Traditionally, the goal for National Novel Writing Month is to write a novel of 50,000 words in 30 days. My goal for NaNoWriMo was to get this chapter finished. It's not much of a goal, I'll admit, but I'm happy to say that I achieved it. Maybe next year I'll try for two.


Polarized
We are existing
In two different worlds
Where do we go from here?
I need to know
"When truth lies" - Vanishing Point


Starscream stood motionless in the hall outside the rec room, leaning back against a wall as he stared at the doors in front of him. He hadn't been there for very long, a minute at most, but the fact that he was hesitating at all bothered him far more than he would care to admit. It wasn't like he had a reason to hesitate. Public areas were the safest places to be if Soundwave was up to something, and he had no desire to be alone after everything that had happened recently. So why was this so hard?

The Seeker lowered his head to stare at the floor, fingers curling against the wall behind him. Two weeks. It had been almost two weeks since his reprogramming, and he had no idea how he was going to make it another two. The days were spent trying to do his job while avoiding both Megatron and Soundwave, and at night he holed up in his lab, unable to make himself return to his quarters. He'd tried recharging in a chair with little success, and the lack of rest combined with constant stress was beginning to wear down his systems. As if that wasn't bad enough, he seemed to have picked up a couple viruses when Soundwave forcibly bypassed his firewalls, and he hadn't even noticed them until they became active because he'd neglected to run a diagnostic after being hacked. So on top of everything else, he'd spent the last week trying to hide the symptoms while working on antiviral programs that would attack the viruses without targeting his own code. Which wasn't as easy as it should have been, because the stronger of the two was corrupted to the point where he couldn't even tell what it was originally.

He wished he could say that the worst of his troubles was his inability to find a way out of his situation. But it wasn't. All of his ideas were unworkable at best, and everything else he had to fight with was making it increasingly hard to hold his desperation in check, but it wasn't the worst part. Not really.

Starscream shut off his optics and cycled a slow ventilation, bracing himself. Then he pushed off from the wall and stepped towards the rec room doors, which slid open at his approach. The room beyond was a large space which contained little besides the necessary tables and chairs, and Starscream habitually swept his gaze over the occupants as he entered. Seeing no sign of either Soundwave or Megatron, he then headed for the energon dispenser at the back of the room, making a point of keeping his head up and wings high. No one would suspect anything was wrong unless he gave them reason to, and he was determined that no one would ever find out what had happened to him.

He glanced around again upon reaching his destination, then removed a data chip from subspace and inserted it into a slot on the dispenser. Everyone on base had been assigned a similar chip to insure that they couldn't take more than their allotted rations, and with so many frametypes using the same dispenser, the chips also served to tell the machine what the fuelling requirements of their holders were. The system couldn't account for the needs of individuals, but it was better than giving the same fuel to vastly different models and expecting them all to function normally.

A tube of additives rolled out of a chute placed next to the filling cube, and Starscream picked it up absently before turning to stare out at the other bots in the room. How would they react if they knew what he'd been reduced to? They would never follow his orders again, that much was certain. No one would obey a mech who was weak enough to be hacked, let alone reprogrammed. They might even demand that he be stripped of his rank and relegated to the bottom of the hierarchy, because that was where slaves belonged. If any of them found out about this...

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doors opening, and he quickly turned his attention to the entryway. He relaxed a little when he saw that it was only Dead End and Breakdown, but didn't stop watching them until they moved toward the table where the other Stunticons were messing around. Then, satisfied that there was no threat, he turned back to the energon dispenser, wings twitching anxiously as he put his back to the doors. If Soundwave came in, or Megatron, he wanted to know about it. He didn't want to be taken by surprise again, especially after Soundwave had triggered that flashback. Of course, that might have been caused by the door he'd backed into, and not by Soundwave himself. Or maybe it had been the combination of the two that had brought the memory back in such force. Whatever the case, he didn't want to go through it again. Living it once had been bad enough.

It seemed to take forever for his cube to finish filling, and he felt a rush of relief when he was finally able to retrieve it and turn away from the dispenser, bringing the doors back into view. But that relief was replaced almost immediately by anxiety as he scanned the assembled mechs again, wondering if any of them had noticed anything strange about his recent behavior. If they had, how hard would it be to figure out that he'd been attacked?

