XXVIII - Keys III

Megatron stalked over to Knock Out, "You say the relic was gone before you even got there?"

"Yes, my Lordship. It was out of our control–"

"Silence!" The silver mech barked. He turned on me, optics glittering with malice and he raised a fist. "And as for you…" a ping sounded out from the console Soundwave was working at. Megatron looked to see what it was: another set of decoded coordinates.

"Soundwave's on fire!" The medic exclaimed from beside me. Saved by the bell, I thought.

Megatron straightened up, speaking into a comm. "Dreadwing, report to the bridge immediately." He closed the comm, "Knock Out, you are dismissed." The red mech left reluctantly.

"Master," I stepped forwards, offering him a shallow bow, "permit Knock Out and I to redeem ourselves by retrieving the relic for you. We shall not fail you again."

He turned to face me, "Yet why is it that you continue to do so? No, Dreadwing has proven himself far more capable than you and Starscream ever have been."

That stung. "Then allow me to prove my worth to you!"

"No! That is final!" He snapped. "Go, catalog the energon stores. I want every last cube accounted for, and if you dare lay a finger on any high grade…"

My ruined wings drooped and I trudged off down the corridor. I turned left and was about to enter the storage room, when something caught my optic in a seemingly bare room across the hall, its door cracked open. Interested, I walked over to investigate, entering into the room. Something long and thin rested under a fabric tarp in the shadowy corner of the room, one of the ends of it poking out. It was crimson and pointed, I couldn't tell much more from that. I bent down and flung the tarp off it, then gasped.

Valor laid on the floor, its edges glinting wickedly in the dim light.

"Megatron said you were shrapnel," I breathed, picking it up with reverence. But startlingly enough, there was an inky black sheath also under the tarp, perfectly matching the sword's hilt. Valor fit inside of it like a glove. I was confused over its existence. "Megatron hadn't made a scabbard to go with my blade," I mused, "the only reason would be that he intended to claim Valor as his own, but he already has the Dark Star Saber…" I paused in thought, clipping the scabbard to my back. The simple action was a challenge with only one servo to work with. It fit snugly in between my wings, resting over my thruster. "Unless it is no more."

I left the room and entered the energon storage vault across the hall, ignoring the Vehicon guards posted there. Every last cube was stacked into a pristine pyramid. There was nothing I could do, everything was in order. That certainly wouldn't have slipped Megatron's notice. He had only sent me here to get me out of his sights, to prevent me from following Dreadwing. I snarled quietly, spinning on my heel and left the room.

"Sir," a Vehicon guard spoke up, "pardon my asking, but what happened to your wings?"

I turned to him coldly and he looked uncomfortable, "That is none of your concern." But it was time to put these wings to the test.

I transformed and rocketed down the hall. So far so good, but with the state of them, I doubted I could keep it up for long. I pushed my engine and whipped around a corner, shooting onto the bridge. But the air whipped through the tears in my wings in an unpredictable way and I spun out, crashing to the floor in a skid. The ground bridge Dreadwing had supposedly walked through was still wide open. Without a second thought, I flung myself through it. Megatron could only watch in fury and disbelief as I vanished into it.

I unsheathed Valor from my back and swept my gaze around for any potential threats. Nothing jumped out at me, unless if one of the trees was thinking of dropping on me. The absurdity of the thought brought on a slight smirk. The ground bridge closed and I whirled around, raising my blaster, but then sagged, cursing myself for how frayed my nerves were. I began to walk through the forest, looking for Dreadwing's tracks, but had no such luck. Why waste time walking when one could fly instead? The leaves on the trees gave the appearance that the trees themselves were burning, a wide array of reds, oranges, and yellows.

I wasn't keeping track of the months with everything that had been going on of late, but had to have been mid-fall, almost November. I ruefully thought of the ground bridge remote, my ground bridge remote, that I had tossed to Knock Out back on the moon. Whoops. I hoped he still had it, but I was surprised he hadn't given it back to me. Maybe he was hoping I would forget, because if that was the case, he was in for a sore disappointment.

The sound of an explosion made me jump, echoing through the valley. Not wanting to test my wings further, I raced off on pede in the direction of the blast, weaving in and out of trees. I stopped on the edge of a clearing, seeing Dreadwing facing off against Bulkhead. Neither of them could see me from my excellent vantage point, concealed by a small copse of bushes. Only the tops of my striped wings poked up.

