== Reconciliation ==

By Ayngel

Chapter 6. Earth: Day 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, nor do I own any of the characters or concepts, nor do I make any money from any story written about Transformers. Please do not sue me.

Starscream is the ultimate manipulator...

Warnings: Slash, implied sexual acts between mechanical entities.

Scene: Earth/Desert/Early morning/Decepticon Camp

Author: Designation Skywarp.

Elite Aerial Combat Unit.

Position: Second in Command.

As I emerged into the main area of the base, the cat padded off to my left where I could see, a short distance away, Megatron having a conversation with Soundwave. Our leader flashed bright silver in the morning sun. Far over the other side, I could see Screamer and TC with the triplets. There was a crispness to the air and the desert had that orange glow again, and I thought once more how strangely like the Iron Hills it was.

I started over towards my wingmates but before I had got very far, I saw another mech approaching from the left. It was Rumble; purple chest puffed out, his small form strutted with a huge sense of importance. He looked, as usual, as though he'd just been handed the Decepticon High Command. I always found the sight of him like that irritating, but today it was especially so because he looked as though he'd had a decent night's recharge, whereas I most certainly had not.

I went to ignore him and to keep going over to the others, but he called out "hey, you .."

I turned to the little punk

"Are you talkin' to me?"

"Yeah!" he said, coming to a halt. And then he drew himself up, and a smug look came about him. "Megatron wants to see ya! So you'd better get yer aft over there ..." and he gave me another look which was, I think, supposed to convey that he'd just been completed a mission of huge importance and shown how much more highly thought of he was than me in the scheme of things here; then he turned and strutted away again, feet crunching in the gravel, hide glinting in the morning sun.

I made a mental note that as soon as we were alone together he was on the hit list. No matter what Soundwave or the Cat did or said.

.................................................

As I crossed to the leaders area, I decided that I had to hand it to Megatron. Despite all we had been through, he looked magnificent. His perfect angular features looked handsome and aristocratic, his helmet shone like a beacon and the whole of the rest of him was polished to a high shine. Standing there gleaming in the sunlight, hands on hips, awaiting my arrival, he radiated energy and purpose.

He did, of course, have the triplets to work on him. That was mainly what they were here for. Nevertheless, the result was impressive. I was reminded of why I had first joined the 'Cons all those aeons ago before the war.

I just hoped that all that power and raw energy wasn't about to be vented on me over whatever it was he wanted to see me about.

Beside him stood the dark silent bulk of Soundwave and, at his feet was the Cat. It was, of course, too much to hope for that this would be a private appointment, although at least Rumble seemed to have gone elsewhere.

As I came up to them I saw that Soundwave, as usual, had no expression and was completely still, arms folded. The cat had the Earth thing on the ground in front of her held down by her paws and was pulling it apart piece by piece; little white objects and fluffy things and other revolting looking mushy parts were scattered all around. A red liquid which had dried in places was all over the place as well. I wondered if that was the equivalent of energon.

The creature, whatever it had been, was organic and of no use whatsoever. I wondered what in Kell was the point of doing what the cat was doing, but then I remembered that the cat liked killing, just for fun, and there didn't actually have to be a point to it. She seemed not to even notice I was there now, she was so bound up with her sport.

"Ah, Skywarp," Megatron smiled. He looked down at me, still smiling and I thought that this might be all right. He didn't have the fusion canon attached to his arm, and that was a good sign. Although not necessarily....

He smiled again. "Now, tell me – tell your Leader - how are you feeling today?"

Now I didn't like the smile. It was too much that sort of smile which meant trouble. It made all my circuits creep - but the trick was to appear like nothing was wrong. "Fine, Sir!" I said brightly, although it was a long way from true. I'd felt like I'd been through a trash compactor when I came online and I still felt as rough as uncut energon now. "Yeah, fine ..."

"That's good, good ..." he was staring straight at me, red optics shining. " .... really good! Because Soundwave tells me you underwent some sort of intense emotional disturbance last night!"

I froze. I was conscious of the great blue blob just standing there not saying anything. I still had the weirdest images in my conscious pool, of mountains and lakes and tall buildings with spires and arches. Then there were others - of battles and bodies in the Ark. I knew something had happened, but I could not pinpoint in my memory circuits as to what.

Soundwave couldn't read my thoughts, of course. I was a Seeker, an assimilate, and as such he could only read my emotions. He wouldn't have known what was said in the row I'd had with TC, nor whatever had gone on in my head whilst I was in that Primus awful pathetic excuse for a recharge last night. No, he wouldn't have seen any of that.

