Chapter 8

Lost & Defeat

"Optimus…!"

"Elita…" Optimus whispered as he opened his eyes from his dream. It was that voice that continued to haunt him, every night now. He gets up and checked himself against a mirror. He looked awful and of course, he wasn't getting enough recharging. Feeling restless, Optimus had his optics faded. Concealing his feelings and his expressions for so long…he had forgotten to know the other one's feelings and when Jetfire got mad at him, he never thought hiding his true identity would kill him so…

When Jetfire was young, Optimus was impressing happiness; almost like having a son of his own. But when it comes to trusting other people, Optimus was a little overprotective. It was the fact, Jetfire was a Decepticon and the Autobots had always feared to have a Decepticon on their side.

Optimus felt bad, he raised him not to interact with others or trust them so easily. Thankfully Jetfire was coming along on his own, even when he was young, he was always arguing with Optimus of why he had to be so alone.

-Tap, Tap-

"Who's there?" Optimus answered.

"It's me, Red Alert. I have the reports of our men's condition from last night battle." Optimus sighed, last night was horrible. "I also did a little research about the Guardians units." Optimus perked up as he continued to listen from the other side of the door. "I find out, Elita is involved with this…" The door slide open and Red Alert looked up to his leader. "Sir…?"

"Let us discuss this somewhere else…"

Hearing a familiar sound, Jetfire could hear it in his sleep, the Lilium tune. Another senseless dream, Thrust presented himself in front of the young him.

"He is the key to winning this war, you know."

Looking at his side, he sees another mech that he remembered well. "Dad…" He whispered. This was a part of a memory but yet a dream. Jetfire shuddered as he started to remember about the large transformer that killed his father.

"Father…" He cried.

And that impacting punch, he got by that big mech. His memory, he remembered he lost it.

Looking up again, the scene changed. When he was present age now, he stood nowhere of the flowery field alone.

"Jetfire…you look so sad, what wrong?" Jetfire spooked as he turn around to see who was talking to him. In his surprise was a female mech, a bit shorter then him but with familiar designs of his own. "You shouldn't be sad, Jetfire. You should be happy and look cute for your mother." She recalled.

"Mom…" Jetfire called, he quickly embraced her. "Mother…!" He cried as he tighter his embrace. Having this dream, Jetfire was pleased to remember about his own mother.

"Oh you're such a baby…you make your mother grow uneasy. So much you changed and your insignia red now?" She asked as Jetfire continue to sob over her. But then he realized. He was once a Decepticon wasn't he? "I don't care which team you are on as long you are safe…and happy…my son…" She explained as she startled to feel nervous.

"Mother…?" Jetfire called as he released her.

She smiled and lifted her finger and pointed aside, Jetfire followed and saw Skywarp holding up a flower that it petals were breaking off the stem. "Skywarp…?" Jetfire looked back to his mother except she vanished into sparkling dust. "Mom…?"

"Your sky…" She finally said until then Jetfire no longer see the dust.

Jetfire sighed but went up to Skywarp.

"Interesting observation of these flowers. Don't you think Jetfire?" Skywarp spoken out as Jetfire stared confusedly at him. The seeker looked back to the flyer. "Except I found one more interesting then ever…" Passing him, a rare violent and pink energon flower that glowed nicely towards Jetfire's golden optics.

"It's beautiful…" He exclaimed that gave Skywarp a reason to smile.

"I know…" Skywarp said then he raised his hands to Jetfire's head. Placing his metallic hands of his cheeks, Jetfire snuggled with them. But Jetfire realized he was pulled closer to Skywarp's face. He knew Skywarp wanted to kiss him and by primus Skywarp's kisses were simply wonderful except Jetfire felt a sudden change of the atmosphere. As Jetfire looked, he realized Skywarp changed into someone else. "Starscream…?" Jetfire exclaimed. As he was close for a kiss, he woke up, heavily feeling heat inside his systems.

