Cap smiled wider, and looked down on her as she rolled over under him.
Terra looked up at him and smiled.
Cap smiled and leaned down ever-so-slowly, gauging Terra's reaction whether to keep going or not.
"hello guys." a voice sounded. Then out of nowhere, Jade appeared.
Alpha smiled. "Hey Jade."
"Aunt Jade!!" Kit squealed.
Kit winced. "Aunt Jade?"
Alpha giggled.
Jade eeped, not seeing Kit before appearing, and backstepped, acidentally gonig through the wall of the storage room behind her.
Jade turned around... and screamed.
She backed up hurriedly out of the storage closet, one hand clapped over her mouth. She stopped for a second and turned around, trying to calm down.
"Um...was that..."
Ratchet interrupted. "yes, it is you."
the ghost shivered, optics dimming for a second, and shoved the thought away.
"Hammertread's trying to hide out under a waterfall near here." she gulped glancing at the storage closet.
"He's...planning on trying to get Driveby or someone to take back to the Decepticons with him."
"Please tell me you've figured out why this happened." she whispered, glancing over her shoulder.
Alpha looked away.
Kit blinked. "What is it?"
"nothing, kit..."
"Prime looked unsuprised. "If what you're saying is true, we have to stop him before he can rejoin the Decepticons, and warn Driveby and their team of the possible threat." Prime stated. He turned to walk out.
Ratchet decided to change the subject. "Right." He said, looking at Prime.
Alpha glanced at Kit. who ran out of the med bay.
"Oh come on! Can't a single mom get a brake?" She sighed, running after her daughter.
Prime walked out, heading to Teletraan to call Driveby and warn them.
"Prime." Wheeljack called. he turned.
"Cap's outside playing football with Terra." he said, panels flashing in a knowing snicker. Prime nodded.
Once Prime had left, the jet sighed and looked at wheeljack and Ratchet.
"Well, I usually dissapear. Maybe something happened I didn't this time." She shivered again.
Ratchet nodded.
"Maybe..." Jade looked thoughtful. "If the rest of me dissapeared, the device might fully cycle, allowing me to come back completely." she mumbled looking at the floor.
She was afraid to say it, but she was trying to suggest they just throw the scrap in the incinerator and be done with it.
Ratchet blinked. "...Do you think that'll work, though?" He asked, looking at her.
Jade shrugged. "It might." she almost whispered. "But you'd have to ask Prime. he'd wanna know." she looked at the floortiles.
Terra looked at Cap and blinked, but didn't protest.
He paused, not sure if he thought she wanted him to go on.
Terra simply blinked, "What?"
"...nothing." Cap moved, blushing madly as he got up.
Terra nodded. She got up and then looked at him. The femme thought about what her creator had said and then looked at him. She kissed his cheek.
Cap blushed more and looked at her, leaning towards her.
Terra blushed. She wrapped her fingers around his and then smiled a bit.
He leaned in and pressed his lips against Terra's in a kiss. Prime walked out, and stopped, waiting for them to get done kissing. He made a sound like clearing static from his vocaliser. "ahem."
Cap's optics widened, and he broke the kiss, stumbling back on his heels, almost going over backwards.
"Iwasn'tdoinganything really." he stuttered.
Terra giggled, and he realised he was acting like an academy student (schoolboy) instead of an adult, being all shy and stuff. He felt his cheeckplates getting warm, and laughed also.
Hammertread's computer beeped. He pressed the button.
Megatron's face appeared on HT's computer screen.
Hammertread suprised him by saluting.
"Sir." the tank said.
What Megatron was going to say dissapeared with his suprise.
"So, you wish to join us, eh? What is this I hear about you making it worth our while?" the silver Decepticon asked.
Alpha sighed and ran after Kit. "Come back!"
"Aunt Jade's wrong, Mommy!" Kit yelled, running towards Hammertread's scent. "Uncle HT wouldn't do that!"
Alhpa sighed, "I know, Kit! Stop..." she gave up and just ran after her.
Kit stopped at the waterfall.
"No, Kit!"
"KIMCHEE!" Kit screamed, diving into the water.
