Sky Dancer

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Disclaimer: Don't own em; Hasbro does.

Author's notes: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. It has been very much appreciated.

To ShivaVixen -- no offense, but I couldn't see Megatron calling her Sky Dancer either; for one thing, he wasn't told that that was the name she was given. Hope you enjoy the story either way.

That aside, I do have a brand new poll going that I hope many of you will take part in; there are two correct answers to this one. It won't be long (another two chapters) before it's revealed, but it would be fun to guess at it and see if you're right.

And now, on with the show.

Chapter Eighteen

As puzzled as Optimus was by the circumstances surrounding this latest raid, it was nothing compared the confusion generated when Scorpinok (who'd been watching the battlefield from the air) suddenly ordered a retreat. According to the Omnicons who had been barricaded inside the mines, the Terrorcons had broken off their assault at the same instant, even though they had collected next to none of the Energon. And Tidal Wave, though he didn't cease firing, soon took Demolisher and Cyclonus in hand and took to the skies after Scorpinok.

Ironhide watched them depart in silence, scratching at his head. "Okay, what's going on?" he asked after a long moment.

Optimus took a few moments to answer, beginning to realize just why this entire battle, and the circumstances surrounding it, had felt so wrong. "Megatron must still be in play," he said with widened optics. "This was just a diversion… He wanted to make sure our attention would be focused here."

Hearing this, Scavenger wasted no time before activating his comlink, broadcasting a message to Jetfire (who he was sure would be on surveillance duty at this hour). Once the situation had been laid out, Scavenger asked, "Are any of the other cities in trouble?"

There was a slight pause before Jetfire responded with, "No, they're all okay."

For a couple seconds, all that Optimus, Ironhide, and Scavenger could do was exchange bewildered glances. All their questions were partially answered when Jetfire's voice sounded once more over the coms.

"Hold on, I've just been informed that we're getting a strange transmission." There was a slight pause as if Jetfire were skimming over said information, then he continued with, "Oh, no! Optimus, you've got to get back here, stat…"

Seated at a hi-tech terminal that had been linked into the girl's mainframe, Sideways was diligently typing away, being quite creative when it came to reinventing her identity. During a short break, he told Megatron, "I'm almost done… When she wakes up, she won't remember a thing about who she was. Just so you know, I used her true memories as a sort of template. That way, she'll retain all the fighting knowledge she's learned thus far. But, as far as she's concerned, she didn't learn any of it from whichever Autobots taught her."

Megatron offered a small grin. "Excellent… This little endeavor of ours couldn't have gone better, Sideways." He shifted his weight, deciding to tackle something that had been on his mind. "And I have to say I was hoping you might decide to stick around. I could use someone like you on my team."

Sideways hesitated, looking up at Megatron with an unreadable expression. After a short silence, he said, in all earnestness, "I am not one of your cronies, Megatron. The first time I was a part of your team was just an act, to allow Unicron to get what he was after. I am not, and will not once more pretend to be so, a subservient lapdog… If you're really serious about this, then know that I will not be treated as anything other than an equal."

Megatron nodded, much to his companion's surprise. "I wouldn't dream of it, Sideways… Perhaps you don't know me as well as you think. Do you honestly believe I would risk losing a potentially valuable ally over something so trivial?" Megatron paused, chuckling lightly. "As a matter of fact, I offer you the same terms that Unicron did. In exchange for your service, I am willing to help you settle an old score."

With that said, Megatron turned to focus on the femme, reaching out with one hand to softly stroke the russet filaments at her head. "You said she'd remember nothing when she wakes up… Perhaps you'd tell me what to expect."

Sideways tilted his head to one side, his curiosity roused slightly by Megatron's behavior. He was not accustomed to the Decepticon commander being so agreeable. Could there be more to brainwashing this girl than simply getting to Optimus? Sideways wondered.

Aloud, Sideways said, shaking off the thought, "It would be better if you have her in an infirmary-type setting for when she comes to. She'll think that she was badly injured in a battle against the Autobots… One thing to also keep in mind is that she'll be quite disoriented at first. Such a thing is common in those who have had a false identity established. The more you talk to her in support of her new memories, the more she'll come to accept them as real."