But he would sense I was still worried – because even though I felt reassured by Screamer's gentle touch earlier, I still did not know exactly what he and TC were planning to do, and I still had that sick feeling . He would pick that up, and he would also, worse still - so bad that I groaned inside - know about the tears. Both last night and this morning.

And he would have told Megatron about the tears, and my energon chamber gave a lurch as I realised that the tears were probably why I was over here now.

Now the blue creep's red optics were on me, and it did nothing to make me feel better. And I felt all anxious about what Megatron was going to say and I knew he'd be picking up on that as well, and I tried not to feel even more nervous about it, and at the same time it annoyed me intensely because it was just such a nerve and I remember thinking that Soundwave was the only thing I hated about the Cons, and then squashing that thought too because I knew he'd be bound to pick something out of it for sure.

I looked at the ground and scuffed at a rock. I felt like I was on display. In the distance were clanking sounds as though some sort of contraption were being put together and from the direction of the cat came the crunching of some alien substance. Otherwise, the sounds of Earth went on as they undoubtedly always did; insects hummed in the sunshine, birds cawed as they wheeled overhead and somewhere a creature called out.

I could feel him glaring at me, all silver and powerful. "Well?"

I didn't look up. I said "Er – well, y'see ... Thundercracker said this thing. It – er – upset me at the time. But it's sorted now..." Then when he said nothing, I dared to look up at him.

He was smiling. That awful smile usually reserved for Screamer which made the energon freeze in my conduits . "I see ...," he said. He turned and took a few paces away from me. An even worse sign. When he paced.

Soundwave was still standing there not moving. More crunching and crushing sounds came from the cat.

I stole a glance past Megatron to the other side of the camp. I could see the forms of Screamer and TC over by the structure. At that moment I really wished Screamer were there beside me – partly because at the sight of him my spark gave a pulse, but partly because it would be good if he could bear the brunt of what I was sure now was headed my way. Despite everything, I couldn't help noticing that he and TC looked like they were having some sort of argument. I caught the sound of Screamer's vocaliser screeching something and then TC shouted something back, but I couldn't catch it.

I strained to hear more, but Megatron turned back to me and I looked quickly back at him. His superior alloys rustled softly; his feet crunched in the gravel. "Skywarp," he said softly, "do you know how many doubts I had about engaging you three for this mission?"

"No sir ..."

"Do you know how much easier it would have been for me to bring the coneheads?"

"I guess it would've been, Sir ..." Would it?

An image ran through my head then of Thrust and Dirge with something horrible in their hands. It looked like - a saw. It was to do with something last night, I knew. That stuff I couldn't remember. Whatever it was, it made me shudder. I shut it out.

He was right in front of me again, his hands on his hips, looking down at me. His red optics blazed brightly. "And do you know why I did not bring the Coneheads?"

"Not really, sir ..."

"I brought you three because I needed innovation and team work in this place and I cannot deny that in the past you three have ..." he turned away again and looked over to where Screamer and TC still looked to be having words "... you have - much as it may pain me to admit it - shown yourselves capable of providing this when you operate together ..."

Beyond him, it looked as though TC yelled something at Screamer and then charged away, and Screamer threw his hands in the air like in frustration. Trying to think about what Megatron was saying and not about them, I swallowed and said: "Thank you sir. I'm sure we can – er – innovate just fine"

"Yes, you three are very good together...," he was saying, still looking across to where Screamer was now standing alone and staring after TC. His voice was calm but now I sensed a simmering fury behind it. Then his foot tapped impatiently in the gravel and I heard Soundwave shift and a chill ran through my circuits, because I sensed what was coming.

Sure enough he rounded and I flinched as, optics blazing, his seemed to swell, and he burst out

"BUT NOT WHEN YOU ARE ENGAGED IN NONSENSICAL EMOTIONAL RELATIONSHIP RUBBISH!"

His voice echoed off the surrounding rocks. Beside me I heard Soundwave make a slight noise and it seemed as if elsewhere in the camp the sounds stopped.

"No sir .." Now I definitely wasn't looking at TC and Screamer, and I was aware that I was stammering, and I was looking at the ground again and wishing a crack would open and I could jump in.

"I WON"T HAVE IT!" he yelled, and now I heard his feet in the gravel again, furiously pacing. "THIS IS AN ARMY! NOT SOME PRAXAN HOLODRAMA! I EXPECT YOU THREE TO BEHAVE LIKE THE SOLDIERS YOU ARE, NOT LIKE A BUNCH OF FEMMES WHO CAN'T COPE WITH THEIR BOND MATES!"

