Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers.

Author's notes: I managed to finish this chapter just in time, but now I'm off to work. I'll update tomorrow, if I get the next chapter finished in time.

Signs Of Hope

Starscream was desperate. The more he tried to find an answer to his problem, the more he became certain that there was none. If Hellscream couldn't push that sparkling aside, how could he stand a chance? He stared at the sparkling on the cliff.

The sparkling was staring at the sea, far away, as if he was thinking. Or maybe he wasn't even online anymore. Starscream couldn't figure out the sparkling that claimed to be him. Starscream let out a desperate whimper.

"I'm trapped here forever..." Starscream sobbed. "All alone in this prison!" He cried out.

"Not alone." Hellscream's shadow appeared over him. Starscream swiftly spun around and snarled at the bigger mech.

"Leave me alone." That only brought laughter upon him.

"Little fool..." Hellscream murmured like to a sparkling, as he began to calm down. "I couldn't leave you alone here, not even if I wanted. There's simply not enough room." He kneeled beside the desperate Seeker, his knees sinking in the white, warm sand.

"And you like being near me, don't you, my love?" Starscream got up and walked away. Hellscream was soon on his heels. "What, you don't love me anymore?" Hellscream chuckled.

How could he be so carefree? As if everything was fine. Starscream stopped and sighed. "I hate this place, and I hate you. Without you, I wouldn't be here. I would be with Megatron, my future bondmate. But now... It seems that I'll never be with him again."

"Yes, and you'll never be his bondmate either." Starscream shot him a glare and onlined his thrusters. He was lifted up in the sky in no time.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hellscream asked, he was still standing in the sand, somewhere underneath. "I'm gonna find a way out of here! Anyway, I need some privacy." Hellscream shouted something, but Starscream didn't hear what.

Starscream smiled as he flew higher and higher, farther away from the ground. Freedom!

Starscream frowned as he yet again bumped into something. "No... It can't be..." There was another invisible force field to stop him. Starscream began to panic. "I want out of here!" He banged the glass-like structure before him with his fists, but they didn't make a scratch on the field.

Starscream glanced down, where the sparkling was sitting on the cliff. The Seeker bared his fangs like a beast. He spun around and flew towards the sparkling with high speed. He banged on the field head first. Somewhere behind him Hellscream laughed. Starscream paid no heed to him.

Instead, he banged the glass with his clenched fists. "Let me out! You hear?!" To his great surprise, the sparkling turned to look directly at him and Starscream froze as he stared into his own face. "Mirror..." He whispered.

"What are you stuttering about?" Hellscream stood behind him. Starscream couldn't get his optics off of the sparkling. It was him. Many millenias ago, but still him. The sparkling's face was very serious, sad even. And there was a tear in the corner of his left optic.

"Please, let me out." Starscream pleaded. The sparkling's lips parted a little, the lower lip trembling. Then he glanced at Hellscream. He quickly turned his head away. Starscream shot a glare to Hellscream. Hellscream threw his hands up; "What?"

Starscream turned to look at the sparkling again. He didn't pay attention to neither of the bigger Seekers anymore. Starscream quickly spun around to face Hellscream again. "You scared him away! I could have gotten out, but you had to come here and ruin everything!" He accused.

Hellscream crossed his arms. "Everything's always my fault, I see." Starscream let out a scream of frustration.

"Get out!" He screamed, like he was arguing with Megatron again. Hellscream laughed, much like Megatron would have.

"Get out?! That's what I've been trying to do for the last twenty hours!" Hellscream mocked. Then he leaned down, in level with Starscream's face. "Oh, but you know nothing of it, you were taking your beauty sleep. Isn't that right, beauty? Mwhahaha!"

Starscream clenched his fists. "You're just asking for it, dearest!" Starscream snarled and attacked the big Seeker. They fell on the sand, Starscream on top. Hellscream couldn't seem to stop his laughter, it only grew louder with every punch of the small, blue fists.

"Did you know that you're optics sparkle when you're angry?"

"And did you know that your face reminds me of a large minerbot's aft?" Starscream shot back.

"You hurt my feelings, dearest!" Hellscream laughed.

"I'm going to hurt something more than your feelings!"

"Fiery little devil... I like it."

"Shut up!"

"Oh, you'll have to do much more to shut me up, dearest."

"I know just how to shut you up..." Starscream brought his weapon online and shot his null-ray at Hellscream's chest. The big Seeker let out a frustrated cry. He snarled as he slowly began to go offline. "You little... Traitor!" Hellscream sounded so much like Megatron that Starscream became confused for a moment.

Then the ice blue optics offlined and Hellscream stopped moving. Starscream climbed off of him and stood up. He turned his gaze away from the black and red Seeker on the ground, and glared at the sparkling again.

"You and I are gonna have a little chat..." He mumbled and approached the sparkling.

XXX

Thundercracker woke up from the med bay. He sat up and glanced at Starscream. He was still sleeping.

'Where's 'Warp?' He wondered and got up from the berth. As he walked out of the med bay, there was Jazz standing outside, smiling widely. Thundercracker sighed quietly to himself and forced a smile on his faceplate. He approached the saboteur.

"Good morning." He saluted. Jazz's smile widened even more, if possible.

"Mornin', beautiful." He said. Thundercracker brought his finger to his lips, signalling Jazz to be quiet, glancing around wildly.

"Someone might hear you." The blue Seeker warned.

"Someone like me?" Skywarp landed in front of the blue jet. Thundercracker startled backwards. "'Warp? I... I was wondering where you were. Didn't see you anywhere in the med bay." Skywarp snorted.

"I am not a patient anymore, why would I want to suffocate in the med bay? I've been flying all morning."

