Next time Thundercracker enters the brig he is alone. When Starscream checks his chrono it shows that only a few days has passed since his capture.
"No chaperone this time?" he sniffs in disdain. He hates the Aerialbots and what they have done. If they had just lost themselves in time as had been expected this wouldn't have happened.
The genuine laughter at his obvious insult takes him by surprise and when he looks up the blue optics are sparkling. Scowling he turns his back to the blue seeker deciding to ignore the fragger.
Slowly the laughter dies down and then silence takes over. It is almost deafening and Starscream wonders if Thundercracker has left. When he turns to look he is shocked to see the ancient seeker sitting on the cold floor studying him with calculating optics.
Before he can open his mouth to voice out a scathing comment, Thundercracker speaks.
"The Prime has told me everything." the blue seeker rumbles in the voice just a bit softer than what his trinemate's voice had been.
At the words Starscream flinches and his wings flare high on his back. Why is Thundercracker telling him this? Why is he here? Why is he so interested in Starscream? Alert, he retreats a bit further into the cell putting more space between them. He is at the blue seeker's mercy if Thundercracker decides to do anything. He is weaponless, smaller than the other and even if he led his blue trinemate through all those vorns of war the seeker in front of him is millennia older and far more experienced.
A slight hurt is evident in the blue optics and the wings lowers on the blue seeker's back at the sight of the flared but trembling white wings, conveying Starscreams unease and fear of him.
"Starscream you know that I'm not like that. Never once have I hurt you or your troublesome trinemate during your time at the Academy even if you at times warranted punishment." The ancient seeker murmurs softly, servos open and reaching, yearning to touch to sooth but knowing that doing so is going to be a big mistake.
"This is war." Starscream whispers back, feeling like a youngling again when in the company of the old seeker.
"It doesn't matter Starscream. I don't like this Cybertronian against Cybertronian war you all have going, and I have told the Prime that. But the fact is, I can't return to my time. I'm stuck here in the future and while you all have fought this war for thousands of vorns, to me it still feels like yesterday I graduated you and your trinemate from the Academy." Thundercracker explains, and at the sight of the lowering white wings he smiles reassuringly.
"To me you are still that impossibly clever young seeker who challenged me in everything." He adds with a wide smile.
"But…I thought you hated me for that?" Starscream frowns.
"Asking questions and challenging the here and now is healthy and something I wish more had done. I'm sure we wouldn't be here now if that had been the case." The blue seeker sighs.
After a moment of hesitation Starscream scoots closer to the vicious bars separating the two seekers and curious red optics shines brightly. "Why are you here, now, Thundercracker? Why are you so interested in me?"
"Because I remember the promising duo you and Skywarp were. And for me it has only been a few vorns since I let you graduate. I remember your potential. I want to make you remember. War is never the solution. Even if everyone glorified it, the Quintesson War was a desperate measure. We had no other choice but to fight. We were slaves to our masters. There was something to fight for; our right to live and be free. Tell me, what do you fight for now? The right to destroy? The right to enslave others?" the ancient seeker asks in a tone devoid of any accusation.
"I…" Starscream realizes that he has no valid answer beyond those already provided by the blue seeker and suddenly he feels a bad taste in his mouth. Those aren't even valid answers, but how the Decepticon Cause has become. Every single one of the answers he recognizes as the only valid ones belongs to the Autobot Cause.
'What have I done?'