A/N: Here is chapter 2, and I am just glad it only took a few months and not another 2 years to complete. Hope it will meet your expectations.
To avoid confusion in the 2nd part of this story, here is the code for it:
Italics, :: = Comm. call
Italics, Bold = Starscream's memory
"Gamora: History repeating itself?
Warlock: History doesn't repeat itself, Gamora, but sometimes it rhymes."
― Dan Abnett, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 1: Legacy
Somewhere on Dome Mountain, Watkins Range, East Greenland
"O-okay! S-so maybe it wasn't a s-smart i-idea to t-teleport with an extra p-person!" Skywarp said, smiling a bit sheepishly as he shivered.
Not being in the mood to hear it, Thundercracker just gave Skywarp a baleful glare in reply. "S-shut. U-up. W-warp."
"H-hey! I said I'm sorry! How was I supposed to know my warp engine would malfunction? At least we found this little c-cave," he protested.
Thundercracker just ignored his trinemate, more than a little slagged off right now. If I ever ask "what else could go wrong" again, Primus kill me dead. That is, if we survive this mishap.
After Skywarp had grabbed his wing and began the teleport, something had apparently caused his warp engine to short out (Thundercracker suspected the cold and extra strain of his presence) and eject them out somewhere deeper into the storm, in one of this island's mountain ranges. After flying half-blind for a few minutes, along with several failed teleporting attempts, they'd eventually found a cave.
Where they were now sitting, half-bent over and waiting out the storm, which was showing no signs of stopping.
All in all, Thundercracker thought, this was one mission he'd willingly never speak of again should they get out of this situation.
"I-i d-don't see w-why you won't just k-keep flying u-until w-we get out of the s-storm," Skywarp's grousing broke into his thoughts.
Thundercracker just looked at Skywarp, then switched on his internal comm. ::Skywarp, tell me. What are your fuel levels right now?::
Skywarp looked somewhat puzzled by how the other Seeker was talking to him, but he shrugged and checked. After a moment he finally replied, grudgingly, ::About seventeen percent.::
Thundercracker nodded. ::You really think you'll be able to fly through the storm and make it back to base with those levels? And don't forget your warp gate isn't working right now. Best just to wait here until the storm passes or help comes.::
The purple and black jet inwardly conceded the first two points, but couldn't help but grimace at the last few words. ::Ain't like it's going to matter. Megatron's got no idea what's happened to us and wouldn't send help if he did know. You know how he is about that. As for Starscream...He couldn't give two slags. We ain't going to get out of this one, TC.::
Thundercracker frowned. The other jet had a point when it came to Megatron, but still... ::Don't talk like that, Warp. Maybe you're right about Megatron, but Starscream's our Trineleader, he won't just leave us behind.::
Skywarp just snorted in disbelief and glared at his friend. ::What universe are you living in? You know Screamer only wants to be around us when we go into battle, TC. You name me one time since we've been Trine that he spends time with us outside of that. One time he's talked with or shared anything with us. One time he's flown with us when we aren't called out.::
The other Seeker didn't answer and looked away. Skywarp just snorted again, and said, ::Yeah, I knew you couldn't do that. 'Cause there isn't one. He hates our fraggin' guts, TC. He made it clear from the moment he Trined with us he was doing it 'cause he had to, and not because he really wanted to. He'll probably celebrate our deaths.:: He shook his head. ::Face it, 'Cracker. We're going to die out here and he won't care.:: With that, Skywarp cut the comm.
The navy Seeker looked down into his lap as he thought over what his friend just said. Deep down, he knew he couldn't refute Skywarp's words. As good a Commander as he was, Starscream had a well-deserved reputation in the Decepticons for being a loner. Plus, Thundercracker couldn't really think of one time since they'd joined the Decepticons that the tri-color jet had seemed to care about anything or anyone but himself and his own ambition. He'd always brushed them off, made snide or condescending comments regarding them and ignored them whenever he could get away with it. Not to mention the way he'd turned on everyone else who gave him a hand in rising through the ranks. The orn he'd become Air Commander and then some time later, Second-in-Command, they'd heard about both promotions over base-wide announcements. Starscream seemingly couldn't be bothered to inform he or Skywarp privately beforehand.