Jazz chuckled. "Yeah, your friend is very talented flyer, Thundercracker. And nice company. He even took me for a flight few hours ago. Boy, did we have fun..."

Thundercracker swallowed hard and took a step back. Skywarp sneered.

"Yes. Jazz told me all about last night... I trust you had fun too?" There was a hidden meaning in his sentence, but Jazz didn't notice it. "Well?" Skywarp questioned. Thundercracker forced a sneer on his face, though it was more like a grimace.

"Yes. We had fun." Skywarp stepped close enough to kiss the blue jet. But of course in front of Jazz, he wouldn't. "Good. Maybe I ought to find an Autobot friend to keep me company, too. I don't want to get in the way of your little romance."

Thundercracker blushed in shame. Jazz was still smiling, apparently he thought that Thundercracker was shy. "Of course you're not in the way, Skywarp. I understand if you want to spend time alone with your friend. That reminds me, I am needed in the control room. I'll just be going then." Jazz said and turned around, he began to walk away from the two Seekers.

Then he glanced back at Thundercracker over his shoulder. He pointed the blue jet with his finger. "I'll see you later." He said and walked away. Thundercracker stared at his back. As soon as Jazz was far enough, the blue jet faced Skywarp.

"'Warp, honey. I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to-"

"Yeah, you didn't mean to, you didn't want to hurt me, it just happened. Do you have any idea how many times I've heard that one before? Save me from your excuses." Skywarp worked his thrusters and lifted himself up. He hovered a few feets above the ground.

"I'm off to find an Autobot friend of my own. But first, I want to say something..." Skywarp worked his thrusters forward and flew close to Thundercracker. Their faces were almost touching each other.

"Thunder', you're a whore." Then he flew off, up in the blue sky and swiftly disappeared in the clouds. Thundercracker almost went after him, but stopped himself in time. He had screwed up everything, Skywarp would never forgive him. And now Jazz thought they had something going on. Well, that had been the purpose of seducing him, but now everything was ruined. He had lost Skywarp forever. And still no change in Starscream.

As he turned around, he saw the mech he had been thinking about. Starscream looked sleepy as he yawned and rubbed his optics.

"Thunder', me hungry. You give energon?" Starscream asked. Thundercracker forced a smile on his lips. "Sure. Follow me." They began to walk towards the main entrance of the Autobot headquarters. Starscream grasped Thundercracker's hand carefully, trying to keep up with him. Thundercracker slowed down his pace.

Starscream stared at his face. "We go back to Mega soon?" The 'little' Seeker asked, with sparking optics. Thundercracker patted his head. "Yes. Very soon."

"You promise?"

"I promise." Starscream smiled to him. "Good." As soon as he turned his head away, Thundercracker's smile faded away. They wouldn't be able to leave until Starscream was cured. If there was a cure...

XXX

Starscream touched the glass between him and his past self. The sparkling paid no attention to him.

"Starscream?" He questioned quietly. No reaction. "It's me. I mean you. I mean..." Starscream sighed. "I am you many millenias later. We are the same. You have to get me out of here." The sparkling's small wings twitched a little. Starscream's hopes built up.

"Help me. Help me out of here." Now the sparkling turned to look at the bigger Seeker and tilted his head. Starscream smiled.

"I want to help you destroy Hellscream. He tried to kill us, me and you, little one. He will try again. And if you don't get me out of here, he will eventually succeed. I know you're scared of him. I can help you defeat him. Let me help you."

The sparkling on the other side made a whimper and crawled closer to his future self. "You help me Starscream find mama?" Starscream felt an uncomfortable twist in his spark, sorrow for his lost. He shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. Mama's dead. And she abandoned us. She didn't want us."

The sparkling sobbed. "Me miss mama." Starscream pressed his hand against the glass. The sparkling Starscream pressed his hand on the same spot on the other side. Only the glass separated them. "I miss her too. But she's gone. I am the only one you have left. Help me out of here."

The sparkling pulled his hand back. His wings were quivering as he cried.

"Please, help me. If you don't get me out of here, you'll never grow up."

"Me no can help you. Me no want to grow up, me happy like this. Thunder and purple idiot take care of me now. Me no need you." Starscream startled and leaned on the glass with his hands. "Are you with Thundercracker and Skywarp?" Starscream asked eagerly. The sparkling nodded.

"Thunder say we go back to Mega soon. Mega love me Starscream. He say so." Starscream felt tears building up behind his optics. "You're going back to Megatron?" He asked weakly. The sparkling nodded.

"Could you... Could you take a message from me?" Starscream asked. The sparkling squinted his optics. "What message? Me no messenger boy, me Seeker."

"I know, I know. But I have to tell something to Thundercracker, he would be very happy to hear it. Could you send him my message?" The sparkling shrugged. "Ok." Starscream cleared his throat.

"Tell Thundercracker that... That Screamer is trapped inside his own head. Tell him that Screamer needs help to get out, that a baby Seeker is blocking his way. That Screamer has... Two enemies inside his mind, enemies that try to keep him imprisoned here forever. You remember it?"

The sparkling Starscream nodded. "Me remember, me recorded it." Starscream smiled and caressed the glass between them. "Good boy. You will make a good Seeker one day, Starscream." The sparkling smiled back to him. Then he crawled back to where he was sitting earlier and began to stare in the distance again.

Starscream tried to see what he was looking at, but saw nothing. The sparkling was completely in control, he blocked everything, just like Hellscream had said. Starscream glanced behind him where Hellscream was still laying offline. He would wake up soon.

Starscream lifted his weapons and watched them gleam in the sunlight. He was glad he had them with him.