There was absolute silence. Even the Earth noises seemed to have stopped. I know I was shaking. Soundwave made another noise and that moment I detested that blue creep even more than usual. I was also aware that Ravage had finished pulling apart the critter, whatever it was, and it was in pieces all over the place. She got up and slunk away.

Megatron was right there, glaring at me and I thought : This is it. He's going to hit me. Right in front of everyone. Well I guess if Screamer can take it then so can I ...

And, strangely, on top of everything else that had happened it suddenly didn't seem as serious as it otherwise would have been. I remember being thankful that the fusion canon was sitting on the ground.

I braced, and closed my optics. But then, he sighed.

And to my relief he didn't hit me.

I dared to look up at him. "I'd expect this from the triplets. Not you three .."

I looked back at the ground and tried to appear sorry for my sins. Soundwave was still there. I remember thinking: Primus, don't you have anything better to do with your time?

There was a silence again. Slowly the clanging started up again in the distance. Megatron looked like his anger had just sort of – gone and I realised I'd been lucky enough to have him vent his fury without getting clouted, which never usually happened with Screamer. Now he was even smiling again.

"Anyway," he was pacing again, but with a softer air. "Having said that, you've got more intelligence in that circuitry than an entire squadron of coneheads put together Skywarp ... " he turned to me. "That's why you are here!" He gleamed in the sunlight.

I looked up at him and tried to smile: "Thank you sir."

He smiled. "Tell me Skywarp, can you still teleport?"

I tried to think of the question and not my relief. It was a funny question, seeing as how the Autobots were all dead and there weren't going to be any battles here. And I was a bit rusty. There hadn't really been much call for it in the Provinces.

I said: "Yeah I er - haven't done it for a while ..." but then I caught the look on his face, and the smile had definitely gone again. I pulled myself up. "Yes - of course, Sir ..." I said

The smile was back. "Good! I want you to hone up on that skill. We may need it here .."

"Certainly sir ..."

"And Skywarp ..."

"Yes sir .."

"You can drop the "sir." Now that was definitely a good sign.

"Thank you sir. I mean, thank you...."

He put a hand on my shoulder and his touch and I could feel the strength and deadly power in it.

"I've got high hopes for you, Skywarp. Don't disappoint me."

And it should have made me feel better but for some reason, instead, it chilled me to the core.

.........

When I got across to Starscream, TC was nowhere to be seen. I said "Where's TC?"

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind the same clump of rocks which had hidden me from the sight of the rest of the camp during my strange recharge the night before.

"The Triplets are going to prepare a spot for the foundations of the launch pad," he said softly, "somebody needs to see that they don't screw it up. I thought he'd be best for the job...." He still had hold of my wrist and he drew me close to him and was looking into my optics. "That way you and I get to spend a little time together, Warp. Just you – and me...."

I closed my optics. "I thought you'd like that" He ran his knuckles gently down my cheek.

I longed for him. So much. I could not in all the history of knowing him remember longing for him like that, like I did then.

"Warp, look at me!" I opened my optics. His were searching mine, deeply, and they were beautifully crimson, with the dark rim around them. "You are so precious to me, Warp. And we are going to do so well here...." I felt him let go of my wrist and I reached for his hand, wanting to take hold of it forever. Our hands clasped and I was still looking straight into his optics and I felt the gentle touch on my cheek again, and I closed my optics again and longed even more, feeling the alien-ness of the earth sun and the sounds around and just wanting him to take me away back to Cybertron forever and forget all about this place..

"Soundwave has worked out a way to make energon cubes," he was saying, "all we need to do is locate a few sources of energy and get a stash and then we will be off back to Cybertron, and everything will be so much better. We can spend so much more time together..."

I know I murmured "Oh Screamer, I think I love you ..." aware that I'd never, ever said anything like it before but feeling that I meant it and at the same time vaguely remembering how I'd scoffed at TC for saying it when now I understood perfectly because it really wasn't hard at all to love Screamer. Then I thought of TC and I suddenly needed to ask about him, and I opened my mouth , but I felt his finger over my lips. Then he was real close and I felt his lips against mine and I leaned into him and put my arms around him, because I wanted then to just kiss him and kiss him, deeply, and never stop, but he pulled away.

"Later, little one ..." he said. His fingers touched my cheek one last time. "Later ...! Right now we have work to do. Come ...

Red white and blue dazzling brightly, his face so beautiful in the Earth light, he transformed with a grace and power which took my breath away, and took off.

........

We roared over what remained of the structure for the sixth or seventh time and let go a volley of cluster bombs. The sounds were deafening and delicious around the canyon. The last parts standing exploded in a shower of steel fragments, and smoke rose up from the ruins. Then we streaked away over the low hills which lay beyond the structure, him just below and ahead of me, stunning blue and white against the orange surface below.

