"I have never been so humiliated in my life."
"Oh, I doubt that," Hook responded blandly and dropped another tiny toy into a bucket on the floor. It bounced out and landed on the floor to join its minions scattered about his feet. He moved his foot slightly and stepped on it. It squeaked in agony. Hook grinned.
Starscream winced. "How many?" he asked.
"I stopped counting at 300," Hook replied, briskly digging about in the Seeker's leg for more of the annoying pests. He grabbed another with his tweezers.
"Ow! That hurts," Starscream yelped.
"Then hold still."
"I'll never live this down. Megatron's face," Starscream moaned remembering Megatron's attempt to hide his amusement. "I will have revenge," Starscream announced, "Ouch!"
"I told you to hold still."
Starscream held very still, fiendishly imagining all manner of hurt he was going to put on Skywarp, for he knew this was the handiwork of that purple miscreant.
"I cannot find anymore," Hook finally announced. "Get up and walk around and I'll have a listen."
Starscream got to his feet in merciful silence.
"I think that's every one of them." Hook bent down to scoop up the errant squeaky toys and dumped them into the bucket.
"It had better be," Starscream scolded him.
Hook glared up at the Air Commander then he stood and shoved the bucket into Starscream's hands.
"These are yours. Do with them as you will."
Starscream eyed the contents of the bucket distastefully but didn't put the bucket down. He turned to leave, his mind scrambling for some way to use them against Skywarp.
"Starscream," Hook called out to him. "Here, you can have this, too." He placed a small container on top of the squeaky toys.
Starscream glanced at the label then did a double-take. He grinned evilly at the green Constructicon medic. "Why, thankyou, Hook. How generous."
OoOoOo
"Thundercracker, report to my office immediately."
"Uh, yes, sir, Starscream," Thundercracker responded hastily, surprised yet not surprised by the summons.
He turned angry optics on Skywarp. "This is all your fault, you know."
Skywarp grinned. "Yep," he laughed.
Thundercracker gave one more scowl to Skywarp over his shoulder as he buzzed the Air Commander's office.
"Come in, Thundercracker," Starscream's voice, less screechy than usual, beckoned him to enter.
Thundercracker didn't like that tone of voice. It meant that his superior officer was plotting something. He didn't like it at all right at that moment.
Starscream greeted him with a huge smile. Thundercracker shuddered in horror. This was worse than he thought. He did 't like it when Starscream smiled either.
"Please sit, TC," Starscream said almost stumbling over the nickname in his attempt to be schmoozy with the blue Seeker. "I'm sure you know why I called you in here."
Thundercracker held up his hands fending off accusations, though none had actually been made. "I didn't have anything to do with it, Starscream. It was all Skywarp."
"Oh, I am well aware of that. But you were there. You helped him."
"I didn't know what he was going to do. Honest."
"Really. That is interesting." Starscream tapped his chin thoughtfully. "In that case, I'm sure you'll be delighted to help me."
Thundercracker's optics nearly popped out of his head in surprise. "I'd really rather not be further involved in any revenge plans," he muttered sorrowfully.
Starscream stared at Thundercracker, his smile serene, his optics burning.
Thundercracker rested his head in his hands. "I am so slagged," he mumbled.
OoOoOo
The shift had finally ended. Thundercracker trudged bleakly down the corridor to Skywarp's room wishing that something, anything, even an Autobot attack could have delayed this moment. But, noooo, the Autobots refused to consider his feelings in the matter and had remained happily playing their little Autobot games inside that slaggin' volcano. Primus, he hated the Autobots.
He raised his hand to buzz. His finger hung suspended over the button unwilling to go that extra inch but then it remembered Starscream's expression just as Thundercracker left the office. It hurriedly pressed the button.
The door slid open and he stepped into the dim room. It hadn't changed a bit since that day—was it only yesterday?—when those dreadful squeaky toys had entered his life. And Skywarp sat in the middle of the mess, putteringly contentedly over some weapon of mass destruction or other.
Skywarp looked up at his wingmate and grinned happily. "TC, what a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to see you after Starscream got finished with you. Got called away, you know." He went back to his project. "So, how did it go? You get slagged?"
Thundercracker pasted a false grin on his face, "No, actually. Starscream never mentioned it."
"No kidding?" Skywarp looked disappointed. "It was a great gag."
"Yeah, it was. I nearly spit energon when Megatron complimented Screamer on his new speaking voice."
Skywarp started to giggle at the memory then broke down completely in uncontrolled guffaws.
Thundercracker stood behind him staring at the small device in his hand. Sorry, Skywarp, he said to himself as he placed it on the unsuspecting Seeker.
Skywarp's hilarity broke off in mid-guffaw, and he collapsed unconscious to the floor.
Thundercracker sighed dejectedly as he opened the door. He stared at Starscream who had been waiting for this moment in the corridor then pushed past him.
"He's all yours," he growled.
OoOoOo
What hit me? Skywarp wondered when he came online lying face down on the floor rather than in his recharge bed. He rolled over and his audio sensors were assaulted by a thousand squeaks.
His optics flashed bright crimson in horror. Amidst an uproar of loud squeaks he climbed to his feet and looked down at his body. He was covered in squeaky toys. Even the palms of his hands and the bottom of his feet.
He pushed at one on his arm tentatively. "Squeak!" it shrieked. He pulled on it. Then he yanked on it in a panic, realization hitting him. It was glued on oh, so tightly.
"You are so slagged, Thundercracker," he howled. "I'm am going to get you for this."
Starscream shut off the 'com in his office, laughing quietly to himself.