Hello all. I'm back with the second installment of this story. If you've read my stuff before, welcome back! If not, you might want to look at some of the earlier stories first. Please enjoy and let me know what you think. This story is set roughly 6 months after the events of Part 1.


Junkion

Few sounds could rival that of a crowd of thousand of mechs, from all factions, cheering and baying for death and destruction. The roar was so loud it was almost a physical force, echoing high up into the sky above the arena. As if in response, the dirty orange sky answered with boiling, shifting dark clouds and the occasional flash of lightning. The arena was nestled in a rocky valley in a remote corner of Junkion. True to the planet's reputation as a giant scrapyard, the arena itself was hastily built from junk, a ring of ragged flags fluttering around the top tier of seats. Spotlights shone down on the empty fighting ring. The crowd began to stamp their feet in a steady rhythm of anticipation, the tremors reverberating throughout the entire structure.

Down in the bowels of the arena, in a cramped dressing room lit by a single, meagre bulb, Alexis couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. As she nibbled on her bottom lip, the familiar rush of adrenaline flooded through her and she felt her heart skip a beat. Rocking slightly on the balls of her feet, she reached for her hip, checking on her weapons. A belt slung around her waist housed a small, battered grey gun, and a couple of grenades. She wore a tight fitting suit made of strong leather, reinforced with armour plates, and a helmet. Black and silver lightning bolts were emblazoned across the outfit.

The door to the room opened, and Frenzy entered, his usual red hide bedecked in the same design as Alexis. He broke into a broad grin at the sight of Alexis' face. 'Ready for this, fleshie? What do you think of the outfit?'

'It's amazing!' She spun on the spot, lifting her arm to compare it with his. 'We match and everything! They grinned goofily at one another. 'How many are in tonight?'

'Over thirty thousand,' Frenzy chirped. 'Our secret little fighting ring is getting less secret by the klik…'

He trailed off, looking anxious. 'Maybe we should quiet the whole operation down for a while…?'

Alexis squinted at her reflection in a small, dirty mirror on the wall. 'What? No way! We're not stopping now! This is everything we wanted, and more!'

She turned to her old friend, putting a hand on his boxy shoulder. 'Don't go getting all nervy on me, metal man. After Ragknut has taken his cut, think of the money!'

Frenzy broke into a big, goofy grin once more. 'Well… okay… yeah…'

They both tilted their heads back, pausing to look up at the grimy ceiling as the roars and stamping reached fever pitch. Then a voice, one that had become familiar to Alexis over the past few months, rang out over loudspeakers, reaching down into their underground cell. Ragknut.

'Gooooood evening, friends! Welcome to Junkion's first, finest and only fighting arena!'

He was answered with a roar of enthusiasm, which died down as he began to speak again.

'What a match we have for you tonight. A ruthless fight to the death between two foes. On one side, a plucky little scrap mech from the Eastern pits, and his human slave!'

Frenzy and Alexis exchanged grins once more as the crowd bellowed in approval.

'And on the other side we have our very own demented queen of chaos.' The crowd hushed once more as Ragknut's tone became slow and dramatic. 'You've seen her lay waste to every opponent she's faced this past stellar cycle. You've seen her tear apart supposedly stronger mechs than herself. You've seen her beat the odds over and over. Tonight, femmes and mechs from across the galaxy, I give you… the Abomination!'

The roar rose to a scream, the stamping began again even louder this time. Still grinning, Alexis and Frenzy pushed open the door, to be met by one of the match stewards. 'Showtime, you two. Maybe try not to look quite so happy about it. Especially you, human.'

'Got it.' Alexis adjusted her helmet, trying her best to arrange her features into a neutral expression. She took a deep, slow breath. The steward reached down, snapping a cuff onto her left wrist. The cuff was on a chain which linked to Frenzy's wrist, leaving them unable to separate more than a couple of yards. 'Match official's decision, because there's two of you,' the hulking mech explained.

