Sky Dancer

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Chapter Six

Sideways' curiosity over who Scorpinok was supposed to be was satisfied almost as soon as Alpha Q's army of Terrorcons returned from their latest raid. While the stolen Energon went a long way towards healing Unicron, Alpha Q seemed to have no trouble in squandering it to bring to life the being he apparently believed could assist him.

As he viewed this one called Scorpinok (who seemed to be an amalgam of a metal scorpion and a variety of construction vehicle parts) being forged from Unicron in the same way as the Terrorcons, Sideways had to admit to being curious if Alpha Q was molding his army in the likeness of the inhabitants of his own planet. If that was the case, then Sideways might be interested to know what the true form of the spindly bot had been.

As soon as that thought had crossed Sideways' mind, it served to startle him. If he was actually starting to care about any aspect of Alpha Q's wretched life, then perhaps he'd been spending far too much time in the company of the insane, spindly bot. And yet, it wasn't like he could go anywhere or had anyone else to actively associate with (even Megatron wasn't a good substitute for conversation). Being unable to escape the confines of Unicron's body limited his options of both.

It truly is a curse, Sideways mused, being stuck the way I am… If I had known that this was going to be the culmination of our partnership, Unicron, I might have told you to get lost when you first contacted me… Hell, I wish you'd never attempted to bring me back after Optimus shot and killed me. I'd rather be dead than spend my days like this.

Seconds after he'd been created from the remains of the dark god, Scorpinok became aware enough to speak, in a decidedly authoritative tone. Though he seemed confused, Sideways imagined the newly risen bot must retain some sense of self from whomever he'd been prior to the annihilation of his planet. "Where am I?" Scorpinok was asking. After a pause, he added, in a near-whisper, "I should be dead…"

Alpha Q drifted slightly closer to Scorpinok; it was Brainiac who drew the new arrival's attention by saying, "Life always returns and goes on… You taught me that once, my friend."

Scorpinok hesitated for a couple seconds, then transformed into an oversized, majestic-looking mint green bot. There was a strip of metal resembling a visor covering his optics, but it was shortly moved upwards, as if Scorpinok wanted to see that his audio sensors weren't deceiving him. He stood in silence, appearing to be in a state of shock, for another few seconds, before unexpectedly dropping to his knees, lowering his head in a reverent manner.

Scorpinok's words startled Sideways even further. "My liege," the former said softly. "How good it is to see you again." While Sideways was reeling at the idea that Alpha Q had been the sovereign of his lost planet, Scorpinok was continuing with, "I am at your service, as always. What is it you command of me?"

Alpha Q, continuing to speak through the face that Sideways had dubbed Brainiac, sounded more lucid than his ghostly "companion" had ever heard him. After providing a very basic rundown of the raids on the mining colonies (perhaps Scorpinok was the type to accept what he was hearing, no questions asked), Alpha Q said, "I know I can trust you to lead a successful campaign, just as you've always done in the past… To that end, I give you full command of our army."

Scorpinok bowed even further, in a show of respect. "Your will be done, my lord," he said, rising to his feet and starting to turn away when Alpha Q stopped him. In one of the spindly bot's elongated clawed hands, the air seemed to be coalescing into a round mist-like sphere. An image of the injured Tidal Wave appeared briefly within the orb, to be permanently replaced seconds later by a picture of Megatron in his weakened state.

Handing the sphere to Scorpinok, Alpha Q said, "You will go to the one called Tidal Wave and restore him to health. We have lost too many members of our army thus far, and I do not have the means to replace them… If the one we have chosen as a suitable replacement offers any resistance, you will show him this to earn his loyalty. Make him believe that he will get his former leader back if he helps us."

Sideways tilted his head to one side, finding this highly interesting. Though Alpha Q undoubtedly hated him, this was the second or third time that he'd taken one of Sideways' suggestions to heart. Perhaps, then, the spindly bot was developing just as much a grudging respect towards someone he should detest with every fiber of his being.

Looking up from the orb in his hand, Scorpinok asked, "Where is this one called Tidal Wave now?"

"Aboard one of our battleships that was salvaged from our home planet," Alpha Q answered. "I have had the Terrorcon army repairing it for this very day." He went on to offer the coordinates, then said, "It is good to see you once more, old friend. I should not have waited so long to bring you back. I could have used your counsel as well as your company long before now."

