Upon their arrival, Nightshade saw no signs of life, aside from the farm animals. This was a relief, as it meant their family was safe and secure in the dugout.
Nightshade had modified the dugout so that they were the only one who could enter it from the outside. Anyone inside could leave, but reentering would require one to be verified and let in by somebody else still in the dugout. Naturally, Nightshade, as the designer, was able to unlock it from the outside.
Nightshade quietly entered the dugout only to be met by Twitch and Hashtag, wide awake. "Oh phew you're safe." Hashtag said relieved, rushing to hug them.
"Of course I am, I planned for contingencies." Nightshade said while hugging Hashtag back.
"So. Where'd you run off to in the middle of the night. Recklessly I might add." Twitch spoke in a stern voice.
"My apologies. I was visiting the cemetery." Nightshade responded truthfully.
"Oh! that's where your Decepticon friend is, right? Were you visiting him?" Hashtag spoke up in a friendly tone.
Nightshade nodded.
"And what part of that visit resulted in a feeling of worry?" Twitch questioned, pointing to the sensor on her hand that signified emotions.
Nightshade Looked down. "Ah. Well I witnessed an argument, a heavy one to say the least. An emotional one."
"Between?" Twitch continued to press.
"Twitch can you maybe cool it with the interrogation?" Hashtag inquired
"It's fine hashtag. The argument was between Starscream and Megatron." Nightshade confessed.
"Oooooh! Tell me more!" Hashtag said, now quite interested. Nightshade looked back at her with an expression that said it all. "Oh… it's really something serious."
"Mostly Starscream claiming Megatron had forgotten the Decepticons' original cause. And claiming that Megatron had failed as a leader by continuing the war." Nightshade explained
"Original cause?" Twitch questioned.
"Megatron formed the decepticons eons ago, back then he was a miner, impoverished, mistreated, and disrespected. He was fed up with his mistreatment, so he fought against his oppressors." Nightshade recanted what Starscream had explained. "However after a while, he grew power hungry and supposedly forgot what he stood for."
"Damn" Hashtag whispered
Twitch opened her mouth to speak before being cutoff. "I know what you'll ask next Twitch. Why was Starscream there in the first place? Because I wanted to talk to him. Why? Because I needed to tell him my plan." Nightshade admitted.
"Of getting the autobots and Decepticons to unite." Twitch replied. While her words indicated a question, her tone was a statement.
"I'm sorry I worried you, it was reckless. Forgive me." Nightshade replied softly, walking away.
"Nightshade, wait." Twitch spoke up, as Nightshade looked back. "You've gone through a lot, and I don't think any of us realize just how much." she said kindly.
"And I'm sorry I never backed you up." Hashtag admitted "It wasn't a bad plan, I just didn't want to be the odd one out. Did anything come of it?" She inquired.
"Starscream convinced Megatron to give the plan a chance. Megatron will tell Optimus eventually." Nightshade explained
"Really? That's great!" Hashtag said. Nightshade nodded in response.
"Well. Having Megatron on your side helps." Twitch responded. "Maybe your plan has some legs." She said smiling at Nightshade.
"Twitch?" Nightshade spoke up after a short while, "How long do you think we're going to have to hide here? Are we going to be able to help our family if something happens to them?"
"Don't worry Nightshade. We can still help even if we're cooped up in here, right?" Hashtag said, trying to sound hopeful.
Twitch didn't have an answer. She hesitated before speaking in a somber manner "I don't know, Hashtag. I want to go out and defend them, but they want us to be safe. This is a problem much bigger than us."
Nightshade spoke up in a dreary tone "I fear this is the end of peacetime."
Twitch gave Nightshade an uneasy look at the remark.
Nightshade said nothing else and went to their own bed.
