"Skyfire? What's that light?" Faera asked, her yellow eyes locked on the Valkyrie's control panel.

"It's fine. It's just the signal for an incoming transmission from Optimus Prime," Skyfire explained.

Faera tilted her head, listening carefully. "All I'm hearing are clicks and pauses."

Skyfire smiled inwardly. "You're right. We're too far away to use the secret frequency, but we're still able to use the human code of communication."

"I thought it was familiar," Faera said in a musing tone. "I kept hearing that back in Santorini, whenever a ship happened to pass."

"Exactly," Skyfire said.

"So what's happening?" Faera asked.

"It seems we did well in following Astrotrain. Megatron's attack at the other plant is just a diversion."

Faera let out a soft rumbling sound in thought. "And what are our orders?"

"Simple enough: we stall them till help arrives. Optimus said that they'll try to drive away Megatron as fast as possible." He paused, checking what his sensors told him at that very moment. "And it looks like we'll have to deal with them sooner than I thought. We've just got out of Blaster's range; they can pick up our energy signatures now."

"They know we're here then," Faera said.

"Yes."

"Right." Faera moved towards the hull, keeping her steps swift and sure.

"What are you doing?" Skyfire asked.

"We'll give them a diversion of our own," Faera said. "Open the hatch."

Skyfire understood, and he certainly liked her way of thinking. Astrotrain wouldn't be able to detect Faera in her current form, so she could take them by surprise. Still… he didn't want her to face the Decepticons and Ebon alone.

"Bumblebee is close by. Contact him and we'll all meet at the plant."

"Very well," Faera answered, nodding her acquiescence.

Skyfire opened the hatch, and the wind rushed howling inside the hull, making her narrow her eyes and flatten her ears on her head. Even so, she approached the edge and leapt out unafraid, extending all her limbs. The membrane that connected her limbs stretched, and she started gliding down, using her tail as an airfoil.

And I wondered when I would ever witness that, Skyfire thought with a mental chuckle as he watched her go; then he gunned his engines on full throttle.

Roars and thuds reverberated through Astrotrain's hull, but Starscream was hardly fazed by it. The air commander simply sat nearby a transparent cage in a relaxed manner, with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed. He knew that that would only infuriate the occupant of the cage.

Another thud practically shook the hull, and Starscream couldn't help but smirk cruelly. Sadjens were really persistent creatures, he had to hand them that.

"Starscream, tell that rabid Ravage look-alike to cut it out. He's giving me a headache," Astrotrain said, cutting into Starscream's musings.

"Then you'll have to be patient about it, because I'll do no such thing," Starscream replied, casting a brief glance in the direction of Ebon. The Sadjen was currently pacing back and forth, clearly frustrated. His small accessory, however, was still intact, something that pleased the Decepticon air commander. "His hatred suits me perfectly."

Ebon caught sight of Starscream and lunged forward, only to crash against the barrier again.

"And I get all the dents," Astrotrain grumbled under his breath.

"It's not my problem," Starscream replied, shrugging. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"Yeah, there is," the triple-changer said. "I just picked up a strong Autobot energy signature from nearby. Seems like a flier."

"Skyfire…" Starscream murmured, and he hastily stood up. "Is he following us?"

"I don't think so. He passed by us and continued on his way."

That had the air commander frown. "Strange. He should have detected us."

"Not if he's heading off to the plant Megatron is attacking," Astrotrain reasoned.

"Perhaps," Starscream said, rubbing his chin in thought. But, he soon made up his mind. He didn't have to concern himself with that goody two-shoes just yet. If the little… experiment… was successful, it would be Skyfire that would have to worry.

As if on cue, Ebon just opened his jaws wide and lunged at the barrier, crashing against it again.

When Bumblebee heard Jazz saying that the Decepticons had attacked, his first instinct was to leave his post and join the fight. However, reason quickly stopped him at the last moment. He had already got his orders, so he had to stick to them, trusting the rest of the guys to take care of Megatron and his goons.

That was why he was taken aback when he heard the sound of roaring engines above him, even more so when he saw Astrotrain up in the sky. It was obvious that the triple changer's presence here meant only trouble, so Bumblebee decided to call backup at once.

He didn't have to. In the next moment, he caught sight of Skyfire, following Astrotrain.

"That's what I'm talking about," he said to himself, smiling.

- Bumblebee, do you read? -

The minibot pricked up his audios at that voice. – Faera? –

- That would be me, - the female Sadjen replied, audibly amused. – Mind if I drop in? -

Bumblebee raised an optic ridge at that. But, when he looked up at the sky again, he saw that the clouds had separated and let the bright moonlight shower everything, including the familiar beast form that was currently descending with the grace of a glider.