'Wow, they really don't want us to win, do they?' muttered Frenzy.

'It's fine.' Alexis shrugged and flashed Frenzy a brief grin. 'We've rehearsed with this enough times. Let's do this.'

They made their way slowly down a series of long passages. As they drew nearer to the gates leading to the ring, the ceiling above changed from solid rock to a mesh grille open to the sky. As they walked, mechs in the audience were able to lean down and see them approach the gates. The cheering was deafening. Alexis winced, but kept walking, occasionally looking up into the cacophony of waving arms and faces - some bellowing support, others sneering and threatening. She raised a hand to her earpiece, nestled into her ear, out of sight.

'Dart,' she said quietly. 'Come in.'

'Alexisss,' answered her Insecticon friend.

'Ready your end?'

'Ready asss ever,' Dart replied. 'Anything I should know?'

'We've got the chain on. Match official's last-minute decision.'

'Oh. Well.' Dart sounded unperturbed. 'That won't be a problem. Jusssst a small adjustment to footwork.'

Alexis nodded. 'Roger that. See you out there.' She cut the feed.

Soon they were in front of the gates. Beyond lay the vast expanse of sand and rock that made up the arena floor. Flashlights swept over the flat surface, and the far side glistened with thousands of seated bodies. Frenzy grasped the bars with both hands and stared out, whilst Alexis did one more weapons check. The air smell of heat, copper and oil filled the air.

'Good crowd in tonight,' he chirped happily. 'Let's give 'em one hell of a…'

Suddenly he broke off with a strangled croak. Alexis frowned, looking up. 'Hm? What is it?'

'Oh shit,' he whispered. As Alexis stared, she saw his knees actually buckle. He clung harder to the gates. Alexis drew up alongside him. 'What? What's wrong?'

Frenzy opened his mouth, but no sound came out except for a high pitched wheezing.

'Frenzy!'

'He's…. He's…'

Alexis spread her open palms in an impatient gesture. 'Spit it out!'

'He's here!'

'Who?'

Frenzy turned to look at her, his expression one of incredulous dread. 'S…. S…'

Her stomach plummeted. No. No. He can't be here. I checked… he can't be here…

Frenzy pointed. Alexis pushed herself against the bars, squinting into the far distance. Then…

'Oh.'

Skywarp, Starscream's oafish wingbrother, was sitting in the audience on the far side on a wide chair, his hands gripping the armrests. He was talking to another mech Alexis couldn't make out. Even from such a distance there was no mistaking him - broad shoulders and soaring wings, the proud flash of purple and black against a sea of greys. Suddenly as she watched, he burst into raucous laughter at something his neighbour had said, one fist banging on his chair. Someone offered him energon and he took it, glugging the glowing drink enthusiastically.

Alexis bit her lip. 'Okay…'

Not ideal. But it could be so much worse…

'Just what the fucking frag…' Frenzy's voice was still a strangled whisper. '…Are we supposed to do now? Hm? Alexis?'

'I'm thinking,' Alexis said, without turning around.

Frenzy whirled away from the bars, gripping his head. 'This is a nightmare of galactic fucking proportions. Why is he here? He's not supposed to be here!'

'Hang on a second…'

'What are we going to tell him? Huh? Just what are we going to tell him?'

Alexis shrugged. 'The truth?'

Frenzy gaped at her. 'The truth?'

'Well, not the whole truth, obviously…'

'Are you fragging insane?'

'Have you got any better ideas?' She tore her gaze away from Skywarp and looked to Frenzy, leaning back against the gates and folding her arms.

'Yeah, I have actually.' Frenzy gestured wildly back towards the room they had come from. 'We ditch.'

Alexis dipped her head, unfolding her arms. 'Ditch?'

'Yes, ditch! Did you not hear me?' Frenzy made as if to stride off down the passage, only to be yanked back by the chain connecting them. He spun on the spot, pulling on the chain. 'Come on!'