Now that he thought about it, it was around the time of their Trineleader's promotion to SIC that Skywarp had begun making Starscream a favorite target of his pranks as well as referring to him by the nickname "Screamer". Likely that had been the orn Warp finally decided it wasn't just worth trying anymore.
Thundercracker wasn't sure he blamed him, either. And he couldn't deny there was a part of him that was doubting if Starscream would come for them, that said he would in in fact leave them behind, just like Warp thought.
But just once...
Just once he wanted to be wrong.
Slag it all to Pit. Where are those two? Starscream thought worriedly. Twenty minutes ago, he'd hit the edge of the storm and had almost immediately been hit with a blinding blast of snow. The winds, too, seemed to have worsened in the hour since he'd been outside the leading edge of it, now registering at over eighty miles and hour and the temperature had plummeted to somewhere below zero. Starscream was unaware of just how far it had fallen, didn't even really feel the cold, being far too focused on his search to really pay attention.
Tempest-strength wind, blasting him this way and that...Sensors malfunctioning...
An alert sounded on his HUD, warning him that his heating elements had finally burned out. He ignored it, and kept his sensors tuned to the mounds of rock and snow, hoping to pick something, anything, up. Meanwhile the wind was pushing him back towards the edge of the storm...
Torrential snow pouring down, blinding him...
The warning alert was followed by another, this one signalling that his fuel levels were now at twenty-nine percent and falling, followed by a ping on his comm. line from Soundwave, the third so far since he'd headed back in, requesting his status.
Again, he ignored the warning and the ping. He was not going to let himself be distracted from this.
Balls of ice mixing in with the snow, flashes of lightning cutting through the black clouds...
A third warning alert came in, this one stating that ice was now beginning to form on his wings. This time he turned off the HUD and pushed more power behind his thrusters as he tried to force his alt-mode further into the blizzard. He wasn't going to let this planet win. Not again.
Wind temperature feeling like blades of ice, slicing right through with the ease of a vibroblade...
Starscream opened the rarely used Trine comm. line.
::Starscream to Thundercracker!::
Silence.
::I repeat, Starscream to Thundercracker!:: In spite of himself, Starscream couldn't keep a note of desperation from creeping into his voice.
Again, no answer but the howling wind.
::Skyfire! Come in Skyfire!::
Nothing.
::SKYFIRE!::
Only static in reply to his frantic plea...
Starscream began to shake, trying to push away the memories which by this time seemed to feel almost too similar to what was happening at this present moment. "Stop, please stop," he whispered desperately, unsure if he was talking to the storm or flood of memories that were racing back, getting worse with every moment. Once more, oblivious to the danger he was putting himself in, the Decepticon SIC pushed more fuel to his thrusters, fighting against the powerful winds which kept trying to push him back, like they had before. He couldn't stop now, no matter how similar the memories were. It wasn't the same, it wouldn't be!
Never again.
So focused was the tri-color jet on his single-minded search for his missing wingmates, he didn't notice how much ice was gathering on his wings. And with his HUD off, he was also unaware that his fuel levels were nearly at zero.
Unaware, that is, until his thrusters stalled out...and his wings began to suddenly feel a bit heavier...
No! was Starscream's last thought as he began falling towards the ground...
Then he was no longer aware of anything at all.
Two mechs walked through the snowy landscape. They had arrived at the coordinates last recorded just a few short minutes before, in time to have witnessed the storm moving off to the northeast and out towards sea.
The shorter of the two, a blocky blue mech began a scan of the nearby area. A few moments later, he began moving towards one particular mound of snow that had been created by the storm, one which appeared more angular than those surrounding it. He looked at the taller, silver mech and pointed towards it silently.
After doing his own quick scan of the mound, the taller of the two figures turned towards the other and gave a stern nod. The other simply crouched down and begain to brush away at the mound. Before long, a dark gray head appeared, followed by a white and red wing. Once the snow had been cleared away enough to reveal the still form of another mech, the second mech silently looked up at his companion.
The larger of the two shook his head as he gazed at the still figure, now in root-mode. "Fool," was all he said, his tone and face unreadable. After a moment, he looked at the mech next to him. "There was an ice cave a few miles from here that our scanners picked up on the way in. Take him there, Soundwave. I will be having a word with him about this...behavior."
The Decepticon TIC nodded. "As you wish, Lord Megatron."
