Chapter 31 The Autobots
Starscream powered up his null-rays and smiled up at Megatron. It was high time that he got back at Sentinel Prime for stabbing him through the chest and extinguishing his spark. Of course, Megatron had revived him with the Allspark fragment, but it just wasn't the same. Besides, the Allspark fragment wasn't a very good substitute for a spark anyways.
Megatron nodded. 'Let's go beat some Autobrats.' He hissed. "Blitzwing; round up the others and meet me in the Command center. We have an Autobot infestation." He added over the com-link.
Across the base, Blitzwing nudged Bumblebee gently with his head. "Joo should stay hidden. I don't vant joo or de sparkling hurt." He stated gently.
Bumblebee looked at his mate and nodded. "Be careful." He murmured as he kissed Blitzwing. "I want you to be able to walk away from this." He added before he hopped off of his mate's back and hid under the recharge bed. "Amazingly, I still fit under these things!" He laughed, trying to make everything seem ok.
Blitzwing chuckled before he left the room and sprinted down the hallway to the Command center. He pulled a lever on the wall and Professor Sumdac's and Sari's holding cells turned around to look like part of the wall. Megatron and Starscream stepped into the room at that point, closely followed by the rest of the army, all of them looking hungry for battle. Megatron growled low and angrily.
"Where are you, Autobots?" He demanded as he straightened up. "We are not fools! We know that you are here!" Ultra Magnus walked slowly into the room, closely followed by the other Elite Guard officers and the Earth Autobots. Megatron ground his dental bands together as he put forth a fake smile. "And what do I owe the visitation, oh great and powerful Ultra Magnus?" He asked, snarling the last part with venom dripping with every word.
Sentinel Prime's mouth fell open as his optics fell on Starscream as he stepped up to stand behind Megatron. "Hey, d-didn't I kill you?!" He asked, his jaw hanging wide open.
Megatron rounded on Sentinel. "If you were smart, youngling, you would keep your trap shut," he snarled before he raised his fusion cannon, "because I will feel no remorse in returning the favor." He ended with a hiss. Starscream snorted in agreement before he leveled his null-rays with Sentinel's face. Megatron caught movement out of the corner of his optics and snarled. "And that green one should stay put." He added with a jerk of the head towards where Bulkhead had just frozen.
Starscream snarled at Ultra Magnus as the Autobot leader shifted his hammer. "Murderer." He growled.
'Easy Starscream; let's find out how they got here first. And don't attack unless they attack first; we want to appear civil...for now.' Megatron stated. Starscream relaxed reluctantly, giving Megatron a small pulse of discomfort through their body. Megatron turned towards Ultra Magnus and cleared his throat angrily. "How was it exactly that you found our base?" He asked with a forced smile. "Last I checked our signatures were concealed." Starscream stood fuming beside Megatron, his optics darting from one Autobot to the next, and his claws flexing in the contained urge to throttle each and every one of them.
Bulkhead snorted. "Mixmaster and Scraper showed us the way. A kind of repayment for helping them out when they first came online." He snapped.
"Traitors!" Skywarp screamed as he turned on the two mechs.
Mixmaster raised his hands. "Hey!" He yipped. "I mean, we were friends. Aren't friends supposed to help each other out?"
"Not in this kind of situation." Megatron replied.
"Oh...now you tell me."
"State your business here." All three Seekers ordered in unison, their crimson optics flashing in rage.
Ultra Magnus snorted. "Everyone here is under arrest." He replied. "And the sparklings that you have kidnapped will be taken to appropriate families, seen as how you most likely killed their parents."
Megatron's energon began to boil; how dare he believe that he could just come in here and take the sparklings. "Excuse me?"
"How did you that we had sparklings here?" Starscream asked, his voice filled with worry.
"We picked up the signals when we entered the base. They were easily detected due to their weaker field around their spark signature." Ultra Magnus replied. He nodded to Jazz. "Go assist Prowl in collecting them." He added.