'Hey! Alexis dug her heels into the floor, scrabbling in resistance. 'Frenzy… ow… just… calm down!'

'We're not going out there! I'm not going out there!'

'But…'

Suddenly Frenzy slammed into a solid wall of metal, stopping him short. Shaking his head, he stared up at the huge service mech who was blocking their path. 'Time to die, scraplets,' he boomed, gesturing to the gates, which had begun to open slowly with an ominous squeal of rust.

'Where did you even come from?' squeaked Frenzy at the service mech. His answer came in the form of a huge foot nudging him forwards. The screams of the crowd reached fever pitch.

Frenzy whimpered as they were pushed towards the light. 'We are dead… we are so dead…'

'No we're not,' Alexis said, her voice quiet and calm. 'We've got this. Just stick to the plan, we do everything as rehearsed. Forget about Skywarp.'

Frenzy gave only a bitter, short laugh in reply. They stepped forward together into the arena. On the far side, the other gates swung open. The infamous Abomination stalked out. The fight had begun.

Despite everything, Alexis couldn't help but marvel at Dart's disguise. Her timid dragonfly friend on the opposite side was barely recognisable - hidden under an array of additions, some armour, some cosmetic. Dart shrieked and spat, prowling back and forth in the arena, razor-sharp hackles whirling to and fro. The crowd loved her, and screamed out their adoration. Dart only answered with snarls, standing tall and allowing two lethal blades to glide out of her hide, waving them aloft. Ragknut's voice boomed out once more.

'Who will triumph in tonight's epic battle? Our very own Abomination? Or our plucky little underdogs?'

The spotlight swept over them, and Alexis raised her arm to her face to shield her eyes from the glare. Around them, the crowd jeered and booed. The stamping started up once more, chiming in with the huge drums that began to beat around the arena. Alexis' heart began to pick up speed. As they slowly moved forwards she looked up.

Skywarp was leaning back on his chair amongst the crowd, grinning in enjoyment. If he had recognised Alexis and Frenzy, he was showing no sign of it. But it was only a matter of time. Despite her relaxed assurances to Frenzy earlier, Alexis swallowed nervously. No one loved the thrill of subterfuge more than her, indeed these past few months she had existed in what felt like a perpetual state of adrenaline hits, drunk on all the risks and secrets that were piling up inside her. But this… she had to admit this had thrown her.

Frenzy was right - what the hell was Skywarp doing on some dead-beat planet on the far-edges of the solar system? His brother had his own impressive array of fighting rings back on Cybertron, with an army of gladiators at his command. Why come here to enjoy this dirty little fight? Alexis had been careful. Well, she thought she had been careful. She knew with cast-iron certainty that Starscream was attending a meeting on Lithone to oversee the completion of the new coalition, and subsequently Thundercracker was holed up in Iacon, swamped with all the duties Starscream had passed on in his absence.

She'd never thought to check on the whereabouts of Skywarp.

Shit. He must know everything. What other alternative could there be?

No. Relax, Alexis. It's just a coincidence. Relax. Relax…

The hidden earpiece buzzed and Alexis tilted her head. Dart's soft voice came through. 'All good, Alexisss?'

'Yeah,' she muttered back. On the far side of the ring, Dart was pacing back and forth, slowly closing the gap between them. Her menacing snarls juxtaposed weirdly against the kindly voice inside Alexis' head.

'Listen,' she said in a low voice. 'I know we rehearsed Operation Butterly, but there's been a change of plan. Operation Caterpillar instead.'

'Oh. All right, if you're sure…'

Dart sounded confused. Alexis was desperately praying she didn't look up and notice the Decepticon jet watching from the stands. Alexis didn't think Dart's impressive acting skills would hold up against such ruthless scrutiny. Put simply - Dart would probably go to pieces under the revelation that a senior Decepcticon was here. If that happened, an awkward conversation with Skywarp would be the least of Alexis' worries. Months of organisation and scheming would come crashing down. 'Let's get started,' she muttered.

