Nobody spoke for some time. Sari, Bumblebee, Ratchet and Bulkhead stared incredulously at the two motorcycles. As for Prowl and Silverstreak, they just faced each other, neither of them moving.
"So, uh… you know each other?" Bulkhead finally asked, breaking the silence.
"Better than you think," Prowl replied in a stiff manner.
Silverstreak's gaze remained locked on Prowl, but Sari noticed the blue bot's hands clench into fists.
"Hey," Bumblebee exclaimed, noticing Silverstreak's chest-plate. "That's the Autobot insignia! You don't happen to be part of a rescue team, are you? I was wondering if anyone would eventually show up!" He extended his hand toward Silverstreak. "The name's Bumblebee, and I'm the fastest thing on wheels. Any friend of Prowl's is--"
Prowl grabbed Bumblebee's arm in the blink of an eye and stopped the yellow bot midway. Bumblebee looked up at Prowl, confused at that action.
"Kid, is something wrong?" Ratchet asked, just as perplexed.
Prowl didn't seem to pay attention to them though. He still stared at the blue bot.
"What are you doing here, Silverstreak?"
Silverstreak's optics reflected no emotion at the sound of the hostile tone. "I heard about your disappearance. I got worried about you, so I set out to find you."
Prowl pursed his lips momentarily. "As you can see, I'm fine."
Silverstreak's jaw tightened. "It appears so. And the three other bots that are with you? The little Earthwoman?"
"Friends," Prowl replied. "Trustworthy ones."
Sari and the other Autobots never expected to hear Prowl so bitter. On the other hand, Silverstreak hardly flinched.
"You used to trust me too," he said softly.
"And need I remind you what happened?" Prowl asked, his optics all but blazing in fury.
"I can never forget," the blue bot answered, lowering his gaze. "But I didn't come for the past, Prowl. I just wanted to know if you're okay."
"Very well," Prowl said. "That means your quest is over."
Silverstreak nodded slowly. "Yeah… I guess," he said.
He didn't wait for an answer. He just transformed and drove away, turning around a corner and out of sight.
"Oookay…" Bumblebee said, watching the blue motorcycle go. "What was that all about?"
If Prowl ever meant to answer, he never got the chance. An incoming transmission snapped all the Autobots out of it.
"Optimus Prime to Autobots. What are your coordinates?"
"Not too far from base, Prime," Ratchet replied. "What is it?"
"Drop everything and return at once. There's something I need you to see."
"We're on our way," Ratchet said and ended his transmission. He transformed to his alternate mode, and turned to the others. "You heard Prime. Let's go."
Bulkhead and Bumblebee complied and transformed as well.
"Coming, Sari?" the yellow bot asked, opening the door.
Sari didn't respond at once, the odd behaviour of her key when near Silverstreak distracting her.
"Sari?"
"Hmm? Oh, right. Coming!" She quickly climbed inside Bumblebee, fastening her seatbelt as he drove away. She looked back at Prowl to see if he was following them, but she saw him still in his robot mode, looking in the direction Silverstreak left.
----------------------
When Professor Sumdac entered his laboratory later that day, Megatron noticed that the human looked very pleased with himself.
"I take it you have some good news?" he asked.
"Oh, yes," Professor Sumdac replied. "The Autobots managed to defeat a machine that looks very much like the repair-bot we were designing. It even has the correct size, too."
Megatron narrowed his optics. "With a few modifications, we could have the repair-bot ready in a few hours."
"That's what I thought as well," Professor Sumdac said with a nod. "You want me to bring the machine in the lab?"
"Make it so, Professor," Megatron said. "As soon as you bring the machine here, I can start operating on it at once."
"Of course. It will be here in an hour or so," Sumdac promised and walked out.
If Megatron could smile, he would do just that right there and then.
"Things are progressing much better than I had anticipated," he mused aloud. "It will be a mere protoform's play to reprogram the mechanism's functions. And when that happens, not even the girl's key will be able to save the Autobots from a lifetime of servitude."
After all, Megatron reasoned, there was nothing to fix on a bot that was simply reformatted.
------------------------
Optimus sat at the computer, staring thoughtfully at some pictures, when the sound of transforming reached his audio receptors. Knowing who it was, the young Autobot turned around just in time to see Bumblebee, Ratchet, Bulkhead and Sari approaching him.
He frowned when he noticed something wrong with that picture. "Where's Prowl?"
All three Autobots exchanged uneasy glances, something that surprised the young leader.
"Um… He just had this thing and… it couldn't wait, so… He'll come a bit later," Sari finally answered, an innocent smile tugging on her lips.
