Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. I wish I did, but I don't.

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I love reading your comments. I also appreciate everyone that put this fic in their favs and on alert. I hope you enjoy!

Unfortunate Circumstance: Revelation

Scrapper handed Hook a scanner necessary to analyze Thundercracker's stabilizers. Hook hummed to himself as he watched the read outs pop up on his hand held. Soundwave stood just off to the side. Scrapper had Soundwave as number one on his suspect list. Thundercracker's memory loss made for some pretty damning evidence in Scrapper's opinion.

Megatron stood beside the seeker, staring down at the prone form of the blue seeker with arms folded and frown deep. Scrapper tried to assess that look as best he could, but he couldn't quite figure it out. Was Megatron angry or worried about what this bit of news? Scrapper wasn't quite sure which reaction would be more telling.

Starscream paced beside his wingmate, worried out of his processor. Scrapper pretty much immediately wrote Starscream off the suspect list. If the Air Commander wanted to get down and dirty with Thundercracker, he only had to ask. They were trine, after all.

"When can he come back online?" Starscream asked Hook, wings high with tension.

Hook sighed. "Be patient, Starscream. He's been through an ordeal."

"Ordeal?" Megatron asked. "What kind of ordeal?"

Starscream yelled into Megatron's face. "The kind that gets you sparked up, oh wise leader!" Starscream let out a small screech of frustration. "I can't believe this is happening! Thundercracker doesn't deserve to suffer like this!"

Megatron tilted his helm. "Thundercracker was attacked? Last cycle?" He rubbed his helm. "How strange. Usually, it takes much more than an average mech to force a seeker."

Scrapper glared at his Lord and Commander over his shoulder. Megatron continued to rub his helm. "Hook, I need more menders."

"Yes, Lord Megatron." Hook turned to Scrapper. "Go retrieve the menders for our master."

Scrapper nodded. He walked along the back of the med-bay. Quickly, he grabbed a couple of cybersedatives before he continued walking towards the menders. He stared over at the ever silent Soundwave.

The spy master didn't appear bothered by the events. If anything, he seemed his usual calm and collected self. Scrapper wondered if a mech like Soundwave could feel any guilt over assaulting a mech. He did it all the time to many an enemy's processor, why not start raping frames too?

Scrapper walked over to Megatron. The grey mech was rubbing his helm in a vain attempt to rub the helmache away. Scrapper snuck a cybersedative in with the menders. Megatron downed them without even bothering to look.

Starscream snapped at their leader. "Still suffering from the last cycle, my lord?"

Megatron glared at Starscream. "I've never suffered from overcharge, Starscream. My frame doesn't allow for it." Even as he said it, Megatron rubbed his helm again. "However, I appear to be suffering from an annoying processor ache that comes and goes."

Starscream smirked. "Well, if it's putting you out, my lord, I will gladly step in to take over, if only temporarily."

Megatron growled at him. "Don't push your luck, Starscream. I'm already down one seeker, I don't want it to be two."

Scrapper watched as their Lord rubbed his helm again. Scrapper searched his memory banks for a time Megatron had ever suffered from something as mundane as a helmache. Oddly enough, Scrapper could remember tons of limb reattachments, that one Cosmic Rust incident, but never anything so simple.

Hook gave their leader his hard medic stare. "Should I be evaluating you as well, my liege?"

Megatron waved his hand dismissively. "Focus on Thundercracker. He's one of my best and most loyal soldiers. I'd hate to lose him. I'd even hate to lose his creations. We need more seekers."

Starscream stared at their leader in shock. "You'd let him keep the sparkling?" Scrapper watched in horror as Starscream did something rare.

Starscream gave their leader a genuine smile and said, "Thank you, Lord Megatron."

Scrapper shuddered at the sight. A nice Starscream? Was the world ending?

It was suspicious that Megatron was being so kind about the sparkling. Normally, Megatron detested the very idea of sparklings. Why would he suddenly change his mind over this one? Scrapper didn't like it.

