AN: Well, here we are. Another chapter, another episode finished. This one was a bit difficult for me because... fight scenes. I hate writing them and there's nothing anyone can do about it. So, yeah, if the fights seem cut short you can really blame me on it.
Team Prime, now without Solarflare and with an added Doomsday, accelerated through the mountainous terrain under a greying sky filled with even darker clouds. The race against time had begun in order to beat Lockdown to the Decepticon artifact that the Harbinger had been carrying and, as far as they knew, they could be chasing a fantasy conjured up by the deceptive SIC.
Optimus had a trailer attached to him where they were transporting Starscream with the Forger inside as well, in order to make sure the seeker did not attempt to remove his clamps or prepared any surprise to attempt to regain his freedom. Suffice to say the mech had a few grievances with being bound and held at gunpoint but no one paid any heed to it.
Arriving at the site, a sizeable stone arch that rose up into the greying cloudy sky, all four Autobots stopped at that point in their journey and turned to bipedal mode.
"What do you know, he was telling the truth." Commented Bulkhead with a slight tone of surprise.
"It could still be a trap." Arcee still had her doubts on the veracity of the Decepticon's words and wasn't coy on letting the other know.
Walking forward to meet with the others, Optimus attempted to calm his teammate's worries. "Starscream's loyalty to Megatron has always been questionable. If he has truly split from the Decepticons our prisoner's knowledge of their agenda could make him a valuable ally."
It was true, the seeker had extensive knowledge of the inner workings of the Decepticon army. From the Nemesis, which was station on Earth, to the far-reaching corners of the galaxy and maybe even beyond, a new world of inside information could be opened if Starscream was truly serious about joining them.
The wrecker, however, didn't seem to share the views of the Prime. "You don't mean permanently, as in keys to the base and everything?" He said, optics wide in disbelief.
"However unlikely that scenario, every sentient being deserves an opportunity for redemption."
"Even bot killers? Even Lockdown?" Meeting the taller bot's gaze, the two-wheeler sneered in discontent at uttering her enemy's name.
"Without that hope we may never achieve lasting peace."
"Alright, move that aft outside." Doomsday's voice was clearly heard with a clanking resounding sound afterwards.
A lesser known fact about the Makers was that they shared some of the views held by Solarflare. To them, all Decepticons were birds of a feather, the same no matter how much anyone attempted to prove otherwise. After the war the faction lead by Megatron had set off for the control of Cybertron, all Makers had developed an animosity for Decepticons due to the fact of having been driven off their home planet in fear of being forced to join either of the sides in a confrontation that was causing so many casualties.
Now that Doomsday had the upper hand she intended on making sure Starscream knew who was in control.
"Gah, you don't have to shove me." The seeker bemoaned from his place, lying down on his back on the rocky terrain and with both wrists and wings bound by clamps.
Hopping down from the trailed, the orange femme crossed her arms and smirked. "I know, but that would make this far less enjoyable."
"Let's not joke around. We're here, where's the ship?" Arcee asked the cowering Decepticon.
The femme couldn't wait to get her servos on that petro-rat known as Lockdown and tear him into pieces. Having endured having to watch Tailgate be torn apart while still alive, hearing his never-ending screams as he was painfully disassembled, bearing through that scenario while struggling every step of the way until rescue finally came… Her spark longed for retribution. He'd terminated her partner so long ago and now revenge would be hers
Managing to rise to a kneeling position, Starscream looked around until his optics landed on the stone arch. "It's through the arch, among the stones." He pointed out in the general direction.
Looking at the structure that rose high in the air, Optimus carefully thought out the next move. "Bulkhead, Bumblebee, you're with me. Arcee and Doomsday, remain with our prisoner." He said, motioning for the two mechs to follow him.
"Sure thing." The Forger nodded with a way too cheery smile before casually pushing over the seeker, causing him to fall down on his side. "Oops." Shrugging off her action, the femme gave a thumbs up to the Prime. Oh, she was going to have some fun with this arrangement.
"Optimus please." Arcee approached her leader before he could walk away. "For Tailgate." She whispered, a pleading look in her optics.
"Your desire to avenge Tailgate will only continue to cloud your judgement. I'm sorry, but this is a battle you will have to sit out on."