This was the worst part of being reprogrammed. The anxiety when he was around people, the struggle to pretend everything was normal, the fear of what would happen if he was found out. He could handle the solitude. He could cope with the aftereffects of being hacked. He could even forget about the new coding if he was sufficiently absorbed in his work. But it hurt to see everyone around him going about their lives like nothing had changed, and it was a pain he didn't know how to deal with.

He made his way along the edge of the room to a corner table, trying to ignore his surroundings, but unable to stop watching the other mechs out the corner of his optic. Once he was seated he allowed himself a few moments to properly survey the room, then turned his attention to his energon. The sharp, faintly metallic scent of the fuel made his tanks churn in protest, but he ignored it, just as he'd been doing for the last several days. He couldn't afford to lose recharge and miss meals.

His hands shook as he broke the seal on the additive tube and poured the powdered metals into the energon. The trembling was slight enough that even someone standing right next to him wasn't likely to notice, but he still had to resist the urge to make sure no one was looking. He had to act like nothing was wrong, no matter how torn up he was inside. It couldn't be too hard; he was used to pushing down pain and burying it until it stopped hurting. He was good at it. All he had to do was forget what it felt like to be hacked, or at least forget how terrifying it had been. But how could he when the memories wouldn't leave him alone?

He swirled the cube to mix in the additives, resting his chin in his free hand as he studied an oil stain on the table. His fear of being found out may have been the worst thing about all this, but his fear of the past was a close second. He hadn't had any more flashbacks, thank Primus, but the nightmares were another story. It was hard to fall asleep in a chair, and the idea of being so vulnerable if Soundwave came after him again made it harder still. But it was almost impossible when he knew what was waiting for him as soon as he dozed off. After the last attempt he'd decided to give up on recharge entirely, regardless of the effect on his systems.

He huffed a sigh and drained a third of his cube in one go, then set it down while his tanks decided what they would do with the energon. His overheated systems had already rejected fuel once, and he didn't want to waste the entire cube if it happened again.

"Starscream. I would like to speak to you."

The Seeker groaned inwardly when Hook's voice penetrated the haze around his mind. Out of all the mechs he wasn't actively avoiding, why did the surgeon-turned-medic have to be the one who approached him? If anyone was going to realize he was ill, it would be Hook.

"I'm on break," he grunted without looking up. "If you want something, make an appointment."

"Interesting choice of words," Hook commented, and Starscream hissed softly when he heard the Constructicon sit down unbidden. "As it happens, appointments are exactly what I wanted to discuss."

Starscream hummed disinterestedly, hoping the other would go away if he didn't pay attention. When it became clear that he would contribute nothing more, Hook continued. "As you may recall, I decided that the new additions to our ranks made this the perfect time to give everyone a full systems check and viral scan. Unfortunately, certain mechs seem to think it's beneath them to actually show up for their appointments."

"So what?" Starscream asked despite himself. Hook made an impatient sound.

"So the Stunticons' systems are still learning how to respond to and handle abnormal functioning, and the Combaticons' antiviral software is millions of years out of date. A virus you or I would never even notice could easily slip passed their firewalls and cause serious damage. A mech with your history should be quite aware of that."

Starscream narrowed his optics, wings lifting in a silent warning. Hook was one of the very few bots who knew about the state of his coding, thanks to past viral scans, and he had made it very clear that the surgeon should keep that information to himself. It didn't affect Starscream's ability to function, so no one needed to know. Nor did they need yet another reason to doubt his sanity, which was why even Hook didn't know the origin of the virus that did the damage.

"Fine," the Seeker said aloud. "So you don't want anyone transmitting viruses to the poor vulnerable newbies. What does that have to do with me?"

"Well, for one thing," Hook said drily, "you're one of the mechs who refuses to come to his appointments."

