"Meet me at these coordinates."

"I'm busy."

"Failure to show up, TC, will have me coming after you, personally. You remember the conditions upon your hiatus."

With that, Starscream terminated the link. Thundercracker hadn't heard from Starscream since he had left, and he was indeed busy. In fact, he had just gotten a good lead on where to find the Trifilioux Ore he had searched weeks for. It wasn't the most important thing he needed for what he had in mind, but it was an essential part of the equation.

But TC knew he had to go. If he didn't, Starscream would come after him. And he didn't want his Commander anywhere near his ship at the moment. He had hidden his activities well, but he knew from the past and more current events that Starscream, when he put his processor to it, could find things out. His paranoid determination would make the Supreme Air Commander's search for the truth a destructive current of disruption that Thundercracker was not in need of.

Knowing Starscream, he just wanted the Seekers to make an appearance in one of his ostentatious and irrelevant shows of power. Usually, a time like this would be a well sought break from his life among the Decepticon ranks. Now, it was an interruption that was unnecessary.

He could have delegated some of what he was doing to his squadron. They could have been trusted, maybe even the doctor who seemed determined to stay. But what Thundercracker wanted to accomplish was too important to rely on another, and he could not allow anything to go wrong, could not allow any unneeded attention to stray toward him. It would take him longer to get the equipment, but seeing as each step took planning, creds and plenty of clandestine meetings, he was going to have to be patient.

Fortunately enough for TC, he had that in abundance.

"Going somewhere?"

"I am."

"Want company?"

"No."

"What are you up to this time?"

"Starscream wants to see me."

They had been walking down the corridor. At the sound of his wingmate's name, the medic flinched. The reaction was just a quick flicker of unease, but Thundercracker noticed it easily. He still didn't know what it was that caused suck disturbance in the doctor regarding his fellow Seeker. It was one of the few things Rivet kept close to his spark and kept a tight mouthpiece on.

"Then you will want me to take care of Terra?"

The dog in question was walking quickly beneath them, keeping pace with Thundercracker. She had grown in the weeks since he had gotten her. Trained by the medic, she already knew basic commands and was showing signs of the sharpness of intellect that he had identified when he first saw the animal. Looking down at her, she wagged her tail so hard that her back end shifted hard to the right and left, left and right.

"Yes."

"She whines when you leave," Rivet complained.

"Continue with her training. I will be back soon."

"She whines a long time..."

"Then keep her in your quarters again."

"She prefers yours."

"Fine. And you, doctor, keep up your own training."

"I told you. I can defend myself."

"Not from what I've seen."

"When it matters, I can," the medic asserted.

"You may be good with that Difler rod that you wield, but you need to learn that one cannot always depend on attachments and upgrades. You will learn to fight. You will learn whatever I want you to, if you want to stay on board my ship."

Rivet took a moment before he answered, but when he did his words were strong and filled with resolve, "I'm a doctor, not a warrior. My specialty lies in healing people, not purposely taking them apart."

"With me, doctor, you will need to be both." Thundercracker stopped and looked down at the medic. "And I have looked into your past, Rivet. You have done more than you want others to know. You are not as... simple as you seem."

"I... I..." the medic looked down, mouth twisting into a tight frown before his head lifted back up with optics filled with surety. "Yes, you are right. But I will not allow what I did in the past to define my future."

"Then you'd be one of the first."

As he left Rivet, his last words echoed through his mind. Would his past always be melded to his spark? Would it always be a part of who he was? Yes. It would be. But how he allowed it to mold who he needed to be was up to him.

"You're late." Were Starscream's first words as Thundercracker met and flew along with his wingmate, the space around then dark and stretching outward.

"I came."

"Yes, so you did. I so hope that I didn't take you away from anything truly important."

"No."

Starscream huffed at that, not believing him for a moment.

"Hey, TC!" Skywarp flew up by his side "You came! Starscream had his doubts."

"Where are we headed this time?" his lack of enthusiasm was evident in his words.

"Try to contain your excitement, Thundercracker. We are due an appearance, and I have picked the most interesting place," Starscream finished with a burst of relish.

"The last time you used that word, we ended up in the Brimok Prison Center for three cycles," Skywarp reminded. "But since I had as much fun breaking out as what we did to get in, I say... lead the way, all-powerful one!"

Starscream up-linked the needed coordinates and then took off. Skywarp raced after and then slowed down when he noticed TC's lack of further speed.