- You realise that that was terrible, I hope, – he said with a tease.

- Don't blame a girl for trying, - Faera retorted, still playing along. – I'll be landing in a few minutes. Are you coming? –

- I'll be right there, - Bumblebee answered, already transforming. He sped off, keeping his visual sensors on Faera at all times, and he soon reached the spot where she would land. Sure enough, she touched ground a few seconds later, barely lifting any amount of dust as she did so.

"I guess that's why you were called 'Lightfoot'," Bumblebee commented, chuckling.

"Partly," Faera replied, half-teasing, half-serious. "Let's go. Skyfire should be at the plant by now."

"Alright. Just stay close to me," the minibot answered, then drove off, Faera running at his side. "I take it Megatron's attack was a diversion?"

"You said it," Faera said. "But I'm not sure what's happening at the third plant."

"Hang on, we can easily find out." Bumblebee activated his communication frequencies, hoping that Blaster would be able to cover his conversation with Mirage from unwanted audios. "Hey, Mirage. Do you copy?"

"Yeah," Mirage replied. "What's going on?"

"Got any Decepticons coming your way?"

"Not even one," Mirage answered. "Everything's quiet."

"Good, 'cause it looks like we'll need your help over here," Bumblebee said.

Mirage didn't answer at once, obviously assessing the situation. "How many are they?"

"Three at least," Faera replied, overhearing the spy. "Astrotrain, Starscream and Ebon."

That seemed to have settled matters for Mirage. "Okay, I'll come as quickly as I can."

"Roger that. Faera, Skyfire and I will keep them busy in the meantime. Bumblebee out." With that, Bumblebee ended the transmission. Not a moment too soon, for it was then that both companions reached the main building of the power plant. Taking advantage of the darkness, the minibot transformed as quietly as possible, then snuck at Faera's side. Meanwhile, the Sadjen was standing rigidly, with her ears upright on her head.

"What is it?" he asked, trusting her sharp sense of hearing.

"Voices," she replied. "One is screechy, and the other sounds more metallic." She faced Bumblebee. "That's them, isn't it?"

"You got that right," Bumblebee answered wryly. However, another thought crossed his mind, and he regarded Faera in concern. "Hey, if you can hear them, that means Ebon can hear us too."

"He can't; we're standing downwind," Faera said. "I'm more worried about your energy signal. Blaster isn't covering you anymore."

"It's too late to back out now. Let's hope they're just too distracted to notice," the minibot pointed out, and he actually smiled at the Sadjen. "Besides, I have you to watch my back."

Faera's eyes widened at those words, an odd mixture of surprise and stunned joy reflected in them. It was almost as if Bumblebee had just offered her a rare, valuable gift, and she accepted it whole-heartedly with two words.

"Thank you."

They didn't say anything else. They simply moved stealthily onward, hoping that Skyfire and Mirage would meet them soon.

The first thing Skyfire did as soon as Faera jumped out was to find a suitable spot to land. Fortunately, the plant was in an open plain, so he was soon on the ground, transforming back to his robot mode and taking his gun out of subspace. The Valkyrie could pick up both Astrotrain and Starscream's energy signals, just as he knew that the two Decepticons could pick up his signal in turn. It didn't matter now, though. Three against three made a good enough match anyway.

Skyfire stepped into the cluster of buildings that compiled the plant, keeping his optics open for any sign out of the ordinary. So far, everything was quiet, but that didn't mean anything; he had already learned the hard way that there was such thing as too much silence.

A noise behind him made Skyfire instantly turn around, but, thankfully, it was only a pair of pigeons that beat their wings as they flew away. Sighing, the Valkyrie was about to continue on, when he saw a familiar panther-esque form walking up to him.

"Well," he said with relief. "I guess we've all made it to our rendezvous point. Where's Bumblebee?"

The Sadjen, however, simply walked on, eyes locked on Skyfire. Skyfire frowned, unsure what to think of that behaviour. That is, until he noticed that that Sadjen's eyes carried a spiteful expression. And, if that wasn't enough as a clue, the box on the creature's back was. Seeing now the danger that he was in, Skyfire thought at first to fire at Ebon, but he quickly remembered himself. The Sadjens were immune to laserfire; their exoskeleton protected them very much like armour.

So, the Valkyrie went for his next best option: his fists. Though Ebon was thrown a good two feet away at the punch, he wasn't daunted in the least. Growling angrily, he lunged at the Valkyrie again, with jaws wide open and his fangs bared. Skyfire tried to sidestep and avoid Ebon altogether, but Ebon swerved in mid-air with the swiftness and agility of a wild cat and sank his teeth on Skyfire's forearm. Skyfire cried out in pain and tried to shake the male Sadjen off him, but it was of no use; Ebon's grip was too tight. Skyfire could even see fluid oozing out of ruptured cables, trickling down and staining both Ebon and the ground.