Megatron looked away with a huff. "Don't get all sentimental. That means you and Skywarp will have to pick up his slack."

Starscream scoffed. "That's what subordinates are for."

Scrapper checked his chronometer. Megatron was already starting to sway a little. It wouldn't be long now before he felt the need to lie down. Scrapper smirked. With any luck, Hook would order him to scan Megatron. Based off that scan, Scrapper could find out if Megatron was responsible for Thundercracker's suffering.

At this point, Megatron and Soundwave were tied for first place on the suspect list. Scrapper really couldn't see Starscream doing it. He just didn't strike Scrapper as that kind of mech. Megatron took what he wanted when he wanted it. Soundwave took because he enjoyed the pain he inflicted.

Soundwave still merely stood off to the side, watching all the events. He gave no input, which drove Scrapper crazy. He needed something from the mech, but as it stood Soundwave was content to be reactionless to all the trouble.

Scrapper pinged Swindle on the comm. "Hey, Swindle, I don't suppose you can try and find out where Soundwave and Megatron were last cycle?"

Swindle chuckled. "My mech, give me a challenge!"

Swindle walked out of the command center at a brisk walk. He headed towards the med-bay, figuring Skywarp would be waiting just outside the doors. Since the purple seeker was the last one seen with Thundercracker before the vid feed was scrubbed, Swindle figured he'd be the first one to interview. Sure enough, the purple seeker was pacing like mad. Poor guy was left out in the cold, Swindle thought.

"Hey, Warp!" Swindle said cheerfully. "Are you waiting for someone?"

Skywarp nodded. "I've been standing here for the better part of the orn just waiting for Thundercracker. He's not feeling good and I'm not sure how serious it is."

Swindle pinged Scrapper on his comm. "Hey, Skywarp's worried out of his processor out here. Do you mind sparing a minute to give him an update?"

"Sure. Give me klick."

Swindle asked Skywarp. "Do you know what happened? Did he get overcharged?"

Skywarp smirked. "Yeah, he got overcharged. I made sure of it!" The purple seeker frowned. "Wait, do you think that's why he's sick? Did I make him that bad?"

"Well," Swindle quickly scrounged for something comforting to say. "I think it'd be pretty hard to get TC that overcharged. I mean the mech knows when to call it quits, right?"

Skywarp sighed. "I guess you're right." He didn't look convinced, though. "Where you off to?"

"Nowhere in particular. Just got off my shift for monitor duty." Swindle shrugged. "Didn't really monitor much of anything."

"I get that. I recharge through mine half the time." Skywarp winced. "Probably shouldn't say that so close to Megatron's audials. He's on the other side of the door."

Swindle's optics widened. "Really? Wow! I guess TC really is in bad shape."

The med-bay doors swooshed open. Scrapper walked out the med-bay doors a little to turn to Skywarp. "Thundercracker is stable, but I've got some bad news."

"What is it?" Skywarp asked as he braced himself.

"He's been sparked. He can't remember what happened the better part of last cycle." Scrapper's optics flickered to Swindle. "Some mechs are thinking foul play."

Skywarp sucked in a hard in-vent. "I can't believe it. It's all my fault." Skywarp's wings drooped. "I gave him something strong last night. It's high grade mixed with what human's call jet fuel. I think I might've hurt him with it. Who knows what that human slag can do to our systems? I'm so stupid!" Skywarp clenched his servos and hit the sides of his helm.

"Hey, hey now!" Swindle gently tapped the mech's left arm. "You can't beat yourself up over this. I mean, you're not the one that sparked him up, right?"

Skywarp's entire frame tensed. "No." His hands slowly fell. Skywarp straightened his backstruts. His optics burned. "I'm not." He glared at Swindle. "But I'm going to tear apart the mech that did it."