'Roger that,' Dart replied. Suddenly with a deranged shriek she charged at them, closing the distance between them in a matter of seconds.

The crowd roared. Alexis swerved, avoiding the razor sharp claws as Dart struck. Frenzy leaned back on the taut chain, delivering a swift downwards swipe with his charged prod. The whole thing looked spontaneous, when it was in fact a carefully rehearsed dance. Alexis spun in a circle around Frenzy, the chain between them still tight, her feet moving fast across the dust. She glanced up - and her blood turned cold.

Skywarp was sitting forward, lowering his hand from his chin, his jaw slack with amazement. Had the circumstances been different, Alexis would have laughed out loud at his expression. For one instant, he gaped at them - then his optics narrowed, and he sat back, gripping the armrests, his mouth curling in an unpleasant grin. Alexis ducked once as Dart surged forwards, then she found herself glancing up once more, unable to look away. Their eyes met across the vast space, and she found her breath catching in her throat…

Her momentary lapse in concentration was about to cost her - suddenly there was a white-hot stinging sensation across Alexis' neck and she gasped, stumbling sideways. The crowd screamed in approval. Dart's voiced arrived in her head.

'Oh Primusss! I'm ssso sssorry! Are you okay?'

'You were supposed to duck, Alexis!' hissed Frenzy. Correctly guessing the cause of Alexis' distraction, he looked up. Skywarp returned the look, his brow quirked. He gave a small tilt of his head towards the casseticon, and Frenzy groaned. 'Oh shit… oh shit…'

'Dart, don't worry, it's nothing… Frenzy keep it together! Everyone just keep it together!'

Alexis saw the Insecticon start to turn her head in the direction of Skywarp, and pulled out her gun, shooting into Dart's eyes. This was a prepared move, albeit slightly earlier than intended. The sound was like the crack of a whip and Dart staggered back, screeching in fake pain. The crowd winced in sympathy, followed by more boos. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Alexis rested her hands on her knees. Suddenly, in her back pocket, her phone buzzed. Alexis' eyes flew open.

Slowly, with hands that shook only slightly, she pulled out her phone, swiping to answer and raising it to her ear. 'Hello?'

'Alexis,' said Skywarp sweetly, his voice dripping with sarcastic innocence. 'Have I called at a bad time?'

'What the frag are you doing?' Frenzy hissed. He gave one fearful glance up at Skywarp, then back at Dart, who was still swiping at her eyes, giving them time to re-group.

'Hey,' Alexis said, using every ounce of will to keep her voice light. 'Er… hey. Actually, I'm a bit busy at the moment…'

'So I see,' said the purple jet smoothly. 'Wanna tell me a little more?'

Dart was advancing, the roars of the crowd rising. Frenzy was gesturing madly at her, the chain between them twanging as he fidgeted.

'Uh…'

Alexis, usually such a proficient liar, suddenly found her brain empty of words. She looked up. Skywarp was still grinning unpleasantly, his brows raised as he watched her squirm below him.

'This… uh, now… um… this is going to take a little... a little bit of explaining,' Alexis gabbled. She closed her eyes briefly, knowing that he was drinking in her discomfort like fine wine.

'Alexis come on!' Frenzy raised his prod once more, flapping his free hand at her. 'The grenades, the grenades!'

Dart's serrated hackles swung once more, and Alexis dodged again, pulling a grenade from her belt. Ripping the pin free with her teeth, she beckoned with her free hand. Dart lunged at her. The two of them rolled over and over, dragging Frenzy with them. The chain wrapped around them as they writhed, and Dart shrieked and flailed. 'Are you okay?' she whispered as they rolled over once more, Alexis pretending to struggle.

'All good, she whispered back. 'Shall we wrap this up?'

'Go for it!'

