Sky Dancer

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Author's Notes: Sorry it's taken so long for an update. Rest assured I have no intention of giving up on this story, no matter how much time passes in between chapters.

My rough outline for the story currently has it at thirty-eight chapters, including the prologue and epilogue. While the ending may be a ways off, I promise I will get there eventually.

In the meantime, stay tuned to my profile page for random news updates and polls.

Enjoy this latest installment. :)

Chapter Thirteen

When Megatron, Demolisher, and Cyclonus had returned from this latest raid, Scorpinok wasn't the least bit surprised to learn it had been a total failure (though that had been due in part to an abbreviated transmission from Alpha Q providing some minor insight into the battle and telling of Sideways' treachery). What had caught him off guard, however, was that not one member of the Terrorcon army had made it back intact.

Though Scorpinok had anticipated that Megatron's anger would sooner or later be directed at him, he was still caught unawares when the Decepticon leader seized him by the throat and lifted him off the ground, simultaneously pinning him against one wall of the corridor in which they stood. "If you say one word to indicate that this army of yours can't be rebuilt, then I will personally finish you, Scorpinok!" Megatron barked out.

"It can," Scorpinok said in a semi-pleading tone, relieved when this caused Megatron to relax his grip ever so slightly. Even though he knew he was probably tempting fate, Scorpinok still followed it up with, "And there's no need to get rough to get me to cooperate."

Megatron scowled, but thankfully didn't tighten his hold once more. "Until you give me ample cause to trust you, I'll do as I please, soldier."

Scorpinok took on a compliant expression and remained silent for so long that Megatron eventually let him go and stepped back. After another couple seconds of silence, Scorpinok said calmly, "With the Energon we have available, I can forge perhaps five hundred more of the Terrorcons.

A dark look came to Megatron's optics at this estimation. "That's hardly enough to ensure a successful raid on one of Optimus' bases," he said in a low dangerous tone.

Scorpinok hesitated, the wheels turning in his head as he saw a way to perhaps manipulate the situation in his favor, and Alpha Q's. "Then we pick a different target," he said. "As I had once said to Alpha Q, Earth is not the only place where these deposits can be found. If I lead the Terrorcons to a suitable location in the neighboring galaxy…"

Megatron scoffed. "Do you take me for a fool, Scorpinok? What guarantee do I have that you won't turn tail and run?"

Scorpinok's expression turned serious. "In case you hadn't noticed, Alpha Q's plan -- and mine -- was also to repair Unicron. Do you think that goal is likely to change now that I'm in your employ?" A pause, then, "In case you hadn't noticed, you are the one now in control of Unicron's remains, Megatron… Why be wary of me when we both want the same thing?"

Megatron considered this carefully, silently admitting that it did make a certain amount of sense. Relaxing his stance, he said, "Very well, Scorpinok. Return to Unicron and rebuild our army… But be warned -- if I get even the slightest hint that you intend to doublecross me, then I guarantee your days will be numbered."

Scorpinok breathed a sigh of relief, lowering his head a notch in a subservient gesture. As Megatron gave a nod and turned to walk from the corridor, Scorpinok resisted the urge to let a shrewd smile rise to his lips. Deviously, he thought, All you're doing, Megatron, is allowing Alpha Q and I to get all the more closer to achieving our own goal. And with any luck, we still have Sideways in our court… which means it will be your days that are numbered…

After the battle, it didn't take long for rumors of Optimus having been assaulted by an unseen opponent to begin circulating. Such news started shortly after Scavenger and Hot Shot had reviewed the surveillance feeds of Megatron's latest attack. While it answered, in part, the questions of the anomalous portal centered over the ocean and the weapon that had gone missing, there still remained the question of who the mystery attacker had been and whom he (going by Kicker's pronouncement, it was an unknown mech that they were dealing with) was working for.

Fortunately, the assumption that Megatron had lost a sizable portion of his army and would need time to recover his losses held true throughout the remainder of the day. There was no further sign that the Decepticons were going to attack.

Thus, the Autobots in Ocean City were free to schedule a conference for that evening to discuss the problems at hand.