Optimus raised an optic ridge. "Okay…" he replied, deciding to let this one slide for once. "I'd prefer it if you were all here, but I guess it can't be helped."
"Well, what seems to be the trouble, kid?" Ratchet asked. "You sounded pretty agitated before."
"Yes. It appears there have been some unexpected developments," Optimus replied.
"Developments? What kind of developments?" Bumblebee asked.
Optimus pressed one of the buttons on the computer. "The mayor called about an hour ago to inform me that the debris of a spaceship has been recovered in the state of Ohio. He's sent over some pictures that were taken from the crash site."
Bulkhead picked up Sari and placed her in his shoulders, so that she could see the pictures as well. Everyone looked at the screen, curious to see the wreckage for themselves. There wasn't much left from it though. Its parts were scattered all about, broken to small pieces.
"Sheesh… and I thought our landing was bad," Bumblebee commented.
"Was anybody hurt?" Ratchet asked.
"No," Optimus said. "Fortunately, the ship crashed in a field outside a small village. The strange thing is that there was no one inside by the time the authorities arrived at the scene to investigate."
Just then, Ratchet saw in one of the pieces of misshapen plating a very familiar insignia.
"An Autobot ship?" he noted.
"Yes," Optimus replied. "That was why the mayor contacted us. He wanted to know if we were expecting anyone, and who it could be."
Bulkhead leaned close to Bumblebee. "Do you think that was Silverstreak's ship?" he whispered.
"If it was, I know someone who isn't gonna be happy," Bumblebee whispered back.
"Bumblebee, Bulkhead, perhaps there's something you want to tell me?" Optimus said. He had noticed them talking, and he couldn't help but feel curious about that kind of secrecy.
The two Autobots winced. "Well, uh… actually…" Bulkhead started hesitantly.
"Actually, there's one survivor from that crash-landing," Prowl said. He had arrived unnoticed, and had heard most of what Optimus had to report. His face betrayed nothing as he said: "He's here, in Detroit."
Optimus stared at Prowl in surprise. "How can you be so sure?"
"Um… we… kinda… found him," Bumblebee admitted in an embarrassed tone.
"What?!" To say that Optimus was shocked would have been an understatement. "Why didn't you say something before?"
"Because of me," Prowl replied. "It was a rather… unpleasant meeting."
"Wait…" the young leader said, seeing where Prowl was going with this. "You know him?"
Prowl nodded.
"So what is he doing here?"
"He wished to see if I was all right," the ninjabot replied simply.
"I see. So it wasn't a rescue mission," Optimus noted. "But then why didn't you bring him here, Prowl? If he's gotten stranded like the rest of us, he shouldn't be out there alone."
Prowl stared at Optimus in the optic. "If you hope he will help us, then I'm afraid you're mistaken. Silverstreak is unreliable."
Optimus looked at the motorcycle in mild curiosity. "How so?"
Prowl crossed his arms. "You really want to know, don't you?" He turned to the others. "And you too?"
When everyone nodded, Prowl's shoulders slumped forward.
"Very well. I'll tell you."
------------------
The small spaceship was cruising idly in space without anyone piloting it, but its occupants weren't concerned in the least. They had set the controls to autopilot, so the two bots were busy otherwise.
"You know what I've been thinking?" said one of them. "When we retire, we could get ourselves a couple of houses in the best area of Iacon. Nothing fancy, mind you, just a place to live in and enjoy the fruits of our labour. You could spend your time meditating or reading, and I could find a femme and bond with her. Heh, maybe I'll even have a couple of protoforms when the time's right. What do you say?"
"As long as they don't run around in my house, ruining my meditation, you can have as many protoforms as you wish," Prowl said in his usual calm tone. He inspected one of his shuriken, then resumed with his polishing.
"You sure have a way of spoiling one's dreams, Prowl," Silverstreak answered in a tease. He was holding a dismantled laser gun at optic level to look inside the barrel. He didn't want any dust in it.
"I aim to please," Prowl said, a small smile forming on his lips. He faced Silverstreak, raising an optic ridge. "What's this talk about retirement anyway?"
"Hey, I'm not saying we should retire tomorrow!" Silverstreak replied. He put the barrel down, flexed his fingers, and put the gun together in a matter of seconds. "We're good law enforcers, if not the best, and we're in our prime. All I'm saying is that we should plan for the future."
"Let's just plan how we should catch our game first," Prowl said, placing his shuriken back in place. "Ready?"
Silverstreak grabbed the gun and spun it around his index finger before inserting it with experienced ease into the built-in holster in his thigh. "Ready."