Megatron growled. "If he moves, he dies." He snarled as he leveled his fusion cannon with the white mech. Starscream readied his null-rays once again, pointing them directly at Jazz; there was no way he was leaving with his sparklings.
Jazz glanced at Megatron. "Look, I just want to get the sparklings to a safe place. Let's face it; it's not safe anywhere near the battlefield for a sparkling." He stated, trying to sound convincing; he did want the sparklings to be safe.
"No thanks to your leader." Starscream growled.
Jazz shook his head. "Look, I'll take good care of them. I've shuttled sparklings out of more dangerous areas before. I swear that no harm will come to them." He stated; he had realized quickly that the sparklings must have been Starscream's, judging by his reaction.
"You've not taking dem anyvhere." Blitzwing growled, Hothead persona in control as he lowered his shoulder cannons.
Jazz blinked. "Look...I don't have a choice." He finished as he quickly bolted out of the room, Megatron's fusion cannon firing at him the whole way.
"Slag!" Megatron snarled before the other Autobots moved in to attack. 'Plan A just went down the drain.'
Starscream growled once before lunging blindly into the line of Autobot. "They will not take them!" He shrieked.
Across the base, Shockwave slowed to a halt and placed the sparklings on the ground. "Stay quiet you two," he whispered. "We have an uninvited guest."
He turned around and faced Prowl, surprised that the normally secretive mech was standing plainly in sight. He lifted a gun to Prowl, using it in hopes of appearing intimidating to the ninja bot; he only had out his shurikens. "I thought the Autobots were against harming anyone in the presence of sparklings." He snarled as he stood protectively over Oblivion and Emberstar.
Prowl continued to stare at him blankly, his blue visor flashing every now and again as he switched his attention from Shockwave to the sparklings. Shockwave growled again as he took a small step forward. "What do you want, Autobyte?" He snarled.
Prowl didn't flinch as he regarded the larger mech. "The sparklings are not safe in the proximity of a Decepticon." He replied, motioning to the two femmes. "They would be far safer with the Autobots."
He took a step forward, but jumped back as Shockwave fired at him. "Don't move!" He snarled, his antennas standing straight up on his head and his single optic burning in rage.
Prowl's mouth thinned slightly as his gaze rested on the now shivering forms of the sparklings; either he had to get them out of here now, or let Shockwave keep them and risk getting them injured when the other Autobots came to collect them. He had been sent because the Autobots thought that the sparklings would be left unattended, but he knew better; only idiots left sparklings unattended when the enemy was attacking. He didn't want to hurt the sparklings, but if he had to use force to get them away, so be it. He took another step forward and leapt back again as Shockwave fired.
"I thought I told you not to move!" He snarled.
Shockwave took a step forward to finish his threat, but shrieked in pain as a laser blasted through his shoulder. He glared up at Jazz as he raced forward. "Look, just hand over the sparklings and we won't have to get rough." The white and black mech stated evenly.
Oblivion chirped in fear. "L-l-l-leave us alone!" She squeaked.
'The sparklings are in danger!' She heard Starscream shriek over the bond.
'There isn't anything we can do!' Megatron moaned. 'We can't risk losing one of us in this fight or we will all fall! Then the sparklings will be in an even worse situation!'
She looked up in time to watch Shockwave be tossed aside by the two ninja bots and she whimpered in fear. She hugged Emberstar tightly to her chest as they both shook in terror as the Autobots advanced towards them. They didn't look scary, but their sparks knew that they were not their parents' allies; they were enemies, and they were going to do something to hurt them, on purpose or by accident didn't matter.
'I'll go.' Starscream stated.
'If you think that you are needed, then go. Just be fragging careful!' Megatron replied, his voice heavy with strain; he was probably fighting with quite a few Autobots.
Her attention was brought back to the world around her by Jazz reaching towards her. She shook harder and whimpered as she tried to back up. "Ssh, hey, I'm not going to hurt you." Jazz murmured gently as he knelt down.
"Leave me alone!" Oblivion screamed. "And Ember! Leave us both alone!"