Though they'd been told, after a few hours of uneasy sleep, that attendance was mandatory, both Starscream and Alexis were very reluctant to be there. Shortly after entering the room, they'd settled in at the far corner, facing their comrades with blank faces and somewhat bleak moods.

Optimus stood next to the viewscreen set into one wall, which was displaying a live video feed of Kicker's father and Rad from Cybertron. Making sure he was in a spot where the two remote participants could see him, Optimus turned to look at all the soldiers gathered in the room with a deep sigh. When Starscream had told him of Megatron's plans for Unicron, the Autobot commander had requested that it be kept quiet for the time being, as he'd not wanted to create a panic pre-battle.

Even so, Optimus dreaded having to inform everyone of this little tidbit now; he could only imagine what their reactions would be.

Clearing his throat, Optimus began with, "Ever since Alpha Q and Scorpinok instigated these attacks, we've barely had time to speculate on the situation at hand and come up with viable answers in regards to what's occurring around us. And now that Megatron's back in the game, it's even more imperative that we try to figure out what we're dealing with." He paused, taking a deep breath. "On that note, it's come to my attention, courtesy of Starxis, that Megatron is plotting to use the stolen Energon to supposedly bring Unicron back to power."

As anticipated, this did cause an uproar, especially among Hot Shot, Jetfire, and Ironhide, mostly pertaining to the fact that Megatron had to be insane. Optimus let the three of them rant on for a full thirty seconds before ordering them to settle down and continuing with, "The key word here is revive, which seems to be implying that Unicron is currently in a very weakened state. If that's the case, then we still have the advantage, but it also means that we'll need to take greater measures to stop these raids." He turned to look at the screen beside him, adding, "Dr. Jones had been apprised of Megatron's return earlier today, and he's said that he will be helping us brainstorm for a better means of defending ourselves and our bases."

Optimus turned to look at Red Alert and said, "The laser turrets were a good idea when it was simply Alpha Q that we were dealing with, and what little we knew of him seemed to suggest that he's no expert when it comes to adaptability and precision, unlike Megatron. When it comes to the latter, we're going to need something much more definitive to counter him."

Optimus paused, then added, "In the meantime… This may be one of the few chances we'll get to piece together answers to some of the mysteries we've encountered." He hesitated for an instant, then said, "I imagine all of you are aware by now that, during the battle, I fell under siege by an as-of-yet unidentified Transformer. What you may not know is that Kicker was able to see this assailant, and perhaps was the only one among us who could."

Kicker shifted his weight, feeling slightly uncomfortable as this declaration caused everyone's attention to turn to him. Lacing his fingers together behind his head and disguising his unease with a scowl, he said in a cavalier tone, "Yeah, lucky me. If they carry even the slightest trace of Energon, I can sense them coming five miles away." A pause, then, "Whoever he was, he had an almost ghost-like appearance. It was strange, but he seemed to have this faint glow outlining him."

Hot Shot took half a step towards the teenager, wearing a concerned expression. "Can you describe him, Kicker?"

Kicker hesitated, seeming slightly thrown by the question, but he recovered in no time. "The only thing I could tell you is that he looked pretty short and slim for a Transformer… I'd place him at maybe thirty to thirty-five feet." He looked towards Optimus, as if anticipating some doubt about the assailant's height. "And he could fly." Kicker paused again, rubbing at his eyes as he concentrated on what he'd seen. "I don't think he had any insignias to indicate that he was a Decepticon."

Optimus sighed, deciding that it wouldn't do any good to pressure Kicker for details as the teenager seemed to be struggling just to get that information out there. "That's fine, Kicker," he said in an effort to put the boy at ease. "I don't know why he would have disappeared when he did, but I imagine he'll be back. Maybe when he does resurface, you'll have more details to offer us."

Optimus turned back to regard the Autobots around him. "In the meantime, Red Alert… You told me yesterday that you'd begun to work at putting together a profile on Alpha Q…"

The medic cleared his throat. "That's correct, sir," he said. "However, I'm not sure it provides much light on who or what this Alpha Q is. The best I can determine is that he must have a partner, or two, we don't know about. Why else would his army have been behaving so erratically for the first few battles?"

