Lightningstrike opened his bright, glowing, blood-red optics and took in the sight of the room he was in. Bright, white walls and lights caused the ground Decepticon to shutter his optics. He slowly got his vision to adjust and continued looking around. He was lying on a cold, hard, metal berth with a single lamp shining down on his face. On a tray, that sat on a table next to the berth, was a whole bunch of medical tools. Lightningstrike's optics widened slightly at this fact. He quickly sat up. He was in a medical bay. The last thing he remembered was fighting that ugly creature thing with the Autobots. If the Autobots were the last ones with him, then did they take him to their base or did the Decepticons rescue him before that scenario happened. Judging that the Decepticons' medical bay didn't look like this, he could only guess that it was the Autobots.
"Great…" Lightningstrike murmured. He raised his servo to his helm, trying to contact with another Decepticon through his comm.-link. "Come on…this is Soldier Lightningstrike. If anyone can hear me, pick up…anyone there…pick up…SLAG IT!" Lightningstrike cursed as no one picked up his comm.-link. "Those idiots. At least uncle…uh…commander Starscream would've picked up. Either something has happened or something is wrong or jamming my comm." Lightningstrike sighed in annoyance before something caught his optics.
There was the computer that held all medical files on the Autobots. Lightningstrike's optics shined in deviousness. If he could hack into the medical system, the Decepticons would surely have some information that could be useful. As Starscream and Megatron had always told him: Everything from the Autobots is useful to the Decepticons. He slid off the berth and walked over to the computer. Lightningstrike observed the screen, seeing as it was in the middle of being filled out; with HIS medical information that could be found so far. Lightningstrike didn't show it, but he was enraged. The Autobots had no right to do this at all! But that was going to have to wait. He opened a panel on his helm and a long cord came out and plugged itself into the computer's network. Firewalls popped up, but the ground Decepticon simply got rid of them as he downloaded medical files on all Autobots. It was a slow process, even if he did skip the Autobots that were already offlined.
Just as he finished getting the last Autobot's information in his processor, he heard metallic footsteps heading to the med bay's direction. "Scrap!" Lightningstrike murmured. He quickly went back to the berth and lay down just as the doors opened. He pretended to have just awoken, which fooled the Autobot.
"I see you're awake there, kid. Good." Lightningstrike opened his optics and watched the Autobot walked over to the computer, which looked like it hadn't been touch thanks to Lightningstrike's 'cleaning up' skills. "Your basic information is all here now. Just need the more detailed-"
"You have no right to take my information and put it in your database, Autobot." Lightningstrike simply stated, interrupting the other bot. The bot turned around. He was an old bot who looked to be a medic. His paint job was of red and white and he had one of his magnets out.
The older bot shook his head. "Just in case, ya know…for safety measures. You won't be leaving here anytime soon. You got banged up by that thing pretty good and I want to make sure that your circuitry hasn't been damaged to badly before you leave." Lightningstrike almost growled at the info the older bot gave him. "I'm Ratchet by the way. I'm the medic for this team."
Lightningstrike stared at Ratchet. Ratchet chuckled softly. "Don't worry; you don't need to introduce yourself, Lightningstrike." Lightningstrike's optics narrowed slightly. "You're a well-known Decepticon amongst the Autobots. Being one of the best assassinators Megatron has sure gives you a reputation."
"What do you know about my Lord Megatron?" Lightningstrike tilted his helm face as emotionless as ever.
"Other than the fact that he's a killer and a power hungry tyrant?" Ratchet joked. Lightningstrike didn't say anything. Ratchet rolled his optics. "He's just a mech who wants to take over Cybertron and most of the energon as well for himself and his Decepticons, well the loyal ones at least."
Lightningstrike couldn't believe how short and simple the answer was. "That's it?"
"I've never really met the guy, kid. I only know what those stupid, fancy Elite Guard bots tell me." Ratchet waved it off. "Which aren't a whole lot since me and my crew are just repair 'bots." Ratchet turned back to the computer. "Eventually, you're going to meet the rest of our team and maybe get a good look at some Elite Guard 'bots, since they probably want to pick you up in order to take you back to Cybertron."
"No, my mission here isn't complete." Lightningstrike looked down at the berth. Ratchet turned to him once again.
"Your mission?"
"Retrieve the Allspark." Ratchet flinched at the response. Lightningstrike watched the medic closely. Ratchet was about to say something, but Lightningstrike for the second time interrupted. "Why don't you help me out? I am not allowed to return back to the others without it. If I do return without it, Starscream and Lord Megatron would both be disappointed and I'm sure that Lord Megatron would reconsider making me is Second in Command."
"Isn't Starscream SIC?" Ratchet questioned.
"For now; yes. Once we get back the Allspark and find Megatron; no." Lightningstrike replied monotonously. "What do ya say, old 'bot? Help me out and I'll not offline you or your team."
Ratchet shook his helm. "Sorry kid, but that's a major no can do." He started walking back out of the medical bay. "Stay here and get some rest. It'll help you heal faster."
"You want me to heal, yet you know there's a chance I'll attack all of you and get to the Allspark." Lightningstrike stated, not questioned. Ratchet looked into Lightningstrike's optics, Autobot blue meeting Decepticon red.
"We never know what's going to happen, except that what will happen will be made out of our own choices."
The ground Decepticon, or as the fliers call 'dustkicker', watched the old medic walk out of the medical bay. Lightningstrike sighed as he laid back down. Suddenly, he felt movement in his sub-space compartment. He opened it up, only for a small organic human girl to come tumbling out. Lightningstrike blinked as he took a moment to recognize the girl. "Sari?"