Sideways snorted at this remark, drawing the attention of Alpha Q and Scorpinok. While the former was shortly glaring at him, the latter was curiously asking, "Who is this?"

After listening to Alpha Q offer a rather unflattering remark, Sideways quietly turned and began to walk away, wishing more than ever there was a way to escape this worthless existence…

Tensions seemed to running mighty high, when Optimus assembled his most elite soldiers, the two trainees, and Kicker for a private conference that evening. The only other participants, through a live video broadcast, were Kicker's father and Rad. It was hard to say who was most agitated of those assembled. For the most part, everyone was worried about how unprepared they were for future attacks.

The only exceptions were Dr. Jones, who expressed some concern over his son's well-being (which Kicker responded to with a derisive snort, arousing Alexis' curiosity) and Demolisher, who was bristling over the unknown fates of Tidal Wave and Cyclonus.

Kicker's father was currently saying something about building a suit of battle armor for his son, if the latter was going to continue getting involved in these skirmishes. Though Kicker looked as sullen as ever, he did offer up a grudging word of thanks.

For a moment, Alexis kept her gaze fixed on the boy, though he was oblivious that she was watching him. She'd not been aware that Kicker felt any animosity towards his father and couldn't help but wonder about it.

In the next instant, her attention was drawn to Red Alert when he spoke. "We could work at fortifying the defenses of all our remaining colonies on Earth," the medic stated. "It's unfortunate we had no forewarning that these attacks were going to happen, or we might not have lost our bases out in space."

Optimus sighed heavily. "Well, the fact remains, Red Alert, that we couldn't have known this was coming. And the truth is… After all the Transformers of Cybertron declared peace with each other, there was no reason to think that anyone would be greedy enough to initiate a new war. Even the Decepticons had to know they wouldn't be cheated in any way. Isn't that right, Demolisher?"

Appearing slightly startled at having been addressed, Demolisher looked up. It took him a few seconds to register what Optimus had said before he answered with, "To my knowledge, it is correct. I…" He paused for a moment, then continued with a sigh, "But then, I was proven wrong before. When Shockblast…"

Demolisher trailed off once more, but all still knew what he'd been about to say; save for Ironhide and Kicker, those assembled were put on edge at the mention of the deranged murderer. Of all the Decepticons who hadn't been in favor of the alliance, it was Shockblast, once a decorated veteran, who had taken it to the extreme.

Alexis shook off the thought after a brief silence, determined not to get sidetracked. "Okay, so the question remains, who could have done this, and why?" she said aloud, forcing her companions to regain their focus. "Is there a way to find that out?"

Before anyone could so much as offer a reply, Starxis oddly started throwing a fit, digging his claws into the metal at Starscream's shoulder and screeching nonstop. Throwing a glance at Optimus, Alexis moved over to her two loved ones, doing her best to soothe the youngling and try to figure out what was wrong. Typically, the only time Starxis would get agitated like this was if there was some imminent threat closing in.

Lifting his head a notch, Starscream said, making himself heard over Starxis' shrieking, "Are we under attack?"

Starxis ceased his fit long enough to articulate, "No talking… Being watched."

Red Alert went to the control panel after a split second, typing in some commands to see if somebody had tapped into their surveillance feed. Looking at Optimus, he shook his head to indicate that their own security cameras were not being used against them, before turning his questioning gaze to Alexis, Starscream, and the youngling.

Starxis, undoubtedly hearing the medic's thoughts, raised his head to look skyward. Even as he spoke a name, it was if his large green eyes were boring into whomever was spying on them. "Alpha Q…"

Millions of miles away, Alpha Q abruptly closed down the translucent, free-standing viewscreen he'd been observing, perturbed by the realization that this one called Starxis could sense him. It seemed that the youngling's telepathic abilities were more powerful and far-reaching than he'd anticipated; perhaps Starxis could access anyone's mind, no matter the distance, provided their focus was set on a given area.

He'd have to be very careful from now on when he made use of Unicron's omniscient powers. Seeing as spying on this private conversation between Optimus and his men was now out of the question, Alpha Q redirected his attention to the exterior of the four colonies on Earth, trying to determine which one he should instruct Scorpinok to attack.