Bulkhead onlined his comm frequency and shouted into it, "Smoke, get the relic!"

"So, Smokescreen is here?" I purred. The telltale white door wings of the white mech vanished into the forest adjacent me, and I took off in pursuit, Valor boosting my strides until I suspected I was just a blur. I had to make sure the Autobots got the third Key. I didn't think I could live with myself if a newly restored Cybertron fell under Megatron's tyrannical rule.

Smokescreen heard a twig snap behind him as he rolled a boulder of the way, trying to get to the Omega Key. He spun around, but no one was there. "Could've sworn I heard something…" he muttered to himself, then resumed pulling rocks away.

"You might make quicker work of this if you remove the boulders on the bottom first," I critiqued, startling Smokescreen. The white mech whirled around, seeing me taking leisurely strides towards him. "That way they all will fall."

"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do with the Key? Take it back to your 'Con buddies?" He snapped, transforming out a blaster.

I glared at it, "Please, can we not be civil? And have you heard nothing from the others?"

"Megatron hasn't delivered a speech." he retorted. "Nice arm, by the way. Really suits you, maybe you should do the same with the other one."

"The Autobots!" I exclaimed, scowling, "Has Optimus told you nothing of my present situation? I am making sure these Omega Keys fall into your possession!"

"And look who's doing a fine job of it," he muttered.

My ruined wings fluttered pridefully, "As a matter of fact, I am."

"Then you don't happen to know where número quatro is hiding out, now do you?" He asked cooly.

"Up your aft," I snarled beneath my vocalizer. "Just grab the relic and get out, Dreadwing could be here at any moment!"

He turned away and began to pull boulders out from the base of the rock wall, "I can't just leave Bulkhead here with Dreadwing!" he said.

"Use your processor!" I slapped him, and then bent over to help clear away the rocks, "Send him a comm as soon as he can escape the battle."

"Where's the glory in that?" He huffed, rolling a final boulder away and exposing the third Omega Key's container.

"The 'glory' is that you both escape with the Key and we are one step closer to restoring Cybertron!" I snapped, my thin patience waning further.

"Hey, idle those engines, Sevvie. Bulk can afford to trade a few punches with Dreadwing. We've been doing pretty well so far," he said, popping the lid off.

"Don't call me that!" I snapped and leaned over to see, but the Omega Key wasn't inside. Only a snapped thread, connected to a detonator. Then the trees started beeping. At first, I thought my mind had joined the thread, but it soon became obvious that Smokescreen could hear it too. It was worse than I feared, there were pointed, blue and yellow bombs that matched Dreadwing's paint job stuck to every tree as far as the optic could see. And they all appeared to be just above our reach. Well, in our bipedal modes anyway.

"Scrap!" I exclaimed. Smokescreen and I exchanged a horrified look. We both were grounded with no reasonable means of escape; he could only turn into a car, and my shredded wings certainly wouldn't hold up against air currents, especially those after the blast.

"Ratchet! We need a ground bridge!" Smokescreen barked into a comm.

"On it!" The medic replied quickly, and one spiraled open a few paces away just as the ringing on the trees sped up.

"Let's go!" He urged. I didn't need to be told twice, and we dashed through the portal.

My first order of business was to sheathe Valor. The speed enhancement it bestowed upon me was rather irksome when dealing with others outside of combat. Bulkhead was already in the base, waiting for us. "Seven! What are you doing here? How've you been?!" He asked, coming over. But then the green mech saw my torn wings and my arm in a sling and his faceplates fell, "Oh…"

"We can have a reunion later, what happened to the third Omega Key?" Ratchet asked, closing the ground bridge just as the explosion began to blast through.

"A little under the wire, hm?"

The medic ignored my remark, "Am I right to assume that was the Decepticons' doing?"

Smokescreen frowned, "Yeah, Dreadwing was there. I can't believe we didn't grab the Key! Aw, I wish I could've put a few dents into him!" He threw a few punches at the air, showing it who's boss.