What was that? He didn't understand. The dream made no sense when Starscream appeared and invaded it all into a nightmare. Besides him, Jetfire saw Skywarp sleeping quietly at the other end of the berth. Seeing those bandaged wounds, he thought of Starscream. He once remembered he use to think about Starscream, how he first met him on earth, how he reacted every time he faced him, and how he and Starscream did that one mission on Mars…

'Starscream…' He thought helpless as he sighed.

In surprise, Skywarp rolled over and accidentally landed his hand onto Jetfire's crotch. Dreaming so innocently, he rubbed it, Jetfire freaked. Knocking him senseless, Skywarp woke up and whined. "What did I do?!" As he looked at his mate expressed a pissed-off face, Skywarp was confused.

"For being pervert…!" Jetfire exclaimed.

"But I didn't do anything, I'm honest!" Skywarp confessed.

"Don't lie!" As Jetfire tackled the seeker, he came over him and pinned him down on the bed, he growled.

Suddenly the door slide opened as both of them were startled.

"Hey Skywarp…I was wondering if...uh…eh…" Sideswipe voice went numb as he set sight of Jetfire and Skywarp in awkward position. "Maybe I came in the wrong time or something…?" He sweated.

"It looks bad doesn't it usually Jetfire at the bottom." Skywarp informed as Jetfire flinched of what he said.

"What…!"

When they settled down, the three of them sat down upon the bed. "What did you want before Sideswipe?" Skywarp asked as Jetfire sat quietly and basically listened to their conversation. Thankfully, Skywarp was getting better with everyone, Jetfire finally thought.

"Actually it's about Optimus and Red Alert, their recent discussion."

"Why? We're you eavesdropping?"

"Yes, accidentally I was overhearing it…but it's about the special Guardian units." Skywarp gulped as he saw Jetfire perked up his audio.

"Why are you telling me this?" Skywarp asked anxiously.

"I just wanted to know, why would Megatron make a deal with Alpha Q? Don't they hate each other?" Sideswipe said as Skywarp sighed.

"They do except Alpha Q offered a price to Megatron if he gotten hold of Jetfire." Jetfire noticed the anger tone in Skywarp's voice when he spoke his name. "Except Alpha Q had other tricks under his armor,"

"Why is that?" Jetfire answered.

"My uncle, Thrust. Was the one that made plan on the first place, so he uses Alpha Q as an advantage, he just wanted a powerful ally."

"Is Starscream with this?" Jetfire asked straightforward. Skywarp was a bit surprise of him when he spoke about traitorous cousin but he answered anyway.

"Yes, he was involved including me…except…"

"Except what…?" Jetfire questioned cutting though.

"When I saved you from Cyclonus, Megatron punished me and Thrust decided to exclude me because of that when I overheard him talking to Starscream before I left."

Jetfire then felt utterly terrible. "I really cause you too much trouble didn't I Skywarp?" His optics was beginning to get ready to cry.

Skywarp then sighed with a smile as he rubbed his mate's helm. "It doesn't matter now, I have you." Skywarp begin to spread a smile, Sideswipe felt uneasy.

"Um…sorry to break the moment guys…but what is Alpha Q gonna do to Jetfire?"

"He's a Guardian Unit. It all depends which type, he is. My guess if he's a flyer, he's an Air Guardian."

"Air Guardian…? Sounds lame…" Jetfire recalled as Skywarp felt hopeless.

"I know. Alpha Q only makes them as a weapon. Therefore, if Jetfire is Air G-Unit, he has the power that includes Air or space…"

"Me a weapon…? You got to be kidding me."

"Space…? Red Alert mentioned a black hole." Sideswipe recalled.

"Impossible, un-least…"

Suddenly the siren alarmed the trio and it mentioned that they were supposed to attend the briefing room right away. It seems ironic, when the trio looked at each other and the timing was so, weird.

"We'll have to discuss this later." Skywarp finally said, getting up.

Inside the briefing room, the Autobots were attended.

"What's the problem now?" Blurr asked seriously. Scavenger looked at him and his condition. With a broken scraped arm, there was no way for a shooter, Blurr can attend this mission.