Red Alert paused momentarily, then went on with, "I've been able to pinpoint two distinct personalities -- one that seemed to want to shoot first and ask questions later, and one that seemed to have a plan and perhaps didn't want any casualties." The medic rubbed thoughtfully at his chin with one hand, then added, "Maybe that's why Scorpinok was called in when he was. He must have been needed as a mediator."

Scavenger considered this carefully before saying, "Have you been able to put together a profile on Scorpinok as well?"

Red Alert shook his head slightly. "Him, I can't figure out. I'm not sure if he's the violent sort or if he prefers peaceful solutions."

Ironhide snorted. "Are you kidding?!" he asked heatedly. "You saw the video feeds -- you have to know he attacked me!"

Red Alert adopted a stern gaze as he focused on the rookie. "In all fairness, Ironhide, it was you that fired the first shot, and you could very well have provoked Scorpinok by doing so… Past that, we don't know what he would have done if Alexis hadn't intervened." A pause, then, "And we also don't know what the effects would have been, if he had managed to hit you with that stinger of his."

"It's not lethal," Scavenger abruptly threw in, calling attention back to himself. After a brief silence, Scavenger went on with "Going by a couple other Transformers who adopted a scorpion guise as their alternate mode… The stinger, if embedded, can be detached and then acts as a sort of paralytic. The victim is unable to move until it's removed, and the toxin, such as it is, is drained from his or her system."

Taking on a quizzical expression, Hot Shot asked, "Am I correct in thinking that Scorpinok may have visited Earth at some point in recent history? I mean -- though he does have the look of a scorpion, it's all pieced together from various construction vehicles."

Scavenger tilted his head downwards a notch, crossing his arms. "Either he came to Earth before any of the rest of us set up shop here, or he picked up some radio waves from this planet that allowed him to view some images remotely… Either explanation is plausible." A pause, then, "Which means his current form had to have been built within the last fifty to sixty years." Scavenger gave a brief laugh, then added, "Seems he and perhaps Alpha Q still possess the technology on how to create triple-changing Transformers."

A short silence ensued following Scavenger's commentary, broken when Optimus kicked off a new topic of discussion. "I wonder, Red Alert, if I could trouble you with some personal upgrades. Given that Megatron and this mystery attacker are both capable of flight, I'd say that they both have an advantage on me at this juncture… I wouldn't mind evening the odds a little."

Red Alert nodded. "Of course, sir," he said. "I'll be sure to draw up some plans." Red Alert hesitated, appearing deep in thought, then continued with, "In the meantime, now might be a good time to discuss Megatron's exit from the battlefield. It bothers me that he was able to generate a portal all on his own."

Optimus bowed his head, a troubled look coming to his optics. Hesitantly, he said, "That may suggest that, wherever Megatron's base of operations are, he doesn't have a Warp Gate at his disposal…" Optimus looked absently towards Kicker, saying simply, "I have to wonder if the Energon that Kicker felt coursing through Megatron has inadvertently given him some unique abilities."

Red Alert brightened ever so slightly, as if the words had sparked an idea. "If that's the case, then Megatron won't be able to perform these unusual feats indefinitely. Sooner or later, he's going to burn through this power source of his."

For the first time since this meeting had begun, one of the two occupants on the main viewscreen spoke up. "Am I correct in thinking that Alpha Q and Scorpinok were stealing Energon to feed to Unicron?" Rad asked. When he was told that was right, he continued with, "Then how did Megatron even get ahold of it, let alone absorb it, if that wasn't their plan?"

After some thought, Red Alert came out with what he hoped was a viable answer. "Unicron and Megatron had to have made a deal with each other," he said hesitantly. "That's the only thing that makes sense at this point… Perhaps Unicron had some grievance with Alpha Q and wanted him out of the way." A pause, then, "Unicron certainly has the means to have altered Megatron's physical form."