"The sooner we get there, the sooner you can leave," Skywarp said, somewhat bitter. "If I were you though, I would take this outing seriously. Megatron has been asking questions about you, wondering where you are. Screamer's been covering for you, but I think..."

TC cut him off, "Understood."

"Seriously, TC. You may have abandoned the Decepticon cause, but remember your actions and your decisions also roll onto us. So try not to get us fragged while you are working on this bit of spark searching."

He took a moment to consider that. The Cybertronian jet beside him was a vision he had seen time and time before. But now, as the seriousness and truth rang through the link, loud and clear through the dark territory of space that they were traveling through, he somehow felt disconnected and apart, traveling with Skywarp and yet destined to break apart.

He came to a decision.

"I will go to see Megatron. I will tell him myself," he informed his wingmate.

Skywarp came to an abrupt halt, inadvertently blocking an incessantly bright nearby star. "Wait... that... that isn't what I meant."

"No, it's time I did."

"So you really aren't coming back."

"I can't."

"Because of what Starscream's done?"

"Because of what I did."

"We're at war, what we do, we do for..." Warp fell silent. "Yes, I suppose I have heard that as well. Never thought I would be trying to remind you. Maybe before you leave us, you should think of why you first joined and what we have achieved, what you used to believe in."

"Enough talking," Starscream interrupted the two, obviously listening to their exchange. "Thundercracker will never leave us. He will always be one of us. Now cut the chatter. We are almost there."

Their destination was a neutral space station. As Starscream was and always would be, there had to be a reason why they went to such an irregular place. They had to disable their weapons just to be allowed to board, had to agree to nonaggression just to be allowed clearance.

Walking through the darkly lit corridors, they merged onto the main deck. There was light and activity, music and the smell of consumables. The place had grown into more than a place for Cybertronians. Many species wandered the hallways, a lot of undersized creatures that forced them to be more aware of where they stepped. It was when he saw a small group of humans walk by, the creatures stopping and gawking at the three seekers as they backed away in fear, their Autobot protector quickly ushering them back and away, that things started to feel planned.

Yes, he saw the smile that plastered Starscream's features that he didn't bother to hide as Thundercracker glared with the knowledge of circumstances.

"Why have you brought us here?" Thundercracker tensely inquired.

"Now you ask? Now you are curious?" Starscream chuckled, it dying away into a pleased frown. "You'll know soon enough. For now, what do you say we go play some Telidaw? It's been a while since the three of us sat down for a round."

"I'm not in the mood," Thundercracker spoke up before Skywarp could, making the decision for both.

Starscream took a deftly calculated step toward Thundercracker, a not so subtle challenge that made his optics shine bright and his smile grow devious.

"That wasn't a request."

There were times in TC's life when he knew that arguing with Starscream would have proved foolhardy. This was one such time.

But as they followed the enthused Starscream, a dangerous enough trait on its own, they made their way to a table that was already occupied by Autobots. But it wasn't just any Autobots, and they weren't alone. Humans sat on the table, watching the brothers play.

Their presence, as it had a knack for, cleared out the room, only a few brave ones remaining. The red Autobot shot up, hardly forgetful of their last fight when they had discovered their base on Earth.

"Disarmed, remember?" Starscream scoffed with glee as Skywarp laughed at their stupidity. Nobody was that eager to defy the security forces on the port. And the Autobots had Optimus Prime to answer to if they did anything unnecessary reckless. And since Thundercracker was quite aware of the two's dubious reputation and their obvious efforts to impress the Autobot leader, it was of little surprise when both backed down, however, reluctantly. "We just want to play a little Telidaw, unless you Autobots aren't up to the challenge."

"Challenge is never a word I associate with you Decepticons," Sunstreaker shot back, verbally coloring their affiliation with as much muck as Starscream had their own. "Besides, why would a Con want to play a game that is impossible to cheat at?"

Starscream sat down, already getting the A.I. of the table to restart the game and redraw and pass out the pieces. He indicated for his fellow wingmates to sit down, staring at TC, who was unable to comply.

It wasn't the Autobot company that sent him into a haze of dissociation, but some of the humans that were nearby. Josh was with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, along with the Amanda girl who he knew that Alexis had been friends with. For a strange moment, he wondered if they were confused as to how he was even alive. It took another moment to remind himself that he wasn't Timothy but Thundercracker. But even looking down and towering over the humans did not help with that.

