Author's Notes: To be honest, this isn't my best chapter. It's not bad, it's just that even though it's short I fear the pacing is too slow. I did enjoy writing Skywarp's scene though. He's always fun to write. I guess I can't win them all. Hopefully you guys enjoy this chapter, and more importantly I hope the next chapter is better ':)

Chapter 35

Wrecker Style

The grenade Wheeljack threw down the hall exploded and sealed off the entrance he used to chase down his quarry. Wheeljack would make another exit when he needed one, but for the moment he was laser focused on searching for the Vehicons. Soon Springer would be returned to the Wreckers. Soon Wheeljack would have one of his brothers back. Bulkhead would be so happy to hear about this...if Wheeljack could just avoid screwing up.

"Yo Vehicons, come out, come out, wherever you are..." Wheeljack called for them as he navigated the dark damp cave.

Meanwhile, hiding in a darkened corner of the cave, ICN-8675 and TGP-3006 were huddled together trying to figure out how to keep the seemingly unstoppable Wrecker from tearing them apart. Both were terrified, knowing how many Vehicons Wheeljack had killed, and now for whatever reason he was coming after them.

/What do we do, ICN-8675?/ TGP-3006 asked pitifully over the comm.

/Stay calm. He can't see us,/ ICN-8675 pointed out, /All we have to do is stay quiet and not move. He'll get tired eventually. After all, we're just a couple miners. There's no way he'll stay here and wait for two glorified drills to show up./

/I hope you're right,/ TGP-3006 said while holding ICN-8675 closer, /You know, I bet this is your fault./

/My fault? Why?/ ICN-8675 asked challengingly.

/Because you attract danger,/ TGP-3006 replied, /Remember the Autobot medic? How he tried to melt your face off? I mean, how did you manage to cheese off their main torturer without ever having met him?/

/Well...I might've said he stank,/ ICN-8675 admitted, /And...I told him to get melted./

/Oof! Bad move, hot shot!/ TGP-3006 lightly chided him, /Wait! I think I hear something./

The two Vehicons offlined their visors so that the glow wouldn't reflect off the cave walls. They hoped Wheeljack didn't see them. He liked to blow things up, and he liked to slice things to pieces. TGP-3006 imagined grenades being shoved in their mouths and exploding, while ICN-8675 imagined a blowtorch. Needless to say he wasn't fond of heat after his last Autobot experience.

A tiny rock fell from the ceiling onto TGP-3006's helm, and the Vehicon looked up to see Wheeljack standing on a ledge above them; staring right down at them. His blue optics looked like an icy tundra to the drone, and his face mask gave away nothing of his feelings or intentions. It was like looking at an executioner.

"Run!" TGP-3006 shouted before taking off.

ICN-8675 struggled to get up from his sitting position, but in short order the two Vehicons crawled away and then ran for their lives. Wheeljack leapt down from his perch and ran after them, considerably faster than the bulky servant drones.

Wheeljack had hoped that whichever Vehicon was Springer would become obvious so he wouldn't have to take both with him. The Jackhammer didn't have a lot of room, and there was no Moonracer in the service records; indicating she was a civilian and therefore a liability. He had hoped Springer would fight him, defend himself the way only a Wrecker could, but apparently Megatron's memory wiper doohickey had done a number on the poor slob. Well, Wheeljack could still work with this.

ICN-8675 and TGP-3006 ran for the exit, only to see it had been blocked off by a cave-in! They didn't even hear the other drones trying to dig them out.

"Those pieces of scrap metal just left us here!" ICN-8675 screamed in rage.

"You can't really blame them," TGP-3006 shrugged helplessly, "I mean, keeping a deadly Autobot trapped in a cave is worth any expense. Two pieces of equipment is a small price to pay."

"Yeah, but how are they going to mine the energon without us?" ICN-8675 griped.

"The same way they did with you," Wheejack suddenly answered from behind, "From what I could see all you two did was talk all day."

"So, is that why you're doing this?" TGP-3006 asked apprehensively, "Are you punishing us for being lazy? I didn't think an Autobot would mind us slacking off on Megatron's time."