Both Bumblebee and Bulkhead gave a look of apology to their teammate but didn't dare to say a word (or beep). They knew how much Arcee longed to have her revenge but they also knew how rivalries could take over one's processor and make them more careless and, judging by how long Arcee had been holding her grudge, this time it could turn really ugly.
Turning away, the three mechs began walking through the path mapped out by their prisoner. It would have been faster to do so in their alt-modes but the rocky terrain would only delay them in that specific situation, so their best hope to beat Lockdown to the weapon was to make it up on foot.
Arcee could only look as her friends disappeared into the rocky outcrop beyond the stone arch, feeling an emptiness where her spark should be. She knew it wasn't her place to question Optimus' decisions but, even then, words got stuck in her voice box, mostly consisting of pleads to go along with them and, in a smaller amount, complaints on how it just wasn't fair. But, being the model soldier she was, Arcee swallowed it all.
"Is the clamp really necessary? I promise not to fly away, it's giving me a crick." Starscream bemoaned, making the two femmes he'd been left with give him a look that resembled a cross between disbelief and exasperation.
"Yep." Doomsday shoved the seeker forward with her pede without a care, making him struggle to get up once more.
"A little help?"
Starscream was really getting tired of being shoved around by the Forger. She'd already been like that when gleefully binding both his servos and wings and borderline throwing him into the trailer, more than obviously deriving pleasure from seeing him defenseless and at her mercy. He'd even feared for his life when she got into the tight space with him for the duration of the whole ride, her optics promising a whole new world of pain should he move even just to adjust his position. How Decepticon of her, he'd silently mused.
Arcee crossed her arms, indicating her very low likelihood of helping their prisoner who was, once again, back on his knees. "I can shove you back in the trailer."
"I'm not really so bad, you know? Megatron, he's the evil one."
"Tell it to someone who cares."
Starscream looked at Doomsday.
The Forger raised her servos and shook her helm. "I couldn't care even less for you even if you didn't have a weird obsession with my son. He's mine and not yours by the way."
"How is the little one, by the way?" That topic only got Starscream a growl from the orange femme and he cowered in fear, quickly thinking of something else to steer the conversation to. "Erm, well, Lockdown is even worse than any Autobot or Maker. What I wouldn't give to put my servos to his neck cables."
"So, we do agree on one thing." Arcee nodded. Still, he couldn't hate him even more than her, not after those who she'd lost.
"Oh, you have no idea! He showed up one day and next thing you know he's acting like he runs the place! He whispered lies into Megatron's audios, maneuvered to rob me of my rightful place!"
"Well, he terminated my partner."
"What?! He's taking credit for doing that now, too?! That was my doing!"
Now that had taken the femme by surprise. "What? You weren't there."
"Of course I wasn't, I don't know what I was thinking…" Oh scrap, oh scrap, OH SCRAP!
"Ohhhh, this is getting good." Doomsday whispered from her position in the sidelines of the conversation.
Approaching the kneeling Decepticon, the blue Autobot pressed on. "Who are you talking about?"
"No one. Who are you talking about?" Starscream hurriedly responded, his wings lowering so much they nearly touched the ground.
"Tailgate."
"Who's Tailgate?"
A daunting realization dawned upon Arcee. "You were the one, you extinguished Cliffjumper!"
"He what now?!" The Forger exclaimed, almost jumping in surprise. "That red mech we never got to meet? He's the one that did him in?"
Arcee pulled her fist back and readied to strike the bot who'd taken away her partner. That vile creature had actually tried to become one of them, to 'redeem' himself and become a better bot… and she'd almost bought into his act. If she couldn't have her revenge against Lockdown, she would have it against Starscream.
"No! You misunderstand." Grabbing the two-wheeler's other arm, Starscream began thinking up a way to get out of that situation alive and, as usual, begging for mercy and lying came out on top. "The troopers mortally wounded him! I was trying to help Cliffjumper, put him out of his misery! He begged me to!"
Disgusted by the obvious lies and cowardice presented by the cowering mech, the blue femme kicked the Decepticon away onto his back as hard as she could. Cliffjumper would have never begged for mercy, he'd have fought all the way to the end, like the strong and proud soldier he was.
