CHAPTER 11

Skywarp stepped into the doorway of the room that should have been dark and instantly spotted the female Decepticon. She was sitting on a table with metal parts scattered around her. She had her back to him so he couldn't tell what she was doing, but she looked like she was doing what the humans called "meditating". Why would she be here anyway? he wondered. He looked at the scattered parts again. Was she building something?

Just then she let out a moan and fell off the table with a loud clang. Skywarp ran into the room and leaned over her. Her optics were dimmed and she didn't seem to be aware of him. "Hello?" he said.

Suddenly her optics brightened and she stared up at him. For a moment neither said a word then she asked. "What are you doing here?" and sat up, pushing him away.

"I was looking for you," he replied, watching her rub her head. "Megatron sent me to find you."

She peeked through her fingers at him, her red optics curiously dimmed. "What for?" she demanded.

Skywarp didn't answer. If Megatron had told him he couldn't remember so he couldn't tell her anyway. "I'm not sure," he said finally. "He just wants you."

"Right," she said standing up.

Skywarp glanced at the parts on the table. "What are you doing?" he asked.

She looked at the parts. "Nothing," she said, evasively, swiping them with her hand and scattering them. A few fell off the table and hit the floor. "Nothing important."

Skywarp wasn't sure he believed her. He looked back at the parts. Something about the way some of them were assembled reminded him of something. "Were you building something?"

"No!" she said, a little too loudly. "I just told you I wasn't doing anything with them." she stepped between him and the parts. "So Megatron wants me. Okay then that means he came back from Cybertron. Let's get going then."

"Uh okay." he agreed, a little uncomfortable at her closeness. He turned away from her. "Let's go."

The two stepped out of the room. Skywarp glanced back at the parts but Shadowstar grabbed for his attention. "So why did Megatron send you to find me?"

Skywarp felt himself blushing. "I don't know," he admitted. "Probably because Starscream wouldn't bother looking for you and the others were too busy helping him unload the energon cubes."

"Hmmm," she mused. "Well I'm glad he sent you."

"You-I-huh?" he stammered, thrown off by her comment. "What do you-"

She smiled at him. "I'm sure you know what I mean." she put a hand on his shoulder.

That just made him more nervous and he stepped away from her. Her hand slid off of him. She cocked her head at him. "Why are you always nervous around me?" she wanted to know.

"Uh..." he didn't look at her. He found it easier to talk to her if he didn't make eye contact. "I'm not nervous," he protested.

She put her hands on her hips and gave him a look. "Oh really?" she asked. "I think otherwise."

"Well you're wrong," he shouted a little too loudly. "I'm not nervous." he pushed past her. "Come on. Let's just get to the control room. Megatron is waiting."

Shadowstar stared at his receding back a moment then shrugged and followed him down the hall. You're lying. I can tell. I make you nervous and I think I know why. she smiled, showing her fangs. I think you like me.

Jazz was wondering aimlessly around theArk. Shadowstar's control didn't work as well when she wasn't concentrating and so he wound up banging into a few things, like a droid without the coordinance system. The Lambo twins Sideswipe and Sunstreaker noticed him stumbling around and stopped talking to watch him.

"What's wrong with Jazz?" Sideswipe asked when the white and black Autobot walked right into the wall. "He's acting like he overloaded himself."

"Maybe he did," Sunstreaker said, walking toward the older bot. "Let's find out."

"Hey, Jazz!" Sideswipe called out as he followed his brother over to the other bot.

Jazz froze at the sound of his name being called and turned slightly. The two Lambo twins were coming toward him, their optics full of concern and curiousity.

"Are you okay?" Sideswipe asked once he and his brother had reached the other bot.

"I'm fine," Jazz said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Are you sure?" Sunstreaker asked, cocking his head. "You just walked into the wall."

"Yeah," Sunstreaker spoke up. "It looked like you went blind. Is there something wrong with your optics?"

"I'm fine," Jazz insisted. "I didn't go blind."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure as I'll ever be, man." Jazz was smiling but Sideswipe noticed something seemed off. The Porsche wasn't exactly acting, or talking, like himself and he wouldn't look either twin in the eye. That wasn't like Jazz, that wasn't like him at all.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" the red Lambo twin wanted to know. "Powerglide said that something happened to you. Shouldn't you be in the repair bay letting Ratchet get a look at you."

Jazz looked confused, as if he had no idea Sideswipe was talking about. "Huh?"

Sideswipe pointed out how Jazz had been walking. "You keep walking into walls and stumbling around. Is your navigation system broken?"

Jazz shook his head smiling a little at the question. "I think ya're imagining things, man." he looked at him and his brother. "Maybe you should go see Ratchet."

