Three Blind Mice

The Ark...

The mood inside Wheeljack's laboratory had improved tremendously over the last few hours. Never giving up, even to the point of going against his comrade's wishes, Wheeljack had succeeded in his task. The others helped, of course, but it was one Autobot's determination that pressed his luck long enough to stumble upon the solution.

As the group of four- Wheeljack, Rhinox, Huffer, and Perceptor, continued making slight altercations, their human friends watched on with a sense of relief. "I never doubted them for a second," Chip Chase smiled, nudging Spike in the shoulder.

Suddenly, a null-ray shot through the room, its point of origin just outside the lab entrance. The intended target, Autobot scientist Perceptor, fell to the cold, hard ground. He moaned in agony, unable to stand and finding it difficult to move at all. Spike turned to see the attacker, but in an instant, he found himself in the massive hand of Decepticon Thundercracker. Chip was violently scooped up by Skywarp. The third member of the terrifying trio, and the marksman that took down Perceptor, stepped out of the shadows. He stood arrogantly in front of his two followers.

"Starscream!" Wheeljack shouted in disbelief. "How did you get in here?" As soon as he had asked the question, he found his own answer. The security system had yet to be reactivated.

"How is unimportant," Starscream boasted. "The fact is that I'm here." He could sense movement from Rhinox, who was slowly reaching for his weapon. "Don't even think about it," he stated. "Unless the sight of human organs is something you fancy seeing!" Rhinox, realizing that Spike and Chip were being held hostage, reluctantly complied. "I don't know what's happened," Starscream admitted, commenting on the current state of things, "But I'm going to use it to my advantage!" He began to pace back and forth, spewing line after line of self-appreciating nonsense. "You will all join my ranks, as I take steps to reclaim what is rightfully mine- complete rule over the Decepticon Empire." Skywarp and Thundercracker had heard this speech a thousand times before, and tried hard not to look bored. "And then, I shall rule over the entire universe!"

Wheeljack desperately tried to remain standing in front of the newly created device, doing all he could to keep it out of view. With Huffer laughing at Starscream's outspoken dreams of dictatorship, Wheeljack took advantage of the distraction and searched for something to cover up the chamber. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough.

"You, there!" Starscream barked. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Wheeljack lied.

Starscream started walking towards the object, shoving Wheeljack out of his way. Rhinox and Huffer looked on in fear; in the background Perceptor slowly began to recover from his null-ray blast. "You lie," he roared. "What are you trying to hide?"

Seeing Starscream pick up the item sent panic throughout the room. "It's nothing," Rhinox interjected. "A weather-probe to take atmospheric samples." Huffer shook his head angrily. Of all the lies to choose from, he chose the one certain not to be believed. Apparently Starscream's status as a once-great scientist was momentarily lost on the Maximal.

The arrogant former leader of the Decepticons held the item close to his optics, turning it left, right, and upside down. "I don't believe you," he sternly announced. "I think it's a weapon... knowing how treacherous you Autobots can be, it probably has something to do with the way things are!" He paused for a moment of reflection, and then acted upon his impulse. With a single squeeze of his hand, he destroyed the chamber and allowed its pieces to fall through his fingers.

Huffer couldn't believe his optics. None of those who had worked so hard hours earlier wanted to believe what just happened. But the fact was, it had happened, and with its destruction, so too the last remaining threads of hope. "Damn you, Starscream," Huffer yelled, finding his way within an arm's reach from where Starscream stood. "Do you realize what you've just done? Do you?"

Starscream reached down and grabbed Huffer by the throat, lifting him high into the air, until they were face to face. "I just put an end to your new weapon," he said. "And next I'm going to put an end to you!"

"Go ahead," Huffer said coldly. "We're dead already."

Starscream tossed Huffer to the ground and aimed one of his null-ray lasers in his direction. "If that's the case, than you won't mind being the first to go!"

"I'd prefer you didn't do that," a booming voice called out. It was Optimus Prime, standing in front of several others who had just returned from their various travels.

Another voice roared through the air. "Starscream!"

The cowardly Decepticon couldn't believe his audio receivers. But his optics confirmed the reason for his sudden sensation of fear. "Megatron?"

"You sound disappointed," he replied as he stepped in front of Optimus Prime. He raised his powerful weapon and smiled. "How ironic. The very face you thought you had vanquished is now the last face you'll ever see." With that being said, Megatron blasted the traitor into oblivion. He then turned his attention towards Thundercracker and Skywarp. "As for you two..."

"Please, Megatron! Don't shoot!" Thundercracker pleaded. "We had no choice but to go along with Starscream!"

"We were outnumbered!" Skywarp added. "There was nothing we could have done!"

Megatron stood there looking at the two of them for what seemed like an eternity. He slowly lowered his weapon, giving Optimus Prime and the rest of the gathered Autobots and Maximals a brief moment of peace. Megatron stepped forward so that only the Seekers could hear his words. "I will spare your lives because the situation demands it. But abandon me again, and I will have you both begging for death."

end of chapter 24