A/N: Here we are, next chapter! Hope you enjoy, sorry it's shorter than some other I have written at the moment, but it's mad here at the moment so I'm writing when I get the chance! As always let me know what you think, I really enjoy reading your reviews. :)

Chapter 23

Never before had the smooth, uncluttered walls of Starscream's base bothered Alexis, but right now they were a curse to the two young women, who hurried along the vast corridor trying to stay inconspicuous. They had their size on their side, but having nothing to hide behind should the situation warrant, was unnerving. They had lost sight of the two casseticons several minutes ago, and now the halls were deserted, although distant echoes told them that there was a huge bustle of activity in the main hall.

"What exactly are you planning again?" asked Sari once again as they trotted along, casting backward glances anxiously.

"No idea," replied Alexis grimly. "If Megatron is coming, that means Starscream will soon challenge him for leadership."

"I don't think that sounds like a spectator situation, do you?" her friend hissed vehemently. "One encounter with Megatron was more than enough, or have you forgotten?"

Alexis hadn't forgotten that terrifying night, a lifetime ago it seemed, when the abandoned plane in her father's biggest barn had revealed itself to her, when she and Sari had quaked in front of two of the mightiest titans in the decepticon army, and by some miracle had survived.

"We need to get to the blaster," she muttered as they continued to run softly. "Frenzy will know where it is, I'm sure I can wangle it out of him. Starscream needs to be ready for this. I can't have him screw it up…"

The two of them emerged, panting, into the huge space which Alexis supposed served as a lobby, to their left loomed the vast black doors, the entrance to the base. To their right stretched the long passage which led to the hall. The distant sounds of footsteps and the rumble of voices could be heard more clearly now. Beside them reared a huge console for securing and monitoring the base, providing them with temporary cover.

"Right," breathed Alexis, leaning against the wall. "One more passage and we'll be in the hall."

"But what will you do if Starscream sees you? You're not Pet Number One any more, remember?"

Alexis glared at her. "Don't call me that!"

But Sari was biting her lip, and the familiar mischievous grin was spreading across her face. "What? That's what you are! Starscream's hamster!"

"I am NOT his hamster!'

Momentarily forgetting their plight, the two of them giggled and pushed each other playfully. But a dreadful grinding sound stopped them both dead. Something was forcing the massive doors, causing them to slowly wrench apart with squeals of tortured metal. Natural light flooded in, causing them both to blink. Simultaneously, they peered around the console at the hulking silhouette in the entrance. Then immediately shrank back.

Megatron had arrived.

With the quickest glance at each other, they both scrambled down onto the floor and underneath the console, which was raised two feet off the ground on squat legs.

From their position, they both caught sight of a huge grey foot, moving forward and planting itself on the floor with a BOOM. The impact sent a tremor through their bodies, causing them to swallow hard and wriggle further back into their hiding place. The decepticon leader slowly strode forward, stopping when he was just inside the door. They could hear other footsteps behind him outside, controlled, loyal footsteps of dozens of feet that halted in front of the base.

Alexis stared straight ahead at the massive foot in front of her, big enough to crush ten people at once. Megatron had stopped mere feet from them. Oh god, could he tell they were there? She felt a cold sweat break out all over her, just as Sari whispered next to her in the tiniest voice: "Fuck, I forgot how huge he is!"

Alexis gave the barest nod, not taking her eyes off the foot. Somehow, even from her limited viewpoint, she could almost sense the cold deadly fury pouring off the decepticon leader in waves. Another tremor made her jump and she saw another pair of feet stop next to Megatron. Just as she was wondering who it was she heard Sari whisper again beside her.

"Soundwave."

So this was decepticon in charge of Rumble and Frenzy. She wondered when she would hear their smaller, tinny footsteps, but none came. She had no time to ponder this though, as high above them, Megatron spoke. In the gloom, Alexis felt for Sari's hand and squeezed it tight.

"Imbecile." The deep, cold, rumbling voice was just as Alexis remembered it, and she shivered. "Disappointing, but hardly surprising. What I fool I am to trust that conniving, scheming piece of scrap metal. Soundwave, clear up this mess and command the others to wait. I'm placing you in charge of this sector. I'll deal with Starscream."