Starscream shrugged, having expected that, and picked up his ration. "What's the point? My firewalls are up to date, and I run regular diagnostic scans to catch anything that slips by. Your scans couldn't tell me anything I don't already know." Not to mention the fact that it was too late anyway. If he submitted to a checkup now, he would have to explain where his viruses came from and why he'd failed to run a diagnostic - or better yet, gone in for a scan - after being hacked. Then Hook might discover a certain addition to his programming and-

"Diagnostics can't catch everything," Hook said curtly as Starscream swallowed down the acid feeling in his tanks and returned his untouched cube to the table. "And they can malfunction as readily as any other system. I really think it's time you got checked out properly."

There was something pointed in his tone that Starscream didn't like, and he silently cursed his inability to figure out what was actually bothering him about it. He balled his hands into fists, digging his fingers into his palms in an effort to stay focused, and cycled a slow ventilation. "You said, 'for one thing'," he stated, anxious to change the subject. "You have another reason for bothering me with this?"

Hook's visor couldn't hide the frown that briefly crossed his face, but after a moment he just nodded. "Two others, actually," he agreed. "One being that the Combaticons also refuse to show up, and Onslaught told me that I could take it up with you if I didn't like it."

Starscream forced his hands open, wings flicking restlessly as they returned to their normal height. "Can you blame them? The last time someone messed with their systems they were reprogrammed." His voice faltered on the last word, but he quickly recovered himself and went on. "Anyway, you're wasting your time fighting with them. I updated their software and installed new firewalls while I was working on their code."

"It's not your place to be dealing with such things," Hook began stiffly, but Starscream interrupted him with a snort.

"Oh please. I'm an unlicensed programmer, and your knowledge of coding is limited to recognizing and treating viruses. Any firewall of my design is going to be far superior to whatever you might piece together using outdated medical texts, and we both know it."

Hook stiffened at that and Starscream smirked to better conceal how upsetting this topic was. He leaned forward to brace his elbows on the table, head tilting as he studied the other mech. "So what was your third reason?" he inquired mildly, hoping Hook would just give up and leave. But the Constructicon seemed determined to speak his mind, because after a short pause he gave an exaggerated sigh and drew himself up.

"I've been scanning mechs when they come into the med bay for other reasons," he explained, injured pride dripping from every word. "But it's going to take forever to finish with the checkups at this rate, especially as certain mechs prefer to disappear and tend to their own damage." He paused to give Starscream a hard stare. "The other Constructicons and I have been dragging bots in when we can find them, but one is being especially stubborn about avoiding us. Well, one apart from you."

"You've made your point, but I'm still not coming in," Starscream said flatly, pushing himself upright. "So I assume you want me to send Skywarp in?"

"I would prefer it if you came in and brought him with you," Hook replied, openly ignoring the first half of the Seeker's statement. "It would be far simpler for everyone involved."

"Mm-hm." Starscream stood and picked up his ration. "I'll talk to Skywarp. But we have an officers' meeting in three hours, I'm in the middle of five different projects, and I'm sure our wonderful leader is going to have another plan of attack soon. So I really don't have time for your stupid tests."

"I'll see you in about two weeks then," Hook countered smoothly. "I expect that's how long it will take you to collapse from overwork."

The Seeker's mouth twisted into a sardonic smile. "Your concern is touching, but unnecessary. I know how to take care of myself."

"I've yet to see proof of that," Hook muttered, but Starscream just walked away and pretended not to hear the quiet insult. He couldn't handle one more minute trapped in this pointless conversation, and he really did have a lot of work to do. Antiviral programs didn't write themselves, and he needed to finish the one he was working on before the next mission. Right now he couldn't even activate his comm unit because viruses could spread wirelessly, and while most firewalls would stop the weaker of the two, he didn't know how strong the corrupted one was. It was better not to risk it if he didn't have to.

A small part of him wondered where Soundwave had gotten these viruses to begin with. Why the telepath wasn't affected was obvious: Most cybernetic viruses had to latch onto a specific string of code within a bot's system in order to become active, and Empaths didn't have the right programs to trigger either of the ones Starscream found himself with. Where Soundwave got them was actually obvious too, because his role as Communications Officer meant that he was always picking things up, simply by listening in on all of the wireless transmissions. But he was supposed to get regular scans to make sure his firewalls were holding up, and to catch anything that got through before it could become a problem. It was possible that he could have picked up a virus or two since his last scan, but the odds were against it. So where had they come from? Soundwave wasn't the kind of mech to skip out on medical appointments, but... could it be that he'd been doing just that?