Prowl curled his upper lip in mock distaste. "Show off."
"Yeah, I like you too," Silverstreak replied with a grin.
------------------
"Whoa! Hold on there!" Bumblebee said, staring at Prowl in disbelief. "You were a law enforcer?"
"Yes," the ninjabot said coolly, raising an optic ridge. "Why the surprise?"
"Um… no reason," Bumblebee replied, wringing his hands nervously. "But it certainly explains a few things," he whispered to Sari and Bulkhead, who nodded their agreement.
"But what were you doing so far from Cybertron?" Optimus Prime asked, intrigued.
"We were searching for a certain troublemaker," Prowl said. "A bot by the name of Oil Slick, who offered his services to the highest bidder. He had already deactivated several bots and our superior officer wouldn't have it anymore."
"So he sent just you and Silverstreak?" Ratchet exclaimed. "What was he thinking?"
"We were the best for that task," Prowl replied. "I never saw anyone beat Silverstreak when it came to guns and we were also partners. As for me… I knew Oil Slick."
Optimus felt like his jaw would drop on the floor. "From where?"
"From a time when we were both studying the ways of the Circuit-Su," Prowl said with a shrug. "Though we were apprentices, we never considered the other a friend. Once we learned enough, we each went our separate ways."
"But, since you had studied together, you could handle him," Ratchet said, understanding.
"Precisely."
"So what happened? Did you find him?" Bulkhead asked.
Prowl's voice strained quite audibly. "Yes."
---------------------------
Prowl was sitting at a table in a cyber-bar, silently reading the datapad which contained Oil Slick's case file. A waitress approached the table, holding a tray in her hands.
"Here's your energon, brooding, dark and mysterious," she said. "Will there be anything else?"
Prowl's optics reflected his frowning expression. "No, that will be all."
"I'll have what he's having," Silverstreak said at that moment, walking up to the table. "And make it sweet, just like you," he added with a charming smile.
"Sure thing, cutie," she replied with a broad smile of her own. As she went to the inner part of the bar to see to the order, Silverstreak sat at the table.
Prowl glared at him.
"What?" the young bot said innocently.
"Nothing," Prowl answered eventually, shaking his head. "Did you learn anything or did you get… distracted?"
"I'm hurt now," Silverstreak said, although he certainly didn't sound like it. "I not only confirmed he's in the area, I even found out where he is. Not bad, huh?"
Prowl sat up, his curiosity piqued. "And?"
"And he's got his spaceship just a few kliks away from here," Silverstreak said. The waitress appeared with the blue bot's energon, which she handed to him happily. "Thanks," he said.
"Any time, cutie," she answered with a wink, and she went back to her work. Silverstreak watched her go, regarding her quite appreciatively.
Prowl cleared his vocaliser. "Silverstreak."
"Sorry, sorry," Silverstreak said, chuckling. He returned his gaze to Prowl. "So what's the plan, partner?"
"The plan is as simple as they come," Prowl replied. "I'll meet Oil Slick head on, whereas you will secure his ship. Is that clear?"
Silverstreak grinned and emptied the cube in a single gulp.
"Perfectly."
--------------------
"Let me guess," Bumblebee said, interrupting again. "Something went wrong."
"A lot of things went wrong," Prowl answered, his hands clenched into fists now. "I faced Oil Slick as we had agreed, even got the better of him, when his ship suddenly exploded, sending shards and debris all over the place."
"And Silverstreak was inside the ship?" Bulkhead asked, his optics widening ten-fold.
"That's what I thought, since he didn't answer when I contacted him via our transmitter," Prowl replied. "As I feared the worst, I quickly placed Oil Slick in a pair of stasis-cuffs and searched for Silverstreak."
"But he was okay, right?" Sari asked.
"Dented and cracked, yet still functional," the motorcycle confirmed. "I was so relieved that I went up to him, meaning to get him back on his feet.
"And then… Silverstreak lifted his gun and shot me. Right here, on the chest-plate." He pointed at the spot where his spark pulsated to prove his point. "The last thing I remember before offlining was seeing Oil Slick free from his stasis-cuffs, congratulating Silverstreak on a job well done."
None of the others spoke this time. They were too shocked to say anything. So, Prowl continued on.
"When I came online again, I was on a berth in a repair-bay. The medic told me Silverstreak was in another room, where his own wounds were being taken care of as well. I went there, I told Silverstreak I never wanted to see him again, and I left. He kept his back to me the whole time, and didn't turn even to see me go." Prowl's tone became cold, even bitter, "A few weeks later, I was dismissed from the force because of my blunder and I found myself repairing space-bridges. And the rest, as they say, is history."