"Look, you two are getting on my ship," Wheeljack said firmly; ignoring the question completely, "Now, we can either do this the easy way, or the fun way. So, you gonna follow me to the Jackhammer or do I have to wrestle you both in there?"

"You're capturing us?" TGP-3006 asked in horror, "We'll be scrapped for parts by your harvesters!"

"No, not again!" ICN-8675 shrieked, "I won't submit myself to your torture! I'd rather die here than let you slag heaps take me alive!"

"Hm, I think you might be the one I'm looking for," Wheeljack smiled approvingly, "Alright then. Let's do this."

Wheeljack then took out his energy whip, and it crackled to life like a lightning bolt shooting down from the sky. The Vehicons gulped and took a step back, bumping into the rubble blocking their exit. TGP-3006 then turned to glare at ICN-8675 and said "I knew it. This is all your fault."

The road felt like a million tiny bumps on his tires, but that was nothing new. The good news was that soon he would get to turn off the main road and drive without the constraints of the asphalt to his destination. It had taken some time to find it, but soon Skywarp would have a base of operations.

As he turned off the road it gave way to dirt, which soon gave way to mud as he drove deeper and deeper into the forest. There was the smell of pine trees everywhere, the birds cawed ominously, and the rolling clouds looked grey and bleak.

"Well, at least the weather's good," Skywarp commented to himself, "Hey wait, is that water falling on me?"

Before Skywarp could fully process what was happening the rain started to pour down. He screamed and drove faster, remembering the acid rains of Cybertron. Of course this particular rain was far less harmful, but one could never be too careful on an alien planet.

After a few minutes of getting his tires and frame soaked, Skywarp finally saw the ship he was seeking in the distance...the Harbinger.

Skywarp wasted no time driving into the derelict ship and transforming into robot mode. The poor Vehicon was cold and wet, and all he wanted was some energon and a place to recharge. He had also heard that this ship was filled to the brim with technology. Maybe he could use it to contact Starscream and Thundercracker to tell them he needed a lift home. In this case a literal lift since he could no longer fly.

"Okay, so where did the crew keep the munchies?" Skywarp asked eagerly as he looked around.

The ship was admittedly...less impressive than he thought it would be. The cargo hold was huge, but there wasn't much else to it. Skywarp looked around searching for anything that could be considered civilized tech. Most of the ship seemed to be dedicated to storage space, yet none of that space had energon. He was so hungry. There had to be something!

After a moment of walking down a corridor, Skywarp finally saw a computer. He activated it without thought, but all it did was flicker for a moment and then fizzle out. The fragging thing was broken! Just his luck. There was one thing that had caught Skywarp's optic before the computer died however...

"Cargo manifest?" Skywarp repeated, "The immobilizer. The Autobots already have that relic. That means...they already picked this place clean. Scrap!"

Skywarp stomped down the hallway, thinking he had already been defeated. His trip wasn't a long one, as the end of the hall gave way to a solid wall of rock.

"The ship just...ends," Skywarp muttered in confusion, "Did it break in half or something? Yeesh. Glad I wasn't on this thing when it fell apart. Well, there has to be something useful besides a dead computer and a giant empty room."

Skywarp then searched for any entrances or rooms he might've missed, and his efforts led him to a corridor on his right. He opened the doors, and inside was a dusty old laboratory. Most of the technology was far beyond the understanding of a simple fighter like Skywarp, but there was one thing he both understood and became excited over...

"Space bridge!" Skywarp cheered, "How did the 'Bots miss that?"

With the anticipation of a child opening presents, Skywarp ran up to the controls and started pushing buttons. He could go anywhere in the universe now, which meant he could find energon at his leisure. He didn't need the 'Bots or the 'Cons anymore. He had intergalactic travel.

"Where should I go first?" Skywarp asked himself as he looked at a log of previous locations visited by the long-dead occupants of the ship, "Hm...Titan. Home of an energy crystal that is purer than energon and able to feed a mech for mega cycles, not to mention further power the ship's systems. Yep, that's for me!"