'I don't want to leave you!' Starscream voice rang in her mind.
'Go! I'll handle everything here.' Megatron's voice roared through her mind. 'They need you.' He added softly. Oblivion whimpered slightly.
Leave her alone!
Autobot scum! Leave my niece alone!
Starscream bounded into the room fuming. Oblivion looked up at Starscream and smiled as she reached out to him over their bond. *Mom...that is so weird to say.*
Well! It's about time!
Was wondering when you were turning up!
"Get away from them!" Starscream roared.
Prowl and Jazz spun around. "Sorry, but we're under orders to take these sparklings somewhere safe." Jazz replied.
"Then allow me to show what happens when you mess with sparklings that do not belong to you." A female voice snarled. Starscream turned around, his optics widening. "One side." The female voice stated softly. 'I don't want to end up hitting you by mistake, sparkling.'
Oblivion looked up in shock at the female Seeker with black armor and green plating lacing her arms and legs. Her optics were a deep green, illuminating her dark face and making her look dangerous, like the glowing lights of radioactive chemicals. "Mum?" Starscream asked, overwhelmed to see his mother again.
Blackfire smiled before she nodded and turned to Jazz and Prowl. "I believe you boys were leaving." She growled.
Jazz shook his head. "No, I don't think we were." He replied.
Blackfire snorted. "Fool." She snapped. She turned to Starscream. "Care to give these fools a lesson?" She asked.
"Whenever you are." Starscream replied with a smile.
Blackfire smiled as she pulled a sword out of her subspace. "I might be a little rusty...but this blade is not." She laughed as she turned on Jazz and Prowl. "Ready?"
Oblivion giggled. "Go Blackfire!" She cried. 'And you too Mom!...I will never get use to saying that.'
Starscream chuckled at his sparkling's remark; he had to admit that it was a little strange to call a mech "mommy". "Ready."
"Then...let's do this!" She snarled as she charged forward, her optics flashing in a way that they hadn't since she was in the Pit fights. She smashed Jazz to the ground and set to work leaving him damaged badly enough to not move again for a very long time.
Starscream lunged at Prowl, missed, and smashed into the wall with a crunch. He sank to the ground with a groan as Prowl darted away, trying to find some point to hide and activate his hologram. He vanished from sight as Blackfire stood up to avoid a weak swing from Jazz's nunchucks.
'Mom!'
"Starscream, keep an optic on him." Blackfire stated softly as she tossed Jazz towards Prowl. "He uses a hologram machine...hmm, reminds me of...try shooting that ceiling panel."
ARE YOU INSANE?!?!?!?!
Starscream did as he was told, trusting that she knew what she was doing. As the ceiling panel fell through the hologram, Blackfire blasted the only Prowl left backwards. "I figured as much." She laughed.
"You...are insane!" A male voice shouted.
"Who's there?!" Starscream demanded as he spun around with his null-rays charged.
"Who do you think lil' bro?" The male voice laughed.
"If you're going to solidify yourself, finish it." Blackfire stated softly.
"Sunstorm?" Starscream beamed as he watched a yellow and white Seeker materialize beside him.
Sunstorm laughed as he wrapped his arm around Starscream's shoulder. "Miss me?" He asked. He looked past him at the sparklings and smiled. "So, this little fire coloured one is Emberstar?" He asked softly as he crouched down in front of the sparklings. "Hey Oblivion, 'member me?"
Oblivion nodded. "Stormy." She chirped happily before she hugged him.
Starscream smiled. "How's dad?" He asked as he turned his null-rays on the two disgruntled Autobots.
Sunstorm snorted. "He's coming. Slower than a turbo-rat in recharge." He replied as he picked both of the sparklings up. "Heh, I didn't know you could turn out this cute of sparklings bro." He laughed.
"Please. This is me we're talking about!" Starscream sneered at his older brother.
Sunstorm grinned. "Why do you think I said that?" He laughed.
Oblivion giggled. "He's funny." She glanced at Blackfire and smiled. "You're really pretty." She murmured as she stared up at the femme.
