The turbulent weather of this primitive planet proved to be a challenge, but challenge was what Starscream loved most. His companion was much less enthusiastic.

"We should go back!" called Jetfire. "None of my equipment works in this snowstorm, now let's get to the space bridge before it closes!"

"You're the one who needs extra credit!" Starscream yelled back. "I'm sure Shockwave offers extra marks for undiscovered alien planets!"

Heavy wind and snow buffeted the jets, the larger of the two having trouble navigating through the storm. As a particularly strong gust of wind blew, Jetfire found ice being sent straight into his intakes. The surprise made him transform to robot mode, while the disruption to his engines made him start falling.

"Starscream!" he called.

"Just a few cycles, then we'll be back home before you know it!"

When Starscream finally left the planet behind, flying towards the slowly shrinking portal, he quickly noticed his larger companion wasn't there.

"Jetfire!" he called into his comms, receiving no response. "When I get back to Cybertron, I'll form a search party and come back."

Chapter 14: Found and Lost

When Starscream analyzed the Earth's arctic poles, he always knew they felt familiar. And on the day he followed his hunch, the Seeker realized he'd been correct all along. Now Jetfire was in the Decepticon base, being tended to by his friend. Solon sat nearby, watching the operation with interest.

"So how come you aren't putting a program in his head?" he asked.

"Because he was a close friend of mine," answered Starscream. "He'd willingly join the Decepticons if the offer came from me."

"You think pretty highly of this Jetfire, yet this is the first I've ever heard of him."

The Seeker pursed his lips together, taking his eyes away from his work for a moment, he glanced down at his charge. "It was a long time ago, before the Second War even happened. We were roommates at the Polyhex Science Academy, and had gone on an uncharted research mission to this dustball." He looked back at Solon again, the teen sporting a very amused grin. "What?"

"You two were roommates, and went off to some faraway planet for an 'uncharted research mission'," he teased, making air quotes around the last three words. "Is that what they call dates on Cybertron?"

Starscream waved him away in annoyance. "If I weren't your mentor, I'd squash you like a bug for that!" He then turned back to Jetfire's vitals, which seemed stable. "I'll try and manually reactivate him. Wait in the hall for me, would you?"

Solon obliged and walked away, Starscream opening a panel on Jetfire's chest. Connecting two cables close to the latter's spark, weakly pulsating in his chest, he sent a surge of power into the larger mech. Jetfire's body spasmed, the spark getting stronger as his visor came online, a deep red eventually focusing on Starscream.

"Jetfire, can you hear me?" asked Starscream.

"I… can," answered Jetfire, slowly rising up. "I don't understand, I was… I was crashing! Did I survive? Is this just some afterlife? Are we one with the AllSpark?!"

"Calm down, use your logic sensors." The Seeker placed a reassuring hand on the other's shoulder. "You did crash, but I recovered you. It's been many millions of stellar-cycles, but I would never stop until I'd found you again."

"Oh… thank you, Starscream."

The two placed their foreheads together, the sheer emotions each mech felt being obvious to any outsider.

It was especially obvious to Solon, who was watching from the hall. He stared in horrified silence, wondering if he had been right earlier.

Once Jetfire had been brought up to operational readiness, Megatron stepped in. "So you're Jetfire."

"I am. Starscream tells me you're Megatron."

"I am. A lot has changed since you were last online." Despite the grey mech being much shorter than him, Jetfire had to respect his authority. "The Cybertron Defense Force collapsed from infighting, causing society to fracture. I wanted to put a stop to things before another war broke out, by uniting all Cybetronians under one flag. But the Autobots, the last remnants of the CDF, wish to reinstate the old system and go back to the chaotic ways of the past."

Jetfire's mouth hung agape. That was a lot to take in. "What about the Senate? Does it still exist?"

"Sadly, it was one of the first casualties of our war with the Autobots," remarked Starscream. "With no bureaucracy, Megatron had to take control."

"I wanted to rebuild, unite Cybertron under one faction to undo the damage of the past thousand stellar cycles, but I was opposed by Optimus Prime and his Autobots," continued Megatron, fists clenched. "He would rather we stay divided, and Cybertron was lost as a result. Now we stay hidden on this alien world, trying to rescue our captive comrades before they can be enslaved by the Autobots."

Jetfire closed his mouth, contemplating what he had just heard. Glancing at his feet, he looked back to Megatron and asked "How may I help, Megatron?"

The grey mech grinned. "Come with me, we'll make a Decepticon of you."

In the command center, Megatron showed Jetfire a computer screen. It showed several landmasses, each with a series of dots.

"We have managed to locate a dozen stasis pods around this continent, yet we cannot pinpoint their exact coordinates. You, Jetfire, with your advanced scanners, are to go out and find them for us."

"I understand, Megatron. I shan't let you down."

"Very good. One more thing-we cannot allow the natives of this world to know of our existence, so you shall require an alternate mode to operate in public."

