Thank you again to my lovely reviewers! I appreciate your comments!
This chapter deviates a little from focusing around Violetwind to Smokescreen and the Autobots, mostly a bit of set up for stuff.
And I've decided that chapters will be posted every Saturday (so Fridays for most of you). This gives me the ability to hopefully keep a buffer of chapters in place and we don't go for weeks/months without updates should something happen. :)
Chapter 2
"Hey, Smokescreen..." Knock Out called happily. "I have a nice little job for you, a little shopping errand, you might say."
The white and blue robot that was Smokescreen – his hands in cuffs – looked over at the speaker. "And what makes you think I'd do anything for you?"
The red mech grinned. "Let me just show you a very good reason for doing as I say." Waving his hand he indicated for two of the vehicon troopers to bring their captive along.
Smokescreen glared at the Decepticons as they flanked him and started dragging him along after Knock Out.
The Decepticon medic led them back to his lab. "Just in here," he said stepping in and pointing towards the purple femme in recharge attached to his table. "So far she's still alive but that could change very easily. It all depends... on you..." He was ever so pleased at having a bot's life in his hands.
The Autobot tried to lunge forward trying to see if she truly was alright but was stopped by the vehicon troopers. "You let her go!"
Knock Out picked a bit of dirt off himself, not even bothering to glance at the prisoner. Bringing him there had done just what he had hoped, aggravate Smokescreen as well as putting him in a difficult position. "I think that really depends on you. Help me out or..." he smirked, "She dies. Pretty simple really."
The commotion had woken Violetwind; the femme stirring and looking over at those who had roused her from her rest. Recognising the white and blue one from before she glanced at him with worry. He had been captured too. A feeling of guilt rose up in her, believing it could only be her fault that he was there.
Seeing her awake and looking over at him as she did, Smokescreen knew he could not risk her life and had to do what the Decepticons wanted. So with this in his mind, he gave in but did so bitterly, "Fine... I'll do what you want."
Pleased with the results, Knock Out approached his captive, lifting the bot's chin with his finger. "So glad you see it my way, Smokescreen." Stepping back he waved off the troopers, "Take him away until we need him."
"Wait! Don't I get the chance to talk to her?"
Knock Out put on a small show of thinking about it before grinning. "Nope."
The red medic received a parting glare from the Autobot as he was taken away but just before he left the room his expression became pained as he felt unworthy for not having been able to rescue the femme the first time when they were out at the cave, thinking that if he had been a better fighter they would not be there.
It was not long before the Decepticons sent Smokescreen on an 'errand' for them. His hands were no longer in cuffs but he was not about to fight back. They would not hesitate to kill the femme if he did. All it would take was one of the vehicon troopers to comm. Knock Out and she would be nothing but scrap metal- not something that he was going to let happen.
"You ready, Autobot?" A trooper asked giving him a rough shove forward.
"Ready to be out of this place," he retorted. In truth though, Smokescreen was not ready at all. They were about to infiltrate a uranium processing facility run by humans and he did not wish to do anything to harm the planet's natives, knowing that Autobots were supposed to protect humanity.
Worse was the fact that he could not get in touch with the rest of the his team. The 'Cons were scrambling his communications rendering it impossible to contact them and would be continuing to do so as they went on the raid. He just hoped they would be able to track his energon signature when he left their ship and perhaps be able to come and stop them.
The familiar whirling sound of a ground bridge alerted him to the fact it was time to go. He was ordered to get moving and grudgingly complied, stepping into the swirling blue green portal. I hope you guys don't take too long, he thought to himself.
Alarms were going off and most of the humans had fled as Smokescreen walked out of the ground bridge. Immediately one of the vehicons gave him a shove and a command. "You, start collecting those containers."
"Yes, sir," he replied giving a mock salute and getting to work with a heavy spark.
The minutes ticked by ever so slowly and the white and blue bot was beginning to wonder if the other Autobots would show up at all but his wishes were indeed granted.
The deep voice of their leader, Optimus Prime, caused all the troopers to pause for just a moment. "Hold it right there, Decepticons. Your thieving ways shall end now."