Starscream stuck his glossa out at his older brother, earning a chuckle from his mother as she gave his helm a playful rub. He smiled at her before Megatron's voice echoed over the bond. 'Starscream! That blasted Bulkhead and Prime managed to break away; they're going after Bumblebee!'
'Don't tell me! Tell Blitzwing!' Starscream screeched in return.
'He already knows! He's after them already, but he needs assistance!' Megatron replied.
Emberstar looked up at Starscream and frowned. "What's wrong?" She asked, unable to understand what the problem was.
"I need to go." Starscream replied. "Stay here with Uncle and Grandma." He added before he sprinted down the corridor.
Emberstar and Oblivion blinked in confusion as Blackfire sighed. "Tidus, follow him." She stated.
Got it.
Starscream came to a halt and growled low in his throat. Bulkhead was standing in front of Bumblebee and Blitzwing's room, his wrecking ball already formed on his left hand. Blitzwing was already inside and Bumblebee was nowhere in sight.
"What'd you do ta my friend, you stupid triple-changer!? Where is he?!" Bulkhead boomed. Blitzwing took a defensive stance in front of the recharge bed, cannons ready and Hothead personality in control.
"Vouldn't joo like to know, Autoscum!" Blitzwing snarled.
Bumblebee did his best to remain still, but he was terrified and shaking slightly. 'Blitzwing, frag it, I'm scared.' He squeaked.
'Me too.' Blitzwing replied. 'He's huge!'
Bumblebee shiver and the bed shook slightly. 'Watch out for his wrecking ball; it really packs a punch.'
'Starscream's told me about day.' Blitzwing replied.
"Bulkhead, knock him aside." Optimus stated. "Bumblebee's energy signal is coming from inside."
'Slag!' Bumblebee whimpered. 'Please don't let them in!'
Starscream growled before he tackled Optimus from behind, sending them both tumbling down the hallway. Bumblebee bit back a squeak of surprise as Megatron tossed Bulkhead aside. The silver, black, and red giant growled as he glared down at the green Autobot. "You shouldn't have left your teammates alone." Starscream leapt to his feet, panting.
Optimus rolled back to his feet. "Bulkhead, get in that room and try to find Bumblebee! Ratchet's already found Sari." He ordered.
Megatron growled. "Where is he?" He asked Blitzwing quickly.
"Under de bed." Blitzwing replied.
"How did you find her?!" Starscream demanded.
"She screamed." Optimus replied. He grinned. "And thanks for the information on Bumblebee's whereabouts. Bulkhead, knock that bed over!" He shouted as the green Autobot whipped his wrecking ball around.
Blitzwing cried out in terror as the aimed at the bed. "Be careful!"
Megatron took the wrecking ball to the stomach and grunted as he was sent flying into the room. He groaned as he heard the wrecking ball flying around the room. "Bee." He mumbled as he tried to get to his feet, the world spinning around him.
Blitzwing grabbed Bulkhead's arm as he whipped the wrecking ball around again. "Stop! You'll hurt him!"
Bulkhead glared at Blitzwing. "And Megatron deserves it!" He snapped before he whipped his weapon around and smashed the recharge bed into the wall. Bumblebee yipped in fear as he leapt to his feet and looked up at Bulkhead in terror.
"I meant Bumblebee!" Blitzwing snarled.
Bulkhead froze. "Why do you care what happens to Bumblebee?" He demanded.
Optimus raced over to Bumblebee. "Come on Bee! Let's get out of here now!"
Bumblebee looked up at Optimus in shock. 'BLITZWING!'
Blitzwing shoved Optimus away from his mate, growling at him. "Because he's carrying my sparkling." He snarled, taking a defensive stance over Bumblebee.
Everyone froze, including Megatron who was trying to get back to his feet. 'Wow...Tidus was right.'
"W-w-what?" Bulkhead demanded.
Bumblebee reached out and gripped Blitzwing's arm tightly. 'Was it a good idea to tell them that?' He whispered.