They rolled to a halt with Alexis straddling Dart. She held the grenade aloft dramatically, then shoved it between Dart's teeth. There was a BANG and an eruption of grey smoke.

Dart slumped back, her arm falling limply to the ground. There was a sudden, deathly hush.

The silence around the stadium was deafening. Shaking all over, Alexis hauled herself to her feet, kicking the chains and debris away from where they had entangled her legs. Sweat was trickling down her back. Far away across the arena, someone coughed. She could see the arena stewards, clad in rusty brown armour, starting to move behind the gates. Still nobody in the audience made a sound. She felt for Frenzy's hand, and together they raised their arms into the air - the sign of victory.

A low rumble began to sound throughout the audience. Alexis was aware of narrowed optics on them, suspicious fingers pointing. Licking dry lips, Alexis glanced up at Skywarp, who was lounging back, watching her through blazing optics. Alexis was vividly reminded of Starscream, and her heart gave a lurch. Dart was motionless, doing her best impression of a thoroughly dead mech.

'We finished way too quick,' whispered Frenzy beside her. 'They all suspect.'

'Just keep it together,' Alexis muttered. But she couldn't deny that Frenzy was probably right. The atmosphere in the arena was thick and hostile. The audience was made up of the usual scum that inhabited Junkion - unlicensed traders who were forbidden on regulated planets like Cybertron. Fugitives from justice, pirates, factionless thugs… all had placed credits on the match. And no one spotted a cheat like a criminal, Alexis had come to realise. A horrible feeling was beginning to unfold inside her. If this all went wrong, they were in deep shit. Alexis could almost feel the heat of Skywarp's gaze on her back.

'Well well, it appears our little underdogs have triumphed tonight! Who could have seen that coming?' Ragknut's voice boomed out over the speakers, his confusion apparent. The fight had been carefully planned and agreed by all sides, and was supposed to have run for much longer, giving the crowd the dramatic, drawn-out battle they had hoped for. '…if you were lucky enough to place credits on our plucky duo, your winning credits have been transferred straight to your account! Congratulations! Let's give it up for our victorious winners!'

Alexis exhaled slowly in relief as a triumphant cheer rang out - those in the audience who had placed bets on them had now realised they were exiting the arena far wealthier than they had entered it. The cheers began to drown out the angry protestations, and Frenzy's shoulders sagged in relief. Well played, Ragknut, Alexis thought, silently thanking the Junkion leader for his quick thinking. The look Frenzy gave her mirrored her own relief. 'Now what do we do?' He muttered.

'Smile and wave,' she replied through a fixed grin. 'Then get the hell out of here.'

But they had underestimated their supposedly narrow escape. Through the growing rumble of discontent mingled with cheers, a shout rang out. The word sent a frozen bolt of dread running down Alexis' spine.

'Fix!'

A moment of silence. But not for long. The spell of shock had been broken. The crowd roared angrily in agreement.

'Oh crap,' said Frenzy, as on the far side of the arena, a mech vaulted the barrier separating the audience from the ring, and began running towards them. The stewards, who had come out to drag the supposedly dead Abomination away, tried to stop them, but suddenly there were more mechs, and yet more spilling into the ring. Frenzy drew closer to her, the chain trembling between them.

'Alexis… what do we do?'

Dart twitched at Alexis' feet. Alexis put her hand to her earbud. 'Dart, whatever you do, don't move,' she muttered. Dart didn't respond, and Alexis exhaled. They could still walk away from this, if the crowd could be convinced they had in fact won… but that scenario was looking less likely by the second. Alexis swore. Damn Skywarp! If he hadn't turned up none of this would be happening, their plan had been perfect! Why is he here… just what the fuck is he doing here?

As if responding to her thoughts, her phone, lying forgotten on the dusty ground, buzzed. Alexis swooped down and picked it up.

'What?' She snarled. The crowds were advancing towards them. They did not look friendly.

'Manners,' boomed Skywarp casually down the line. 'I'm simply pointing out you seem to be in a spot of bother.'