Starscream shook his head and tightened his grip on his cube, dragging himself out of his mind. Something was wrong with Soundwave, there was no doubt about that, but it didn't matter what. An explanation for the telepath's aberrant behavior would be nice, but it wouldn't change the results, and those results were what Starscream needed to worry about. Anything else would only distract him, and he couldn't afford that.

But that small part of him refused to stop wondering, and he had no explanation for the heavy weight of dread that had settled in his tanks.


Hook frowned inwardly as he studied the results of the surreptitious scan he had run while talking to Starscream. Elevated core temperature, unusually rapid sparkpulse, ventilations slightly irregular... and that was just what could be detected by a surface scan. A message underneath the short list warned that such issues could be caused by a virus, stress, or systems damage, and advised running a more thorough scan. Which Hook would gladly do if he could just get the infuriating Seeker in the med bay for an hour.

He didn't like making guesses with so little information, but judging by how tense and fidgety Starscream had been during the conversation, stress was the most likely cause for his condition. But the listlessness in his optics spoke more of physical illness, and Hook suspected that both problems were at work here. He was sorely tempted to comm Bonecrusher or Long Haul and tell them to get the stubborn Seeker to the med bay by force, but given what he knew about the situation, that would be a very bad idea. His job was to repair mechs, not damage them further, and his professional pride wouldn't allow him to do otherwise. So he really had no choice but to either talk Starscream around or wait for him to deteriorate enough that he wouldn't be able to avoid the med bay any longer.

The Constructicon cleared the results from his HUD and stood up, seeing no point in lingering now that his reason for being there was long gone. Pride or no pride, it was times like this when he wished Megatron would send for a proper medic. Such a mech would probably know exactly how to handle troublesome patients, not to mention possess a far better idea of how to approach cases like this. Hook wasn't a true medic though, and he loathed being forced into a role he wasn't properly trained for. He did his best, but his field was surgery, not general health.

Alone in the hall, he allowed himself a heavy sigh. Maybe if he explained what he already knew, Starscream would be more agreeable. But he would need to get the Seeker alone somehow before they could have that conversation, and he had no idea how to manage it - let alone broach the subject - without making things worse.

He really did hate his job.


"Hey, Starscream, wait up!"

Skywarp trotted down the hall after his Trineleader, huffing in annoyance when Starscream either didn't hear him or - more likely - chose to ignore him. The black and purple Seeker muttered a few choice words about deaf Trinemates and ran a quick calculation, then activated his warp drive. He came out of time-space in his customary place as Left Wing of the Trine, next to and just behind Starscream, but he didn't stay there long.

"You know, it's rude to ignore people," he said, ducking under one silver wing and making its owner jump. He started to say more, but the words died when he pivoted to face Starscream and found the other Seeker shying away from him. Starscream backpedalled a few steps, staring at his wingmate with such panic that Skywarp froze. Then recognition dawned in the scarlet optics, and the fear morphed into something angry and tense.

"Fraggit, Skywarp, are you trying to get yourself shot?" Starscream demanded. "Don't do that!"

"Hey, I called out when I was all the way over there," Skywarp said defensively, pointing back the way he'd come. "It's not my fault if you weren't paying attention."

A strange mix of worry and disgust flickered in Starscream's optics, and he tightened his grip on the energon cube he held until Skywarp heard the joints in his hand creak. Then the moment was over and Starscream snarled, stepping around the other and continuing down the hall like nothing had happened.

"You had better have a legitimate reason for jumping in front of me," he growled, prompting Skywarp to hurry after him. "Otherwise I might decide to shoot you on purpose."

"Um... yeah," Skywarp relied slowly, trying to remember why he had come looking for Starscream. "Yeah, I needed something for this prank I really need to pull, and-"

"No," Starscream interrupted flatly.

"But you don't even know what I was going to ask for!" Skywarp protested.

"I don't care," Starscream snapped, glaring at him. "You shouldn't go scaring the living spark out of mechs if you want them to help you."