With him were the blue two wheeler Arcee and the yellow and black striped Bumblebee. It was Arcee who spotted their team mate first. "Smokescreen?" She was shocked and confused as she caught sight of the mech helping move containers.
Bumblebee added in his own beeps of confusion.
The mech opened his mouth to reply but the shots started to ring out from the vehicons, cutting him off. The fight had begun.
The Autobots quickly sprang into action, leaping out of the way to avoid the incoming fire and taking cover to retaliate in kind. Though they did not fire at their fellow Autobot, still not sure of what he was doing there.
"Smokescreen, what's going on?" Optimus called in between shots.
"Keep your mouth shut," one of the troopers near the young bot threatened.
With a glance at his friends and a sigh, he continued preparing for the Decepticons to leave with their stolen goods.
"I knew we couldn't trust him!" shouted Arcee as she sliced at a vehicon with her arm blades. "He's turned on us!"
The voiceless yellow mech beeped his protest.
"Arcee, we cannot jump to conclusions," Optimus stated firmly, hoping that there was a better answer than their newest member having sided with their enemies.
The Decepticons' ground bridge opened up and the troopers started to retreat into it taking whatever they could with them.
Smokescreen knew this was his last chance to try and say something. Stopping before the portal he raised his voice to call back, "I had no choice! They're going to kill her if I don't do what they want! " he was stopped from saying any more by a hit to the back that sent him sprawling forward and into the ground bridge. Falling through he landed heavily on the other side back on the Nemesis.
"Well Autobot, at least you managed to do something right," came Knock Out's mocking voice. "Take him back to his cell."
Smokescreen groaned as he started to get up only to be roughly hauled to his pedes and pushed down the corridor. I really hope they believed me. If not we might be slagged...
The three Autobots stepped out of the ground bridge and into their base. None of them were very happy, thoughts centred on their encounter with Smokescreen as much as the fact they failed to stop the Decepticons.
A girl with pink highlights in her dark hair looked up from her place on the couch. "So did you show them 'Cons who's boss?"
Optimus sighed showing his distress, while Arcee full out said her mind. "The fragging traitor! He's joined the 'Cons!"
Waving his arms in the air Bumblebee protested.
"Our scout is right, Arcee. What he said might be true," the Prime said hoping it was so.
Miko had left the couch to glare angrily up at them as they talked about something which she had not been told about. "Who joined the 'Cons? And what did they say?"
The heavyset green mech, named Bulkhead, limped in just in time to catch Miko's question and look over at his team mates.
"Smokescreen!" Arcee yelled in frustration.
"What? No way!"
Bulkhead added his disgust, smashing a fist into his other hand. "That little punk!"
Their leader placed a calming hand on the blue femme. "We cannot be sure of that at this moment. I do not believe Smokescreen would willingly aid the Decepticons." Looking over at the young human he continued, "Smokescreen mentioned someone else and having no choice in the matter as he helped them steal from the humans' facility; that her life would be in danger if he did not."
Ratchet spoke for the first time since the others had returned, "Optimus..."
The large bot turned to his old friend.
"If he has turned he knows the bases location and could lead the 'Cons right here but if he hasn't..."
Everyone fell silent as the revelation of what the medic said dawned upon them. There was the possibility that Smokescreen had become a traitor but why then would he not have led the Decepticons straight to them instead of attacking and helping steal from the humans. It would have easily taken them all by surprise. Then there was the second possibility. This one grieved them all. If he had not defected then he had been captured and worse was that he wasn't the only one in Decepticon hands...
A fierce determination had captured Arcee's face. "Optimus, if he's right, we need to get them back."
A two days went by and the Autobots had not found anything which could help them locate Smokescreen and the mysterious female he mentioned. The strain of the search was taking its toll and everyone was getting touchy because of it. They were all rather concerned about the others' fate.
Arcee and Jack rolled in after his shift at KO Burger. Slipping off the bike he walked over to where Ratchet was monitoring the screens, while Arcee transformed back into her robot mode once he was clear. "Any news?" The boy asked.