There was nothing for it. Skyfire needed an opening, and he needed it now. But where could he find one? As far as Skyfire knew, the Sadjens had no weak spots while in their beast forms.

Or did they? The moment that the idea flashed in his mind, Skyfire took out of subspace a drill that he used whenever he wanted to collect stones for Beachcomber; then got ready to plunge it into the box Ebon carried.

The snarl that Ebon let out sent a chill in Skyfire's spark, making him flinch. Even so, he was freed. Ebon instantly jumped back before the drill touched the box.

Skyfire looked puzzled at Ebon, for that was a reaction that he didn't expect. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that the Sadjen was actually frightened.

Suddenly, the sound of clapping filled the air, and Starscream stepped out of the shadows. The Decepticon air commander was smiling almostsweetly, and there was a smug expression on his features that made Skyfire more than just a little nervous.

"Bravo," Starscream said. "You always helped me while I was conducting my experiments, but, this time, I must say that you've outdone yourself, friend."

Skyfire clenched his jaw momentarily, trying to shut out the pain on his arm. "So… I take it you were here the whole time?"

"No, not really; so don't blame yourself for not detecting me sooner," Starscream said. "I just wanted to see how well my pet would do on his own."

Ebon growled and cast a resentful glare in Starscream's direction. Starscream, however, simply huffed and faced the Sadjen, looking quite annoyed.

"I didn't ask for your opinion," he said.

"Nevertheless, I agree with Ebon," Skyfire said. "I don't think Megatron would want to know that you refer to the Sadjen as your pet."

"And who's going to tell him? Astrotrain?" Starscream said, chuckling at that idea. "As you can see, he's not here."

"Yes, so I see," Skyfire echoed, optics drifting in every direction to catch any sight of the triple-changer. "Where is he then?"

"Autobot hunting," Starscream said with a brief shrug of his shoulders. "Or did you think we would be so stupid not to detect the other energy signal?" The Seeker made a clicking sound in disapproval. "I thought you knew me better than that."

Those last words stung; nevertheless Skyfire accepted the taunt and didn't say a word. That silence didn't seem enough as an answer for Starscream, though.

"What? No pleas to leave your companion out of this? No threats of the 'Don't you dare hurt him' sort?" he said. "I thought the Autobots would have completely converted you by now."

"Or perhaps I trust my friends," Skyfire retorted. "That's something that you'll never have again."

That finally wiped the smirk off Starscream's face. As rage surged through his systems, he aimed his null-ray at Skyfire.

"Save your pity for those who need it," he hissed. "Your friend certainly will after Astrotrain is through with him."

"My friend… or Astrotrain?" Skyfire asked, steeling himself in spite of everything. "Or do you think we are so stupid we would come without backup?"

Starscream scoffed at that statement. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Skyfire said. "I thought you knew me better than that."

"Then why did we pick up only two Autobot signals, pray tell?" Starscream asked, but, at the next moment, he figured out the answer on his own. "Oh. I see."

"That's right," Skyfire said. "So whatever it is you're planning, Starscream, isn't going to work."

"No?" Starscream said, raising an optic ridge. "Perhaps not. But I can still make sure that your victory will be a very bitter one."

With that, Starscream fired at the Valkyrie's chest. Skyfire groaned and collapsed on the ground, the surges of that blast coursing through him and shutting down all his kinetic relays. All he could do was watch helplessly as Starscream beckoned Ebon with a brief wave of his hand to follow him, then cast a brief glance in Skyfire's direction, smiling once more.

"You'll have to excuse me now, Skyfire. I have other business to attend to."

Bumblebee was still moving forward when he felt one of Faera's claws gently touching his leg, a sign that he should stop. The minibot faced the Sadjen, regarding her curiously.

"I've just heard sounds of a scuffle," she said, answering the minibot's look.

Bumblebee felt his optics widening. "Then Skyfire must be in trouble! We gotta help him!"

Faera, however, shook her head. "You don't understand. I heard all the sounds of the fight but… it didn't sound like it was a battle between four individuals."

Bumblebee blinked, trying to figure out what Faera was telling him. Using his sensors, he scanned his surroundings, and it was then that he realised it. One Decepticon energy signal was straight ahead, but the other was coming from behind them.

Uh oh…

"Take cover!" he shouted, and he quickly jumped to the side.