"A mother's work is never done." Alpha sighed, but followed her daughter, "KIMCHEE!!"
The two swam under the waterfall into the cave.
"Well..." Hammertread started, then spotted Kit on the external sensors, Alpha close behind. He explained how many cubes of energon he had, then added, "I can also bring you one of your escaped traitors."
Megatron's optics lit with curiosity. "Really? and who would that be?" he asked.
"Alpha fighter."
Megatron looked skeptical, then said "Very well, contact me when you have captured her." and the screen went black.
Hammetread snuck out of the side hatch of his ship instead of the normal one, to put his plan into action.
Kit got out of the water and shook it off. He hurried for Hammertread's ship.
Alpha hurried after her. She grabbed her daughter's arm. "Kit, stop."
"Lemme go, mommy! I wanna see Uncle Hammertread!"
"Kit." Alpha bent down to her level. "You can't, okay? You just...can't..."
"That's the same thing you said about Aunt Jade, but I still saw her!" With that, Kit clawed her mother and ran into the ship.
"Kit!" Alpha yelled. She sighed and hurried after Kit. "Kit! Kit! Oh slag! I lost my own daughter!"
Terra giggled. She grabbed Cap's hand. "Sorry, Prime...
Prime just nodded. "well, you can continue your romantic endeavors inside. Hammertread is trying to rejoin the Decepticons, and we believe he may be planning to catch one of Driveby's team unawares." Prime said.
Cap nodded, taking Terra's hand and starting back towards the ark.
Prime clicked his comm. "Ratchet, has Jade told you the location of Hammertread's ship?
Ratchet nodded. "Yeah. She told us..."
Omega muttered something.
"right. Then Kit ran off and Alpha followed."
Hammertread snickered from his vantage point hidden on some rocks above Alpha. Now all he had to do was... He pulled the pin on the knockout grenade and threw it. White-yellow smoke billowed up, quickly filling the cave.
Alpha coughed. She covered her mouth and her optics widened. "Oh no!" She thought. The femme quickly scanned for minds and felt Hammertread's. She ran his mind and suddenly felt betrayed.
"Kit!" She coughed, "Dammit, Kit! Come here!" She yelled, trying to fight the smoke while she could. "Kit..." The femme groaned and fell to the ground.
Kit's ear perked up upon hearing her mother hit the ground. She swallowed. "Mommy? Mommy, where are you? What's wrong?" She asked, trying to find her way out of the ship. "Mommy!"
Prime waited for the coordinates, heading back inside, radioing for whoever was available to meet him in the command center.
"I'll be around." Jade said, then dissapeared.
The ships' doors automatically locked when they closed behind Kit, and Hammertread climbed down from his spot, keeping his air filters turned on so the smoke wouldn't bother him. He carefully picked Alpha up and headed back inside. The ghost slipped in through one of the walls, watching him pick up Alpha, and sighed, knowing he might hear.
Kit whimpered. She pounded on the doors.
"Mommy?! Mommy!" She screamed, "Mommy, help! I'm locked in here! Mommy!"
Jazz, Prowl, Omega and Wheeljack popped into the control room.
Hound and Trailbreaker were out on patrol near the area, and radioed they would hold position and wait. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe came running in, Jazz behind them, and Wheeljack following from the repairbay.
Prime transformed and sped out of the ark, the others following.
Omega growled.
Prime sped up slightly.
Omega did as well.
Terra followed Cap, holding his hand tightly.
Cap headed back to the crew quarters. "Do you bunk with anyone, or you got your own place?" the tank asked casually.
"I stay in the med bay with my brother...he's still not fully healed..." Terra said, looking at him.
Cap nodded. You have a brother?" he asked. Oh no. a protective brother. He'll probably beat me up for putting the moves on his little sister. Cap thought, mentally smacking himself.
Terra thought about it. "Well, he's not really my brother...he's like my brother, but really he's just an experiment like me." She said, showing Cap the brand on her arm. It had the number 1 on it and a code. "He's number five. so, really, I'm older, but he's older in matureity..."
Hammertread stomped in from the back of the ship, and tossed Alpha in a corner, the same as before, and clicked on the field. His shadow loomed over the sparkling.