Regaining his balance to stand on his knees yet again, Starscream decided that route of action was blocked. "Okay, okay, it was a mistake! I've made many, but I've changed! You wouldn't terminate a defenseless prisoner, would you?" All he had left was to appeal to that universally Autobot feeling of morality to escape with his spark still inside its chamber.
"Yes, she would!" Doomsday shouted, her tone of voice brimming with anger and disgust. "C'mon Arcee, do it! End it right here before he does any more damage!"
She wasn't an Autobot, and even if she was there was no way she'd allow such a dangerous mech to escape punishment. It was obvious her views regarding Decepticons were influencing her line of thought but she couldn't care less. All she wanted was to see a certain someone pay for all the misery he'd caused… for all the pain and suffering all Decepticons had caused.
The two-wheeler took a moment to gather her thoughts and came to a decision. Grabbing a metal card she threw it onto the floor in Starscream's direction.
"What, no! Just terminate his spark, don't give him that consideration!"
Concerned due to what was happening, the seeker cowered even more behind his arms. "What? What is that?"
"The key to your cuffs." Replied Arcee, her voice steady and firm. Now was the time to finally get her revenge.
"What for?!"
"Cliff would have given you a fighting chance."
"No, please, I don't want to! What's past is past, I'm one of you now!"
"Take it!" The Autobot screamed and took out her blaster, pointing it directly at the Decepticon's helm, ready to fire more than just a warning shot.
Starscream grabbed the card but let it slip between his shaking digits and shrunk more on himself, attempting to shield his frame from the gun pointed at him.
"You're pathetic." She bent down to retrieve the key.
It took only a moment, but then energon was spilled.
The seeker had driven his talons across the blue femme's lower torso as she lowered her guard, breaking his act as the defenseless prisoner and grabbing the literal key to his freedom.
"Arcee!" Doomsday shouted in a panic.
The Forger took out her whip and attempted to strike the seeker, but he dodged just in time and kicked the Autobot into his attacker, causing both crash into the trailer in a heap.
Letting his cuffs drop onto the floor, Starscream was now free to defend himself and more than ready to do more than just inflict a mere injury. If Lockdown was going to go back to Megatron with a weapon he would try and top that with two deceased enemies: one Autobot and one Maker.
Doomsday steadied herself as fast as she could and let Arcee sit against the trailer, worry flashing across her faceplates. The two-wheeler didn't look so good and, while medicine wasn't on her repertoire of experience, she knew that she needed attention as soon as possible in case a main cable had been cut.
Facing Starscream, Doomsday took out her weapon of choice from her subspace "You dirty no-good double-crosser! Hang tight, Cee, I'll get you to Ratchet as soon as I take out this petro-rat!"
Doomsday launched an all-out attack with her whip, making sure to maintain her distance from those dangerous claws. Arcee was in bad shape and in need of a medic, but there would be no chance to open a groundbridge unless Starscream was out of the picture.
The Seeker kept on dodging the blows from the Forger's whip, cursing the fact his wings were still bound and rendering unable to fly away from his attacker. He could try and run away but then he would go back to the Nemesis empty-handed and that would not sit well on his ego. Once he was finished with these two Megatron would take him back with all his privileges fully restored and put Lockdown to the side as he should have done in the first place.
"Afraid of confronting me in close combat, Maker?" Taunted Starscream in an attempt to get closer to his adversary.
"Ha, you wish!" Shouted Doomsday with a snarl. If long-range wasn't working she'd have to dust up her knowledge on close-range combat.
The Maker had begun losing her patience with the seeker and, as such, took on the challenge set out by the Decepticon. It was obvious he wanted to try and deal her a blow like Arcee's, but it was a risk she was willing to take in order to finish this sooner and get the blue femme back to base as soon as possible.
Putting away her weapon, Doomsday launched herself at Starscream, armed only with the rusty knowledge passed onto her by Solarflare.
Hopefully everything would turn out in her favor.
The three Autobots walked with their blasters onlined, ready to take down any hostiles. Optimus walked at the front, followed by Bumblebee and Bulkhead keeping an eye out on the rear, carefully taking each step as if something was about to jump at them out from nowhere… which was likely to happen with their enemy.
