.

"He should not be going anyway, this might be dangerous."

From Optimus' left, Prowl glared at her. "He's our human intermediary. He goes." Spike intervened.

"Prowl, she's right. Besides, I don't really know Japanese."

"Whatever you want, Spike."

Spike elected to stay. Lyra took off after Skyfire.

"What are we looking for?" she asked over the radio.

"Any kind of Decepticon activity Teletraan picked up in that warehouse!" Brawn radioed back. "We'll try to drive them out, while you and Skyfire will chase them down. The Aerialbots have been called and Powerglide's on his way."

"Great," she muttered. She had to face Megatron again. "How are we going to do that, without working blasters?"

"We'll have to get creative, kid!" Brawl enthusiastically endorsed Cliffjumper and Hound. "That's where WE come in."

Megatron watched Bombshell place the cerebroshell into Nightbird's head. They did not want a repeat of what happened last time to this semi-sentient being. The gray leader smiled to himself as Soundwave received a transmission from Buzzsaw.

"Incoming: Autobots."

"As expected. Ramjet, Thrust, Thundercracker, Skywarp! Greet our guests." As they transformed Megatron picked up the prisoner and threw him at the Seekers. "Give them a welcoming present!"

Skywarp chuckled vilely, transferring the fettered professor into his pilot's seat as he took off. While he soared above he was tackled by a surly Sideswipe. "Give us the Professor or I'll stuff my foot into your afterburners!"

"Go ahead! Take 'em!" Skywarp ejected the scientist and threw Sideswipe off at the same time. Sideswipe landed in the ocean and fished out Dr. Fujiyama quickly, placing him away from the battle. "Here!" Sideswipe shot the chains to break a few links. Dr. Fujiyama ran as fast as he could out of the line of fire. Sideswipe hurried back into the warehouse in time to see the Decepticons retreating.

"Hey! They barely put up a fight!"

"They didn't have to!" yelled Cliffjumper from inside, "They left us a friend!" This was punctuated by the small red Autobot sailing out the door, Hound closely following. Nightbird leapt outside and faced all three. Cliffjumper shook himself off. "We didn't promise to do no harm this time! Get 'er!"

Skyfire swooped after Megatron, Lyra overhead.

"You need to get one of the others!" he called.

She promptly disappeared. Megatron turned and shot Skyfire twice, knocking him out of the air quickly. When he turned back he saw Ramjet, Skywarp, and Soundwave fall after him.

"Cursed female jet!" Megatron shot randomly, knocking Kickback into a tailspin. A few shots came at him: two o'clock, bouncing off of his head and giving him a target. No smoke. He must have missed. Sending the others ahead, Megatron waited for her to attack. Nothing. His scanners picked up a larger battalion, accompanied by Superion, approaching. Giving up on Mishap was a comfortable option.

"Nightbird! We are leaving!" He flew down and picked her up, like a human would scoop up a small cat. She thrashed in protest. "Fine! But that big, scary Autobot will make lunch out of you." She fell to the ground and made a break to evade Superion. With Skyfire down and some Autobots needing repair, the Aerialbots broke into two teams. Slingshot and Fireflight raced after Nightbird (Slingshot chanted that she could run but she could not hide) while Silverbolt and the others carried some of the Autobots back to base. Lyra had appeared in time to greet them and search for Skyfire, who slowly crawled out of the ocean, leg useless.

"I could carry you," she offered.

"That is a superfluous offer. I can transform." Skyfire demonstrated this perfectly. Lyra tagged behind him on the excuse that she wanted to make sure he was OK.

"You just can't get enough of me, can you?" he teased lightly. He did not smile, but the inflection in his voice, that sweet voice, made it sound playful.

"It's your amazing bond appeal." She hoped it didn't sound too close to the truth. Skyfire gave off such tranquil vibrations. She felt at home, at peace. Like before the war, when she and Mirage spent a lot of time doing whatever the economically elite did in those days. Their creator had been very wealthy, making robots for fun. He had spoiled them rotten. Her first few years as an Autobot had been a shock, with the rationing and constant fear and sorrow and paranoid underground activity. It was a cold, miserable, bloody existence. One that had followed the decimation of most of her family. Mirage and she swore to stay together forever, since they had lost so much. When she almost died, that vow had lost its life as well. Mirage and Lyra were barely ever in the same place together, and time with him was awkward. He acted like he didn't know her. Somehow, Skyfire did. He reminded her of a happier time. She had no idea how, but Lyra was grateful for it.