It was the heat that woke him.
Starscream came slowly online to feel something heavy and warm laying over his wings and most of his body. Not wanting to online his optics just yet, he did a check of his systems. His internal display showed his temperature, while not low enough to shut him down completely, was still far below the normal range for a Cybertronian. Further scans showed his fuel levels were just above empty, and his self-repair seemed to be working overtime. There seemed to be something solid beneath his back and legs, indicating he was laying on some kind of surface.
His pain sensors came online at that moment, explaining the reason for his active self-repair. His body ached all over. He hurt less than he did after one of Megatron's beatings, but he still felt like he'd taken a nose-dive into a cliff wall.
The sound of voices reached his audial receptors, indicating that those were now back online. However, the voices seemed muted somehow. And familiar, Starscream thought after a moment, though he was drawing a blank as to why they seemed familiar.
Growing tired of not being able to figure this situation out, Starscream finally onlined his optics to find himself staring at a bluish-gray surface.
Where the Pit am I? And what am I doing here? the tri-color thought as he began moving his head and scanning around in an attempt to figure out where he was. Trying to access his memories was no help, as all that came up at the moment were fuzzy images, nothing really intelligible...
Judging from what he could see, the above surface seemed to be somewhat rounded out, with what appeared to be icicles pointing towards him. However the icicles had a blunted appearance, as though something had cut through them. A glance to the side showed the remains of the carved off pieces. Starscream turned his face back toward the ceiling-surface and sent out an echolocator ping. The bounced-back response indicated that it was a few feet tallerthan he. A second glance towards the opaque white-gray walls on each side indicated that his wings had perhaps a foot of room on either side. A cave then, judging by the appearance...He mused.
Starscream now lifted his head slowly, ignoring the aches in his neck and glanced in the direction he thought he heard the voices coming from. That section seemed to be brighter than the rest of the cave.
Judging by the shape and contrast in light, Starscream thought it appeared to be an entrance of some kind. But the light seemed partially blocked by what seemed to be a pair of blocky figures. Figures that seemed strangely familiar, but Starscream still couldn't quite place them. One was blue and the other silver.
Starscream squinted his optics to get a better look at the figures. Then the silver figure turned and glanced in his direction. And finally Starscream's vision cleared just enough so the features of both became recognizable.
Soundwave and Megatron? But what are they doing here?
Starscream frowned and began doing a memory search, trying to figure out how he'd ended up on his back in a cave, being held down by...He looked down at his chest...Thermal blankets? For a few moments, all that he could come up with were more fuzzy images. His last clear memory was calling the Victory to find out where Thundercracker and Skywarp were so he could slag their afts..
As if in response to that thought, the images in his mind suddenly cleared...
Comm. calls to his Trinemates, no response...
Cutting winds...
Bitter cold...
Silence...
NO!
As the memories came rushing back, Starscream began to throw off the blankets holding him down. He couldn't stay here, he needed to get back out there, had to find them...
He wouldn't fail them like he'd failed Skyfire...
Just as he threw off the last blanket and began to push himself up, he was stopped by the pressure of a hand against his chest, pushing him back down.
"Enough." The voice was stern. Starscream darted his head towards the sound, only to see Megatron crouching over him, gazing at him coolly, his optics unreadable. A surge of anger rose up in Starscream. He needed to get out there and find his wingmates. Megatron had no fragging right to stop him! But before he could open his mouth to say just that, Megatron spoke once more. "Soundwave's scans have indicated your internal temperature and energy levels are too low to allow you to go out there again any time soon. However," he continued, "if you really wish to go out and get yourself killed, feel free to do so." The last words were tinged with sarcasm.
Starscream's optics narrowed. "How dare you?!" he hissed.
Megatron just shrugged. "Suit yourself," he replied calmly, removing his hand from Starscream's chest and straightening up. He stepped back so that he was standing just behind Starscream, and gestured casually towards the entrance of the cave. "Go ahead. If you can make it outside, I won't stop you from leaving."
With a sneer, Starscream pulled himself to his feet and began to step away...
Only to pitch forward as his legs gave out under him.
Just before he hit the ground, Starscream felt himself being grabbed and shoved against the wall.
"Now that my point has been proven," the Decepticon leader began (and oh, how Starscream wanted to punch the fragger's smug face...), "are you willing to listen to me? Or are you going to continue being stupid?"