The computer changed to show several different aircraft, Jetfire focusing on a cargo plane. Scanning the vehicle, he transformed, a Decepticon insignia forming on the nose cone. As someone else transformed beside him, they both departed to the first stasis pod.

Anna wasn't sure what Matt wanted when he gave her a text simply saying "We need to talk," but she showed up to his apartment regardless.

When she stepped inside, the brunet was sitting on the couch. "I got a text from Naomi the other day," he began. "She wanted me to know you had gone out at night to see some 'trucker.' Should I be suspicious?"

"You shouldn't be," the redhead responded. "Optimus needed me to negotiate with that Decepticon kid. He, well, wanted someone to talk to, and I said we'd talk to him."

"You did what?" Now Matt was on his feet, his brow furrowed. "He nearly got my dad killed at the power plant, he's done nothing but hinder the Autobots, and now you wanna be buddies with him?"

"I never said that, he just wanted someone to talk about human stuff with. I can make my own decisions, you know."

"I never said you couldn't, Anna, I just wish you could've talked to me about it. You do understand that this could backfire in a big way, right?"

"Yeah, I did some risk/benefit analysis in my mind. We won't tell him anything about the Autobots, just… human stuff."

"Oh, okay. Human stuff." The two nodded their heads, before Matt's phone rang. Picking it up, he found that it was from his father. "Hi, dad."

"Hey, Matt, uh… are any of your robot friends out today?" came Alexander's response.

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"Well, I heard some sort of airplane pass by here; pretty close, too. I thought it might be one of your buddies in the woods, but I guess not."

Upon hearing this, the couple shared an anxious glance. "Stay inside, dad, we're on our way." Hanging up, he sent a text to the Exodus. "I hope T-AI isn't picky about answering texts. C'mon."

"After you," said Anna, flinging the door open as they rushed to the parking lot.

Jetfire landed in a wooded area, his partner-Mosstone, she had grunted at him-driving over in her payloader alternate mode.

"I believe there's a stasis pod beneath this area," he observed. "Could you dig it out for me, please?"

"You're saying it like I have a choice," she scoffed, but started digging nonetheless. "I swear, all you airheads treat me like I'm only good for grunt work, just like my damn Functionist mentor."

"I'm not a Functionist," responded the taller mech. "Why would you join the Decepticons if you don't want to dig for them?"

"You think I joined the Decepticons? Ha! They forced a stupid shell program in my head to make me do what they asked."

"But… if the Decepticons are fighting for freedom, why do they force others to fight for them?"

Mosstone stopped digging for a moment, Jetfire raising a ridge in confusion. Then, she started laughing-he wasn't sure if it was genuine or sarcastic; maybe it was both. The green and purple robot had to transform because she was laughing so hard, kicking her legs uncontrollably until she finally stopped.

"You crack me up, Jetfire," she smiled, taking a moment to calm down. "Okay, I'll get back to digging."

She did so, occasionally letting out a chortle as she worked, while Jetfire pondered to himself. Were the Decepticons really the most altruistic side in this conflict?

As Matt drove himself and Anna to his parent's house, the couple found themselves followed by two other vehicles. They knew right away the green muscle car was Speedstar, but the older teal pickup truck was a mystery.

"Sorry, I don't think we've been introduced!" the brunet called.

"The name's Kup," the pickup introduced. "Now keep your eyes on the dang road, you're gonna cause a pileup!"

Matt quickly noticed he was veering too far left and hastily corrected himself. He chuckled sheepishly, then noticed the house in the distance. The Autobots transformed to robot mode and began walking into the woods, figuring that whatever Alexander heard would be further inside. Matt and Anna followed behind, staying back enough that their larger friends didn't step on them.

They could see the unfamiliar transformer well into the distance, and so retreated a good distance before the fighting could break out.

Kup and Speedstar transformed to vehicle mode and drew their weapons, taking in the two Decepticons.

The larger one stood back, holding his hands up. "My name is Jetfire, I don't wish to fight," he stated, looking to his partner for some sort of reassurance.

"Don't matter what you want," she huffed, cracking her knuckles, "s'not like you gotta say in the matter."

She ran forward, colliding with Speedstar. The Autobot held their ground, trading punches with the reprogrammed neutral, as Kup approached Jetfire.

"You're Kup," the tall robot commented. "You were on the team that colonized Caminus."

"Not my happiest mission," remarked Kup, glancing down for a moment before his optics returned to Jetfire's. "Listen, uh… Skyfire, do you know what's in those pods?"

"They're helpless Decepticons, that you and your Autobots want to twist to your cause."

"These guys ain't Autobot or Decepticon, kid. They're Neutral, unaligned, just like your friend over there."

He gestured to Mosstone, who was still battling Speedstar. "A little help here!" the latter shrieked.