"Don't say a word unless you want me to knock you out like I did her." he said in a threatening voice.
Kit whimpered. She backed away from Hammertread. "Uncle Hammertread?" She whimpered, "What's wrong? Why did you hurt mommy?" She asked, tears in her optics, as she looked up at him. She felt hurt and betrayed. "You're scaring me..."
Hammertread rolled his optics. "Unless you want to become a prisoner of the Decepticons, I suggest you shut up and hide somewhere." he growled, going over to the console and typing in a code.
Kit's optics widened. She looked at him, hurt, "You're not gonna turn mommy into them...are you?" She asked, looking up at him. "You can't! She trusted you and now you're gonna throw her to the Decepticons?" She asked, looking at him. The sparkling took a step back. "Uncle Omega was right...we can't trust you...no matter what mommy said..." she muttered before running off into the ship. She touched her comm once she had found a dark corner-like place to hide in and whimpered.
She wasn't hiding from the Decepticons, no, she was hiding from her so-called uncle. "Kit...Kit to Uncle Optimus...someone! Come in!" She wiped her optics, which had tears in them, and sniffled. "Uncle Optimus, Un..." She trailed off. He wasn't her uncle anymore. "Hammertread captured mommy!"
Hammertread typed in the code, and Megatron's expectant face came onscreen. "I have your prize." Hammertread said in a silky voice, moving so the Decepticons could see Alpha. Megatron smiled wickedly. "Good. Bring her to these coordinates." a series of symbols flitted across the screen.Hammertread nodded. "I'll be there." He saluted and cut the connection.
The tank stood up, opening the door to the room Kit was hiding in just a little.
He carefully rolled the knockout grenade in and shut the door. Then quietly closed it. "Sorry, kid. But I don't want you following me. After I'm in, I'll try to get your mom rescued somehow. But for now." he looked around. "I have to haver her to get back to my rightful place." he sighed, looking at the sleeping Alpha.
Kit saw it and tried to open the door, but it was too late. She fell to the ground and fell asleep, curling her fists like a baby.
Cap blinked. "how...how many of there were you?" he asked. "If you don't mind me asking." he added quickly.
Terra looked at the ground. "Ten."
Cap gawked again. He glanced at the closed repairbay doors, then back at Terra. "He's...not gonna beat me up or anything for puttin' the moves on his sister is he?" he joked.
Terra chuckled. "No. He's not strong enough to yet." She said. "Kidding! Kidding!"
Cap got a suprised look on his face, then realized she was kidding. His grin came back.
"Can I meet him, or should we wait till later?"
Terra smiled. "Okay." She nodded, pulling him towards the med bay.
They crossed the river and headed downstream to where the rapids were. The falls was right after that, according to Jade.
Omega transformed. "Let's go."
Prime sped up, following the trail around the bend towards where Ratchet had said Jade told him the ship was.
Omega sighed and followed. He was pretty worried.
Hammetread quickly gathered his things, and typed in a code on the computer. A pie chart appeared. "I'm gonna miss you." he patted the console before turning to leave.
"Self-destruct initiated. fifteen minutes, fity eight second to core implosion." blinked on the screen.
"Let's just hope your friends get here in time, kid." he said to the closed door. He went over and carefully opened it, seeing the sleeping sparkling.
He took out an emergency beacon transmitter and set it on the floor next to her. "Just in case nobody told them." he said.
He picked up alpha and went out the hatch, leaving both doors unlocked.
Kit turned in her sleep. "Uncle HT..."
HT paused as she said that, and his look softened, but only momentarily. He shook it out of his head, and turned to leave, grabbing up alpha as he went.
Prime's dashboard console beeped. "An emergency beacon." Prime swerved right, pulling up around some rocks and trees, and there was the falls. He ran forward, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe pulling out their guns, and looking around. Hound and Trailbreaker pulled up.
"Any sign of 'Im?" Jazz asked. 'negative. He didn't even leave a trail for us to follow." Hound replied.
Meanwhile, downriver, Hammertread stomped along, ignoring the mud of the riverbed squishing under his feet. Even he knew that the best way to not leave a trail was to walk in the river. The water would cover up his footprints nicely.