"That was an accident," Skywarp said impatiently. "Geeze, what's got your wings all bent out of shape?"

He didn't really expect a reply, so he was thrown off when Starscream grunted, "Hook."

"Oh." The black and purple Seeker thought for a moment. "Want me to prank him for you?" he asked, hoping the offer would put Starscream in a better mood. Instead it earned him another glare.

"The last time you pranked Hook, I had to take care of your repairs for a month because you were afraid of retaliation. I won't stop you if you want to be an idiot, but I'm not dealing with the consequences."

Skywarp lowered his wings appeasingly, unbothered by the harsh words. Starscream was always saying one thing, then doing something completely different when hypothetical situations became reality. Skywarp knew that if he needed repairs and refused to go to Hook, Starscream would eventually tend to them himself, and might not even complain too much while he did it. It still helped to stay on his good side though. Especially when Skywarp had a prank to pull, and needed something from the red and silver Seeker's lab to do it.

"So you're mad at Hook and taking it out on me because I scared you," he said matter-of-factly. "What if I apologize? Will you help me then?"

"Not likely," Starscream replied bluntly. Before Skywarp could protest further he added, "But if you stop avoiding your medical exam, I'll consider it."

Skywarp grimaced. "You can't be serious. You've been avoiding yours too, I know you have. So why can't I?"

"That's my price, take it or leave it," Starscream said with a shrug. "But if you take it, I expect you to make an appointment before the day is done. And I will find out when it is, so if you don't go on your own, I'll tell Thundercracker to drag you there."

"I don't think you realize what's at stake here," Skywarp pressed. "The honor of our Trine depends on me pulling this prank!"

"Primus forbid that this Trine is in any way dependent on your pranks," Starscream muttered scathingly. "But if it's so important, you should be more than willing to sacrifice a few hours of your time and comfort to the med bay."

Skywarp glared at him for a few seconds, wondering if this prank was really so important after all. Then he groaned and said, "All right, fine. I'll make the stupid appointment. Now will you help me?"

"You'll go to this appointment as well?"

Drat. "Yes."

Starscream hummed noncommentally as the two Seekers stopped outside his lab, shifting one wing to block Skywarp's view of the keypad as he entered the doorcode. "Fine," he said at length. "But I need to know what you want, what you're planning to use it for-"

"And don't touch anything, I know." Skywarp lingered in the doorway after Starscream strode through, feeling uneasy about entering the crowded room. It wasn't very big, and the small space was made even smaller by the tables that lined every wall. Under the tables were steel crates full to overflowing with things that had been butchered for parts, and above the tables were shelves of datapads. The tables themselves were littered with more parts, as well as containers of smaller components. Massive cabnets were placed in three corners of the room, while the fourth held a computer console which was set just far enough from the back wall that a bot could fit behind it, allowing Starscream to face the door while he worked. Most of the remaining floorspace was taken up by a tool-covered table in the middle of the room, and projects in various states of completion occupied every flat surface not already taken by something else.

"You've cleaned up since I was last here," Skywarp commented, more to take his mind off his restlessness than anything. Starscream grunted, moving some of the tools on the center table and setting his ration in the resulting space.

"I just rearranged a few things," he said, turning back to Skywarp. "So what is it you need?"

"Acid." Seeing the look on Starscream's face, Skywarp quickly added, "Not anything strong, just something like what etchers use to burn paint into metal."

"Hmm." Starscream briefly considered his Trinemate through narrowed optics, then moved to one of the cabnets, wings held high to avoid hitting anything. Skywarp shifted his weight to one foot and glanced around the room again, then finally ventured far enough in that the door could slide shut.

Contrary to popular belief, Seekers weren't generally claustrophobic. In fact, they actually preferred small spaces when they were feeling scared or vulnerable, and that was exactly why Skywarp didn't like visiting Starscream's lab. Few Seekers had a need for designated safe places unless they had been deeply wounded in some way, and Skywarp hated knowing that his own Trinemate was one of those damaged mechs. Empowered Seekers like him were supposed to look out for their Sigma-less brethren, and this room was a constant reminder that he had not only failed to do so, but that he continued to fail simply by doing nothing about the way Megatron mistreated Starscream. It didn't matter that Megatron was their superior, or that Starscream would refuse aid even if it was offered. All that mattered was that Skywarp's culture expected certain things from him, and he wasn't doing any of it.