The little, red-headed girl looked up at the bigger robot. She smiled widely. "Hey!"
"How did you get in my sub-space?" Lightningstrike asked, though there was a hint of a demand in the tone.
Sari flinched slightly and rubbed the back of her neck with her hand, giving some nervous chuckles. "Well, after you defeated that bug creature, which was really cool by the way!" Sari cheered, making Lightningstrike smile a real small smile only for it to be gone the next moment. "I saw that you were badly damaged and I wanted to check on you since you saved my life and all. I saw that the other robots were packing you up in the big, green one after he transformed and when no one was looking I snuck in beside you. I stayed by your side until I noticed we stopped. I quickly needed to hide somewhere so I kind of hid myself in your compartment. I waited and fell asleep sometime soon after and just woke up once that other bot left." Sari finished her explanation.
Lightningstrike sighed. "Don't you have any organic family that you need to be with?"
Sari gave a mischievous smile. "It's not the first time I ran off to escape that place." Lightningstrike shook his helm; feeling amused, but still did not show it on his faceplate. Sari looked at him in wonder. "You know, you don't show a lot of emotion. You're so monotone most of the time, will with how long I've known and seen you that would make it all of the time."
"I've grown up, learning that showing emotion can be a weakness and used against you in the war." Lightningstrike sighed.
"A war?"
"Yes, a war. The war has been going on for a long time. It's been going for so long that when I was a sparkling it was a long time since it began. I'm a Decepticon, the ones we Decepticons are fighting are ones known as Autobots, which are all of the 'bots here on this ship now that I was helping fight that thing." Lightningstrike motioned outside of the med bay.
Sari looked a little confused. "If you're enemies, then why help them?"
"Because I need them alive so they can tell me where they've hid the Allspark."
Lightningstrike and Sari kept talking for a while with Sari asking questions that Lightningstrike would answer and occasionally Lightningstrike asking his own questions about Sari and the organic planet they were on he now knew as Earth. After some time has passed, Lightningstrike's well-trained audio sensors picked up heavy footsteps coming their way. "Sari, get back into my compartment." Lightningstrike ordered the young girl. Sari nodded and climbed in. Just as Lightningstrike closed his sub-space compartment was when the med bay's door opened. Four 'bots walked in and Lightningstrike quickly recognized Ratchet and the other Autobots from before.
"See you're awake, kid. Did ya get any recharge from after I left like I told you to?" Ratchet shook his helm.
Lightningstrike shrugged. "I don't need it or any advice from any of you Autobots."
The blue and red Autobot sighed. "If you haven't noticed, we Autobots just saved your life. If it wasn't for Ratchet, you would be offline right now."
"Better than staying in a ship full of Autobots…" Lightningstrike murmured.
Red and blue shook his head. "We should introduce ourselves, be a little friendly to get to know each other. You already met our medic Ratchet." Ratchet huffed slightly. "I'm the leader of this team, Optimus Prime."
The quiet, black and gold, ninja bot spoke up. "I'm Prowl, the ninja of the team."
"And I'm the brawn." The big, green one spoke up. "I'm Bulkhead. Nice to meet ya, little buddy."
Lightningstrike looked around at them. "One: Thanks, but no thanks for saving my life. Two: In case you didn't know, I'm Lightningstrike. Three: Nice to meet a ninja and I can't wait to see if you or I will win in a fight. Lastly, four: I am not anyone's little buddy. We are still enemies no matter what happens."
The Autobots looked at each other and back to Lightningstrike. Optimus was the first to speak. "We understand, but can we all just act like friends until you're well enough to leave."
"That's the thing. I'm not leaving this base."
The Autobots looked at the 'dustkicker' Decepticon in bewilderment. Prowl's visor darkened slightly. "What do you mean by 'not leaving this base'?"
Lightningstrike looked around at the Autobots again. "Like I said. I won't be leaving this base, even after I heal. Not until I get the Allspark. That's my mission. Bring the Allspark and don't come back without it."
Prime looked thoughtful of this information. "How about we strike a deal?"
"What sort of deal?" Lightningstrike asked cautiously.
"If you won't be leaving without the Allspark, then the whole time you are with us without it you'll be a part of this team. You'll try to get along with everyone here and act like you are a member of the team. If there are any other Decepticon troubles, then you'll fight alongside us to help defeat them. If you do get to the Allspark, then you can return to your fellow 'cons and the deal is done and over with."
Lightningstrike narrowed his optics. They were basically just telling him to join the Autobots for who knows how long! Betray his own family and brethren that raised him and helped him become a strong warrior! How could they?! Yet, Lightningstrike looked at the bright side of this. If he stayed with them, then he could have plenty of time finding out where the Allspark is. Also, he'll be able to gather more information on this crew since they are the only Autobots known on this planet. Besides, Optimus said that he could leave back to the others once he has required the Allspark, and if he could manage to get contact with anyone from the Decepticons then he could tell them his plan and what is going on. Like Starscream said every three orbital cycles, or known as days on this planet. This is his second day away from the others, that's what his internal clock said. Meaning he has been powered down for at least a day. Tomorrow, he'll find a way to talk to the other 'cons while keeping on his schedule that Starscream put him on while he was away.
"Well?" Optimus asked the quiet 'con. Lightningstrike looked up at the team leader. He had made his decision. Lightningstrike took hold of Optimus' outstretched servo.
"Deal."