Sideways paused briefly, then added, "She also won't remember she was once human. She'll believe that she's always been a Transformer, and a loyal Decepticon at that."

Megatron grinned. "Excellent," he said softly. "And you've given her the new name we've discussed?"

Sideways nodded, throwing a glance in the femme's direction. To confirm the fact, he said it aloud. "Storm Bringer…"

Once he arrived at the oversized house on the mainland and saw the gaping, jagged hole that had been blown into part of the second story, Optimus had a whole array of terrible thoughts running through his head. Fearing what he might find, the Autobot commander took his time trudging up the concrete staircase and crossing the hall to the bedroom, where he could hear Red Alert at work.

The medic looked up as Optimus entered, looking just as weary as the latter felt. Red Alert leaned back with a sigh, turning a troubled gaze towards Starscream. "He's stabilized for now," Red Alert said. "But I'd need to get him back to the infirmary to completely repair the damage." A slight pause, and then, "It's a good thing that Starxis got word out to us as soon as he did. I don't know how long Starscream otherwise would have had before his systems completely gave out."

Optimus' gaze traveled to the youngling, who was curled up on the nightstand and looking quite sad. "What happened here?" Optimus asked solemnly, looking around. "And… Alexis?"

Starxis lifted his head. "Sideways and Megatron teamed," he chirped out in a surprisingly mournful tone. "Took Mommy."

Optimus recoiled, his mind reeling. Tilting his head downwards a notch, he whispered, "That's not possible."

Starxis lowered his head once more to rest on his paws, saying simply, "Not lying."

Optimus had many questions flooding through his mind, but was forced to push them aside when Red Alert demanded his attention, saying that he'd need help in transporting Starscream back to Ocean City.

By the time that Red Alert had disappeared into the med-bay with the injured jet, word of the attack had reached every Autobot in Ocean City. All of Alexis and Starscream's closest friends were currently gathered in the observation room overlooking the surgical center of the med-bay. Starscream's injuries were severe enough that it required that several of his vital circuit boards be replaced.

Blinking sleepiness from his eyes, Kicker turned to face Optimus, one of his hands resting against the observation window. The teenager was the first to voice one of the questions that had been on everyone's thoughts, once they'd been told of the situation. "How could this happen? How on Earth did Megatron and Sideways get to be buds?!"

Optimus sighed deeply. "I wish I knew." He paused, rubbing at his face. "I shouldn't have put Starscream and Alexis at such risk."

"Don't go there, sir," Scavenger said gruffly. "You couldn't have known what would happen… None of us could."

Hot Shot nodded. "What's important now is that we find a way to fix this," he said heatedly. "And show Megatron that he's not going to get away with taking one of our own!"

Optimus bowed his head, saying quietly, "First things first, Hot Shot." He turned to look through the window, feeling an unexpected ache once he got the red and white jet in his sights. "I hate to say this, but, knowing Starscream, we just might have to restrain him before he wakes up. I have a bad feeling he's going to go ballistic when we tell him…"

Per Megatron's request, Sideways went to pay a visit to his new teammates to get them prepared for the new addition to the group. It was a good thing he had decided to utilize his intangible state when he appeared before them, as evidenced by Demolisher's reaction.

Sideways smirked beneath his faceplate, turning to view the fresh char mark on the wall behind him and vaguely aware that Cyclonus was offering an explanation for the hard-edged bot's benefit.

Sideways turned back just as Cyclonus was asking, in a highly amused tone, "To what do we owe the honor of your presence, Sideways? Decide it might actually be fun to pester us?"

As a means of quickly cutting through any misconceptions, Sideways stepped forward, turning solid just long enough to deliver a hard punch to Cyclonus' face. When this caused Demolisher to attempt to shoot him once more, Sideways turned towards the bot in question and wryly said, "I don't think Megatron's going to appreciate you blowing holes in the ship like this, but if you want to keep it up, be my guest… And for your information, I'm here under your leader's -- or should I say, our leader's orders."

Sideways almost laughed at the comical reactions this statement got from Demolisher, Cyclonus, and even Tidal Wave. Nevertheless, he went on to say, "I'm here to deliver an important message from Megatron. Besides myself, you'll all be getting a new teammate…"

She awoke in a daze, her optics rapidly blinking on and off for several seconds as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. When at last she was able to keep them lit, she slowly turned her head from side to side, simply studying the ceiling as though she were trying to make it look familiar.