Scrapper smirked. "Good to know." He turned to Swindle. "I think it's time we added a third to our little party."

Swindle nodded. "Skywarp, we've got info on the mech that could've done it. You're not going to like it."

In the med-bay, Megatron swayed a little on his pedes. Hook, ever vigilant of his lord, assessed the motion with a medic's keen optic. "Perhaps you should rest here, my lord. I'd like to take a few scans, just to be on the safe side."

Soundwave walked up behind their lord. "Query: Does Lord Megatron require an assist?"

"Of course not!" Megatron barked. "I'm fine!" Even as he said it, his massive frame titled sideways, nearly colliding with Thundercracker's berth.

Starscream shoved their leader aside. "Watch it! Thundercracker may be stable, but he's still not in the clear!"

Megatron tried to take a swing at Starscream, but he nearly fell over to do it. "The Pit?!" Megatron rubbed his helm again. "It's back!"

Hook sighed. "My liege, I insist. Take a seat over on the examination table. I'll be over in a klick."

Megatron grumbled. "I don't need a fragging check-up. I'm more than functional." And with that, his legs gave out and Megatron fell to his knees. "Blast it all!"

Soundwave immediately moved to his side. "Allow me." Handling him with care, Soundwave got Megatron onto the examination table quickly.

Soundwave turned to Hook. "First priority: Lord Megatron's welfare. All others secondary."

Starscream shook his fist in Soundwave's general direction. "Frag your loyalty! Thundercracker is in obvious distress! Our Lord is merely suffering from his gluttony!"

"I didn't drink that much, you traitorous glitch!" Megatron bared his denta at Starscream. "For your information, your blasted wingmate's concoction nearly killed me!"

"What? Thundercracker doesn't make drinks." Starscream turned his back on Megatron to keep his gaze on Thundercracker. "Your processor must be broken."

"I'm not talking about the sane one! I'm talking about Skywarp!" Megatron shook with the effort to stay online.

Hook noticed the mech's fight. "Don't fight it, Lord Megatron."

"Then everymech other than Hook and his team stays." Megatron glared at Starscream's obvious grimace. "That's an order."

Swindle had just finished relaying the information to Skywarp when Soundwave walked out, dragging Starscream by the left wing behind him.

Starscream was screeching at the highest volume. "You can't treat me like this! I'm your superior officer!"

Soundwave merely reminded him. "Megatron's orders." He threw Starscream at Skywarp. Skywarp caught his Air Commander.

Starscream turned to Skywarp, ready to let loose a volley of complaints, but Skywarp sent him a databurst that silenced the red seeker. Starscream stared at Skywarp for a klick, processing everything that he just received. Starscream then turned to glare at Scrapper and Swindle.

"You two didn't think that his trine mates should know what you were doing?" Starscream's voice was softly venomous.

Swindle flinched. "We thought it would be best to keep this operation covert, you know. We didn't want to make Thundercracker know we knew, and you guys are so close." Swindle shut up when he realized every word he said was just digging him a deeper grave.

Starscream stomped up to them. "Situations like these are trine matters. Outsiders don't get involved unless we ask them to get involved. You should have stayed out of it, and you!" Starscream whirled on Skywarp. "You've made me so furious. Allying yourself with grounders over a trine matter? You should have come to me!"

"Query…"

Everyone turned to stare at Soundwave.

"What are you talking about?"

Scrapper growled at him. "Well, since you've asked." He stomped up to the communications officer. "Thundercracker was attacked last cycle. We've narrowed down the suspect list, you being at the top. So-."

Soundwave interrupted. "Impossible."

"What?" Scrapper reeled back. "What do mean impossible?"

Starscream interrupted, "See, if you had me involved in your endeavor, I could've already told you. Soundwave went on a top secret recon mission last cycle. He was never at the celebration."

Swindle stared at Starscream in horror. "Then that means…"

"Yes." Starscream nodded.

"It was Megatron."

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