"Mmm, nothing yet," grumbled the bot. "Optimus should be returning from his search of sector J soon though."
"Slag," Arcee grumbled, "why haven't those 'Cons done something else by now! At least then we'd have a chance of finding them!"
"It has only been two days, Arcee. The Decepticons are unlikely to do much if they have what they need for the time being. We can only continue to be vigilant and hope that something comes up that may reveal their location," replied the medic not taking his optics from the screens.
At that moment Optimus called in, "Ratchet. Ground bridge here immediately. I have discovered a starship of unknown origins and although it appears abandoned there is evidence of a Decepticon presence."
"I'll be coming too," Arcee stated. "Can't be too careful if the 'Cons have already beaten us there."
"Mhmm," agreed Ratchet wordlessly as he opened the ground bridge at Optimus's coordinates.
"Hey what about me?" interrupted Jack.
"You can stay and man the ground bridge," the medic replied stepping away.
"Hmph," was the teenage boy's less than satisfied response. He wasn't too thrilled at being left behind alone. If only one of the others was there to at least keep him company but Miko and Rafael were both out with their 'Bots taking some down time.
"So stay here," commanded Ratchet.
"Fine, I'm no Miko. But it would be a shame not be able to see a spaceship," he tried a last ditch effort in persuading them into taking him along.
Arcee smirked. "Maybe you can check it out later. After, we know its not a trap crawling with 'Cons."
"Yes!" he whispered doing a fist pump.
"See ya, Jack," she said as she walked through the ground bridge with Ratchet.
On the other side they stepped out to a waiting Optimus Prime. Stretching out his hand, he pointed over to the wreckage that had once been a small spacecraft but was now far too damaged to even fly. "It lies over there. Be alert as we approach, there were signs of energon blasts in the forest, most likely caused by Decepticons."
Ratchet and Arcee nodded their understanding before the blue femme asked, "Do you think this might belong to Smokescreen's 'she'?"
"It could be. Cloaking on the ship could be the reason our sensors were not able to detect it when it first entered Earth's atmosphere," the medic responded.
Arcee grimaced, "And yet the 'Cons still found it first."
"Let us not worry about such at this time. Instead we shall investigate for any signs of life enemy or otherwise," Optimus broke off any further musings.
Drawing out their weapons the trio carefully moved closer, using what cover they could as they went. There were no signs of life as they approached, nothing indicating that their enemies were still around. However, the symbol on the side of the ship did not sit well with them. It was the sharp angled insignia of the Decepticons.
Approaching the spacecraft's entrance Arcee went in first, guns at the ready. Seeing that the coast was clear she nodded to the others and continued, the mechs right behind her. Searching the few rooms of the ship they found it to be abandoned, even the ship's storage was empty.
Since the place was clear, not a soul to be found, Ratchet went to access the ships data log in an effort to find any information about who it might have belonged to and where it might have come from. However his search was unfruitful yet surprising. "Optimus, the ship's data has been wiped clean. There's nothing left."
"Was this the occupant's doing or the Decepticons?" questioned the Prime.
"I can't be sure."
"What do you think they were hiding?" Arcee added.
Ratchet mused over the possibilities. "Could be anything. Highly sensitive information, scientific plans, battle strategies or one of numerous other things. Whatever it was, they didn't want anyone else to know about it." He opened up the hatch to investigate the computer circuits.
"Is there any way to find out anything about the ship, Ratchet?"
"Unlikely. Even the backup is erased. I could try taking it back to base but there is little chance of retrieving anything."
"What now?"wondered Arcee. "What about Smokescreen's femme friend then? Was she really someone he should want to help?"
Optimus Prime spoke calmly though, grieved with their lack of information, "For now we shall return to base and contact Agent Fowler to remove the spacecraft lest humans stumble upon it. As for your other questions... We cannot be certain. But I do not understand why the Decepticons would use one of their own to threaten our young ally."
I have to admit I'm not thrilled with they way I've done this chapter but it does allow for some later foreshadowing. So yay, foreshadowing!
Also just a small note, I have started a sketch of Violetwind and hope to eventually colour it so you can see what she looks like. Yay!