With a flick of his wrist joint Skywarp activated the bridge and walked through it without further thought or consideration.

...

When he arrived on the other side he was greeted by a cave full of glowing pink crystals. At first he feared it was dark energon, but closer inspection revealed that the energy signature was that of the Titan crystals. If Skywarp could have salivated he would have. After days without refueling, finally there was precious energy!

As Skywarp went to grab a crystal, he suddenly heard alien chatter off in the distance and getting closer to his location. Realizing he was trespassing, Skywarp quickly pulled away a bunch of crystals and ran off into the space bridge again.

...

Returning from his short trek, Skywarp quickly shut down the space bridge and looked over his prize. If he was careful those crystals could last him for weeks. He had a loaded stockpile just for him, all the while the Autobots and Decepticons would struggle over their earthbound crumbs.

"This is perfect," Skywarp whispered to himself, "If I can convince Starscream and TC to come here, then we can wait out the war in peace, and go anywhere we want if we're discovered. The universe is my playground!"

This declaration was met with echoes followed by silence, and Skywarp sighed forlornly. He was always a social mech, and without someone to share his good fortune with it hardly felt like good fortune at all. He needed something to do to occupy his simple mind.

"Guess I could check out the rest of this stuff," Skywarp pondered, "Oh! Better turn on the signal dampener. Someone might notice me here."

This rare moment of forethought led to Skywarp first shielding his signal, and then discovering another potentially useful piece of tech.

"Wow! A frequency decoder!" Skywarp exclaimed, "Ah, slag! I wish I knew how to use these things. Hm...three buttons. Hm, I have a fifty/fifty shot. Might as well push one!"

Skywarp activated the device, and it sought out the nearest Cybertronian frequency, which in this case happened to be the Decepticon warship. Skywarp listened in as Megatron spoke to Knockout on a public channel, which at least gave the former seeker something to do to pass the time.

/I don't care what your recommendation is!/ Megatron yelled at Knockout, /I'm not going to ration out more frame polish and wax!/

/But my liege!/ Knockout pleaded, /I've been working nonstop for two days! I'm scuffed and soiled. I need my cleaning kit! Why do I have to go down to the surface and allow those slack-jawed flesh bags to see me in such a state?/

/It could always be worse,/ Megatron said vaguely, and Skywarp could just imagine Megatron brandishing his sword or looking down nonchalantly at his formidable claws.

/Um, of course it could, my liege,/ Knockout gulped, /Forgive me for lashing out. I spoke out of turn./

Skywarp laughed at the medic's humiliation. He was terrified of that Vehicon killer, and had no sympathy for his so-called "problem". Like everyone didn't need buffing out every now and then. No reason to cry to Mommy Megatron over it.

If the signal decoder had been in the servos of a devious mech then the war could be won or lost for one side or the other. Knowing everything they knew, hearing everything they said...it was a weapon with power more incredible than the spark extractor. Of course, that wasn't really an issue since this marvel of ancient tech had fallen into Skywarp's lap, and his only concern at the moment was his own amusement.

Once the conversation died down Skywarp realized he was bored again. He started the refining process for the energy crystals, but that would take some time to complete. He tried listening in on the Decepticons again, but all he heard was the clacking of Soundwave's keyboards.

With an exaggerated yawn that had been taught to him by Miko, Skywarp decided he needed more stuff in his bunker if he was going to properly wait out the war. It was so much easier during the Battle of Vos back on Cybertron. He, Thundercracker, and Starscream had all once been trapped in a partially collapsed office building after an Autobot anti-aircraft strike. Back then they passed the time by playing Council Chambers, a board game that Starscream excelled at.

That made Skywarp think. If he just had some games and toys then he wouldn't be so bored. But where to find games...? Ah, of course! Cybertron. Skywarp had a space bridge, and would soon have a lifetime supply of energy (if his poor calculations were correct). So, why not visit his old home world and grab a few things abandoned during the exodus?

With this in mind, Skywarp used the automatic targeting system to find Cybertron. Thankfully the portal was so simple a sparkling could use it. When the green light began to swirl, Skywarp walked through confidently into the unknown.