'Better zem know den for joo to miscarry.' He sighed.
Bumblebee nodded as he moved closer to Blitzwing. 'Good point. It's already feeling nervous. Poor little thing.'
Bulkhead stared at Bumblebee. "Bee...please tell me that he forced you to do that...please."
Blitzwing glared at the hulking mech and sneered as Bumblebee tucked himself into the protection of Blitzwing's body as he shook his head. 'He's going to kill me.'
'Vhy?' Blitzwing asked.
Bulkhead growled. "What? You WILLINGLY let him get you carrying a spark?!" He snarled.
'Because he thinks that me mating with a Decepticon is the worst thing in history.' Bumblebee whimpered as he buried his face in his mate's leg.
"Vhat's so bad about it?" Blitzwing asked darkly.
Bulkhead growled. "He's an Autobot, you're a Decepticon! You're evil! You'll probably kill him the moment your sparkling is brought into the world!" He shouted.
"Bulkhead, please, please stop." Bumblebee whispered, his hand rubbing his chest plate as he felt the sparkling's spark give off terrified waves.
"You're hurting ze sparkling!" Bulkhead cried out.
Bulkhead growled. "Good! Maybe that will bring him back to his senses!"
"Enough." Megatron growled as he stood up. "That's enough out of you." He growled as he fired at Bulkhead and sent him flying out of the room. Starscream growled as he squirmed underneath Optimus as he was held down. Optimus went to go pound him fist into Starscream's head when Megatron grabbed him and threw him against the wall. "Get the rest of the Autobots and scram." He snarled. Starscream stood up and growled at Optimus. 'By the way, where are the sparklings?'
'Safe.' Starscream replied with a smirk as Blitzwing hugged Bumblebee tightly.
'Safe? With whom?' Megatron asked as Bumblebee clung to Blitzwing.
'My mother and brother.' Starscream replied.
'Oh? They're here?' Megatron asked.
'Yes, as ghosts.' Starscream sighed sadly.
'Ah, of course. Blackfire is as beautiful as ever?' Megatron asked. Starscream nodded, earning a chuckle from him before turning to Optimus. "Leave before I lose my patience with you." He stated coldly.
Optimus snarled, but darted away all the same, picked up Bulkhead, and racing back to the other Autobots. "Joo ok?" Blitzwing asked Bumblebee gently.
Bumblebee closed his optics and nodded. "Yeah…and so is the sparkling." He replied with a smile.
"Das good." Blitzwing cooed.
"Yeah…and Sari's gone, so that's another stress gone, right?" He asked.
"Das better." Blitzwing chuckled.
Bumblebee smiled as he hugged Blitzwing.
"I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Sunstorm laughed as he walked into the room. "Oblivion said something about Daddy getting angry."
"That happens a lot." Starscream laughed.
Oblivion giggled. "Daddy!" She cried out as she waved her hands at Megatron. "Uppy!"
Megatron chuckled. "Uppy?" He asked as he picked up his daughter.
Emberstar shrieked as she clambered up Starscream's leg and latched onto his helm. She screeched again, her optics wide, and began gnawing on his helm.
"What are you doing?" Starscream laughed.
"I'ma Cassettecon." She growled, her mouth full of helm-vent.
Megatron chuckled. "When did Cassetteicons start gnawing on other's heads?" He chuckled.
"Since she decided." Blackfire laughed as she walked into the room.
Megatron grinned. "As radiant as always." He laughed.
"Seriously, do you have a crush on me or something?"
"Nope, I just know that bugs the slag out of you."
Starscream chuckled as he watched his mother shake her head. This was going to get interesting.
Author's note: No, Megatron does not love Blackfire here; he loves Starscream. Just thought I'd get that out before someone started getting mad at me and claiming that I was mary-suing her again…anyways, my co-writer Shadowbreaker777 (who now has her own account on Fanfiction, same Pen name as username on Deviantart) has drawn some pictures for some of the characters in the story. So head over to her page on Deviantart to see them. Thanks again…also, go review for her stories; she needs some love.