That was it.
"You talk to me about being stupid?!" the Decepticon SIC screeched. "Who was the idiot who sent us out to a barren wasteland to look for energy sources in the first place?!"
Megatron's optics narrowed now, and his expression became cold. "I seem to recall you had no issues with the mission before that storm hit," the silver mech said coolly.
Starscream ignored him, too intent on venting his rage. "And of course it doesn't occur to you to check the weather conditions before sending us out there! Now, thanks to your idiotic idea, my wingmates are missing and could be dead. But no, you wouldn't care about that would you?" he growled.
Megatron did not reply, something which only made Starscream angrier. He began laying into Megatron again, not even thinking about the possibility that he could get beaten or worse for his words. For the next few minutes, he vented out all the frustration he felt over the mixed results of the mission, Skywarp's antics, the storm, and his wingmates' disappearance, along with a few choice opinions regarding his leader's intelligence levels.
Megatron only listened impassively, not giving any external indication that Starscream's words were having an effect. Eventually, though, the Decepticon leader had heard enough. Unnoticed by a still ranting Starscream, he lifted his free arm and quite calmly slapped the Seeker's face.
It wasn't a hard slap, but it was certainly enough to both startle and silence the enraged mech. As Starscream stared in shock at his leader, Megatron spoke again.
"I know very well why you're doing this, as does Soundwave. But there is one detail you seem to have forgotten, Starscream," the Tyrant said calmly.
"And that is?" snarled Starscream, regaining a little of his bravado.
Megatron smirked. "You are not alone this time," was his reply.
Starscream's optics widened, a startled look appearing in them.
Either not seeing, or perhaps ignoring the other's expression, Megatron continued. "I have sent word to other Decepticons, and they will be here shortly to assist you in locating your Trinemates. In the meantime," he turned his head and gave a short, sharp nod to Soundwave, who now approached the two mechs, "rest and refuel. You will need it for the search when the others arrive." With that, he released his Second, and walked towards the entranceway of the cave.
Starscream just stayed propped against the wall for a moment and stared after him, not quite believing what had just happened.
As if to reinforce the strangeness of the situation, Soundwave suddenly appeared in front of the jet, holding out a cube of energon. "Drink," was all he said.
Numbly, Starscream took the cube from him and slid down the wall into a seated position, barely noticing when Soundwave once more settled one of the thermal blankets over his legs. However, he did notice when he suddenly felt a pat on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Soundwave leaning over him, an odd glint in his visor. Again, he said, "Drink." (And Starscream had to have been imagining that concerned tone in the TIC's voice, there was no way the other mech gave a slag about him...)
But Soundwave said no more, just turned around and followed his leader out of the cave without waiting to see if Starscream actually did as he requested.
Starscream just stared blankly after the other mech for a few moments before shaking his head and starting to drink the energon he'd been given.
After he'd finished drinking and dismissed the container, he just leaned his head back against the wall and offlined his optics, setting a timer to alert him when three Earth hours had passed.
As he cycled himself down into recharge, one final thought went through his mind.
Could this day get any more bizarre?
When Starscream woke again a few hours later, it was to discover that the thermal blankets had been removed. He sneered. Oh, of course that show of kindness was just one of that slagger's games. When I get back to the Victory...
Standing in a group were several Decepticons. The Coneheads, Astrotrain, Blitzwing, Octane were all standing just a few feet outside the cave, talking to Soundwave, Megatron simply observing. Starscream just watched a moment in disbelief. Then again...
Just then, Megatron looked up and saw Starscream.
"How good of you to grace us with your presence," he began coldly, his words causing the others to turn around. "I've partnered you with Thrust. Now get in the air! You're wasting everyone's time!"
Starscream just blinked and walked over to join the burgundy and gray jet, who simply nodded. A moment later both were transformed and in the air.
As they took flight, Thrust filled Starscream in regarding their orders. Soundwave had set up a grid pattern for the seven of them to follow and the group of them had been taking turns. The first hour had been Octane and Blitzwing, the second had been Blast Off and Astrotrain, and the third hour had been Thrust and his own team. They had been ordered to set their scanners for Cybertronium signatures. So far, the scans had turned up nothing, and they were beginning to widen their search. Starscream asked if there'd been any interference from the Autobots. Thrust replied in the negative. Soundwave had ordered his cassettes to scramble any satellite images or comm. calls, he stated. Thrust then concluded by saying that Soundwave had also made adjustments for Starscream's involvement in the search, that they would be returning to the cave to refuel and allow Thrust to trade with another of his wingmates in about two Earth hours.