Things got tense. The humans exchanged a couple of words and then backed away and got off the table. Sunstreaker waved them off, saying something over his com line. Bluestreak showed up moments later, taking charge of the escaping humans. But he wasn't alone when he showed up.

Alexis was with him. She had been smiling and talking to someone who was with her, but he didn't see that person. Thundercracker only saw her.

Her brother joining her, he said something and then grabbed onto her shoulders as she shot around and looked up. She took in the Seekers, took in them sitting down and joining the Autobots. She bit down on her mouth, small hands shaking, sharp silent words cracking out of her mouth. Her brother took her hand. Turning around sharply, Josh let loose a potent glare that was directed toward the Decepticons and oddly enough the Autobots.

Obviously the humans didn't understand the underlining meaning of neutral base. Easily understandable, since Decepticons and neutrality was not something often spoken of, and when it was, it was never a good thing.

"Ready?"

"Shouldn't you be going after your little humans?" Skywarp asked with cheerful mockery.

"They aren't my problem," Sunstreaker replied as he shook his head to silence whatever his brother had been about to say.

"Really?" Starscream spoke up with a twinkle of a sneer. "It seems to me that is all they are."

"Then that is one thing we can agree on," the yellow Autobot said grimly, hardly happy that they shared anything in common.

"Sit down, TC," Starscream ordered with a swift wave of his hand and a quick flicker of his wrist toward a nearby seat.

"No."

"No?"

Dissatisfied and working toward a poisonous frustration, Thundercracker answered evenly, "I told you, I am not in the mood."

Starscream frowned, looking beyond and after the quickly departing humans. He opened their internally shared link, speaking to him with words that no one else would hear.

"Yes, Thundercracker. She is alive. It took much for me to locate this particular group of humans. I am going to allow you the time it takes me to beat these Autobots to prepare the human. I have decided, if she is what it takes for you to stay with us, then we shall have her."

Removing every particle of emotion in his words, he answered, "I don't want her. I don't want to see her."

"Lies!" Starscream gripped firmly to the table, his optics turning severe. "I have decided to forgive you, decided to... forget and move on. You are far more important to me than any vengeance or distraction could be, so go claim the female, and we can leave."

"No. I will not."

That was all it took for the calm manner of Starscream's speech to disintegrate and die a speedy death. "I did not come here to waste my time. I am allowing you this despite my better judgment, despite what things I want to do. You will get this female. You will..."

"No," Thundercracker reasserted. "You think she wants me? You think she would be happy to live among us? She would not be, and I will not allow it."

"Her happiness means nothing. What she wants holds no value. You will do this, Thundercracker, or I will do it for you."

Thundercracker shook his head.

"I will not. And if this is why you came here, then you did waste your time. Leave her be. Approach her and I will..."

"You will what?" Starscream spat back, trying to goad him and halfway succeeding.

"Not regret what I will do."

At that Starscream burst out into a fit of loud laughter, befuddling the remaining occupants of the room along with two suspicious Autobots.

TC left. Wandering down the corridors alone, he ended up at the back of the station among the cargo and supplies. He was tense and confounded and wanted to get away. Keeping his link open, he monitored Starscream closely, making sure he didn't do anything.

But he didn't, and somehow Thundercracker knew he wouldn't. Not on a neutral space station, not with all the Autobots and guards around. The location that the Supreme Seeker had picked was heavily protected and fortified, the rules and regulations strictly enforced. If they got into trouble here, not even Megatron would have been able to help them, at least not through official channels. And if Megatron had to help them, they would pay for it in Energon afterward, and the Decepticon lord would gain full knowledge of what had happened and what led up to it.

Starscream would never allow that. And TC could sense the Air Commander's disappointment in the way that he had handled the offer. And the way Starscream reacted to the girl when he had seen her was another thing he couldn't just stow away.

Things were trying to become complicated. Complications were well and good as long as he could figure them out and sort them in their proper place. But all he could see was her face and the reemergence of that fear and the minute scent of her fragrance that shifted and stirred the room and lingered still on his armor.

"Don't hold this against me, TC. I had to do it." Skywarp appeared from nowhere.

Thundercracker turned, not knowing what he was talking about, but understanding completely with what Skywarp held in his hand. Placing the young woman on a nearby case, high on the top shelf and near to his level, Warp swiftly teleported out and left the two alone.