"Be alert, Lockdown is a renowned bounty hunter with many kills under his belt." The team leader warned.
"Right…" Bulkhead couldn't even attempt to fake being comfortable in that situation, he already didn't like 'Cons and now there was a real piece of work among them that could have terminated as many lives as Megatron.
They kept trudging forward among pillar-like structures that extended as far as the eye could see, limiting their range of view and, in turn, making them redouble their effort to avoid getting caught off-guard.
When finally reaching the second half of the Harbinger the Autobots didn't dare to stop, not now when the mech they were pursuing was likely inside that ship and ready to have a go at them at any second.
And it was true.
Lockdown peered from behind the ramp that lead to the ship, a thin staff with two prongs in one of his servos. He'd been there for a while now, rummaging through the many containers of section twenty-three until he had found what he'd been after. The mech had taken the weapon from its eons-long resting place with glee, knowing that the reward for turning it in to Megatron would elevate him to a better status within the Decepticon ranks. Sure, he could try to take it and run, but being stuck in a planet infested with enemies it would be best to ally himself with the big dogs and milk his stay on that mudball for all it was worth.
Turning on the weapon, Lockdown steadied his aim and fired at the Autobot leader, who dodge and fired right back along with the other two Autobots. The bounty hunter managed to avoid being hit, readying himself to try and hit again one of the do-gooders that he knew wouldn't stop pursuing him until they either had him or both him and the weapon.
"I got him!" Bulkhead shouted and ran forward, his blaster more than ready to cause some damage.
Taking his chance, the green and black mech fired the Decepticon weapon and hit home with a single shot, freezing the wrecker in his running position at the base of the Harbinger's ramp.
"The immobilizer, a real piece of Decepticon weaponry." Lockdown smirked at the remaining two Autobots and opened fire yet again.
Bumblebee and Optimus dove behind the tall boulders to avoid suffering the same fate as their teammate, narrowly dodging the immobilizing rays. When they peered from behind their hiding spots, however, Lockdown was nowhere to be seen.
Regrouping, the two looked at each other in wonder as to where their enemy could have gone to, when Optimus suddenly lurched forward and froze up in place, much like Bulkhead.
"Gotcha!"
Quickly reacting, Bumblebee began running to the side and firing onto the Decepticon, who, in turn, began doing the same.
It became a brutal game of tag, each side matched in speed, but only one needed one shot to end it all.
Bumblebee kept on ducking behind every available surface, never once stopping for even a nanosecond, too afraid that it could cost him dearly if he did. He knew that he was outgunned in that fight and that he needed to think up something and fast to get out of there and turn both Optimus and Bulkhead back to normal. Searching upwards he saw a rather loose group of rocks and swiftly his mind began working out a plan.
The bounty hunter, on the other side, was having too much fun playing with the Autobot scout. He'd almost forgotten how his spark raced during a hunt, how amusing it could be toying with his target until they tired out and had no other choice but to face their fate. Death. He was having so much fun, however, that he didn't realize the yellow Autobot had steered him bellow some loose rocks until it was too late and, with a well-placed shot, they were falling on top of him. Of course, he managed to dodge, but a thick cloud of dust settled over and he couldn't see a thing, blindly firing in the general direction the Autobot had been in.
When the dust settled, Lockdown could now see the problematic scout. Frozen. Just like the other two.
"My, my, my, is this the best you all could do?" He laughed. "An oversized wrecker, fit for target practice, a Prime, now nothing more than a decorative statue and…" Approaching Bumblebee, the bounty hunter looked into his optics and grinned. "A scout who will soon become a pile of spare parts." Tuning away he leisurely strolled to face Optimus. "Megatron will shower me with rewards once I hand you all over to him and I'll be set for life. He can do what he wants with his enemies but I think I will take claim on a certain femme. I wonder, if I use this thing to freeze her if her beauty will last forever."
While gloating, however, Lockdown did not notice Bumblebee break his disguise as a statue and quietly walk forward.