/Yes Megatron./

Alexis frowned. The one known as Soundwave had a truly strange, chilling voice, far more machine-like than any of the other transformers she had encountered. She risked wriggling a fraction further forwards, to the horror of Sari who let out a tiny, strangled squeak, and looked up.

Soundwave towered above them, as tall as Megatron and with a similar bulky physique, his blue armour gleaming. He didn't appear to have a mouth, just a visor that covered the bottom of his face, and blank, red eyes. He stood stiffly to attention beside his leader, his unwavering loyalty to the menacing grey decepticon evident. She wriggled back underneath, shuddering.

Alexis felt her courage begin to shrivel inside her. She had come so far, but how much longer could she last? Every cell of her body was screaming at her to run as soon as it was clear. The ground shook once more as Megatron began to stalk down the passage, followed by the sinister Soundwave.

Their footfalls eventually faded, and the ground was still once more. Alexis let out a deep, slow breath, and realised she had been holding it for the past minute. She turned to Sari.

"Come on. I think I know another way to the hall. We'll…"

Then the doors opened once more and the two girls flinched, worming their way backwards to hide once again as two more pairs of feet thundered over the threshold, the sounds of transformation completing above their heads. Alexis recognised these feet straight away, and after Megatron she almost welcomed the sight of Thundercracker and Skywarp. The doors began to slide shut once more.

"What are you looking at, eh? What? Come on, what?" jeered Skywarp, presumably at Megatron's lackeys waiting outside. "Yeah, that's it, wait there like good protoforms whilst the grown-ups sort this out! Ha!" The doors boomed shut and Skywarp sniggered. "Showtime, TC. Looks like Megatron's come to get his aft kicked."

"Mmm." Thundercracker's slow, rumbling voice didn't sound nearly as confident as his wing companion's. "I have a bad feeling though Skywarp. When we…" He broke off suddenly and inexplicably, and stood very still.

"When we what? Huh? When we what?" Skywarp probed.

Thundercracker didn't reply. Then, after a few painful seconds, he spun slowly on the spot, his feet turning around.

Facing the two human girls huddled under the console.

Alexis sucked in a breath again and held it, too tense to even try to shuffle back. Sari froze and stared, transfixed, at the feet now pointing towards them. In her minds eye Alexis could imagine Thundecracker's red eyes boring through the console, his infra-red picking out the vivid twin lumps of heat, glowing brightly amongst the cold metal. Alexis swallowed and in the darkness felt for her friend's hand once more.

He can see us he can see us he can see us….

Above them, Skywarp's puzzled voice could be heard. "Uh… Cybertron to Thundercracker. Hello? Hello?"

Thundercracker was silent, then, after an age, he replied absently, "What? What did you say?"

"What are you staring at the floor for?"

"Wha? The floor?"

"Yeah, the floor, numb nuts!"

"Uh, nothing." Thundercracker shifted, as if rousing himself. "It's nothing."

"O-kaaaaay…" Skywarp replied condescendingly. "So, come on, now what TC? Don't abandon me, I need your brains. What do we do next?"

"We're supposed to be alerted by Starscream to go to the armoury to collect the Blaster," Thundercracker answered.

So that's where it is.

"So, what are we waiting for? Megatron's here already! Let's go!"

"We can't," Thundercracker replied shortly. "I don't have the passcode for the armoury, no one does, except Starscream. I was meant to report back to him to get it. He changed the codes after he locked the weapon inside it."

"Well, get a com link open! Megatron's already here, in the hall with him! They could start firing at each other any second!"

"I'm TRYING that, moron!" Thundercracker snapped. "The channels are disrupted. Soundwave must've disabled 'em…"

"Right, I'll teleport in there." Skywarp's feet strode forward, stopping abruptly, as though Thundercracker had grabbed his shoulder. "He'll have thought of that Skywarp. You won't be able to teleport into that room."

"So you're saying we're screwed? The coup's off because we can't get into a room?"

Above them, Thundcracker paused. Then he moved forward, his feet coming closer, and closer to the console, blocking out the light. Sari buried her head in Alexis' shoulder.

"The only way into that room," Thundercracker rumbled above them, "…is through a ventilation shaft located to the west of the entrance. Only someone small enough would be able to breach the defences and get to the Blaster."