Optimus considered this, then turned to look at the viewscreen, once more kicking off a new topic. "I wonder if you've come up with any ideas to help fortify our bases, Dr. Jones."

Up until now, Dr. Jones had been seated in front of the monitor on his end, his hands cupped together by his lips as if he'd been deep in thought. Given the way he snapped to attention at the sound of his own name, it was unclear if he'd been paying much heed to the conversation thus far.

Alexis, whose blue optics had been shifting back and forth to whomever was speaking, let her gaze shift over to Kicker at this point. She wasn't surprised to see that the hotheaded teenager was bristling now that his father seemed ready to join the debate, though her earlier questions about the seemingly one-sided animosity between the two was brought to mind.

A second later, Dr. Jones sat up straight, clearing his throat. "I think I just might," he answered. "If you're right, Red Alert, then Megatron won't have the ability to teleport wherever he wants for much longer… That being the case, I propose we establish towers within each of the colonies that can generate protective force fields." Dr. Jones paused momentarily, then added, "We could perhaps draw from our own Energon supplies to help power and maintain these grids."

Red Alert bowed his head, instantly spotting a flaw in this plan. Quietly, he said, "If our off-world colonies hadn't been cleaned out, that proposal might have worked, Dr. Jones. But it's unlikely that Megatron would ever give up trying to take what he can get, which means that he'd come after us if we ever let our guard down… The truth of the matter is, we run the risk of burning through our stockpiles entirely if the threat of these raids don't stop."

As Alexis watched him, an odd glint came to Kicker's eyes in the middle of Red Alert's speech. She shifted slightly in Starscream's arms, growing even more curious when he developed a nervous tick in his right eye. The last thing she would have expected at this point was for the boy to be exhibiting signs of guilt.

Determined not to let his behavior go unnoticed, Alexis said aloud, "You look like you have something to add, Kicker… Enlighten us."

Kicker bristled slightly at her words, but it was lost under the wave of nervousness that overtook him when he suddenly became the center of attention. After a long moment, he said, in a cavalier but still shaky tone, "No, nothing to add." He regained some of his composure, clearing his throat before saying, "Could you all stop looking at me please?!"

Surprisingly, it was Starxis who spoke next, first by hissing at the boy with his brown fur standing on end. In a chirpy tone that sounded astonishingly mean, the youngling said, "No more secrets!"

Optimus looked towards Starxis in surprise, then focused back on Kicker, his golden optics narrowing to mere slits as the implications hit him. "You've been hiding something from us…?" he asked in a low, angry tone.

Kicker looked ready to respond with some smart-aleck remark, but was stopped when an equally-angry voice sounded from the main monitor. It took Alexis a few seconds to realize that Dr. Jones was referring to his son by his real name instead of the more commonplace nickname. "Chad Michael Jones! The next words out of your mouth had better be an honest answer, or you're asking for it, young man!"

Kicker hesitated, then slumped his shoulders. "Fine," he said with a note of scorn in his voice. After another brief pause, he said, "The stockpile at our moon-based colony wasn't completely drained. There's still an ample amount left there…"

The look that Alexis threw at Optimus following this declaration showed her that the Autobot commander looked almost beside himself with fury, not to mention the state that Dr. Jones was in. "When exactly were you planning on telling us this?" Optimus said heatedly.

Kicker crossed his arms, appearing downright defiant. "I'm telling you now!" he snapped. "Fair enough?"

Much to the shock of Alexis and Starscream, Starxis suddenly spread his wings, soaring swiftly up to the balcony where Kicker was standing and unsheathing his claws so he could cling to the side of the partition. Still using that angry tone he'd utilized earlier, Starxis said, "Tell everything!"

Startled, Alexis climbed to her feet, anxiously calling out her adopted child's name before she fully registered that there was something else that Kicker was holding back. She took a deep breath, sending a mental warning to Starxis in case the youngling was even considering getting rough with the boy, then fixed Kicker with her sternest gaze. In a quiet, deadly serious tone, she said, "You'd better start talking."