How I loved him! And how good it felt to be flying – especially with him. The wind flowed over all my surfaces, cool against the heat of the sun. He banked hard around, wispy contrails flowing from his wingtips, and I burned around inside his turn, the noise from our engines hammering into the rocks below.

"That should do it," he said. I was enjoying myself too much; I felt fantastic. I said "can't we just do one more strafing run – just for old times' sake?"

To my great disappointment, he was gently reproachful. "No, Skywarp, we cannot. All must be in good time. For now, we have energy which must be conserved...." Then he called Rumble. "All right – we've finished. Go and do whatever it is you are going to do."

We transformed not far from where TC had given me the devastating news just the night before. It seemed a very long time ago now – but now his words came back to me with renewed terror and tears stung my optics at the thought that there might even be a slight grain of truth in it. I had hoped we would land out of sight of the camp because I wanted desperately now for him to hold me and to settle this once and for all – I felt as though I needed that from him more than anything else in the Universe. But no – we were in full view – and he did not even say anything, he started to walk across to where Rumble was activating his pile drivers. My despair increased.

I couldn't help it, I ran after him and clutched at his arm. "Starscream, wait ..." my voice wavered. He stopped and turned to me, and his face was not unkind, but it was tinged with impatience. He put a hand on my shoulder and his touch as all firm and self assured. "Why are you so troubled, Skywarp? I know this is a strange place, but I have never seen you like this before...." he looked reproachful. "I really think you should exercise a little decorum."

I felt sudden overwhelming emotion again, almost to the degree that I had before passing out the night before. It wasn't just him, and this, I knew. It was everything that had happened in the last two days and it was so strong that I honestly wondered for the first time if I was losing my mind. I blurted out: "TC says you and he are leaving the Decepticons and going away to Icthea as soon as we get back to Cybertron. Is it true?"

He kept walking and said nothing for a moment and I thought: oh Primus, it is, and that dreadful empty sick feeling hit me again like a sledgehammer in the chest. But he looked at me then with his beautiful, dark rimmed crimson optics, so that I felt like I was going to melt, and he said "Ah, is that what this is about." Then he turned his face away and kept walking and I stumbled along beside him, hardly being able to bear what I was sure he was going to hear next.

But he didn't say it. He said instead "Skywarp, my silly Seeker, as If I would ever leave you? Now, as you know, Icthea interests me greatly, and I have made clear my intention to visit the planet on a study tour, and I asked Thundercracker to come with me because I did not think you would be interested ..." our feet crunched on the gravel and I was conscious again of the crispness of the air and the warmth from the earth sun on my surfaces. I remember thinking that whatever happened, there was nothing more important in the Universe than this. "...but permanent location ...?" he went on. "I don't think so! The place is a dead rock!"

It is hard to describe the sense of relief which went through me then. I just wanted to stop and hug him and weep with relief. But then I caught sight of Megatron ahead, hands on hips, glaring at us from the area of the destroyed steel and his words of earlier rang in my audials as though he were saying them right there. There was no greater incentive to pull myself together. I let go of Screamer's arm and pulled myself up and walked proudly like the Second of the Elite Air Command that I was supposed to be.

Screamer was still talking. He was smiling to himself: "Besides, I have a Cause to lead. And it will not be long now, Skywarp. Oh no! It will not be long now ..."

"Starscream!" Megatron thundered across at us then, his voice still deafening, even from that distance. "Get moving! This is an army base not a holiday camp!" I looked at Screamer again and he looked at me and smiled. A beautiful smile. "No," he whispered, "not long at all!"

Near Megatron I could see Rumble all puffed out and impatient looking, and the triplets all staring too, and then TC appeared beside them and was looking in our direction, and he didn't look too pleased, either. I whispered "Screamer ... are you going to tell TC that ... he thinks ..."

Screamer leaned close to me. "Enough of this now, Skywarp!" he said. "Thundercracker is well aware of my intentions. If he chooses to read more into the situation than there is then that is not very wise but unfortunately there is not much that I can do about it ... come now ..."

And as we came up to them all I could see that they looked curious but TC looked absolutely furious, and I suddenly felt very tired and my mind was filled with strange images again, and a sense of dread crept through every circuit and I shivered. I was suddenly worried about the whole situation in a way I didn't remember worrying ever before and I had the sudden awful sensation that this was nothing, that things were about to get a whole lot worse.

But I did not have time to think about it any further. Not straight away.

Things get better, but they do get worse first! Thanks for reading. A.