"Uh… okay…"

"If a Little Decepticon found the hinges melted, or something like that, then they would just have to wriggle inside and climb into the cabinet to retrieve the weapon," Thundercracker continued, slowly, and deliberately. His foot shifted slightly, pointing straight at Alexis as she stared at it. In the gloom under the console a slow smile began to spread across her face.

"`You're cracking up, you know that?" Skywarp strode over to Thundercracker. "Come on. We have to get to the hall before someone comes looking for us. Starscream's gonna need us to save his aft. Again."

The two jets strode off in the direction of the great hall. Their giant footsteps receded, leaving the vast space around them very quiet. After a time, Alexis shifted forward on her front, kicking her leg slightly to ease cramp that had set in there. She hauled herself out and stood up, dusting herself off. Beside her, Sari did the same.

"Sari, I'm going to the armoury to get the Requiem Blaster. It's the only thing that stands a chance of defeating Megatron."

"Then I'm coming with you," Sari replied without hesitation. "Two is always better than one." She smiled bravely, punching Alexis' arm with affection.

Alexis felt a rush of gratitude towards her. "You… you don't think I'm a traitor, do you?"

Sari bit her lip, but shook her head firmly. "You've got plenty of time to explain yourself if we live through this. Until then, I trust you. I'll help."

They set off at a run, back the way they had come.

"There's a service passage that was built for the casseticons," panted Alexis as she ran. "I've never been in it but I've seen it. It's there to enable them to perform deep repairs and gain access where the bigger ones can't reach. I think it'll bring us out nearer the armoury, and we'll be hidden. This way!"

Megatron stood in the middle of the hall, Soundwave behind him. He was seething, his components actually trembling in rage. In front of him lounged his second in command, having not bothered to rise when he entered, a devilish sneer on his mouth. Behind him Skywarp and Thundercracker flanked his chair.

"I have been so foolish," he spat, Starscream's nod of agreement threatening to overheat his already strained circuitry. "I entrust this continent to you, and what do I find when I come here? Green fields! Water! Human dwellings left intact!" He slammed his fist onto a nearby surface. "WHAT have you been up to Starscream? If you haven't been carrying out The Conversion, hmm? Is this another pathetic attempt to seize leadership?" Starscream opened his mouth, but Megatron cut across him. "I enjoyed a long period in which I could… trust you, Starscream," he growled. "Not to the extend I trust Soundwave" (Starscream's sneer increased) "…but a return to our days of old, when we both championed the decepticon cause!"

Starscream stood up, suddenly. "You have lost sight of the decepticon cause," he said softly. He stood only slightly shorter than the imposing grey leader, his wings gleaming, his optics burning into Megatron's.. The hall was silent. Nothing moved. Megatron's optics flickered around the hall, for the first time seeing the others assembled there. Soldiers of his own, silent, waiting, watching. But not watching him. No. Watching Starscream. Waiting for him to act.

"I see," Megatron growled softly.

Meanwhile behind Megatron, Soundwave stood motionless, ready to serve his leader, his eyes emitting a soft constant glow. Inside his chest nestled his casseticons. He felt their heat, their tiny minds whirring and prattling away to themselves. Soundwave could not be said to have a sense of pleasure, but he acknowledged a certain satisfaction at having all of his casseticons snugly back where they belonged. Frenzy's and Rumble's minds were unusually quiet; recharging no doubt. But one in particular was wide awake. He could sense it. Still concentrating on the scene before him, he turned a part of his cold mind to that particular casseticon, tuning into it's brain, picking apart the threads of thought and consciousness…

/two of them two of them I am Ravage I am Ravage two of them there are two of them I want them I want them I want to run I want to chase I want to kill I want to kill them two of them two of them let me kill them let me run I want to run I am Ravage…/

All the decepticons knew Ravage was insane, and they had told Soundwave so, many times. But he had just looked at them. To him sanity mattered little. There was only logic. Ravage did his job. They all knew that too. Ravage could sense two humans. Humans are the enemy. Ravage had not been out in a while. Therefore the solution was very simple, very logical.

Soundwave reached up and pressed his chest compartment. The cassette leapt out, having transformed before hitting the floor.

/thank you thank you I am Ravage I can smell them I want to kill them I will kill them master I will I will I can run I can kill I am Ravage/

Ravage spun with lightening speed, his tail lashing behind him like a whip. He gave a snarl and bounded off, faster than a cheetah, into the dark halls to find his prey.