Hi again!

Chapter two is now up as I promised! Once again I do not own any of these characters, they belong to hasbro! Hope you enjoy...

Starry Surprise

pt2

Lockdown grinned and sighed happily as he counted through the credits in which he had earned from the successful hunt for the femme.

"Well, it's been a pleasure working for you," the bounty hunter stated as he transformed the rewarded sum into a compartment on his waist, "but I gotta bounce. Enjoy gawking at the femme,"

Starscream spun from examining the body of the stasis locked femme and glared at Lockdown.

"Oh no you don't. I didn't request the capture of this femme just to look," Starscream snapped, "Within her is an item that I've been most anxious to become in possession of. If she doesn't contain the goods, I won't be pleased with you..." He threatened with a glare. Drones suddenly appeared around Lockdown to aim weapons at the bounty hunter. Lockdown looked genuinely surprised, but it transformed into anger.

"The bounty was just to find Elita One! You didn't mention anything else!" he roared.

"Precisely!" Starscream retorted, "Knock Out!" He hollered down one of the corridors. A mech made his way down the isle way of the ship to make himself present and bow before Starscream.

"Begin the procedures," Starscream ordered harshly. With his command issued, Knock Out, the Decepticon Medic, quickly pressed a set of panel buttons that produced a machine extending several arms down above the femme. Claws spiked forward and meditated in the section of Elita One's spark chamber and the tools dug into her chest, spinning the chamber open to reveal her gleaming spark, glowing a radiant blue. But deeper within, was a red crystal that beamed just as bright. Starscream stood a fair distance away, not wanting to bother the doctor in this careful line of work. Knock Out inched forward, the spark's bright light reflecting in his optics as he neared closer. Usually, sparks were just blue, so the sign of red indeed was enough to prove that the special "item" which Starscream was after, resided within this femme.

"Well?" Starscream barked impatiently. Knock Out looked up to Lord Starscream quickly.

"Something is indeed resident within her spark, but removing it will be impossible without extracting the spark itself. It will put her...offline," Knock Out said, awaiting his master's reaction.

"Elita One's death shall not be the slightest impediment to my mission. Continue with your work," the Decepticon Lord ordered resolutely. Knock Out nodded and morphed from his fingers a pair of delicate prongs.

"Good, so I can leave now!" Lockdown reminded, breaking through the nearest set of drones, ignoring their weapons and strutting back down the corridor for his ship. Starscream ignored the bounty hunter and narrowed his optics as he watched Knock Out's work skeptically. Soundwave stood only a few paces behind Starscream, videoing the process into his memory banks for what may possibly become valuable Intel in the future. With Elita One's spark delicately removed, they could capture its energy and preserve the special power residing within it.

"Once I channel this power into a weapon, there will be no stopping me..." Starscream uttered delightedly.

Meanwhile...

Stepping through the blue transwarp, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee arrived at their designated coordinates. When their optics first scanned the area they were both surprised to be inside an unfamiliar ship. Perhaps Elita 1 had shifted rides with another Autobot. This made Optimus Prime wonder just what she had been doing all that time they were parted. But as Bumblebee searched around, neither spotted an Autobot insignia, or a Decepticon insignia in the ship. As they came around to the air lock, which lay open, Optimus instantly recognized the Nemesis. But, suddenly, a new type of mech with spikes all over his body, came marching down the corridor. Optimus motioned Bumblebee and they both backed away into the ship and out of sight while Prime calculated what his next actions should be: blow their cover now and be exposed or wait and lose their chance? As Lockdown entered his ship, he soon was blasted back by a sure of energy from Optimus Prime's ion cannon and Bumblebee rolled out to keep the stunned mech at gun point.

"Wait! Optimus Prime! I'm not with the 'Cons!" Lockdown pleaded, "I'm just a bounty hunter!"

"Who you are or what you label yourself is no concern of mine," Optimus replied roughly, his gun still aimed at the mech, "But you will keep quiet and stay right where you are," he ordered, slowly pressuring Lockdown to back up further into the ship as he made his way, backing for the airlock.

"Bumblebee, watch this one, I'll be back," Optimus said, still aiming his weapons at Lockdown until he was able to get off the ship and jogged down the corridor the bounty hunter had just come from. Bumblebee's mask was down and his optics were narrowed seriously towards the bounty hunter, fearless, though this new mech was bigger then he.

"Bumblebee huh? What kinda name is that, Bug?" Lockdown instigated. Bumblebee simply beeped back his feisty reply, keeping his cannons trained on the bounty hunter.

"Why you!" Lockdown went to attack, but Bumblebee had eyed a special laser net displayed on the bounty hunter's trophy wall and threw it at his opponent. It sizzled and sparked as Lockdown struggled beneath it, becoming pinned down and captured. When the mech finally settled and the net calmed, Bumblebee heard Lockdown mutter, "Slag you,"

Optimus was running down the corridor, stopping just in time to avoid being seen by two hall drones. On Prime's HUD display he attempted to bring up Elita 1's energy signature so he would easily track her, but he couldn't pick her life signal up.

"What?" Optimus blinked and tried again, but still nothing. It was then that he happened to glance down the hall and saw a hovering platform being escorted down the hall. Upon it lay the lifeless femme.

"Elita One..." Optimus readied himself to attack. Transforming his weapons, he shot down the first two drones and the front mech, the medic, spun to see who was attacking.

"Optimus Prime!" he shouted but it was too late. A blast from Prime's gun sent the unsuspecting bot flying back and into a wall, knocking the red medic unconscious. Optimus ran up alongside the hovering platform and stared down at Elita. His mind refused to process what was before him. She was so dark, so...lifeless. It couldn't be... Eltia One... offline? Optimis Prime could feel his spark sinking into a deep pit but no sooner did he find time to mourn then was he attacked once more by oncoming drones. Prime had to turn once more and take cover to fire back upon the three drones coming down fast. Transforming his sword to his left servo, Optimus charged at them, spinning in a series of twists and slashes that cut his enemies to pieces. Alone again, Optimus moved to Elita One's frame and picked her body up. Despite the fact that he had lost her, Prime wasn't about to loose her shell to the Decepticons.

"Ratchet, this is Optimus, can you provide proper extraction?" Prime asked over his com, his tone slightly saddened.

"I think I can manage, is something wrong? Is Bumblebee with you?" Ratchet answered over the com.

"Bumblebee is fine," Prime replied, making his way down the corridor and back to the bounty hunter's ship. When Optimus entered with Elita One in his arms, Lockdown looked shocked and surprised, knowing Starscream's reaction would be nothing but absolute furry.

"Bumblebee, it's time to go," Optimus said, issueing the order, though shaken. Bumblebee nodded and saluted a playful goodbye to Lockdown as the transwarp field beamed on a bit further then they had predicted. It opened clear out of the air lock and across the docking platform of the Nemesis. Optimus perceived more drones running their way and he nodded Bumblebee go first. The scout transformed and zoomed for the portal at all speed, dodging laser fire from the oncoming drones. Optimus followed on foot, covering what he could of Elita One's body as he returned fire, striking two drones down before launching into the portal. He passed through into the Autobot base moments before the drones had closed in and the bridge had shut down.

TO BE CONTINUED...

So sad... Can she really be dead...? What was that red glowy thing within her spark? Come back and you'll find out! Part three will be uploaded soon as promised! Meanwhile leave a comment if you would. It'd make my day!

-Stokin D Embers