Megatron landed, Soundwave and the seekers with him. Hammertread was allready there waiting. The bulky tank stood at attention, saluting quickly before motioning to the pile of cubes, and the blue carfemme.
Starscream glanced over at the carfemme and then energon. He grinned.
Megatron nodded, "Nicely done, Hammertread. Welcome to the Decepticon ranks." He said gruffly, looking at the offerings. "Starscream, take the traitor back to the ship. Soundwave, Rumble, Frezy, take the cubes"
The mechs nodded and went off to do their assigned tasks.
Hammertread grinned, red optics flashing. "Thank you,sir."
Megatron chuckled "He even has a sense of respect. he cast a pointed look at Starscream.
"Let's go."
Skywarp and Thundercracker picked up the unconcious femme by her arms between them, and Soundwave gathered the energon cubes, loading them into starscream's cargo hold. He took off.
Hammertread gaped.
Megatron paused.
"He can't fly." Starscream smirked, snorting in dusgust. Megatron shot the red and blue seeker a poisonous look. So did HT.
"I'm a g.r.o.u.n.d p.o.u.n.d.e.r. airhaid." he deadpanned.
Megatron snickered. Skywarp and Thundercracker smartly stifled theirs.
Megatron nodded. He flew down, flying lower so the tank could follow.
Alpha groaned as she opened her optics. She sat up and then shook her head. "Where the hell...?" She asked, looking around.
Her optics widened when she realized where she was. She stood up, only to fall back against the wall.
"No...not again..." She whispered, "Please not again...Primus..." The femme gripped the wall with all her strength as she leaned her back against it. "Oh Primus..." She whimpered, afraid. "Wait...Kit! Oh frag! Kit..."
A laughter was heard outside her cell. Alpha ran over to the door and looked out. Starscream grinned, looking in at her. "Well, the traitor has awaken."
"Starscream..."
The outline of a jet appeared behind Starscream smirking. "revenge..." it whispered, reaching for him.
Hammertread walked towards his new quarters of the Nemesis. He ignored the cold stares he got, and went in, sitting down after he'd locked the door. "Now, to make myself at home." he unpacked his stuff, being carefull to hide the datapad with the pictures on it. He pulled out a canister of high-grade, and opened it.
"They may have gotten my cubes, but they aren't getting the good stuff." he took a long drink of the concentrated yellow liquid.
He was quietly enjoying his evening, and wondered just how he was going to get Alpha out of this without looking like a traitor.
Prime found the hatch to the ship unlocked, and stepped inside, rifle in hand. one glance at the computer screen, and realized what was going on. "Kit? Kit, can you hear me?"
Kit whimpered. She opened an optic. "Unc-Uncle Optimus?" She asked weakly. "Uncle Jazz? Uncle 'Jack?" She asked, looking up as she weakly lifted her head.
Prime went to the door, prying it open. "Kit!" he picked her up and ran for the door.
"He found her!" Wheeljack yelled, running over.
"We have to get out of here. Hammertread's overloaded the power core of his ship. It's going to explode!" Optimus shouted. "Clear the area immediately!"
Everyone transformed and sped away. Inside the computer silently counted "three...two...one..."
The explosion made the ground beneath them vibrate, and a bright white light erupted, with a sound like thunder after it.
Kit whimpered. She curled up in his truck cab. "Uncle Hammertread took mommy..."
Prime sunk lower on his tires when Kit said. that. "I know, Kit. But we'll try to find a way to get her back." he said softly. The autobot leader wondered why there had been an emergency beacon transmitter on the floor next to her. And it was tuned to the Autobot communication frequency specifically. It was as though the tank had wanted them to find her in time. Or lead them into a trap and get caught in the explosion.
Prime wanted to think it was the first reason. For some reason, he liked it better. But he wasn't naieve. He had refused to listen to Omega and Cliffjumper's accusations, and the Decepticons had captured alpha because of it.
"I hope so, Uncle Optimus...she doesn't like the Decepticons...they hurt her..." Kit said, sounding like the innocent sparkling she was.
Starscream jumped, but growled. "Nice try..."