"I thought so." Skyfire's thoughts were with Starscream and his explanation of this odd female. He knew how badly she needed someone to shadow. It was in her programming. Starscream had commanded him to watch over her, at least until she turned back. This was where they disagreed. Lyra was unaware of the thought transference rows the two had over the Decepticon's plans. "Perhaps you can leave me unsupervised while I get repairs?" The prisoner would want a report from his captive anyway.

"Certainly." Lyra was embarrassed. "I'll-go find my brother." No, that couldn't be, he was out on patrol again. The life force inside of her warmly called. She would visit Starscream.

"He tried to free WHAT?" Starscream paced his cell furiously. "That over-grown Supersoaker! How DARE he try to replace me!"

"Starscream!" Lyra repressed a giggle. She could feel his anger, but it was an amusing wrath. "He's probably trying to give you a jolt so that you'll escape and get back there! He needs you!"

The Seeker continued pacing but calmed down. "I should return to my ranks. Only...something is keeping me here..." He passed his hands through the energon bars and grabbed her hand, stroking her arm sweetly. Lyra returned the smile, happy to indulge such regard when elsewhere in this ark there was none. A pity that all good things from bad people must be stopped before they corrode you.

"I'm not letting you out." The hands retreated, making Lyra miss them, like the cool of the ark after the heat outside.

"I tried," he shrugged, sitting back down. There was a pause. "You are still visible. I thought that was dangerous."

"There's a shortage of Autobots due to the chase Nightbird is giving."

"Who's here?" he asked.

"A sufficient enough number." She had learned to never give him an answer he needed to hear.

"I see." He looked behind her. "Did you bring me any more energon?"

Lyra produced a huge pitcher. "I get away with a lot more when-I'm invisible." She really had to watch herself with him. Starscream appraised her quietly, an attractive half-smile casually on his lips. It broke her resolve. She couldn't stay in the room with him a moment longer or she would make the same mistakes she'd made when she was supposed to be spying on him. The panic was instantly soothed by his glancing away from her, as though she no longer had a strong light on her optics and now could adjust to the darkness.

She watched him consume it all and took the pitcher back, as well as all of the mugs he'd been stockpiling for her in subspace, before Mirage radioed her with the news that Nightbird had been lost, and to tell Bluestreak to initiate Phase 3.

"Why didn't your superior commission you?" Starscream asked as Lyra rose to execute her duties.

"My brother IS my superior," she woefully explained. "When those upstarts decided I would make a neat toy I lost everything I'd earned in my life as an Autobot soldier. Now, as an entrant I'm on the same level as the Dinobots."

Starscream shook his head. "Humiliating."

"Especially when I was the head of espionage before I left," she sighed.

"You did not leave."

Lyra stared. It was a correct statement. One she had tried not to make when she re-entered the Autobot force, to avoid sounding like a victim. Somehow, in her bid to be politically correct the semantics twisted, giving her language that suggested she willingly left the fold. Well, she had. She should have accepted a slow but dignified death, like other Autobots had, instead of caving to a brutal sadist. A brutal sadist that had the same smug expression Starscream had at this very moment as he observed her processing what he'd said. Lyra leaned closer to the bars.

"There are four Autobots here, not counting me, the medics, and the Dinobots. You are full of energy, safe, and no one will know what you've taken. I have now fulfilled my debt to you. Do what you have to do, just get out of here."

"It does not work that way, my peerless Mishap. Only I decide when this debt is fulfilled. The Almighty Starscream requires more from you, as well as your competitor Nova."

"Nova? What are you doing to her?" Lyra stared, transfixed in astonishment.

"Nothing to make you jealous. You are still my favorite."

"You think this is a petty crush? I hate you!" she cried, enraged.

"Autobots give love. Decepticons take. Mishap cares for Starscream and Starscream rewards her with infrequent affection and timely repairs."

"Not any more." Lyra stormed out. "I'm not even supposed to be here!"

Starscream wished he was able to project false emotions to the life force in her, just for more fun. He had to console himself with a "Go ahead, OBEY, like a mindless drone...As THEY want you to!" to mess with her. So this was why Megatron did this, it was amusing.