If anything, Kicker looked far more intimidated by Starxis than by the looks that he was receiving from the eight Transformers and two humans before him. Perhaps the youngling had known that this was the best method to get the boy to open up.

In a halting voice, Kicker said, "There… There's another reserve here on Earth that I never… told you about. Somewhere in the northern part of Alaska… There's… even more there than I ever sensed at Ocean City."

This was the last admission that any of the gathered participants had expected, but it caused an uproar nonetheless, following a moment of silence. Amidst angered remarks asking why he would have withheld this information or saying what nerve he had in lying for so many years, Kicker wrapped his arms around himself, looking extremely uncomfortable.

By the time Dr. Jones was able to get a word in edgewise, he was looking more livid than Alexis had ever seen him. "You'd better consider yourself lucky that Megatron didn't learn of this before we did, or he likely would have bled us dry before we even knew of this cache! Is that what you wanted to see happen?!"

Kicker actually growled at these words, his anger returning. In a raised voice that sounded downright incensed, he said, "Since when have you ever cared what I wanted, Dad?!" After a brief pause, he added, "You've long since proven that you were more concerned about finding and refining your precious Energon than you ever did about me!" Without giving his father a chance to even formulate a response, Kicker spun on his heel and dashed from the room before anyone could stop him. Not even Starxis moved except to swoop back into Alexis' hands, supposedly content now that the truth had come out.

Though flustered, Dr. Jones recovered quickly upon seeing that his son was retreating. "Kicker!" he yelled out while the door was still open. "You come back here!"

Alexis bowed her head, staring blindly down at Starxis as she tried to process this. She had wondered about why Kicker would feel such hatred towards his own father, and the boy's last statement certainly contained the hints of an answer. With an air of numbness, she quietly turned to Starscream, taking a moment to hand Starxis to him before she turned her attention to the main viewscreen. "Take it easy, Dr. Jones. I'll go talk to him," she said lightly, vaguely aware that several of the Autobots around her, Optimus included, were now looking at Dr. Jones like they suddenly didn't know him.

Oblivious to the stares he was being given, Dr. Jones tensed at this statement and responded by saying, "I'm his father…"

Alexis kept her face and tone serene even though she cut him off before he could further argue the point. "No offense, Dr. Jones, but the last thing that Kicker needs right now is to be laid into by someone he doesn't trust." A pause, then, "Ironhide and I were assigned to be your son's guardians, and I'd like to think we've built a small rapport with him… With your permission, I'd like for the two of us to go after him and calm him down."

Ironhide raised his hands as if gesturing for her to slow down. "Wait a minute," he said. "Why am I getting dragged into this?"

Alexis looked across at him. "Because it's time that Kicker started trusting the two of us equally, especially since it's up to both of us to protect him. And because it might help to have more than one perspective if we're to get through to him."

Tracking down where Kicker had gone, once they'd gotten approval from the boy's father, was remarkably easy once Red Alert had pulled up the surveillance feeds spread throughout the city. Within seconds, Alexis and Ironhide had made their way outdoors in pursuit, switching to their respective vehicle modes once they were out in the open and heading in the direction of the bridge. A replacement for Demolisher had yet to be found, which meant that there'd been no guard on duty to stop Kicker from escaping.

It didn't take much for Alexis to get ahead of the motorcycle that Kicker was riding, and she shortly went in for a landing, transforming back into her bot mode and maneuvering to face the boy. When he showed no signs of slowing down, Alexis sighed and directed her statement to the Mini-Con that made up the motorcycle. "High Wire, if you don't stop, I swear I will shoot out your tires!" she said, loudly enough to make herself heard.

For a moment, High Wire failed to respond, then abruptly began to slow despite Kicker's demands that he keep going. The diminutive Transformer must have needed a couple seconds to realize that the battle armor Kicker was wearing would enable the boy to walk away from a potential spinout without a scratch.

Once High Wire had fully come to a stop, just inches away from Alexis, she took a step back and kneeled down, wearing a serious expression. Kicker didn't seem to notice or, perhaps, care; he was trying to rev the motorcycle's engine even though High Wire wasn't allowing that at this point.