The dark Seeker flicked his gaze back to Starscream, remembering his frightened reaction in the halls, and wondered if the other had been spending a lot of time here recently.

"Strong or not, you still have to tell me what you're going to do with this," Starscream said as he sorted through the bottles in the cabnet, reminding Skywarp that they were in the middle of a conversation. "I'm not giving you something only to find out you're going to misuse it."

Skywarp snorted a laugh. "Oh, no worries there. If you do have etcher's acid, I'm going to use it exactly the way it's meant to be used."

Starscream half-turned to frown at him, optics still narrowed suspiciously. "All right, what are you planning to paint?"

"Dirge," Skywarp replied cheerfully, all anxiety forgotten as his impending prank returned to the forefront of his mind. "Well, his whole Trine really. He insulted ours, so now I'm going to humiliate his."

"Dirge insulted our Trine," Starscream repeated slowly. "Are you sure you're not just taking a random comment too seriously? Again?"

"Nope. It was definitely an insult," Skywarp said firmly. "He said, to my face, that this Trine was better off before you took over."

Well, that was a slight exaggeration. Dirge had actually asked if Skywarp ever thought about how different things could have been if he hadn't ceded control of his Trine to Starscream all those millenia ago. But it was something no one ever brought up unless they meant to be insulting, and Skywarp was sick of being criticized for his decision just because Sigma-less weren't supposed to lead Trines. Dirge was one of the few Trineleaders who had never said anything about it, but that only made his recent question harder to tolerate.

Starscream tilted his head, still seeming skeptical about the great offense Dirge had committed. Then he shrugged and pulled a bottle from the cabinet before returning to the center table. "Whatever. I have more important things to worry about than what some cog-headed idiot thinks about our Trine."

Skywarp stared at him. Since when did Starscream ignore blatant attacks on his ability to lead? "Did you actually hear me? Dirge practically called you a bad leader."

"I'm not deaf," Starscream snapped, sounding more normal now than he had a moment before. "But as I just said, I have bigger things to worry about. Now do you want this or not?"

The message to shut up couldn't have been more clear. Skywarp nodded mutely, then almost dropped the bottle that was shoved into his hands. "Instructions are on the label," Starscream continued. "Don't use too much, don't get it on any exposed cables, and for Primus' sake, return it when you're done. I'm tired of coming after you to get my things back!"

Skywarp nodded again, wondering what had Starscream so riled up. It was always difficult to have a civil conversation with him, but his behavior was only this erratic when he was upset. Had something happened that Skywarp wasn't aware of?

"Is everything okay?" he asked before his better judgement could stop him. He knew it was just begging for trouble, but he couldn't help it. He liked to know what was going on, and somewhere under his curiosity, there was a glimmer of concern as well.

"Everything's fine," Starscream hissed, turning his back on Skywarp and snatching up his ration on his way to the computer. "Or it will be as soon as I fix our glorious leader's most recent mistake."

The last word sounded strange, as though he had to force it from his vocalizer, but the sentence as a whole was reassuringly familiar. So Megatron had done something to frag off Starscream again. Business as usual, nothing to see here.

"Well, okay then," Skywarp said. "I'd love to stay and chat, but duty calls. Don't get into too much trouble, okay?"

He warped back to the quarters he shared with Thundercracker before Starscream could respond, and so missed seeing his Trineleader flinch at the careless words.


"Did you get what you were after?" Thundercracker asked from where he sat on his berth, not bothering to look up from the datapad he was reading when Skywarp teleported in.

"Mission accomplished!" Skywarp confirmed cheerfully, and even though Thundercracker couldn't see the other Seeker, he could easily picture the satisfied grin on his face. The blue flier leaned back against the wall and glared at Skywarp - or, more specifically, at the bottle his Trinemate was holding.

"Why does he enable you?" Thundercracker asked irritably. They both knew who "he" was, so Skywarp merely shrugged as he sauntered over to his own berth.