The scout inched closer by the second. Nearing just a bit more… That was it. Closer… closer…
A tap on the back and the bounty hunter turned in confusion, only to receive a punch to the faceplate that sent him flying down onto his back. During the fall, the immobilizer fell from his grip and twirled up into the air and, with a final shot, it broke into useless pieces.
"No! Do you have any idea what you just did?!"
A desire to disembowel the scout began emanating from Lockdown, but the mech knew it was a lost cause. He could remain and fight, but if backup were to arrive he'd be outnumbered and would likely lose more than just a weapon. Turning to his alt mode, he began speeding away under a barrage of shots from the Autobot. Next time he would be the one to come out on top, but, for now, he would have to think up a way to survive Megatron's wrath.
"Now who's the one with the upper hand?! You should have finished me when you had the chance!" Starscream laughed.
The Decepticon swung his claws viciously at the Maker, attempting to reach her sparkchamber, but the femme held on firmly with her arms in a defense position, her stronger constitution from being a Forger helping to absorb the impacts, but the femme knew it couldn't last forever.
Doomsday didn't want it to show, but she was having some difficulty keeping the Decepticon at bay. Solarflare had tried, long ago, to teach her some martial arts and there was even some recollection of others attempting to instill on her some other forms of self-defense, but high-grade had done a nasty job on her processor and deleted many of her older memories. Plus some drugs. A lot of drugs. She was skilled in long-range combat with her whip, alright, but her servos were built to create things, not to engage in physical combat with an enemy.
Making another attempt at his enemy's spark, Starscream launched himself forward and swung his talons hard. Doomsday took that chance to dodge and got behind the seeker, swiping his pedes from under him and kicking him away. She needed time to figure out a plan that involved dealing with his as fast as possible in order to get Arcee to either Ratchet or Solarflare.
The mech swiftly got up and pondered his next move. He knew he had the upper hand in close-range but his wings were still bound. He'd have to dispatch both femmes before either remembered to call for backup or the other three Autobots decided to return from their more than likely encounter with Lockdown.
"This… is for Cliffjumper!" Arcee's sudden shout shocked both parties.
Starscream looked being only to see the blue femme was no longer sitting down, but running up to him, blades drawn and eight after deliver a powerful punch across the faceplate.
Launching an all-out attack, the two-wheeler hit her enemy again and again, not letting him get a chance to regain his balance, and jumped on top of him, sending them both onto the ground. One of her blades was now held firmly against Starscream's neck cables, pressing right up against the vital spot that, if cut, would make him hemorrhage to death.
"Go on, do it! Megatron will only terminate me for treason if I dare return to the Decepticons!" He pleaded with a defeated look. "You may as well be the one to put me out of my misery."
"Yes, do it!" Doomsday shouted, placing both servos on her knees and panting. "End him! For Cliffjumper!"
"As if I needed convincing." Arcee raised her other arm, blade sharp and ready to finish this once and for all.
"What?! Wait! No!" The Decepticon realized his plan had backfired and began pleading for mercy. He couldn't go out like this!
This was it. Finally, after all that time, revenge would be hers and one of their deadliest enemies would be down for the count for good.
Readying to deliver the final blow the femme happened to look up and saw… Bumblebee. With a sad look that seemed as if he was the one she was terminating. Why was he…? No, why was she…? She wasn't like that. She wasn't one to terminate someone in cold blood like some, some… Decepticon. Oh, Primus, what was she becoming? What would Tailgate say if he could see her now? What would Cliffjumper say? She was an Autobot, someone who fought for peace and justice and yet there she was, ready to be judge, jury and executioner.
Getting up on her pedes, Arcee retracted her blades and limped away from Starscream, clutching her side. The pain was flaring up and her pedes were getting unsteady… and maybe her vision was narrowing just a tad? She was feeling rather drowsy all of the sudden.
Doomsday was about to point out the seeker was getting away but, upon looking at the state her friend (they were friends… right?), chose to help instead. Looking up she saw Bumblebee retreat and go back, maybe to go fetch the others, and realized their prisoner would be getting away.
"Ratchet, open a groundbridge, Arcee is down! I repeat, Arcee is down!" The Forger shouted into her comm.
Revenge would have to wait. Even if Arcee had decided it wasn't for her it didn't mean she couldn't do it for her. Starscream would live for another day, but not for much longer, not if she had anything to do with it.
