Chapter Twenty-One
Optimus walked into Skybolt's quarters surprising the airliner, he scrambled to stand after lying on his berth only stop halfway when the Prime held up his hand. "How is your wing?" he asked walking over to the mech's desk and taking a seat.
"M-My wing?" Skybolt stuttered confused.
"You did say you were having problems with it, did you not?" smirking behind his faceplate and trying to keep the amusement out of his voice, though it seemed some slipped through.
"O-Oh, yes, yes I did." Remembering the excuse he made up in order to meet up with his team and rescue Moongaze. "It's fine." He replied looking down at the floor.
"Ratchet tells me Moongaze should regain consciousness soon. He would like you to be there when she does considering the trouble she gave Mirage." Optimus informed him.
Skybolt looked away from the Autobot leader even though he was still looking at the floor. "Surefire would be better." He said.
"Is there a reason you're avoiding your medic, when you were so eager to go after her two days ago?" the semi asked partly confused.
"I'm not…" he looked up at the Prime almost in shock. "You knew, didn't you? Even before anyone else." He received a nod in reply. "How?"
"I see many things others do not." Optimus began mysteriously "I had a feeling that you would be a good leader for this team and it seems I was right."
Skybolt looked down at the floor again, "no-one thought I would be a good leader not even my creators." He said sadly.
The semi walked over to the HIT leader and placed a hand on his shoulder, "they knew you would be a good leader also. They just didn't like the idea that it would be so far away from them."
The white and black mech looked up and gave a smile, "thanks." He said.
The Prime gave a nod. "Though I suspect there has been something between you and Moongaze that none of your team know."
Skybolt chuckled lightly, "did my creators tell you that?"
"No, the interaction you have with each other."
Skybolt gave him a confused look. "Our interaction?"
Optimus gave a nod, "I could tell there was something between the two of you when she was assigned to your team upon your first meeting."
"A lot of things have changed since then."
"Have they? Go and see to her when she onlines and you will see they have not." The semi walked out leaving a confused airliner in his wake.
"Have you noticed how strange those seekers have been acting lately?" Stampede asked Beat as they sat in what classed as their rec room.
The iPod gave a nod, "I'm willing to bet they know something we don't."
"Like where that human female is." The Nissan concluded.
"And why would we know that, we weren't the ones who let them get away." A voice said almost smugly interrupted the two Decepticons.
Stampede growled as both he and Beat turned to the voice, "where's your shadow, Skywarp? He finally ditch you after realising what a loser you are." He said insultingly referring to Thundercracker.
Beat chuckled, while they had seen Starscream away from the blue and black seekers neither of them, or Shadowstrike, had seen Skywarp without Thundercracker or vice versa. "Had a little argument did we? Aww what a shame." The black and silver mech mocked.
As they laughed at Skywarp's expense both Decepticons were expecting some kind of retort or witty comeback, at the very least a swing at one of them, though what actually happened surprised the slag out of them. After standing there for a moment or so, fists shaking down by his sides, the black seeker turned and left. The Nissan and iPod stared in amazement for a moment before looking at each other.
"It's time we told Strike." The electric blue mech said receiving a nod from his teammate.
Shadowstrike sat in the commander centre going over all the information they had on the human's 'secret project'. He smirked slightly upon thinking of how the information had been obtained only for it to turn into a snarl when he remembered the last human, the last piece to the puzzle had 'disappeared' before they had a chance to quest...okay torment the information out of her. He couldn't tell Megatron that they he had lost the girl after proclaiming so victoriously that he'd got her, he'd be killed which would no doubt please the seeker trine profusely. Of course I could blame all on Starscream again. He thought with a chuckle. He looked back down at his datapad and sighed, no matter how many times he read it he would not be able to find the location of that damned facility. He needed to find that slagging human and before the Decepticon leader called again. The black mech looked over at the doors upon hearing them open and saw the Nissan and iPod, he narrowed his red optics at them "whatever you want can wait, I'm rather busy." He almost growled out looking down at the datapad again.
"So you wouldn't care to know the strange seeker behaviour we've noticed then." Beat replied half sarcastically knowing it would peak the BMW's curiosity.
"What?" Shadowstrike said instantly looking up at the mechs.
"It's true, Strike." Stampede confirmed "we've just insulted Skywarp and he didn't even retaliate, just walked out." He was still slightly shocked by it.
"Hmmm, interesting." The black mech said as he remembered an encounter with Starscream two days ago.
Flashback
"I don't see why you're wasting your time in trying to find something you've already lost." The red seeker told the BMW boredly.
"That human has to be around here somewhere, they can't have gone far."
"Face it, Shadowstrike, the Autobots have won and we will never discover where the energy was stored." Starscream pointed out.
"Why don't you make yourself useful for a change, Starscream, and go out and look." The black mech snapped.
"We already have and found nothing."
If Shadowstrike could blink he would be at what he had just heard, "w-what?" he asked surprised all his anger gone.
"Must I really spell it out to you?" seeing the black mech still stare at him with a dumbfounded look he continued "fine," folding his arms across his chest. "Thundercracker, Skywarp and I have searched, in great detail I might add, all over this country for the facility and have found nothing. I can only assume that the Autobots have got to the energy first which is the reason why we cannot find it."
End flashback
Starscream was actually being nice to him, he should have figured something was up the moment he opened his mouth. Now that Beat and Stampede had told him about the other seekers behaviour he was extremely suspicious, he narrowed his optics as he thought what are those seekers up to?
Upon seeing the narrowed optics and annoyed look upon Shadowstrike's face Stampede and Beat chuckled, "those seekers are in for it now." The Nissan said.