I rolled my optics, "The container was empty before we even arrived. Dreadwing fitted it with a trap that triggered those fragging bombs, and–"

Suddenly Oliver and Will dashed out of a hall. "Sev!" Will exclaimed, rushing over to me and hugged my leg. Oliver showed a bit more restraint and offered me an embarrassed wave. The other bots chuckled at the sight.

"What are you looking at?!" I snapped at them, a smile ghosting my features. I gently lifted Will off me and set him on the red console Ratchet was working at, wanting him to annoy the old bot. Jack, Miko, and Raf currently were absent.

[Miko's in detention, Raf is catching up on homework, and Jack is working at that burger place.] Bumblebee chirped, guessing my thoughts. Ratchet sent Will and Oliver through a ground bridge to their school, wanting them off his case.

"It seems the Decepticons have acquired the third Omega Key." Optimus rumbled.

"All evidence certainly points that way, yes." Ratchet agreed. The medic turned to me, "Get on the berth, I shall fix your wings." He pointed to it, "Chop, chop!"

"No," I said, "Megatron surely is wondering where I am at this point, and if my wings were repaired, it would be a dead giveaway to where I've been."

He huffed, "Fine, reject our hospitality. No sense in waiting: here's the door." He gestured to a new ground bridge portal.

I looked at the screen for a second before retrieving my sword, "I see you're learning Decepticon technology," I smirked.

"Yes, and it would be going much more smoothly if you or the young doctor were here to provide assistance." At that, I gave him a sardonic little wave and strode through the bridge.

I stepped out into the clearing where Bulkhead and Dreadwing had fought. It was nearly unrecognizable. The landscape that had formerly looked like it was on fire now actually was. Every last tree had been reduced to tinder, and the formerly green grass was blackened or burned away, covered in a fine layer of ash. Small fires still smoldered on a few charred logs, and ash permeated the air so thickly that I opted to disable my intakes. Cybertronians didn't need to breathe like humans did, of course, but air was a free cooling system. If we ran our fans more than normal—which I was doing right now—it cut into our energon reserves. But I had plenty of fuel to spare, and didn't want the ash getting into my systems. I needed a good wash as it was.

I sighed and opened a comm to the Nemesis' frequency, "This is Seven, requesting a ground bridge at my coordinates." One materialized a moment later. And as usual, Megatron was waiting there for me.

"You disobeyed my orders in following Dreadwing, endangering him and the relic." He growled and the bridge closed behind me. The few Vehicons that were present in the bridge watched our exchange with an eagerness about them. "Your wings are to remain as they are, and if you even breathe a word to Knock Out, I shall hear of it."

"Yes, Master."

He straightened, getting out of my faceplates, "I see you located your sword." his tone was neutral, something I didn't know how to react to.

"Yes, amazing how things can repair themselves after being blown to smithereens, wouldn't you say?" I gave him a sideways glance.

He held out his burgundy servo, "Give it to me."

I chuckled darkly, "Or what? You have your gladiatorial sword, do you not? Oh, that's right, you cut your own arm off to make a sword which I shattered like glass!"

The triumphant smirk slid off his faceplates, he began to take slow, menacing strides towards me, "Then allow me to explain things in a manner which I know you'll understand–" his comm pinged. Megatron answered it angrily, "What is it, Dreadwing?" He snapped, still shooting me daggers with his optics.

"My liege, the relic is placed inside of the vault, though has no observable use which I was capable of discerning."

"I shall investigate shortly, do not bother me again."

"As you wish, my Lord. Though there is one thing I regrettably must inform you of."

"Oh?" The warlord's attention was now solely focused on the blue Seeker. I began to creep away, taking slow steps to quiet my pedfalls. "And what might that be?"

"Our sworn enemies, the Autobots, live."

I was almost out of the room when there was a loud BOOM. I whirled around to see that Megatron had buried a fist in the wall and roared, tugging it out with a swift jerk. He closed the comm link and looked to me once again, murder in his crimson optics. "Seven, you knew! You knew they still functioned, and yet told no one!" He lumbered closer and I backed against the wall, feeling my wings slowly flatten. "Do you even have a notion of the consequences of your actions?!"

"A fairly good one," I began, playing a wild card and tried not to look intimidated but not overly cocky either. In reality, it would have been a miracle if I wasn't trembling. "you're about to beat me senseless until I fall unconscious or near that from my injuries, throw me in a cell for a night, then a few drones are going to drag me over to the med bay and waste Knock Out's precious time stitching me back together again. It's become somewhat routine, don't you think?" I replied, glaring at him. I was surprised that he had actually let me say all of that. Perhaps some small part of him enjoyed the challenge. Found it refreshing, even.