"Why should we see Ratchet?" Sunstreaker wanted to know, glancing at his reflection in the polished metal on the wall. "I look like I always look, perfect."

"But not for long."

The twins stared at him. "What you do mean?"

Jazz raised his gun and pointed it at both of the twins. "Because you're both about to have your chassis blow open!" he replied.

"Here she is, Megatron. I found her for you." Skywarp said as he and Shadowstar entered the control room. "She was in one of the empty rooms in the unused part of the base."

Shadowstar frowned at the black and purple seeker. She wasn't happy that he'd told Megatron where she was but at least he hadn't told him what she was doing.

Megatron looked at her curiously, wondering what she could possibly be doing in an empty room. He noted the look she was giving Skywarp. What was she up to? He didn't bother asking. He'd have Soundwave look into it later. He didn't need another seeker planning things behind his back. "Good," he told Skywarp then stepped toward Shadowstar. She met his gaze. "Shockwave, your creator, told me you can hack into any kind of computer," he began.

She nodded in confirmation. "Yes, that's true," she replied.

He put his hand on her back and took her aside. "Then there's something I want you to do for me."

She was curious. She looked at the gray mech, wondering what he wanted her to do. "What?"

He led her over to the computer. "Shockwave told me that you can hack into computers even if you're not at that computer," he explained. He pointed to the console. "I want you to hack into the Autobot's computer."

She stared at him. It had been years since she'd hacked into an Autobot computer. She might not know how to do it anymore. She opened her mouth to tell him so but thought better of it. Telling him she couldn't do it would not get her on his good side. And we wouldn't want to do that now would we?

"All right," she said, stepping up to the console. "I'll see what I can do." She tapped away at the keys, typing in the name of the computer and the Autobot vessel that held it. Hacking into computers was much easier on Cybertron than earth but she'd do her best. If she didn't Megatron would not be happy. As she worked her way through firewalls she grew impatient. She had something else she was busy with and didn't really want to do this. How am I going to keep my hold on that Autobot if I have to do this? she asked herself. How am I going to get the Matrix if I can't even leave this place to get it? I just hope my little slave does what I told him even if I'm not concentrating to keep him in line.

Megatron noticed the annoyed look her face held as she banged on the keyboard. She seemed ticked off about something and her body language totally confirmed it. "What's wrong with you?" he demanded, startling her.

Shadowstar's whole body jumped and she looked over her shoulder at the gray mech. He was giving her a suspicious, searching look. "Um," she said, trying to think of something to say. "What did you say?"

"I asked what was wrong with you," he said again. "You have this look on your face and I would like to know what your problem is."

"Nothing," she said quickly. "I was just concentrating."

The look he gave her said he didn't believe her in the slightest. She looked away from him, turning her attention back to the screen. "Uh... I could do this better if I was actually at the computer you want me to hack," she said, not looking at him.

"That cannot be one," he informed her. "You would never be able to get into the Autobot's base."

Maybe, she thought. But I don't exactly have to be there to do it.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker lay on the floor of the Ark at Jazz's feet whole twin holes blown out of their chest plates. Jazz looked at the brothers then stepped over them, not giving them another thought. His mind was still on the one order he'd been given. Find and bring me the Autobot Marix of leadership, no matter what. That was exactly what he was going to do and nothing was going to keep him from doing it. Hopefully no other Autobot would get in his way again.

Jazz stepped into the control room. "Prime! Prime!" he called, "I wanted to-" he stopped.

The room was empty except for the ship's computer, Teletran 1. The mind controled Autobot paused for a moment, staring at the console. The whisper of a new commander entered his thought processor. Hack into Teletran 1. I can't do this on my own. Hack into the computer and open the path to let me in.

Jazz hesitated. I can't hack into it! I won't hack into it!
That voice again. You will hack into it!

Jazz let out a pained sound as he tried to regain control of his body.

Shadowstar could feel the struggled even as she concentrated. The struggle was creating a throbbing pain in her head but she couldn't do anything about it, not even fall over as she wanted to do, because Megatron was watching her and had no idea what she was doing besides trying to hack.

She held in a growl of annoyance, not at all happy that Jazz was fighting her control. Primus forsaken music bopper! she thought. I don't need this! Not now! She ground her teeth, concentrating hard. You can't escape my control, Autobot! Just give up and hack into Teletran 1! Now!

Back at the Ark Jazz moaned one more time then calmed down, his attention once again stopping on the computer. Without any further hesitation he walked over to it.

A/N

I might just take a break from this one for awhile. My muse for this fic is all over the place and well I can't really get a proper plotline rolling. Oh I have an idea what I want to happen later but right now... it's chaotic. I hope you're not too disappointed.