"Stop it, Kicker!" Alexis admonished. "You don't get to run away this time."

Kicker scowled, though he did remove his hands from the handlebars and sat up straight. "If you think I'm going back so my Dad can lay into me, you can forget it."

Alexis looked up briefly when she saw Ironhide come up behind Kicker and switch to his bot mode, then focused back on the hotheaded teenager. "No," she said, simultaneously shaking her head. "Just Ironhide and I, we're the only ones you have to talk to." She paused, shifting her weight so she was actually sitting on the pavement, then said softly, "You must really dislike this ability of yours."

Kicker looked at her guardedly, as if not trusting her enough to offer a response. Alexis countered this with, "Don't treat me like I don't understand to some degree what you're going through. I used to be human just like you." Alexis took a moment to rub at her face, then continued with, "Ironhide and I are the best ones you're going to get as a sounding board right now… Why don't you start by telling us what happened? What did your father do to make you hate him so much?"

Kicker hesitated, biting his lip as a fleeting pained look came to his brown eyes. For a long while, he said nothing, then began with, in a downright bitter tone, "You were right, Alexis -- I hate being able to do what I can. I wish I'd known better than to let anyone know I acquired this stupid talent!" Kicker sighed, crossing his arms and looking as angry as ever. "As you heard in the conference room, dear old Dad used me to pinpoint just where each of these deposits was… Can you imagine being six years old and left to wander alone through a dark cave to ensure you wouldn't be 'distracted?' And that's not even the half of what he put me through!"

Alexis' lips parted slightly in shock, her heart going out to the boy in front of her. She'd known that Dr. Jones was something of a dreamer and was quite passionate about science and anything that could make Earth a better place, but she'd never imagined that he would have pursued the discovery of these Energon stockpiles at his son's expense. She wondered if Miranda, the boy's mother, had known, but then guessed that the latter had to have been more preoccupied with the newborn Sally at the time.

After a moment, Alexis adopted a purely sympathetic expression and said, "No wonder you hid the location of such a substantial amount… You must have realized at a very young age that lying was the only way to avoid that kind of pain."

Ironhide had been standing by in awkward silence until this point, unsure if there was even anything he could contribute to this conversation. However, he did spot a slight flaw in this explanation. Crossing his arms, he said gruffly, "Fine, you're angry at your Dad. I get it… But what's your excuse for not telling us about the moon base? Way I see it, you're not a little kid anymore, and that piece of information had nothing to do with getting back at him."

Alexis froze upon hearing that, then looked back at Kicker in all seriousness. "How many chances do we have to give you to make you stop treating us like the enemy?" she said sternly.

Kicker scowled. "I didn't even want the Transformers here, on this planet… I figured, the sooner they completed their mining operations, the better."

Alexis shook her head, fighting to keep from losing her temper. As gently as she could muster, she said, "It was wrong of your father to do what he did, Kicker, but you can't hold any of the Autobots accountable for that… Did any one of them even know this was going on?"

Alexis took Kicker's silence as an indication that she had hit it dead on "Okay, then this grudge you have against the Transformers has got to stop. In case you didn't notice, we are now embroiled in a war against the deadliest of enemies. Megatron is not the sort to care about Earth or any of its inhabitants, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants! At this point, any attempt on your part to hold out on us is a mark in Megatron's favor."

Alexis paused, then hit Kicker with the one thing that was sure to really rattle him. "Suppose the next time one of these raids happens, it results in the loss of human lives. Maybe even your friend, Misha. Is that what you want?"

Kicker paled, shivering slightly even as he shook his head. "No," he said, his voice breaking even for that one word.

Alexis sighed softly. "Then help us," she said in a light, even tone. "I promise, this won't be like before. You'll be the one in charge, and we won't force you into anything you're not ready for." She looked up at her partner, seeking some support to this claim for Kicker's benefit. "Right, Ironhide?"