'I'm handling it,' she retorted, as Frenzy fidgeted beside her.

'Mm. That's not quite how it looks from where I'm sitting…'

Frenzy was tugging on her arm. 'Alexis, you need to transform, just get us out of here, now!'

'No way!' She hissed back. 'I'm not throwing it all away now, not after all we've done!'

'We're fragged in exactly ten seconds if you don't get us out of here!'

Ragknut's voice could be heard again booming over the speakers, trying to restore calm. The angry crowd were now so close Alexis could hear their furious voices shouting.

'Cheatin' lyin' little scraplets! As if we're supposed to believe they beat the Abomination!'

'I want my credits back!'

'You don't fool us, match-fixers!'

'Say the word,' said Skywarp lazily.

'No,' she growled back, the phone jammed against her cheek as she backed up.

'Really? You'd rather sacrifice your life rather than accept my help?'

Frenzy's voice was now so high pitched it was barely audible. 'Alexis!'

'Frenzy shut up!'

'They're gonna kill us! They're gonna…'

There was a deafening BANG. And then silence.


Skywarp stalked through the rickety streets in what passed for a capital in Junkion. The planet was so chaotic that the rag-tag city didn't even have a name, at least not that he knew of. The outraged shouts still coming from the arena were fading as he strode along, occasionally kicking some rubbish out of his path. After ducking into some dives and investigating, he shook his head in disgust. Skywarp wasn't a choosy mech, but even he didn't relish the prospect of sitting on a rickety barrel and imbibing the slop that passed for energon here. If there were decent places for a drink on this literal dump, then Skywarp was at a loss as to where they were. Making a decision, he raised a hand to his com-link. 'Soundwave. Get me a bridge, stat.'

In less than a minute he was back on Cybertron. He strode into his bar, activating the door to glide shut behind him, blocking out the weak sunlight. The place was closed, and the only other presence there was a small, ancient mech polishing the tables. He dismissed the worker with a wave of one huge hand, and retreated behind the bar. Only then did he open up the panel on his side, lowering a palm beneath the opening.

Frenzy sprang out first, all nerves and jittery energy. Dart followed, wearing a similar devastated look. Skywarp let them clatter onto the bar, then held up a finger as the casseticon opened his mouth. 'Shut it.'

Frenzy's mouth shut with a snap. With far more care, Skywarp lowered Alexis onto the bar to join him. He turned away, poured himself a huge draught of energon, then pulled up a seat with a harsh grating sound. Seating himself, he leaned back with a satisfied sigh, grinning hugely. 'Well, well, well. Who's gonna start explaining themselves, hm?'

Frenzy was stock still, looking horrified, glancing between Skywarp and Alexis, who was shaking with anger. Skywarp grinned further at the sight of her expression. Frenzy was backing away, his hands held up. 'I, uh…'

Skywarp glanced at him, then Dart. 'You know what, on second thoughts, I don't reckon your explanation's gonna be much good, either of you. Scram.'

Frenzy glanced at Alexis. She was staring up at Skywarp, an ugly scowl twisting her mouth. She jerked her head in acquiescence without breaking her gaze, and Frenzy fled, looking only too happy to oblige. Dart folded herself into her dragonfly mode. With one last glance at Alexis, she zig-zagged through the air towards the door.

After the sounds of their departure had faded, the jet leaned forward, his huge grin still firmly in place. He crashed his elbows onto the bar, causing the whole surface to shake, raising his brows. 'Well?'

'You had no right to do that,' hissed Alexis, fury trembling on every syllable.

'What, save your ass back there? You're fragging welcome, by the way. Warping out three individuals and making it look like an explosion takes some work, I can tell you.'

She was pacing back and forth, her fists balled. 'What were you doing there? Why were you there?'

He shrugged with mock hurt. 'Just enjoying a little skirmish. The much juicier question, Alexis, is why were YOU there? Off Cybertron. In battle armour. In your itty-bitty human form. Fighting in an illegal arena.'

