Ch. 138

"Where are we?" Smokescreen asked quietly.

Breakdown answered with a curt shrug, "Kid, this looks like the ruins just outside of Kaon."

The white mech felt himself go rigid in shock. Kaon. It was nearby, wherever they had ended up. The space bridge they had commandeered led them to the last coordinates used. And what better place to extract valuable resources than just outside the desolate outskirts of the Decepticon capitol?

The area was riddled with rusted metals and decrepit buildings that had long burned and been destroyed. There were far too many hiding places for hostiles to emerge from and Optimus had not yet been comfortable ordering Starscream into the air. As much as open space was not preferred, the narrow passages through the rubble made avoiding any incoming assaults near impossible.

"Autobots," Optimus muttered, "stay low, keep yourselves on alert. We need to find the exchange point and move in."

Bumblebee quietly took point ahead of the larger mech, both his blasters aimed and ready. Smokescreen followed behind him, both mechs smaller and more easily able to slip ahead. A part of Starscream wished he hadn't sent Arcee away, but given what had happened around this time the last time... it was far better to be wrong in this situation than right and have done nothing about it. She could continue verbally wounding him later.

All around the group, the debris and dilapidation continued on without hinderance. The noise of crashing buildings and groaning, tired beams failing under the weight of the oppression and lack of care kept making Starscream flinch. Before... before... He remembered a lot of these sounds from before, when they all fought to ignite the Omega Lock and become known throughout history as the ones who saved their species. The situation was different, but only just. And the sounds... the feelings and sights, all of it, were far too similar to the timeline from the before, the event from before. It had all gone wrong then. The seeker shuddered. Would it go terribly wrong this time?

Starscream almost tripped as his peds brushed into a large slab of a metal wall, his mind wandering instead of paying close attention. Optimus had fallen back behind his smaller soldiers and was in position to catch the seeker before he fell, his optics conveying just as much concern as Starscream was. Neither spoke. The Prime made sure the silver mech was more balanced on his peds before the two separated, but Optimus clearly felt Starscream's frame trembling. He was terrified.

"Starscream..." he whispered, "I promise-"

"Don't," the seeker responded quickly; he didn't mean to be sharp, even if the situation demanded he be just so, "no promises. Let's just keep going."

Optimus was undeterred, "I will not let anything happen to you."

"I'm asking you to stop."

"I cannot oblige."

"And why is that?"

The Prime took a deep intake, "Because I need to make you that promise. I will protect you. Keep an optic on yourself. Let us handle what we need to."

"I thought I was here as air support."

Optimus nodded, "You are. And while their optics are trained above, we will ensure their capture or elimination. Keep yourself safe so that we may do the same for you."

Starscream grumbled but nodded. That was why Optimus had hesitated to ask him along. He didn't want to call him 'bait'. He didn't want to tell the seeker he was using him as the shiny piece of metal to distract the crows. He didn't want to because he was hoping he wouldn't have to. Starscream meant a lot to Optimus, as did all his soldiers. The seeker didn't want to admit it, but Optimus and the team meant quite a bit to him, too. Especially when they ran into the line of fire for him without being asked. It was like having his energon seekers again...

"Optimus," came Smokescreen's whispering voice over the COMM; most of the group had become spread out ahead, all within sight but not close enough.

Optimus answered quietly, "Yes, Smokescreen. Do you see something ahead?"

The white mech didn't respond immediately, as though he was assessing to be sure, before COMMing back, "Bumblebee confirmed with me. We found the drop zone. It looks like most of the energon is here, but it looks a little strange. They might be experimenting or something with it."

The Prime hummed, "Wait for the rest of us to make it to your position. We will investigate as a group. Starscream will go airborne if we are ambushed. While their optics watch him, we must make sure that we eliminate any and all targets that try to bring him down. Understood?"

"You got it, Optimus."

"Loud and clear, big boy."

"We're ready, Optimus."

Bumblebee beeped softly and he and Smokescreen settled down in their spots, watching with trained blasters at piles of glowing energon just ahead, ready for transport. The scene was ready for the Decepticon soldiers that were supposed to come and make the pick up. The only thing that was starting to trouble the two mechs was the lack of sight on the supplier, wherever they were.