After much thought, he decided that the one called Desert City was likely the most vulnerable. And, as soon as Tidal Wave was repaired and coerced over to his side, the strike would be imminent…

Red Alert's search of the name, Alpha Q, in the computer's database failed to turn up any results, and Alexis' questioning of Starxis only told those assembled that their unknown enemy's thoughts had been far too chaotic (and the look into them was too short) for the youngling to get a clear-cut picture.

While no one knew just who their new enemy was or how he had been spying on them, it was apparent that Starxis must have scared him off, given that the youngling stated that it was "safe to talk now."

Gently stroking Starxis' head, Alexis looked over at Optimus. "No wonder this Alpha Q knew where and when to hit us… Who knows how long he's been watching us." She paused, then added, "If Starxis is right, then now's our best chance to plan how to fight back." She turned to look at Red Alert, banking on the possibility that Alpha Q hadn't been eavesdropping for very long. "How long do you think it might take to build up our defenses as you suggested?"

Clearing his throat, Red Alert answered, "A matter of days, if I have a few colleagues from Cybertron collaborating on it. We should be able to build more than enough gun turrets and install them before this new enemy of ours even figures out what we're up to."

A short silence followed this, broken when Jetfire said, "So anyone care to throw out ideas on why this Alpha Q would want to steal so much from us? What could he be doing with all that Energon?"

Starxis raised his head once more, saying in a chirpy tone, "Restoring life…"

Hot Shot looked towards the youngling, his optics slightly widened. Sounding somewhat fearful, he asked, "Restoring life to who?" Given that Starxis responded to the inquiry with an uncertain look, it soon became obvious that no answer would be coming straightaway.

Optimus ended this debate by saying, "Our main priority right now is protect our remaining colonies. We can worry about the reasoning later… To that end, I'll be reassigning some of you to lead our forces at the other cities. Jetfire, you're to go to Plains City. Starscream, to Jungle City. And… Hot Shot and Sky Dancer -- Desert City is all yours. The rest of you will stay here for the time being."

Other than Demolisher asking if there'd been any progress in locating Tidal Wave or Cyclonus, which there hadn't, the meeting seemed to be over. Shortly thereafter, the reassigned soldiers were on their way to the Warp Gate, though the two jets were hanging back, moving at a slightly slower pace to have time to say all they wanted to each other.

Wondering why she hadn't addressed this point earlier, Alexis said, "Optimus seems to think I'd make a good leader, given enough time and experience. Aside from wanting to hear your take on this…" She looked up at Starscream without breaking stride. Her thoughts instantly filled him in on all the details of her earlier conversation with the Autobot commander, leaving her free to say, "I don't think it would be too late for you to take Megatron's place, if you still wanted to."

Starscream shook his head after a moment. "The reason I didn't to begin with was because I didn't think I'd be accepted by the other Decepticons as such."

"Well, things have changed since then. Demolisher's certainly come to like you, and you've always done such a great job at settling conflicts between the two sides." She paused, reaching out to touch one of the Autobot faction symbols he'd had painted on his wings in place of his former insignias. "It wouldn't be hard to change these back if you're worried about that, if that will make the Decepticon army tolerate you as their leader. It won't change who you are inside, or what you've become to me and Starxis."

Starscream had his optics fixed on her throughout this whole speech, appreciative of her flattering remarks. He loved that she had always believed in him so much. Knowing that they were nearing the Warp Gate, he said, in a compliant tone, "I'll talk to Demolisher at the first opportunity, to set things in motion." A pause, then, "And, to answer your other question… I'm very much in agreement with Optimus."

Warmed by the words, Alexis turned to watch Jetfire disappear, then focused back on Starscream even as she moved to face him. After planting a tender kiss on his lips and making him laugh by thinking, I love how our mouths can be so pliable for being made of metal, she reluctantly pulled away to follow Hot Shot.

"Take good care of Starxis," Starscream offered as a parting remark, throwing a glance at the youngling perched on her shoulder. The reason that Starxis was going with her to Desert City was because there were still some humans there who could assist Alexis with their child's daily meals.

Alexis instinctively raised one hand to hover near Starxis; the youngling responded by pressing his head against her palm. "Always," she responded, then stepped onto the platform next to Hot Shot to warp away to their destination…

Manipulating Tidal Wave was remarkably easy, the big guy was so dim. The only delay had been in effecting repairs to the colossal Transformer; Tidal Wave's size and the extent of his injuries had occupied Scorpinok's time for a couple days. It was remarkable, Scorpinok mused at one point, that the big guy could have survived for so long with that much damage.