He sat back, allowing his words to sink in. Alexis opened her mouth, then hesitated. Finally she said: 'It's not illegal. Just… unregulated. Junkion has no dominant governing force.' Her head snapped up, the anger was back. 'Anyway, there'd have been no saving necessary if you'd not shown up! We had everything under control, everything!'

Skywarp held his hands up. 'Hey. I never said you had to cut your little stunt short. I was enjoying it!'

He got to his feet, strolling over to a small section behind the bar. Pulling the door open with care, he made a show of pretending to examine all of the bottles on offer. 'I mean, fair play. Taking part in a match you've fixed ahead of time, presumably you've got some sort of deal going with the arena officials. Found yourself a little corrupt mech to play along. Nice little spot, too, on the far side of Junkion. Away from prying optics. Fancy a beer?' he finished casually.

The stunned silence behind him made him grin once more, and he turned, holding a beer bottle, tiny-looking between thumb and finger. Alexis stared as he flicked the cap off with the very tip of his thumb. The only sound that could be heard was the little 'plink' sound as it hit the shiny bar.

'How…' Alexis took a deep breath, her anger disappearing, to be replaced with a very careful sense of false calm. '...How much do you know?'

Skywarp seated himself once more, carefully lowering the open bottle onto the bar. Alexis glanced at it, but didn't reach for it. 'Skywarp?'

He leaned back, that idiotic grin still in place, and she rolled her eyes, flopping down cross-legged and grabbing the bottle, her knuckles white around the neck. Skywarp took another deep glug of energon, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

'I'll start with the biggie, and work my way down,' he said. 'You own that fighting arena on Junkion. Don'tcha?'

They looked at one another. Alexis raised the bottle, taking a small swig. With what looked like an effort, she swallowed. 'I co-own it, actually.' She looked down, shaking her head. Skywarp hummed a little tune as she sat, silently cursing to herself.

'Ah, right. Fair enough. So you've organised a new fighting ring on Junkion, with rigged fights so you can reap a whole load of profit. Alexis!' Skywarp adopted an air of mock outrage. 'And here was I thinking you were a good little Decepticon!'

He winked at her, delighted. Alexis felt tears of disbelief and frustration pricking her eyelids. 'They're not all rigged!' she exclaimed, hearing the plaintive edge on her voice and hating it. 'Just the occasional one, and I've barely been involved. And there's loads more of us in on the whole thing than you…'

She stopped, horrified. The ground beneath her trembled again as Skywarp thumped down his empty cube. 'Stop sweatin', little sister. I've already figured out most of it. You can speak without fear in here.'

'How did you find out?' she cried, and Skywarp laughed, the sound booming around the empty space. 'Oho! How did big, stupid Skywarp find out about my little secret? Listen, Alexis. I know my reputation. Has it ever occured to you that it comes in handy? Everyone looks to my brothers for brains, but Skywarp, all he does is stomp around drinking too much and shooting things! Am I right?'

Alexis looked away guiltily.

'Aha! You see? I may drink too much, and I may stomp around shooting things, but I watch, and I listen, and people stop being careful when they're around me. You think Screamer keeps me around for decoration?'

She stared at him, then looked down, picking at the label on the beer bottle. 'What are you going to do now?' she asked quietly.

Skywarp snorted. 'You mean, am I gonna tell Starscream?'

She nodded, looking wretched.

'Nah. I know what you're thinking, too. You think Starscream put me up to this.'

She nodded again, and for a brief moment, Skywarp looked unimpressed. 'Sheesh. You could give the guy a little more credit.'

'Has… has he asked about me at all? Wondered if I'm up to something?'