Though flustered, Ironhide thankfully caught on from the meaningful glint in her optics. Throwing a glance at Kicker even as the boy turned to look at him. "That's right," he said, relaxing his stance. Ironhide remained silent for a moment, recalling Alexis'/Sky Dancer's statement about his lack of respect towards humans. Perhaps it was time he started taking more of an interest in the feelings and well-being of his teenaged partner. "Anyone who tries otherwise is going to have to go through me and Sky Dancer first."

Alexis blinked in surprise as her gaze went to Ironhide; she'd not expected such a declaration from him. After a few seconds, she sighed, letting a wave of appreciation wash over her, even as she noted that Kicker was staring at Ironhide with an equal amount of surprise.

After a long moment, Kicker let out a deep breath, appearing a lot more relaxed than Alexis had seen him in a good long while. She was even more startled to see a small smile playing at the boy's lips when he gazed back at her. Tentatively, she asked, "Agreed?"

Kicker sighed again, looking up at her with such hope that Alexis vowed she'd do anything not to let him down, no matter what lay ahead. Giving an almost indiscernible nod, Kicker said simply, "I guess that officially makes the three of us a team…"

Cyclonus couldn't have been any more puzzled by Demolisher's mood, once they'd retreated to safety. Once Megatron had left them to the own devices with the announcement that he was going to have a little "chat" with Scorpinok, the first thing that the hard-edged bot had done was go to staring silently out the glass viewscreen on the battleship's bridge.

At last, Cyclonus decided that the stillness was getting to him, and he elected to try to get his companion talking and hopefully liven things up. Standing across from Demolisher, Cyclonus said, in a cheery tone, "Why so glum? I would think that knowing that Megatron's still alive after all would be cause for celebration!"

Demolisher looked over at Cyclonus in slight surprise, as if he'd not expected to be addressed like this. His expression, however, soon melted back into regret, causing Cyclonus to say, "What's up, Demolisher? I would think that you of all bots would be happy right about now!"

Demolisher hesitated for a long while, though he appeared several times as if he were ready to say something only to have second thoughts. At last, he spoke out with, "You wouldn't understand, Cyclonus." After a brief pause, Demolisher turned away from the glass partition, moving to walk towards the door leading from the bridge. "Just leave me be. I need time to…" There was another pause, and Demolisher simultaneously froze in his tracks for a couple seconds. "I just need time," he said cryptically, and continued on his way.

Cyclonus stared after Demolisher in abject puzzlement, scratching at the side of his head. "Geez, first Starscream, now Demolisher… So much for this feeling just like old times," Cyclonus muttered. Briefly, the eccentric bot spared a glance towards Tidal Wave, who was currently putting the finishing touches on a stainless steel throne at a nearby raised platform, and was amazed to see that the colossal Decepticon had avoided welding his own hand to the fixture. "Next thing you know, the big guy might actually say something smart…"

By nature, Sideways had never been extraordinarily patient. So, it came as something of a surprise that he was able to give Alpha Q the silent treatment for as long as he did without breaking. He had initially tried several times to just leave, but the spindly bot had just pulled him back each time. Unless they reached some kind of arrangement, it was likely that this stalemate would go on indefinitely.

Leaning against one wall of the small chamber with his arms crossed, Sideways nevertheless was the one to break the silence. "Exactly how long are you planning to keep this up?" he said gruffly. "Maybe it's time you decided just how badly you want to see Megatron eliminated."

Brainiac's face spun to the forefront and said, in an incensed tone, "We had an agreement! You said you would do this in exchange for what we offered you!"

Sideways shifted his weight. "Well, I'm renegotiating the deal. And frankly, my condition would already be over and done with if you hadn't interfered." He rubbed at his face with one hand, then said, "So what's it going to be?"

It was Laser Happy who provided the answer, though he was speaking primarily to Brainiac. "It is a small price to pay, my brother." Laser Happy fixed his gaze on Sideways. "We will agree to your terms. But be warned -- Optimus Prime is the only provision we will allow."

Beneath his faceplate, Sideways grinned. "Done," he agreed. "Glad we're finally understanding each other…"

Next up -- Sideways' second assassination attempt, and plans are put in motion for a new Earth-based colony.