Kup grunted, removing his cy-gar, placing it into a pistol, and firing it at Mosstone's back. When she was toppled, he turned back to Jetfire. "Believe it or not, we even got a few Autobots in those pods. Megatron's got a way with words, kid."

"You don't know Megatron."

"I know him better than you! Just… just think about it."

Jetfire looked down, orange optics eyeing the elder Autobot. "I… I can't let you take these pods!"

With a surprising burst of speed and strength, he swung a leg forward, knocking Kup back into a tree. With him out of commission, Jetfire pulled out two pods, shouting to Mosstone, "I have the pods, let's go!"

He transformed to jet mode, the pods going inside as he flew off, Mosstone driving after him soon after. Kup sat up, his chest sparking, as Speedstar walked over.

"Did your little chat accomplish anything?" they winged. "I was fighting shovelzilla there single-handedly, and that guy just punted you into a tree and that's it? Now we've lost both those pods."

"Okay, you fight that mountain of a bot unscathed, punk," huffed Kup, struggling to his feet. "And I'm picking up another pod still in the ground. We didn't lose too bad, Speedstar."

"But we didn't win, either," they muttered quietly.

Jetfire unloaded the two stasis pods in the main chamber of the Decepticon headquarters, standing off to the side as Megatron stepped forward.

"Their green markings suggest they came from the Autobot prison ship," commented Starscream. "Well done, Jetfire. You continue to prove yourself cycle after cycle."

"It wasn't just my doing," the larger mech tried saying. "Mosstone helped me-"

"Yes, yes, anyway, who are our newest warriors, oh mighty Megatron?"

"This one is no Decepticon," said Megatron, pointing to the figure within. "Who is this?"

Rageduct and Windsong walked over and peered into the pod, looking at the Cybertronian within. "Looks like Roadbuster," the former remarked, hand on her chin. "Surprised the Autobots decided to have him locked up."

"Perhaps we should try and recruit him to the Decepticons," the large mech suggested. "If he was imprisoned by his own faction-"

"No, Jetfire," replied Megatron, charging his fusion cannon. "There's only one way to deal with an inactive Autobot."

He aimed his cannon right where Roadbuster's head was, firing multiple times until the entire upper half of the stasis pod and everything inside of it was completely destroyed.

Jetfire took a step back in alarm, as the other assembled Decepticons cheered. Solon glanced over at him, his own expression uneasy.

"Excellent display, my lord!" congratulated Windsong, looking into the next pod. "Oh, this one is a Decepticon. Another Seeker, by the looks of it."

Jetfire left the main chamber, Solon following after him. "Not a fan of their brutality, huh?" When the large Cybertronian looked back in surprise, the human waved. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Solon, I'm a native, and Starscream's mentoring me."

"Starscream's a mentor?" repeated Jetfire. "I never expected that from him. How did you end up with the Decepticons?"

"I…" Solon glanced down the hall, brushing some hair behind his ear as he continued. "Don't tell Starscream I told you this, but he took me from my family, raised me for some reason. Anyway, it can be a little much, I get it. You'll, uh, you'll get used to it, I guess."

"You guess? I'm not sure I can get used to this, forcibly reprogramming neutrals, executing enemies when they can't even fight back. I'm not sure if I can stand by while this takes place."

They stopped talking as the door opened, Windsong walking over. "You know, my ex was super paranoid," he began, seemingly talking to nobody in particular. "If they could find a reason not to attend a social event or go to a new oil house, they'd take it. 'I'm just avoiding a bad outcome,' they'd say, but I knew better."

"Uh… you going somewhere with this?" asked Solon.

"I am, human, I am," he replied loftily. "I'm not as fanatical as Megatron, so if you think it's not right for you, Jetfire, you should go."

And he walked off again like nothing ever happened. Solon shrugged and went back to his quarters, while Jetfire was left alone to ponder.

The third stasis pod was brought to the Exodus, right as Grimlock and the Dinobots departed. It also came from the Second Chance, and was delivered there to be catalogued.

"Identity found," said PENI, displaying the occupant's stats on a screen. "Autobot reconnaissance agent Mudraker. Offenses: firing on retreating targets, assaulting an officer on two occasions, disobeying orders on twelve occasions, tampering with secure data, and resisting arrest."

"All that dirt she kicked up on Velocitron must've gotten into her brain," remarked Evac. "I'm just wondering how she wasn't brought in sooner."

"We needed botpower, and she was plenty powerful," replied Arcee, before turning to Optimus. "She and Pulseshot have been squared away, sir. It's your choice if we let them out again."

"This ship is called Second Chance," he replied. "It is only fair if we offer one to them both. I'll talk with Pulseshot tomorrow."

"Understood," said PENI. "I'll have Chamber N restructured for interviews."

As the others began to depart, Optimus placed a hand to his chin. He had hope that the prisoners could be reformed, but only time would tell if they would…

Next time: A glimpse into the past, as Autobot Pulseshot recounts the events that led to her detainment.