...

Just as Skywarp remembered last seeing it, Cybertron was currently a desert. He was in Kaon according to the space bridge's navigation system, and even if he hadn't known that the rusted statue of Megatron towering over the city square would tell him as much.

Skywarp knew he had to be careful. Insecticons and scraplets, for whatever reason, had decided to stay on this barren rock. With scraplets he understood. They were non-sentient vermin that could feed off the remains of their lost civilization. With Insecticons however, Skywarp never knew why they did anything. He just knew he wasn't a fan of them right now, what with his Vehicon body and all.

As Skywarp looked around the empty streets and clearings for something to bring back to his hideout, something seemed to darken his path for a moment. It was only for a split second, but it had looked like a shadow had flown over him. Skywarp looked up, but he didn't see anything.

With a bit more trepidation, Skywarp continued walking down the main drag. He considered transforming into Vehicle mode to make his trip faster, but he needed to be on the lookout for treasures, so he stayed in robot mode.

There it was again! The shadow had crossed his path again, and Skywarp was quicker to look up this time. He caught a glimpse of something, or someone, but he wasn't sure what or who. Was there a seeker out here? Had he found someone in need of rescue? Was it a 'Bot or 'Con? Did that distinction even matter to him anymore?

Skywarp noticed that the flier had flown behind the mountain in front of him, so Skywarp started walking backwards to try to catch another glimpse of the unidentified flying transformer. As Skywarp backed up, he hit something.

"Ow! What in the- AAAHH!"

Skywarp couldn't believe who he was seeing. Standing before him was a foe that could not be defeated, and a friend that could not be made. With terror shining in his visor, Skywarp aimed his cannon; knowing it was a useless gesture.

The Vehicons fired a laser drill at the charging Autobot, but it was a useless gesture. The drill was meant to chisel energon, not metal. Wheeljack's armor was too hard to penetrate, and the servant drones were pretty much fragged.

"Dig us out!" ICN-8675 shouted to TGP-3006, "I'll keep him busy!"

"I'm not leaving you!" TGP-3006 shouted back, "We need to find another weapon!"

Wheeljack caught up to the Vehicons despite the laser slowing him down, and he pulled out his energy whip again for another strike. It hit ICN-8675, and he went down in a heap; too low on energy to continue fighting back.

"No!" TGP-3006 gasped.

"I know it hurts now, but it's for the best. You'll see," Wheeljack said to the barely conscious Vehicon. He then turned his attention to TGP-3006. "You gonna come quietly, or should we have some more fun?"

"No, no!" TGP-3006 held up both servos placatingly, "I surrender. Strip us for parts. Do whatever you want. Just be quick, okay? ICN-8675 has suffered enough."

"Grab him and follow me," Wheeljack ordered as he pointed to the heap of Vehicon, "We're goin' back to the Jackhammer. I promise, I ain't gonna hurt you."

"He's lying!" ICN-8675 grunted even as his partner picked him up, "Don't...listen to him. Fight back..."

TGP-3006 wasn't listening however. This was definitely a violation of their base programming, not to mention everything Megatron wanted, but TGP-3006 couldn't afford to care. There was a self-preservation program that said they needed to live, and the poor Vehicon decided for once to listen to that program. Wheeljack was holding out an offer of mercy, and TGP-3006 just hoped it was genuine.

When they got back to the Jackhammer, Wheeljack instructed the Vehicons to sit on his berth, which was little more than a foldout cot that came out of the wall. ICN-8675 was glaring at Wheeljack, and for some reason this seemed to amuse the Autobot. The Vehicons didn't understand this behavior, but it made them very nervous.

Wheeljack meanwhile set to work on determining who was who with his portable spark reader. It was just as he thought. The injured Vehicon was Springer, and the one that surrendered was the civilian Moonracer. He considered leaving Moonracer behind, but that just didn't feel like the Autobot way. He would have to restore both of their memories, but convincing Ratchet to help him after the Miko debacle would be difficult. He just hoped his trademark charm would be enough to work his way through this situation.