"You can't be serious, you coming with us?" Scavenger asked as Blurr gave him a dagger stare.

"Of course, I can't let you have the fun can I?" Blurr answered that was overheard by Red Alert.

"I reckon not. With your arm like that, your not going anywhere except here with me and Jetfire." Red Alert commanded, Blurr sighed. "Anyway…we receive a message from Megatron."

"A threat message, no doubt." Blurr recalled.

"I wish." Red Alert reclaimed that shaken everyone a bit.

In the middle of the table they surrounded, Red Alert quickly fast typed on the keyboard in front of him, receiving a screen of Megatron with his message being played.

"Hello there my fellow Autobots…I am hoping you all are listening to what I am going to say…but really it all depends on my ex-soldier…Skywarp."

Skywarp flinched as Jetfire looked at him.

"Skywarp…I hate to say it but your cousin had a little problem of double-crossing me also. As you can see I wasn't too happy." Viewing Starscream scraped body, everyone gasped especially Skywarp. Megatron continued. "Right now I'm giving you a decision I am willing to give him his freedom unless you reconsider of returning your place of the Decepticons' ranks." Jetfire choked but kept his expression cleared from everyone's view only Skywarp noticed, he always notice his mate. "Meet me alone or with somebody, I really don't care just bring everyone if you want but come to the forest in the field at high noon. That is where we will trade depending on your choice, your freedom or his." The message was finished and was cleared from the view. Even Prime was having a problem seeing Megatron making such a big deal out of this.

"Skywarp…" Sideswipe called, Jetfire followed the younger mech glaze. Seeing Skywarp clutching his fists at his sides, he growled under his mask.

"Skywarp," Optimus finally called but the seeker ignored it and quickly rushed out the room with his anger. Jetfire soon followed. "Jetfire," Optimus called except he was too late as Jetfire had left out the door.

"Give him time, Prime." Red Alert said.

The doors automatically closed behind him as Jetfire called out for Skywarp. The reddish optics glazed upon him, calmly.

"You have to save him, don't you?" Jetfire asked as Skywarp looked away from his mate's face.

"I have too; he is the only family I have." Skywarp explained as Jetfire seemed confused.

"But last night…" Jetfire tried to point out as Skywarp just sighed.

"Even if he abuses me…he's still my cousin…" Skywarp claimed as he shuddered. Jetfire grabbed hold of his shoulder to calm him.

"Then you're going?" Jetfire explained as he felt so tensed of saying it.

"When I was young when the war is still at rage, Starscream took care of me and saved me so many times. And so this is the time, I exchange my life for his." Skywarp explained as his optics begin to fade. Jetfire sighed as he looked aside.

"Then your memories and everything you know…would be…." Jetfire choked as he almost reached his point and felt utterly silenced as he whispered it "lost".

Skywarp then turn around to face his mate personally, his hand smoothing his cheek, Skywarp spoke.

"Then make me remember. That I am yours." Skywarp embraced him making his mate spread a confidence smile. As they laid each other foreheads together, Skywarp back away from Jetfire as the doors of the briefing room opened. Scavenger appeared.

"Is it decided Skywarp?" He asked as Skywarp nodded. "Are you sure, we can always find another way to…"

"It's alright." Skywarp cut him off. "I have too." He explained as Sideswipe and Optimus appeared.

"Then it's arranged." Optimus answered, Skywarp nodded.

Looking back to Jetfire one more time, he smirk and left with the others but already Jetfire felt the despair…

Inside the briefing room, Blurr gave a misery sigh back to Red Alert as he monitored Optimus leaving with the rest of the crew into the warp-gate. As laser-beck finally repaired it was send out after Optimus's squad.

"Do not worry too much Jetfire, Skywarp would be alright." Red Alert announced hoping to release the flyer's stress.

"I hope your right…but there something wrong about this…" Jetfire begin to explain as Red Alert looked at him with interest of what he was going to say.

"And that is?"

"Why would Megatron want Skywarp back?" Jetfire asked as everyone in the room was silenced…