"That wasn't me, I swear!" Alpha swore.
"Of course not..." Starscream said, throwing open the cell door and locking it behind him.
Alpha backed away.
Jade took a step foward, her intentions clear. Eveything suddenly started to fade again.
"No! not now!" she growled. But there was nothing she could do to stop it...
Starscream left the cell area, covered in mech fluid and energon. He quickly turned into jet mode and sped off to clean himself off.
Alpha winced as she touched her cracked optic. She reached for the tools she had on her, only to find that they had been taken from her. She fell on her butt and wrapped her arms around her knees, feeling her wounds bleed warm energon and mech fluid all over her. She cleared her mind and tried to contact her brother, but found she couldn't. The femme whimpered and hot tears fell from her optics.
Hammertread finished the canister and tossed it in the corner. He was bored. That, and something was nagging him. He wasn't sure what, but he felt like something wasn't right. He finally gave up, and risking being caught, snuck towards the cells. Starscream rounded a corner and had to slam on his airbrakes.
"what's wrong, Screamer, did the femmebot give you trouble?" he smirked, hoping it was Starscream's fluids all over him.
Starscream transformed. "Not at all." He grinned, wiping some energon off of his optics. "Alright a bit, but she gave up after a few cycles." He shrugged.
Alpha, HT gaped. But forced his tone to bcome mocking.
"Maybe I should 'join in the fun.' " he smirked (forcing himself to.) He shoved past the seeker, cracking his knuckles for emphasis.
Starscream grinned. "Have fun." He said, walking off.
Alpha gasped and looked up upon hearing the door open. She activated her one good optic and quickly wiped the tears away. Forcing herself to stand, she swallowed and clinched her fists.
Alright, Alpha...put up a good fight... The femme raised her arms, but put them back them down with a yell.
Her shoulders were nearly caved in from when Starscream had shoved the femme against the wall and pinned her there.
Prime reached the Ark, and headed to the repairbay. (again). Wheeljack had been too close to the explosion, and his audios were ringing. He was used to it by now, having been close to (and in) so many explosions in the past, so he offered to take Kit with him.
Prime had just gotten inside, when his comm dinged. "Prime here." it was Ratchet...
Ratchet cleared his throat. "Prime, Jade had a...theory she wanted me to tell you..."
"I'll be right there." Prime replied.
When he entered, Ratchet motioned him towards his office. Prime followed.
((Yep.))
"Bro?" Terra asked.
Cyberfin looked up.
Cap smiled weakly and waved. "hi."
Cyberfin nodded. He looked at Terra and raised an optic ridge.
"er, Cyber, this is Cap. Cap, this is my fellow experiment Cyberfin."
The shark waved.
"Hi." Cap offered a small smile and a nod towards the shark-bot.
Cyber nodded.
"uh..." cap wasn't sure what to say.
Cyberfin raised an optic ridge.
"Er..." Terra blinked.
Cap walked over to the shark. "So, uh, you're Terra's brother, huh?" he said.
The shark scoffed. "Yeah. So?"
Cap shrugged. "just wondering. Terra told me about you." he said innocently.
Cyberfin glanced at Terra, who nodded and shrugged.
Cap, suddenly nervous, scuffed one foot on the floor. "Well, it was nice to meetchya." he turned towards the door.
Cyberfin nodded. "you really like him?"
"You made him nervous!" Terra pouted.
Cyber grinned.
Hammertread looked back to make sure the door was shut, and glanced around for camers without turning his head, making it look like he wasn't loking for them. He walked up and stood in front of the bars.
Meanwhile, soundwave had been on security monitors, and caught sight of the tank entering the holding area. Suspicious, he zoomed in slightly to get a better view.
Alpha saw Hammertread and her optics widened. She backed away and hit the wall. she winced and clenched her fists, narrowing her optics. "What the hell do you want?" She growled.
Hammertread sighed. He didn't know what he was doing here either. He turned off the field, taking the square remote device from the slot next to it, clicking the field back on once he had stepped through it. He stood there for a minute, as though debating what to say.
"I..."
He glanced behind him, hearing the barely audible whir of a camera.