Starscream acknowledged Thrust's comments with a quiet "Thank you", something that seemed to startle the usually loud-mouthed jet into silence. He said no more for the remainder of their search.
::We should probably stop, Commander::, comm.'ed Dirge a little over four hours later as they flew over a mountain range, a somewhat concerned tone in his voice. He'd been scheduled to trade with Ramjet about twenty minutes before, but Starscream had been adamant in continuing the search, in spite of orders.
In truth, the blue and black jet was beginning to think they wouldn't find Thundercracker and Skywarp. At least not today, and perhaps not even alive. While the weather conditions still showed no further storms on approach, it was now a couple hours past nightfall, and the temperatures had dropped sharply. By this point, his wingmates had taken shelter aboard Astrotrain, as had Soundwave and Megatron. In the pitch black, even with their scanners on full, it would be near impossible to see where the two had ended up landing (or crashing, the more morbid part of his mind thought).
Although by this time, Dirge couldn't help but think that given the conditions the two had disappeared in, it was most likely the two had indeed crashed and frozen, and they might well be wasting their time.
But it seemed the Air Commander had other ideas...
"You want to stop, then go ahead!" the other snapped. "I'm not ready to quit just yet!"
Dirge gave an inward groan, not really looking forward to explaining this one to Megatron, but before he could even try to put together an argument that he hoped would convince Starscream that it would be a good idea to just stop for the night, a ping popped up on his scanners. Startled, he did a quick check.
::Sir, I've picked up a large amount of Cybertronium coming from that peak just off to our left::, he sent over comm.s a moment later.
Not even taking a moment to reply, Starscream banked sharply to the left, Dirge close behind. As they reached the ledge right before a snow-covered entrance, Starscream transformed and ordered Dirge to stay close. The other jet acknowledged, and began to circle the peak as Starscream lifted his arms and activated his null rays, blasting through the snow and ice that were in his way.
Starscream stepped slowly inside the cave, nearly banging his head against the ceiling as he did so. Bending down just slightly, he focused his attention into looking around the cave.
At first, he couldn't make out anything, the cave was almost completely pitch black, the only light present being the Seeker's own optics.
Refusing to quit, Starscream took a few more careful steps in and focused more of his energy to his optics. Still, he was unable to make anything out.
Frag it all, Dirge, I'm going to kill you for this, Starscream thought, furious at the waste of time, and began to turn around...
Only to have his optic light reflect off a metallic surface just off to his left.
Startled, Starscream shifted his gaze over to see a figure huddled against the wall, optics unlit. A very familiar navy blue figure. Starscream darted his optics over to the right to see the other huddled form.
As soon as he'd registered exactly what it was he was seeing, Starscream turned as fast as he could manage and headed out of the cave, just in time to see Dirge starting yet another circuit of the peak. "Dirge, send for Astrotrain!" he shrieked, then turned and headed right back in without even hearing Dirge's acknowledgement.
Starscream went first to Thundercracker and did a quick scan. The results that came back were grim. The blue jet's energy levels were just above ten percent by now, and his temperatures were far too low for one of their race. He turned to Skywarp and did a similar scan. The results came back with a five percent energy level, and his temperature reading matched Thundercracker's.
For a moment, Starscream felt fear lance his Spark. No, he couldn't have gone through all this just to fail now! This world couldn't have beaten him again! He began to shake Thundercracker, calling the other jet's name.
A minute, then two passed. Just as Starscream was about to begin to shake harder, the other's optics came on, dimly, and he raised his head weakly. When he finally registered exactly who was in front of him, his optics widened.
"Starscream?" the blue jet croaked out.
Starscream ceased shaking the jet at the sound of his name and just stared at the other Seeker a moment. Then, before Thundercracker could fully register what was going on, he found himself being dragged into a hug, with Starscream saying something about "don't you ever pull a stunt like that again you fragger, or I'll kill you myself", then turning his attention to Skywarp, who seemed to have been slightly roused by their Trineleader's voice.