Not a moment too soon. A series of blasts barely missed Bumblebee as he rolled out of harm's way and then hid next to one of the generators. Bumblebee held up his gun and checked to see if Faera was still with him.

She was, fortunately. She had even sidled up to him, ready to protect him with her body if it came down to that.

"Hiding, are we?" Astrotrain's voice sounded. "Good! I could use some sport."

- He's asking for it, - Faera said over the secret frequency, claws flexing as she itched to attack.

- Don't let him get to you, - Bumblebee said, placing a reassuring hand on her neck.

- I can still take him, - the Sadjen replied.

- I know you can, - the minibot said, smiling fondly. – Just wait till he gets close enough so we can both take him, okay? –

- Okay. – She sniffed the air, eyes narrowing slightly. – He's close. Can you detect him? –

- Yeah, - Bumblebee said. – He's a couple of feet away, moving into our direction.–

- I expected his attack to be swifter than that, - the Sadjen noted.

- Astrotrain has a habit of toying with his opponents. You'll learn, – the minibot replied. But then, Bumblebee detected something else that he didn't like at all. - Oh no… Starscream is on the move, too. –

- Where? – Faera asked.

Bumblebee pointed to his left and up. – There. That's where the humans house the control panels operating the generators. – He faced Faera again, locking his optics on her eyes. – You have to stop him. –

Faera's eyes widened in disbelief. – What about Astrotrain? –

- I'll handle him. Go. -

Faera looked at Bumblebee for many long moments, then in the direction of the panels, and she finally nodded.

- Good luck, - she said, then sprinted away. In a matter of moments, she started climbing the structure without error, her claws digging deeply on the wall.

Bumblebee watched her go, sighing with relief. Even so, he knew that nothing was over yet. It looked now that he would have to deal with Astrotrain on his own, but he wasn't sure how he was supposed to do that. Considering his size in comparison to Astrotrain's, Bumblebee's only chance would be if he surprised the Decepticon, something that he couldn't pull off; Astrotrain could detect him at all times.

Unless…

Bumblebee acted immediately. As the idea formed in his mind, he looked up to see some beams over his head. They seemed strong enough, so he decided to try out his plan. He grabbed hold of the beams and climbed up, then waited for Astrotrain to show up.

He didn't have to wait for long. The triple changer came into view, scanning his surroundings in confusion, just as Bumblebee had hoped. After all, the energy signal detectors were never good enough to tell the difference between up and ground-level.

Seeing his chance, Bumblebee jumped on Astrotrain and covered the triple-changer's optics with his hands, startling him. Astrotrain let out a scream of rage and he tried to shake Bumblebee off him, but Bumblebee didn't let go. Seething, the triple-changer charged against a wall in the hopes of ramming his attacker into it, finally knocking him out.

It was exactly what Bumblebee had wanted Astrotrain to do. Remembering Faera's trick, he let go of Astrotrain at the last moment, so Astrotrain rammed his own head instead. The triple-changer staggered dazedly a few steps back, then collapsed on the ground.

Bumblebee poked Astrotrain, making sure that the Decepticon was indeed out, and he allowed himself a smile. He really should thank Faera at the first chance. Now, however, he had to check on Skyfire. Bumblebee was sure that the Valkyrie needed help, so he focused on his sensors and scanned his surroundings once more. With any luck, Skyfire wasn't in stasis lock, so the minibot would be able to pick up his energy signal.

Sure enough, Skyfire's energy signal was strong, and it came from straight ahead. Bumblebee rushed to that direction, and he finally found the Valkyrie, still sprawled on the ground.

"Skyfire!"

Skyfire's optics flashed briefly at seeing the minibot, and his gears whirred loudly as he tried to move.

"Wait, don't strain yourself!" Bumblebee said, and he knelt beside the flier. He winced when he saw the state of Skyfire's arm, but, other than that, Bumblebee couldn't see any other injuries. So why was Skyfire in that state?

"What happened?" he asked before he could help it.

Skyfire forced his lip components open, struggling to speak. His voice came out so low that it was barely audible, but Bumblebee still managed to hear him.

"St… Starscream… null… rays…"

Of course, who else? Bumblebee thought wryly. "Hang on; I'll contact Ratchet."

Skyfire flashed his optics once in understanding, but he also noticed that someone was missing from the picture. "Faera…"

"She's gone after Starscream," Bumblebee said, opening his communication frequencies.

"Then… help… her."

"Not before I make sure you're okay."

"B…But…"

"I know. But it's Faera we're talking about. If it's anyone who's gonna need help, it's Starscream," Bumblebee replied confidently.

Skyfire stopped fighting his paralysis. He just sighed, still keeping his optics locked on the minibot.

"I hope… you're right."

TBC…