Scorpinok had almost expected Tidal Wave to put up a fight, once he was well enough to do so, as part of a retaliation against the Terrorcons who had wounded and abducted him. Yet, once the big guy was on his feet, fully alert, the first thing to pass through his lips was, "Why have you brought Tidal Wave here? What is this place?"

Shaking his head at Tidal Wave's apparent tendency to refer to himself in the third person, Scorpinok answered with, "You are here because I require your services, Tidal Wave." Holding the misty orb that Alpha Q had given him loosely at his side, Scorpinok continued with, "You may know by now that the strikes against you and yours were done with the intention of stealing Energon…"

Tidal Wave seemed to bristle slightly at this; as slow on the uptake as he might be, he still was angered by the admission of these thefts. The fact that the four cannons mounted on his torso swiveled around in Scorpinok's direction told the latter that he'd better do some fast talking.

Quickly, Scorpinok said, "Please, you must hear me out!" Thankfully, the veracity in his tone caused Tidal Wave to hesitate, though he still looked prepared to open fire at any moment. Taking a deep breath, Scorpinok continued with, "I know of the history of those who reside on Cybertron. What a dark day it must have been, when you and your fellow Decepticons lost the commander you had looked to for so long. What if I told you there was a way to bring him back?"

Something changed in Tidal Wave's expression once those words sunk in, though he looked caught between hope and doubt. Guardedly, in case this was a trick, he said, "Tidal Wave does not like being lied to."

Confidently, Scorpinok raised the orb, displaying the image of Megatron for his colossal companion to see. "Oh, I assure you, it's not a lie."

After a second or two, Tidal Wave dropped to his knees, reaching towards the orb with one shaking hand. "Megatron," he whispered reverently, though he still sounded uncertain as if either Scorpinok or his own optics were deceiving him. A moment later, Tidal Wave was gazing back at the majestic green bot with something like suspicion. "It cannot be… Megatron was destroyed by Unicron."

"According to whom?" Scorpinok countered. "I doubt there is even one member of your race who can actually attest to this. All you have to go on is the word of Optimus Prime and Starscream, and even they never confirmed what became of your fallen leader after Unicron consumed him." Scorpinok paused, grinning ever so slightly as Tidal Wave returned to gazing at the orb with something akin to sadness. "Take my word for it, Tidal Wave. Megatron has been clinging to life ever since that day. All we'd need to restore him to his former glory is a vast amount of Energon."

Scorpinok closed his fist around the misty sphere, forcing Tidal Wave to look back at him with widened yellow optics. After a slight pause, Scorpinok said, "Can I count on you to help us acquire what we need?"

The colossal Transformer's answer was everything that Scorpinok had hoped for, reaffirming his belief that the big guy was a sucker for being manipulated. "Tidal Wave is yours to command…"

When Optimus received reports from Cybertron that a survivor from the moon base had appeared in their vicinity several hours ago and was requesting to be transported to Earth, it had taken only one look at a video feed of said survivor to convince him to raise Ocean City in readiness. Just before departing for the Warp Gate, he sent out a broadcast for Demolisher to meet him there and to call for a replacement in guarding the front entrance.

It was worth it to see the way Demolisher's face lit up when Cyclonus appeared on the platform, alive and well and greeting him and Optimus with his trademark cackling. Without a word, Demolisher stepped forward, even as Cyclonus moved towards him; the two greeted each other by knocking fists in a friendly way.

In the next instant, Demolisher was saying, in a rush, "We thought you were a goner when you took off after those enemy bots. Where have you been?!"

Cyclonus gave a short laugh, looking briefly towards Optimus to see he looked equally curious. "Well, the slagging things managed to ditch me a few minutes after we passed through that first wormhole of theirs," he said in an oddly cheery tone; Cyclonus was nothing if not eccentric. "I'm not sure how they managed it or why they would have let me go, but they opened up another one for me to stumble through as I was pursuing them. Nothing like being transported halfway across the galaxy… again." He paused, then continued with, "Once I got my bearings, I figured I was only a day's journey away from Cybertron. And, here I am."