But he certainly woke up in a hurry when he realized who was hanging around his neck. The black and purple jet just glanced at Thundercracker with wide optics. ::TC, what the Pit is going on?:: he comm'd over to his wingmate. Thundercracker just shook his head bemusedly. ::I don't know, Warp::, he replied as Starscream hugged him again.
"Fraggers had me worried," the tri-color jet was saying now. "Don't ever scare me like that again. I've spent too long training you to lose you both to a third-rate organic planet."
Thundercracker and Skywarp just stared. But before either of them could say anything in reply, Starscream had draped an arm around each of their necks and had dragged them both up next to him.
A few minutes later, the sound of heavy engines broke the silence.
Astrotrain had finally arrived.
Starscream watched quietly as Skywarp (once more unconscious) and Thundercracker were carried into Astrotrain's cargo hold by the other triple-changers, Thrust and Blast Off, and wrapped in thermal blankets by Soundwave, Dirge and Ramjet. Nodding at the Communications Officer, he walked over to the far side of the hold where Megatron was standing, watching the scene impassively.
The Decepticon SIC just stared at Megatron for a moment. Then, to the surprise of everyone watching, the normally treacherous Seeker saluted their Lord.
"Sir...Thank you," Starscream said quietly.
For a moment, the Warlord said nothing, then a sneer crossed his face.
"Of course you'd think this was all for you. You truly are self-centered, Starscream. I only allowed you to look for them because I have need of their abilities. Nothing else," the Decepticon leader stated coldly.
Starscream's optics widened in shock at the rebuke, then narrowed. A moment later, a smirk appeared on his face, replacing the respectful one he'd worn just a moment before. "Of course, how foolish of me to thing my leader actually cared. You do only seem to expend resources when you have something to gain from it."
Megatron's optics narrowed now, and he growled. Then he said that at least he knew that those two were loyal, unlike a certain SIC he could name, which Starscream replied by snorting at him and saying that at least he wouldn't have nearly lost said "loyal" mechs if he hadn't sent them out for the mission in the first place...
As he watched his world regain some semblance of normality, Thundercracker just shook his head, still unable to believe what had happened. In spite of what he'd said to Skywarp, he'd let the small part of him that doubted rescue would come take over, had started to believe that his wingmate was right about Starscream abandoning them to their fate. By the time he'd fallen unconscious, he had come to believe it completely. But Starscream had proven Warp wrong, and Thundercracker wasn't even sure why. Certainly he'd hoped he was wrong for once about Starscream not caring, but to have it proven to him like that...It didn't make sense. What had made their wingleader come looking for them now, when he never would have before?
"Starscream: desperate to find you and Skywarp. Remembered: past experience with shuttle Skyfire in storm. Did not: desire to repeat experience."
Thundercracker glanced to his left, startled, to see Soundwave kneeling right next to him, and cursed himself briefly for forgetting about the other's telepathy. Then what the Cassette player said sank in, and Thundercracker's jaw dropped.
Soundwave chuckled at the look on the Seeker's face, then turned back to witness the bantering up front.
After a moment, he turned his visor back to look at the Seeker.
"Thundercracker: rest. Back at base: soon."
Thundercracker nodded, then turned his gaze back to the ceiling, ignoring when the other mech got up and walked to where the other two officers were arguing.
After a few moments, the blue jet gave a rueful smile. It seemed he owed a lot to a certain traitorous shuttle, not that Starscream would ever admit that. And Thundercracker wasn't even certain that things could change completely, after the three of them had been at odds for so long. But maybe, just maybe they could work something out.
It was worth a shot.
Thundercracker settled his head back and began cycling down for recharge, one last thought flitting through his head just before it claimed him.
We owe you one, Skyfire.
A/N2: Sorry if the ending seems less than satisfactory, but the way the plot idea ended, I had to improvise a little. It ended with Soundwave making a comment concerning Starscream having the 3 emotions of concern, fear and arrogance, and I felt it seemed a bit awkward to just end it that way. So I tried to come up with an ending that seemed to wrap things up a little better. While I'm not sure I accomplished that well, it was the best of the endings that I could come up with.
And whether or not they did pay Skyfire back, I'll leave that to the imagination. :-) After over two years, I think this is a project best left where it is. :-)