"Beats me. Maybe he just understands the value of Trine."

"Really," Thundercracker snorted. "I always thought it was because you don't prank him as often when he goes along with your insanity."

Skywarp smirked at him. "Yeah, that's what I just said. I wouldn't resist pranking just anyone you know. Especially when they deserve it as often as Screamer does. The temptation is terrible though."

"Yet somehow, you survive." Thundercracker shut off his datapad and set it aside, frowning at the black and purple Seeker. Skywarp seemed perfectly happy, but long experience had taught his friend how to tell when something was wrong. "So what happened?"

Skywarp paused as he knelt beside his berth. "Did something happen?"

"With Starscream," Thundercracker clarified. "You look like he blew up at you or something."

"Oh. That." Skywarp started pulling paint cans from under his berth. "Nah, he was just acting weird. You know, all jumpy and defensive."

"That doesn't really sound 'weird' to me," Thundercracker said. "That sounds like Starscream getting up to something that'll land him in trouble. Same as always."

"Starscream doesn't do jumpy and defensive unless he's already in trouble," Skywarp pointed out. "Or thinks he is. Before he pulls something he's just loud and obnoxious."

"Again, same as always. You'd think someone as erratic as he is would have more settings than just 'causing trouble' and 'in trouble'."

Skywarp sniggered, but the sense that something was off with Thundercracker's Trinemate didn't go away. The blue Seeker swung his legs over the edge of the berth and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "Seriously though. Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"Yeah." Skywarp paused, frowning at the bottle he'd set next to the paint cans. "Well, okay, there is one thing. Starscream wouldn't help me unless I agreed to set up an appointment with Hook."

"Does he expect you to actually go to it?"

Skywarp scowled and folded his arms sullenly. "Yes."

Thundercracker sighed. "As much as I hate to agree with Starscream on anything, I'm not getting upset with him about that. It won't kill you to get checked out once in a while."

"I don't mind getting checked out," Skywarp protested. "It's checkups I hate."

Thundercracker groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "You know what I mean."

The black and purple Seeker laughed again. "Yeah, but my version is funnier. And more fun."

"I'm aware that checkups aren't fun. That isn't the point."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You only want to throw me to the Sharkticons because you love me. Some friend you are."

Thundercracker gave up and lifted his head. "Fine. Have it your way. What's this prank that's so important that you would sacrifice yourself to the Sharkticons just so you could pull it?"

Skywarp's wings lifted immediately. "I thought you'd never ask! You know how Megatron wanted a Trine to fly around Arabia, and Starscream sent Dirge's out? Well, there's a windstorm passing through where they are now, which means they're going to be filthy when they get back."

"Yeah. So?"

"So I'm going to sabotage the washracks!"

The blue flier's gaze flicked from the paint cans to the bottle, then settled on Skywarp. "The washracks. As in, the same washracks you and I use?"

"No, the officers' racks," Skywarp scoffed. "Of course it's the same washracks we use! Don't worry though, all the paint'll be used up on Dirge and his cronies."

"And it will be burned into their armor for Primus knows how long."

"You got it! So what color should I use? I'm thinking a nice cheerful yellow myself."

Skywarp pried the lid off of a can of garishly colored paint as he chattered on. Thundercracker nodded and asked questions in the appropriate places, but he didn't care about the prank. All he cared was that Skywarp hadn't said a word about what was really bothering him. Thundercracker was sure it had to do with Starscream though, and his only clue was that their Trinemate had apparently been behaving strangely enough that Skywarp took note of it. Thundercracker knew he shouldn't have just dismissed that the way he had, but he'd been keeping a close optic on Starscream for days, and he hadn't noticed anything unusual. Had he missed something? Or was this new problem just hidden by all of Starscream's usual issues?

The latter seemed more likely. But whatever the case, Thundercracker was sure of one thing: He was going to be slagged off if Soundwave turned out to be right about this.


What has Soundwave been telling Thundercracker? And what does Hook know? Well, this chapter would have explained that, but it was getting so long that the scene had to be moved to the next chapter. Sorry. I promise we'll find out next time though, when we get a cassette's perspective on things.