Optimus chose not to comment on the fact that Cyclonus seemed to have waited a second day before contacting them, though he was curious as to what the eccentric bot had been doing all that time. "Can you tell us anything about where you might have been in between the first and second wormholes?" he asked. "Any stars that looked familiar?"

Cyclonus hesitated, scratching at his head while still wearing a goofy smile. "Sorry, wasn't paying attention to them," he replied offhandedly. "You should be able to find out from what's in my memory banks though, am I right?"

Optimus silently groaned, doing his best to hide his irritation. "Yes," he replied. "Make sure you go to see Red Alert at the first opportunity." With that said, he excused himself, leaving Demolisher and Cyclonus alone to get caught up. Yet, even as he walked away, he was torn between amusement and irritation when he heard Cyclonus starting to voice an off-color joke…

There was something pleasant about having gotten a breather for a few days. Alexis was surprised that there'd been no further attacks in that allotted time, but she came to look at it with a sense of relief. Rumors of Cyclonus' return even added to her feeling that maybe everything would be okay after all, and they'd all come through this crisis yet.

Currently, Alexis was seated with Starxis, Hot Shot, and Misha in a field outside Desert City, engaged in a pleasant conversation and enjoying the outdoors. Dimming her optics, she breathed in the arid desert air, lost in the memory and scents of how it had felt when she'd been human.

Until she heard Hot Shot speaking to her, Alexis had been caught completely within her meditation. Switching her optics back on, she looked over at her impulsive companion as he said, "You never did get back to me, on how Kicker knew during the first invasion that those bots were hostile."

Alexis tilted her head slightly in the side. "It's because I haven't had a chance to ask him. It's going to take time to earn his trust, Hot Shot. You just need to be patient."

Misha looked towards her two giant friends in curiosity. Once it registered what they were talking about, she jumped in with, "Kicker told me it was because something felt wrong about the Energon they were transporting." When Hot Shot and Alexis turned to look at her in bewilderment, Misha wondered if they'd not thought that she'd provide any insight into this; maybe they didn't know just how forthcoming Kicker could be with her.

"What do you mean, wrong?" Hot Shot asked after a moment. "Why would there be any difference?"

Misha hesitated, trying to think how best to put it so her companions would understand. "Try to think of it in scientific terms," she said slowly. "In its raw, unearthed form, Energon has a very specific chemical makeup… Kicker, having come to know how it should feel because of his extrasensory abilities, would automatically know if there were any deviation… From what he's told me, these enemy bots are modifying what they steal so it's filled with negative energy. Which means they must be using it for some nefarious purpose."

Alexis threw a glance at the youngling at her side before looking up at Hot Shot. "I suddenly get the feeling that whoever Alpha Q is restoring to life is not someone we want to see brought back," she said in a bleak tone.

Hot Shot nodded. "I'm not anxious to know who it is either."

Just then, a soft beeping sound drew Alexis' attention back to Misha, in time to see the teenage girl looking at a small communication device in slight irritation. With a sigh, Misha set the communicator on the ground beside her without opening it.

Gently rubbing Starxis' head, Alexis said, "You're not going to answer that?"

Misha looked back at Alexis with a resigned expression. Tilting her head slightly to the side, she answered, in a soft-spoken tone, "Odds are it's probably Kicker again. He doesn't want to take no for an answer." Off of the look Alexis gave her, she went on with, "He's been pestering me to clear out before the next attack comes about… We don't even know if they're going to make Desert City their next target."

Alexis planted both hands on the ground behind her, allowing her to recline slightly. "Kicker cares very much about you," she noted. "I'm sure he just wants you to stay safe."

Misha offered a soft smile, a slight breeze ruffling her long black hair. "I know he means well, but I don't see any other way to get him to respect my wishes. I'm hoping that he gets the message from the fact that I've not been taking his calls so far today." She remained silent for a long moment, then looked back up at Alexis. "I never extended my congratulations, for you and Starscream… You're more brave then I'd be; I don't think I'd have it in me to give up being human."

Alexis sighed, facing forward though she knew Misha and Hot Shot had their gazes fixed on her; perhaps the latter's curiosity had been aroused by this statement. Sounding somewhat wistful, she said, "There are things I'm going to miss… My favorite foods, going swimming on a hot summer day, the possibility of having a baby in the conventional way… But I'd known for ten years what I'd be sacrificing, and I've made my peace with it. There may be some residual angst, but I expect it will fade with time."