"You left Starscream to be captured by the Autobots?!" Megatron's rage-filled voice echoed though the Nemesis' control room. "Do you have any notion of the consequences of your blunder?!"
The ex-gladiator was this close to terminating the mech kneeling at his pedes and it took all of his restraint not to obey his baser urges to destroy everything within the vicinity with his fusion cannon.
"But, Lord Megatron, it was due to Starscream's incompetence that we lost the immobilizer. He guided the Autobots right to its location." Lockdown attempted to divert the blame away from himself.
It had been a long time since the bounty hunter had felt truly afraid and the mech in front of him exuded hatred and a promise to offline him with one painful move, making it a truly terrifying situation. He'd had the weapon in his grasp, the Autobots at his mercy, everything going according to his plan, and then… he had nothing. He'd counted on Starscream blabbing about the weapon and leading the Autobots to the Harbinger's second location, making it a perfect trap to deliver them directly to Megatron but that pesky scout had gotten lucky and thrown a wrench into his plans.
"I don't care about some useless trinket!" The warlord bent down and shouted right up against Lockdown's faceplate. "My Second in Command is a prisoner of the enemy, which means all Decepticon intelligence could be at the fingertips of the Autobots!"
Who knew how much information Starscream could have already divulged to Optimus? They'd be able to access the Nemesis' signal, track its location and monitor its every moves… track his every move. That didn't sit well with him, not one bit, and only made the well of rage deep within his spark to keep spewing more and more rage, cursing everyone and everything.
Back at the base, after a few hours of hard work, Ratchet had managed to fix the Decepticon weapon and unfreeze both Optimus and Bulkhead, while Solarflare worked on Arcee's and Doomsday's injuries. Silverbot and Mayhem, being the strongest ones available, had went back to the Harbinger and brought back the two frozen mechs at the medic's request due to his fear that Starscream could return with extra firepower.
The Maker leader, meanwhile, had done her best, first patching up the blue femme due to her more pressing wounds, and then making her way over to Doomsday, who insisted on shrugging off her injuries as mere 'paintjob scratches and minor dents' to her friend's chagrin. The Forger didn't get far anyway, having been forcefully dragged back onto the medbay table in order to be properly tended to. After her job had been done, Solarflare broke off from the others, who'd gathered in the main room, to have some alone time, wishing everyone a good night before departing.
"The damage looked bad but it was a snap to repair, allowing us to reverse its effect on you." Ratchet held the newly-repaired weapon in his servo and proudly presented it to Optimus. "You should regain your full range of motion before long."
"And Arcee?" The Prime asked, looking into the medbot's optics.
"…She's rather resilient, for a two-wheeler."
Arcee had remained slumped over after being patched up, choosing to focus on the ground rather than facing anyone else. Silverbot had tried to coerce her from her somber mood, followed by Radical, who now sat close to her in an attempt to offer some sense of comfort, but neither had much luck in getting the femme to talk. She seemed to be lost in her own world of thoughts, going through what had happened over and over while wondering 'what if' multiple times at all moments of the fight that had ensued.
Walking up to the femme, Optimus looked down and could almost see her convoluted thoughts. "It is external wounds that heal the quickest." He said in a soft tone.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." Silverbot kneeled down in front of his friend but didn't dare touch her, almost as if his touch could disintegrate her.
Finally looking up to meet everyone else's gaze, Arcee slowly shook her helm and palmed the place where Starscream had almost mortally injured her. "No, it's fine. I thought settling scores would allow me to move on, instead I chased away our chance of winning this was any time soon."
"Wisdom cannot be granted, Arcee, it must be earned. Sometimes, at a cost." The Autobot leader reassured her.
"…So… what happened to Starscream?" Mayhem asked.
"He is gone, likely having been picked up by the Nemesis. If not, then we have no idea where he might be headed. "
"Well, there's still one thing I don't get. Why didn't you finally get your revenge?"
"I thought we'd agreed revenge wasn't the answer." Radical pointed out to the confused purple and white seeker while motioning to Arcee from behind her back in an attempt to kill that topic right there.
"Seriously? It seems pretty good to me."