Silence reigned in the room when Prowl finished his tale, as none was sure how to approach matters.
"What about Silverstreak?" Optimus finally asked.
The motorcycle shook his head. "I don't know. He was still healing at the repair-bay when I left Cybertron, and I never cared to find out his own punishment. As I said, I wanted nothing more to do with him."
"I see," Optimus said with a sigh. "Prowl, I'm sorry your friend did that, but still…"
"He's not my friend, Prime. That's the problem," the motorcycle replied.
Optimus cocked his head, not understanding.
"He's my brother," Prowl said, then turned around and retired to his room, not bothering to look back.
--------------------
"I didn't know you guys could have siblings," Sari said to Bumblebee. Both of them were alone in the main room, since the rest left over an hour ago to see to their own duties and Prowl was still in his room. So, when the silence started weighing too heavily on the girl, she decided to go ahead and ask the first thing that crossed her mind.
"Well, we can," Bumblebee answered. "Or, at least, something that's like a sibling relationship." He looked in the direction of Prowl's room. "But I never thought Prowl and Silverstreak could be related like that."
"Yeah," Sari said. "Sure, they look alike, but… they aren't alike."
"Tell me about it!" Bumblebee exclaimed. "It took me a whole solar cycle to like Prowl, and I liked Silverstreak in seconds!"
Sari nodded emphatically. "He really sounded friendly while we talked. And a bit sad." She faced Bumblebee. "I bet he's sorry about what happened. That's why he came here. I mean, he said he didn't come to fight."
"Yeah, I guess," Bumblebee admitted. "But we can't just find Silverstreak and ask for an explanation."
Sari stood up in determination. "Why not?"
Bumblebee stared at Sari in disbelief. "Have you lost your mini-spheres?! Prowl would never agree to that!"
"And has that stopped you before?" the girl asked, raising an eyebrow.
The young Autobot scratched his head. "Well, no… Still, how are we going to find Silverstreak?"
Sari smiled and held up her key. "I have our guide right here."
--------------------
Megatron was in darkness, focused on modifying the machine Professor Sumdac had acquired for him. He knew the professor wouldn't enter the room again. The Decepticon leader had convinced him that there was no need to tire himself out; not when Megatron could put the final touches on the so-called repairbot. So, the professor slept soundly in his quarters, and the machine was all but ready.
Still, there was something missing, and Megatron would have to take care of it before considering his plan complete. He needed to test his creation on one of the Autobots, so that the Decepticon leader should be sure he enslaved his enemies without setbacks.
It was with that thought that he activated the computer screen, searching the city for any Autobot who was vulnerable enough. And when he saw a lone blue motorcycle driving along the streets of Detroit on its own, Megatron knew that he had found his test subject.
-------------------------
Night fell swiftly in the city of Detroit, and hardly anything stirred. All the citizens had gone to sleep. All, that is, except for a little girl, who was determined to find an elusive Autobot.
Sari stood in the middle of a park, holding up her key in the air. Bumblebee was parked beside her, watching his friend expectantly and waiting for the key to flash, but the key didn't so much as glint.
"I don't get it!" Sari exclaimed in frustration, "We searched everywhere and we didn't even catch a glimpse of him!" She sat on a bench and rested her chin in her palms with a sigh.
"Well, he's Prowl's brother. What did you expect from someone related to a ninja?" Bumblebee reasoned.
"You're not helping," Sari grumbled.
"Sorry," the young Autobot said, his hood lowering in a form of apology. Silence reigned for a while, until Bumblebee decided to speak his mind.
"Look, Sari… It's getting late, and I don't want your father worried or anything. We could continue our search tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I suppose so," Sari replied. She stood up and got inside Bumblebee. "Come on, let's go."
Bumblebee started his engine and set off for Sumdac's Robotic Empire. He drove in silence, watching Sari closely when she didn't say a word. Her expression was quite sad, and she kept tugging her key.
"We'll find him sooner or later," he offered in consolation. "He can't stay hidden forever."
"Yeah…" Sari said half-heartedly. "I just hoped we could--"
She never finished her sentence, for her key flashed a brilliant trail of light off to her left. Sari gasped and patted Bumblebee's dashboard.
"Bumblebee, we've found him! Turn left, quick!"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive! Now come on!"
The Autobot complied at once. The girl gave him directions, and he kept his scanners open on the chance he might pick up Silverstreak's energy signature and find him. A couple of turns later, however, he had to stop or risk falling into Lake Erie.
