Ch. 67

Red had been searching for Bulkhead for what felt like forever. He stayed pretty close to the communications terminal, sure that eventually the green mech would make an appearance to try and call for help from the Autobots. But it was taking a long time.

A loud commotion caught his audials and he frowned, ducking into the shadows to hide. A troop of Vehicons and Eradicons ran passed his hiding spot and he sighed. This many soldiers meant one of two things: they had found Bulkhead or they had found Yellow.

Red grimaced and ran down the hall quietly to follow, watching as Dreadwing came down the hall.

"I want his chassis found and smelted," he ordered, "This is in our lord's best interest. That treacherous mech does not deserve the title of 'Decepticon' after all he has put our cause through. He is lucky that he will not survive the wound he sustained when he tried to escape..."

Red slunk down low to the ground. So, Yellow was dead. No doubt Starscream was feeling that at the moment. But Dreadwing hadn't said anything about Bulkhead. Maybe he wasn't down here?

Red frowned and looked back at where the lifts were. Fine. Guess he'd have to search another level. The seeker dashed to the lift and rushed in, going up. Starscream and Blue were no doubt fussing over Knockout right now. There was no reason to get in the middle of that mess. So he activated the control panel to take him up to where he was sure Green and Orange were still skulking around. Looking for Soundwave sounded like a better prospect anyway.

As the lift doors closed, Red completely missed the sight of Bulkhead, covered in energon, as he made his way to the communications terminal.

"Just over here, are you certain?"

"As certain as I was a few moments ago, why DO you doubt me?"

Orange glared, "Because I didn't see it myself. It's in our nature to hold a bit of paranoia and mistrust, even towards each other."

Green hummed, "Yes, we all well remember how quickly that ended in tears... But I still tell you I saw him."

Orange huffed, "If Soundwave had seen us, he would have approached, he wouldn't have left us."

Green scowled, "Perhaps he didn't see me. Did you even consider that possibility?"

Orange hissed quietly, "Wait, quiet! ... Did you hear something?"

The two stayed quiet, listening, before Green mumbled softly, "I heard nothing..."

Orange glared harder at the other mech and slowly went out into the hallway, looking around, "I... could have sworn..." he sighed and frowned, turning the other way to look, "Perhaps I'm being overly cautious-"

A large, clawed servo lashed out from the side and Megatron stepped forward, the seeker's throat tightly caught in his grasp, "Starscream," the warlord growled, holding him up as the mech scratched to free himself, "you invite yourself onto my ship without my permission? How cruel of you, considering how you left the last time."

Megatron began to squeeze as he walked, and Orange yelped, small drips of energon leaking from around his neck, "W-where are you taking me?!"

The warlord chuckled, "Isn't it obvious, my dear Starscream? After what I have planned for you, you will be in need of immediate medical attention. Knockout's med bay will have everything I need. I tried to be kind before, but perhaps that was the wrong approach. You have forced me to be far more invasive."

Orange's optics widened. Blue and the REAL Starscream were down in the med bay. He couldn't let Megatron get there, he and Green had a duty to do at least that much. Orange watched Green come out from hiding and aim carefully, the caught seeker doing the same, "I won't let you do anything to me!"

Megatron shook him roughly, cutting more around his neck, and snarled as he got closer to the lift, "You should have spoken to me when you had the chance-" the lift doors opened and the warlord's optics widened as he looked down at Red's surprised form.

A gasp behind him made Megatron glance back and he smirked when he saw Green, "Clones? How very advantageous for you, Starscream. If you're even among your underlings."

Red scowled and aimed his missiles at the warlord, "That didn't work before, it certainly won't now!"

Green huffed, "Shut up!"

Megatron sneered, "I'll simply have to pick whichever one I don't kill first!"

The warlord held Orange up higher and crushed his throat audibly, tossing the chassis hard into an opposing wall with a sick 'crack'. Red and Green both grimaced and hissed.

A loud shriek echoed up from a lower level through the lift and Green shuddered "Oh yes, he's feeling that right now..."

Megatron chuckled, "So, my second is here. Tell me where and I shall spare your lives."

Green growled and Red backed away, missiles still ready to fire.

The larger mech cackled, "His confidence and stubbornness has been inherited by you all, then?! So be it..." he turned quickly and fired one shot, killing Green and earning another yell from deep within his ship.

Red panicked and dove for the lift control panel instead, heading back down.

Megatron scowled, activating his COMM, "To all Decepticon personnel: Starscream is aboard the Nemesis with clone replicas of himself. Catch them all and bring them to me! ALIVE!"

The warlord stared angrily at the door to the lift and growled, heading to another lift at the other side of the ship.