Approaching his friend, Bulkhead put a hand on her shoulder. "Mayhem, now's not a good time."
"Listen to Bulkhead. Just… let it go. At least for now." The triple-changer asked his sister, knowing that particular them shouldn't be discussed in front of Arcee.
"What? Just saying I don't get why offing old Screamer wasn't so good besides not getting intel on the 'Cons."
"You and me both." Doomsday added.
Silverbot shot an angry look to both femmes, making them shut up and letting an uncomfortable silence settle into the main room. He knew why his sister and the Forger were confused as to why revenge wasn't all that good, in fact he was too but also understood the Autobot's point of view, and for now the best they all could do was drop the subject and forget about it. Maybe later he could talk to them and try to clear up some questions, although he wasn't so sure he could make them understand like he did.
In the end a Decepticon did not change their colors, but neither did a Maker.
Solarflare gazed up at the moon, letting its light shine down upon her frame. Some nights she couldn't recharge, so she resigned herself to either looking up at the ceiling of her room or, in situations where she had a lot on her mind, going up to the roof of the base and letting her thoughts wander.
Airachnid had refused to open her mouth when confronted with Lockdown's presence on Earth, merely looking to the side with a resigned expression while the white and green seeker dished out a lecture worthy of a Mayhem level act of conduct. It wasn't as if Solarflare had wanted to go in, guns blazing, and start to spell out what was wrong with withholding information from her, but things had gotten out of hand and now the reclusive spider-femme could become even more closed out to the world.
"Victory, my sweet and lovable bondmate, how I wish you were still among us." Solarflare let a low sigh escape from her lips.
Her bondmate had always known what to do when a fight broke out between friends back in the day, always willing to be the mediator between the parties and seeking out a solution that pleased everyone. The triple-changer had been so kind and caring it was a surprise that he was able to inflict as much damage as he was capable of uttering mending words.
"It would be such a huge difference to have someone with your experience to help us against the Decepticons. Surely, you would have defeated Megatron on the first try and have had energy to spare to take out half the Vehicons on the Nemesis afterwards."
He had been strong. Stronger than anyone in all of Cybertron for that matter. It hadn't been on her plans to fall in love with him but that strength, both physical and emotional, lured her in so quickly in one of those moments of realization that bots around you care more than you ever realized.
"Silver… he also misses you. I can see it clearly that mech lost his Sire too soon, we all can, and there's nothing I can do to patch up that hole in his spark. But, you know, I think he's found someone. Maybe. They're friends but we can only watch, no interference from the audience as we're used to saying."
The gentle giant Solarflare was proud to declare to be her son had to mature too soon in the wake of his Sire's murder, forced to bear the fact that life was all too unjust for those who only wanted the best for everyone and fought for what was right. His optics had opened to the rigged caste system with a loud bang and a metaphorical stab to the spark with his loss and so he grew up to help take care of his Carrier and, later, his sister. She still felt bad for never having given him the joyous sparklinghood she'd had, only a workaholic Carrier and a dead Sire.
"And Mayhem is, well, she's still upbeat about everything, even during the worst times. Solus, how I wish you had met her. She's just so like you, never giving up, always striving to surpass herself and really eager to put up a good fight."
Her not-so-little one ball of pure energy had done so much growing, both on Cybertron and on Earth. Solarflare could still remember when Mayhem was still a sparkling, her optics shining with so much curiosity and willingness to go out and explore the whole universe, even when the odds were stacked against her due to her origins as a Maker. The sparklinghood had went by so fast that, before the older seeker knew, it was in a blink of her optics that her daughter was taller than her and the days of picking her up and wiping the tears from her optics were gone.
With a final sigh, Solarflare turned her back and began walking away, her helm downcast and expression unreadable. Thinking about this matter didn't do her any good, she already felt guilty enough for what she'd done to dishonor Victory's memory at the servos of a would-be tyrant.
A final whisper permeated the silent air. "How I wish she was yours, my dear Victory."
AN: *drops da bomb* Well, how do you like it? I did consider having Starscream be kept prisoner but well... I'm just that lazy... sorry. IF you are wondering why I made Bumblebee turn back is because I assume he was worried Lockdown would return with backup.