"That was close!" Bumblebee noted. He checked his surroundings, realising that he had halted on a pier mere feet from the end. Several crates were scattered about, and the faint sound of the water splashing on the pilings reached his audio receptors.
"Yeah," Sari admitted. She looked down at her key. "Hey, it's still flashing!"
"I don't think we need your key anymore, Sari," the Autobot said, his tone surprisingly quiet.
The girl meant to ask why, but her voice died in her throat when she discerned a large figure sitting on the edge of the pier.
"Step out," Bumblebee instructed.
Sari scrambled out of Bumblebee, and the Autobot transformed to his robot mode. He placed a finger on his lip components, a sign that they should keep silent. Understanding, Sari followed Bumblebee's example and walked beside him as quietly as possible. They didn't want Silverstreak to bolt as soon as he saw them, after all.
They barely managed to take a couple of steps in Silverstreak's direction, when his young voice filled the night air.
"As I said in the morning, little Earthwoman, if you want to sneak up on somebody, you have to be a lot quieter than that." The blue bot turned his gaze over his shoulder. "That goes for you too… Bumblebee, isn't it?"
Bumblebee scratched his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, that's right." He chuckled. "Heh, if I had any doubts about you and Prowl being related, I sure don't have any now."
"Bumblebee!" Sari exclaimed, glaring at her friend.
"What?" Bumblebee asked. However, realisation caught up with him as soon as he registered Silverstreak's tension. "Oh…"
"How much did he tell you?" Silverstreak asked in a low tone, drifting his gaze back to the lake.
Sari and Bumblebee hesitated to answer for a moment, but the girl decided there was no point turning back now.
"He told us you are brothers," she said. She sat next to him, looking up to his face for any kind of reaction. "And he told us why you separated."
Silverstreak's face betrayed nothing as he lowered his gaze in Sari's direction. "Then why are you here, conversing with a traitor?"
"Because I want to understand," Sari answered, unafraid.
"Understand what?" Silverstreak said, shaking his head. "He's not lying, if that's what you're wondering. I did shoot him." His right hand clenched into a fist. "And I regret it every single day."
"Then why did you do it?" Bumblebee asked. "He's your brother, you used to be partners, and yet you betrayed him? Sorry, but that just doesn't add up."
Silverstreak's gaze lifted to the horizon. "That's something Prowl himself should be wondering, not you two. Go back."
Sari wouldn't have it though. Feeling her stubborn side kicking in, she got back on her feet and cast him a death glare.
"Not before we hear your side of the story!" she declared. "Something must have happened back there, and I want to know what!" She grabbed her key, which was flashing and tugging Sari forward the entire time, and put it inside her blouse. "Quit it!" she hissed.
But Silverstreak wasn't paying attention to Sari anymore. He stood up with the intention of leaving, and he certainly would have left if it weren't for Bumblebee resting a hand against his chest-plate, forcing him to stop.
"Stand aside," Silverstreak said, keeping his head bowed.
"Sari asked you something," Bumblebee replied in a firm tone, "I think you should answer."
"I don't have to tell either of you anything!" Silverstreak said crossly. "Maybe I wanted to shoot the slagger, did you ever think of that?" The blue bot pushed Bumblebee out of his way and prepared to transform.
"No, you didn't."
Silverstreak froze at the girl's soft reply. All his anger vanished into thin air and his shoulders slumped forward to signify his weariness.
"What makes you so sure of that?" he asked with a sigh. He didn't face either of his interrogators. It didn't seem it was worth the trouble.
"You're here," she answered. She boldly walked closer to the bitter Autobot. "Look, I don't have any brothers or sisters, but I know this much: Whenever there's a problem, you try to work things out. So why don't you put your stupid pride aside and try to talk it over with Prowl?"
"Because there's nothing to talk over," Silverstreak replied softly, "Not before I can look at him straight in the optic."
"Great! If that's all that it takes, then we'll take you to our base, lock both of you in a room and you can look at each other in the optic all you like while you talk!" Bumblebee said. "So, are you coming?"
A cold, mirthless laughter flowed out of Silverstreak's lips.
"You really don't get it, do you?" he asked, turning around once more.
Bumblebee and Sari looked at Silverstreak in confusion.
"Err… what are you talking about?" the yellow Autobot ventured to ask.
Silverstreak never got the chance to answer. He suddenly stiffened, his light blue optics widened in evident surprise, and he jumped aside.
Not a moment too soon, for an eight-tentacled mechanism landed where Silverstreak was just seconds ago. And all of its tentacles were now stretching in his direction.
TBC...