Optimus and the rest of the group soon made it to Bumblebee and Smokescreen's location, concerns quickly arising when it was very near the time that the original delivery should have been made. With the energon stacked and waiting out in the open like this, it made everyone cautious.

"We will move in two teams," Optimus informed them; there were two large stacks of energon and he pointed at the one farthest from them, "Breakdown, Smokescreen and I will investigate the energon farthest away. Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Knockout, you will investigate the energon closest to us. Starscream," he looked to the seeker, whose wings perked, "wait here. Do not go airborne until I signal you to."

Starscream frowned but nodded, watching the team split and begin moving in. Optimus and Breakdown kept Smokescreen covered while they moved in on the first pile, as Bumblebee and Bulkhead did for Knockout on the second. The two mechs with their servos free cautiously dug in to pull out a cube and it was Smokescreen who let out a hard gasp as he dropped the energon he had selected.

"What the-"

The glass tumbled to the ground and rolled open, toppling out wires and glowing lights that emitted a blue hue.

Knockout tossed his cube aside and grabbed another, scowling, "This isn't energon! They're all... party lights!" he tossed it angrily.

Bumblebee beeped in confusion, asking why the Decepticons would need such things back on their ship.

"They would not," Optimus answered; he looked to Starscream, "Have you seen this before?"

The seeker didn't answer. Conflicting emotions were battling within him for control, fear, desperation, anxiety, all swirling into a sick concoction that was making him tremble.

The Prime watched him as he activated his COMM, calling back into base, "Ratchet, this is Optimus. I need you to take a look at the energon we recovered from the space bridge sight. Convey to Soundwave that Laserbeak needs to do the same."

There was a pause before Ratchet answered back, "Alright, I will. Is something wrong with it?"

"It may be fake," the Prime informed him, "We have found the Decepticon drop site stocked with nothing but energon cubes filled with glowing lights."

Ratchet didn't respond for a few moments before sighing gently, "The energon here is good. It's real. But why would they have real energon here and not on Cybertron?"

Optimus frowned and leveled his blaster out towards a wide opening beyond the city's debris. A loud laugh was beginning to echo out from the open space and an electric crack shouted out after, four pillars erupting from the debris around them.

The Prime spun around, his optics back on Starscream as he yelled, "Airborne! Now!"

The shout pulled the silver mech from his emotional turmoil and he transformed, his turbine streaking fire into the air as the pillars began to glow around him loudly. Energy rippled along the sides and a glowing purple barrier began to grow between them. Starscream pushed his engine harder, barely escaping the barrier, and circled tightly overhead. He felt his frame begin to tremble as he flew, watching as Optimus and the team clustered together.

Megatron emerged some distance away with Dreadwing beside him. Eradicons and Vehicons started to appear from under masses of debris around the trapped Autobots. Starscream continued to circle. He didn't know the game plan yet. He didn't know what to do. He wanted his team out, that was for certain. At least then they'd have a fighting chance.

"Optimus!" Megatron called loudly, "How generous of you to grace us with the presence..." he glanced up, "of my second."

Optimus glared, "Megatron, this is our fight! Leave Starscream out of this! He has defected from your faction; he is a Decepticon no longer!"

The warlord chuckled, "You may believe so, but I will never allow that to be the case. So why don't the rest of you get comfortable? It won't be long until I've rid myself of the Autobot faction and all those who oppose me."

Starscream growled from up ahead, COMMing down to Optimus, "I have a clear shot. Let me start the assault."

The Prime COMMed back quietly, "Negative, do not engage. If you are shot down and we are unable to aid you, the battle will be lost. You will be captured."

"Optimus, we have to do something."

"And we will..."

Starscream continued to circle above, weaving erratically in preparation to avoid any plasma fire. None came. Megatron watched him from the ground, a brazen sneer upon his faceplates. His optics trailed from the seeker to the trapped Autobots in his barrier dome. Starscream was clearly going nowhere. And Megatron had been dreaming of ending Optimus Prime for a very long time.