Hot Shot leaned forward, thinking that this may be the best time to voice a question that had been coming to him every so often over the past eight weeks. "What made you decide you wanted to be a soldier? Out of all the lifestyles you could have picked from, why that one?"

Alexis gave a slight shrug, wearing a wry smile. "Because after going head to head with a number of dangerous giant bots as a human and coming out unscathed, I couldn't see myself doing anything else. Honestly, Hot Shot, could you imagine me as a homemaker or bureaucrat after staring death in the eyes as many times as I have?"

Hot Shot gave a short laugh. "Perhaps not," he admitted.

Meanwhile, Misha's scientific mind had gotten some inspiration from what Alexis had had to say, and she broke the silence that followed. "There may still be a way for you -- and Starscream -- to have the same conveniences as humans. With all the advancements that science has to offer…" Misha paused very briefly, taking a breath in between the words that were spilling out in a rush. Looking from Alexis to Hot Shot and back again, she said, "Why should any of you be denied the ability to procreate if something could be done to make it possible?"

The youngling at Alexis' side lifted his head, chirping out an answer before she could so much as process this. "Starxis would like sibling."

Alexis threw a startled gaze at the youngling that soon melted into slight embarrassment. "Starxis!" she said in a soft but still reprimanding tone. After a moment to regain her composure and reflect on the implications, she looked back at Misha. While she felt a thrill at the possibility that she and Starscream could actually have a baby together in this way, she was too pragmatic to invest too much hope in it, in case it turned out to be nothing more than a pipe dream.

What Hot Shot had to say cast a shadow on Misha's belief. Though it bothered Alexis a little that this was becoming an interesting topic of discussion, she left him to it. "I hate to burst your bubble, but there are still ways for Starscream and Alexis to have a child if they want to. They could just as easily have a brand new Transformer built that would serve as their kid."

A little bit of the light in Misha's eyes faded away at this. "Maybe," she conceded. "But you've got to admit, Hot Shot, that process has nothing on genetics."

At this point, Alexis looked over. "As fascinating as this all is, I'd appreciate it if my personal life with Starscream wasn't being openly discussed like this." After a few seconds, her two companions nodded in agreement, she tackled another subject that had been on her mind. If anyone knew the answer to this, it would likely be Hot Shot. "When I was on Cybertron, I didn't see Sideswipe or Wheeljack."

Hot Shot looked back at her. "I was wondering when you might quiz me about those two… After the war ended, they gradually lost interest in remaining as soldiers. Wheeljack even left the Decepticons and became neutral. After he and Sideswipe became the best of friends, about four years ago, they decided they wanted to explore the galaxy. Near as I can tell, nobody's heard from them in some time."

Alexis regarded Hot Shot with widened optics. "I'm surprised, considering how much Sideswipe looked up to you as a sort of big brother."

Hot Shot shrugged. "Things change. You know that as well as I do, Alexis." He paused, then continued with, "While we're on the subject of the old gang and their whereabouts… Has anyone told you about Hoist?"

When she shook her head, he cast his gaze downward with a sigh. "He also left Cybertron, though for a more specific purpose. Since many of the females of our race and been driven away from the planet thanks to the war, it would make sense. Hoist took off to find someone he'd had feelings for, maybe even to retire. "As to Blurr… Well, to be honest, I don't know just what he's up to these days. Ever since he requested to be assigned to prison detail, I've barely seen him." Hot Shot sighed deeply. "It's never easy losing the ones you called friends…"

Alexis paused, her thoughts turning to the two childhood friends -- Billy and Fred -- that she'd lost touch with over the years. The last time she had seen them was on the day of her high school graduation. They had kept in touch for a while during the college years, but the letters and e-mails had gradually dwindled. The last she had heard was that Billy had gotten married, and Fred had begun studying to become an airline pilot.

After a long moment of staring at Hot Shot with a melancholy look, Alexis returned her focus to studying the landscape around her, enjoying the scenery for a time before she and her companions agreed that they were all ready to go inside. And yet, despite what she'd said and what she believed in regards to Misha's procreating scheme, Alexis couldn't shake the unbidden (and maybe improbable) image of holding a multi-colored and minuscule robotic jet in her arms…