"Then it seems I have no other option," he began, sounding resigned to what he was about to say, "but to terminate you, as you are of no further use to me, or the Decepticons. I shall tear you apart with my very servos if I must!" He bellowed.

I drew Valor from its place on my back with lightning reflexes and felt the boost in speed. Not a second later, I stood behind him with my sword's tip brushing at his exposed neck cables. Every mech in the bridge watched in stunned silence now, Soundwave included.

"We both know that you will not terminate me."

"True," I agreed. And with a clean sweep of my blade, I relieved him of his burgundy arm. He grit his denta and his entire chassis tensed like a coiled spring, but he didn't make a sound or move. Wouldn't want to show weakness in front of your subordinates. "Master."

And on that note, I spun on my heel and left the room with a flourish. I held Valor out, partly to dispatch any Vehicons that got in my way as I raced down the corridors, partly to use that speed boost to my advantage. I felt invincible! But then I frowned to myself. I had Megatron at my mercy, but the only reason I spared him was that the Vehicons and Soundwave would terminate me. Ever since Starscream's death, I reflected, my sense of self-preservation has all but disappeared. I'm not the mech I once was.

"Attention all Decepticons!" Megatron's voice boomed from the warship's comm, sounding like his denta were gritted. "Capture Seven at all costs, and bring him to me! Alive!"

"Great," I muttered. I ran into the room where the relics were housed, and the third Omega Key greeted me from a pedestal not too far away. I sloppily sheathed Valor with my working servo and snatched the Key up, then raced out again, this time in the direction of the med bay.

I skidded inside, "Knock Out!"

The medic's helm snapped up, hearing the urgency in my tone. "What is it?"

"Give me the ground bridge remote!"

"What! Why?"

"Because we're going to escape this fragging ship, you dolt!"

"No." He said firmly, adopting a serious tone.

"What?" I asked, not understanding. "Did you not hear his announcement?! Megatron just sent the entire ship after me! I cannot afford to just dawdle around here as usual!" I waved the Key around at nothing in particular.

"I'm not saying you should," he agreed, "but I've been wondering and thinking of when this day will come, and I'm staying here. I'm more familiar with the equipment and there isn't Ratchet ordering me around, but I can act as an inside mech for the Autobots."

I tapped a talon to my chin in thought, "Yes, that is a adequate idea, I admit, but–"

"To be blunt: with Starscream gone, the 'Bots have no use for me with them. And I have a hunch that another X-'Con will only—hm, how shall I put it? 'Create dissension among the ranks?'"

"I see your point," I grumbled, "but is it really necessary?"

"Are your audials functioning? Did you hear any word of what I just said?!" The red mech exclaimed, and tossed me the ground bridge remote after retrieving it from under a stack of equipment on a table.

"Of course!" I shot back, and caught it awkwardly. "Before I depart, there is one last thing I must do."

"Getting your wings repaired, per se?"

I didn't answer and ran out of the room, pedes clacking sharply against the hard floor. I might as well have been waving a large flag while screaming "COME GET ME!" Come get some! My mental shout went unanswered, but it was just as well. Dispatching drones would waste precious time I would loathe to squander.

I reached the bridge maybe five seconds later, aided by my sword. I quietly slid it into its scabbard between my wings, and snuck forward. I peeked around the corner and into the bridge, where Megatron, Dreadwing, and a pair of drones watched the last set of coordinates being decoded by Soundwave. I saw with a surge of satisfaction that the tyrant was clutching the stump where "his" arm used to be, energon sluggishly trickling through the gaps between his fingers.

"Good work, Soundwave. Now, let us see where this last relic is hiding." But the screen didn't display a set of coordinates in Cybertronian script, rather, an image. I stifled a gasp; it was of Smokescreen.

"The Autobots' newest recruit?"

"Indeed, Dreadwing," Megatron said, turning to his second, his movements stiff.

My optics widened and I bolted to the flight deck. I activated my ground bridge remote and entered the coordinates to the Harbinger, where the Autobots had sought refuge.