Skywarp got up for more energon. When he waved at the beer bottle, offering another, she shook her head, and he sat back down. 'Starscream doesn't talk to me about his relationship with you. Or anyone, for that matter. 'Cept you. What you have going on is too precious for him to be letting ol' Skywarp in on. If I know Screamer, he'll be wondering about you, worrying, even. But I don't think he knows what I know. That said, who can really tell with Starscream. You know what you've got in your favour?

'What?'

Skywarp took another deep gulp of energon, and grinned. 'You've put on one heck of a show of innocence these past few stellar-cycles.'

And she had. She'd mostly stayed on Cybertron, playing her part beautifully, at Starscream's side. No reckless adventures, at least not under his eye, at any rate. When Alexis had ventured out, it had been with the likes of Frenzy or Sari, people Starscream trusted beyond all doubt to watch her back. And she had patiently begun to craft her scheme, reaching out to the right people, being discreet, making her choices carefully. Participating in fights with Frenzy had been a recent thing, a joyous step towards some real fun for the first time in ages. Fun that had been cut short, thanks to Skwarp. The frustration of it all made her want to hit something, hard.

Skywarp's booming voice above her head jerked her from her recollections.

'Anyway, I didn't buy your demure little consort act for a nano-second. So I did a little digging. I noticed you got a lot of income coming in. And before you get all mad, it's one of my duties on Cybertron to manage the flow of finance on this planet. You've covered your tracks amazingly well. I don't think even Starscream would find much amiss if he took a look. You do a lot of buying and selling of assets on Earth, all looks very legit from a distance. But I know better.'

Alexis sighed. 'If you must know, on Earth, it's known as money laundering. And it's very illegal. But Cybertronian law fails to mention it as a crime, so…' she trailed off with an innocent shrug.

'That's cause it's hard for most mechs in the Decepticon faction to make outside earnings without getting past me,' said Skywarp proudly. 'So you should give yourself a pat on the back.'

'How did that lead you to the fighting ring?'

Skywarp tapped the side of his nose in a knowing way. 'I have my methods, you have yours. He chuckled at her sigh of exasperation. They sat in silence for a few moments before the wingbrother spoke again.

'Why in human shape, may I ask? You could take apart most mechs in femme form, especially in a two-bit place like Junkion. Why the risk?'

Alexis looked at him, and his mouth curled in dawning realisation. 'Ah. It's because of the risk that you love it, hm?'

She nodded once.

'Am I allowed to know why?'

Alexis didn't hesitate before shaking her head no. 'There's more than one reason,' she said calmly. Skywarp got the impression from her tone that this whole thing went way beyond a daft desire to have some fun on a far-flung planet. 'Okay.' He held up a hand in a conciliatory manner. 'You keep your secrets.'

He leaned towards her, suddenly his expression uncharacteristically serious. 'Is there any use me sayin' you're playing a dangerous game?'

Alexis merely looked at him, and he laughed. 'All right. I tried. I'm going to make you an offer now. Whether you make use of it is up to you.'

He got to his feet, and Alexis tilted her head back, puzzled. 'What offer?'

'That if you find yourself in trouble, any time, anywhere, and you don't wanna or can't call on the official channels, then you can call me. I'll come to find you, no questions asked. I'll only do it once, though. Sound good?'

Alexis tilted her head, and looked at Skywarp as if seeing him for the first time. 'Thank you,' she said finally, the gratitude in her voice palpable. 'Really. Thank you.'

Skywarp made a short 'Hmph' noise. 'Don't mention it,' he rumbled. 'Ideally we won't ever have to call on this particular favour, understand?'

She nodded fervently.

'But it's there should you need it. Now scram, criminal.'

Alexis grinned, then scrambled to her feet. She descended the ladder hurriedly, and moved towards the wide doors of the bar. On the threshold she turned back.

'Skywarp?'

'Yeah? What?'

'What you said... tonight. Is that all you know?'

Skywarp frowned. 'There's more?'

Alexis gave a small smile in reply. 'Goodnight, Skywarp.'

The purple jet watched her go, shaking his head. 'So much for a quiet life,' he muttered.