"If you aren't repaired, you'll leak to death before they can come back and finish." he finally said, pulling out a small repairkit and stepping forward.
Prime took a seat across the desk from Ratchet. "Jade's theory is that.. If we destrot what remains of her chassis, she can come back fully." he said.
Prime blinked at the bluntness of the statement, nodding slowly.
"And what if it doesn't work?" he asked quietly. It had been nearly two weeks since the jet had been shot down by Klutch's army. He knew it meant she might never come back.
But if this didbn't work... he hated to think about it. what would he tell HighRoad? or the others. Or her...family... He shook out the thought and nodded.
"All right. If you think it will work." he finally said.
"Don't know if anyone will... want to be here in case she comes back at that moment, but..." he finally trailed off.
Ratchet sighed, "I...don't know..."
Prime nodded. "go ahead. I'll tell the others."
He turned to walk out, and caught the barest glimpe of a smiling face as he did so. "I'll be fine." the jet whispered.
Prime walked out.
Ratchet nodded and went to work.
he had just finished putting th last small peice of metal into the bin, and pressed the button to shut the sliding panel when Prime walked back in.
Alpha simply took a step back. She matched his steps. One fowards, one back.
He waited until her back hit the wall. Then quickly crossed the distance between them.
Alpha hit the wall and her optics widened. She clenched her fist and jaw and looked at him, showing her fear for the first time.
He grabbed her arm gently and started to dab the energon and other fluids away.
"I'm not gonig to hurt you." he rumbled, glancing up at her face.
"I never should have brought you here in the first place. But I had to get my place back here, among the Decepticons.
He willed himself not to care. "maybe your friends will find a way to rescue you. I don't know." he pulled out a small device and ran it over the cuts, the beam slowly sealing the gashes closed.
Alpha flinched when he grabbed her. She looked at him and then frowned, snatching her arm away. "I can take care of myself." She hissed, glaring at him. "I don't need your help, Decepticon." She said, growling the last word. Her optics held a hurt and betrayl she masked by her harsh words. The femme swallowed and then looked away.
"Fine." he shoved her against the wall. "You want to stay in pain, that's your choice. Autobot." he spat the last word, shoving her again.
"Bleed to death for all I care. I don't." He turned to walk out. He paused at the door, though.
Alpha hit the wall. She looked at the ground and sobbed, wrapping her arms around her. She wanted to say she was sorry, but for what? What had she done to him except offer him friendship? He's the one that spat it back in her face.
"Fine. I will." Alpha said, looking up at him.
She looked at a nearby piece of metal and wondered if she could really go through with it.
Fingering it, she picked it up and judged how long it would take her to die...and if it was really worth it...it had to be..being in pain and in the Decepitcon's clutches cerataintly wasn't a good life...
She placed it on her wrists and shut her optics.
HT snatched the metal away. "You're acting foolish and childish." he snapped, forcibly holding her in place while he got the device back out.
Alpha struggled against Hammertread, but couldn't break his grip. "Dammit, Hammertread, I don't see why you even care!" She spat, looking at him. "After all, you're the one that got me into this...you knew I hated the Decepticons and have good reason to!" The femme said, trying to get away from him. "Just let me get it over with for Primus' sake! Megatron or Starscream's gonna kill me anyway!"
He ignored her. He wasn't sure what to say to that. things had kind of happened differently than he wanted them to. He'd had every intention of taking Driveby back with him, but Alpha would have led the Autobots straight to him, and he would've been locked in a brig cell before he could do anything. and he couldn't return to the Decepticons empty-handed. and he definitely did not want to take Kit to their unmerciful hold. He priomised himself he'd find a way to get her rescued.
Alpha struggled against him, but gave up. She went limp and let him heal her. "It won't matter how many of these damned things you seal, Hammertread...I'm only going to get more or get killed sooner or later..." She said, looking away. Her voice had a tone like she was ready to give up. Her optics shuttered themselves shut.
Cap paced outside the medbay, waiting for Terra.
Terra sighed. "Sorry about him..." She said, taking Cap's arm.
"It's okay." Cap shrugged, and started walking. "so, where to now?"
"Don't know..." Terra sighed.