It was only when she heard a voice sound out from her left that she realized there was someone holding her hand. Disjointedly, she turned her gaze downwards, examining the large black fingers wrapped around her small azure ones.

"Storm Bringer?" the voice said again, causing her gaze to travel on to put a face to it. The instant her optics landed on him, she could see the expression of the mech before her melt into something like relief. "Thank Primus," he said in a soft tone, reaching out with his free hand to stroke her head. "You have no idea how scared I was that you wouldn't recover."

It took her a moment to speak, her face reflecting how confused she felt. "Where am I?" she asked.

Quietly, he said, "We're back on the ship, in the med-bay." There was a slight pause, in which she noted that he was watching her with such concern that she was oddly comforted. "Do you…?" he started, only to break off and begin again. "Do you remember taking a hit to one of your engines and crashing into the ocean?" he said hesitantly; she got the impression he was trying not to upset her.

She turned her optics downwards, staring, unfocused, towards the far wall while she tried to recall. Even as she began to vaguely recollect what he was talking about, she said, "I… guess so."

Something in her words must have bothered him, for he gently turned her face to look back at him. "Storm Bringer… Do you know who I am?"

She had to think about this for a long while before tentatively coming up with a name. "M… Megatron?"

He nodded solemnly, saying, "My poor girl… Being in the water, even for a short time, must have affected your memory chips." He began to stroke her head again. "Don't you worry. I'm going to see to it that you get better."

Though she was still quite confused, she couldn't help but want to offer this kind mech before her a reassuring smile. "You said my name's Storm Bringer?"

Megatron nodded again, following it up with, "One of my most trusted lieutenants." A pause, then, "Don't be afraid to ask questions, my dear. It may help you fill in the blanks faster than if you were left to your own devices…"

As Optimus had predicted, Starscream did get quite riled up when he was told that Megatron had taken Alexis. As the Autobots watched him (the majority of them unflinchingly), the jet was violently pulling at the restraints that were binding him to the med-bay slab and demanding that they let him go.

It was Starxis who was able to finally calm Starscream down. The youngling merely hovered before his adopted father's face for several moments until Starscream came to fully focus on the little guy. Seeing that he had the jet's undivided attention, Starxis said, in a mournful tone, "Sorry couldn't save Mommy."

Starscream froze for a moment, then it seemed as if something broke inside him. Looking defeated and grief-stricken, he collapsed back onto the bunk, all the fight taken out of him. Still, he said softly, "We have to get her back."

Optimus took a step forward, adamantly saying, "We will, Starscream!" Oblivious that his unyielding tone drew curious stares from several of his men, he said, "Primus willing, it may only take a matter of days, but I promise that we will save her…"

After several hours of answering any question she could come up with, Megatron had regrettably told Storm Bringer that he had other matters to tend to and had advised her to try to get some rest in his absence. After several long moments of trying to do so with no success, she decided she was too worked up at this point.

Carefully, she rose from the bunk, slightly startled as she did so when a strange raspy voice sounded in her head. Alexis, it said, causing her to stumble slightly; it was so unexpected. She shook her head to clear it, then gave a short, slightly crazed laugh when it came again. Can you hear me?

Storm Bringer raised one hand to rest her forehead against. "Great," she said in a near-whisper. "Now I know my CPU is fried if I'm hearing things." Though she briefly puzzled over this name, Alexis, she pushed it, and the recurring voice, to the back of her mind, doing her best to ignore both.

Letting out a breath, she reached for the weapon resting against the side of the berth that Megatron had said was hers. Tentatively, she lifted it up, slipping her hands through the niches and simply holding it steady as she tried to glean a feeling of familiarity.

The voice that was still sounding in the back of her mind was soon drowned out, as Storm Bringer began to move as if in a trance. Even if she wasn't fully aware of it, some memory had been opened as if it were a floodgate. For several minutes, she began twisting this way and that, deftly avoiding crashing into the berth as she swung her winged weapon around as though she were fighting some unseen enemy.

Eventually, her thoughts caught up with her actions, causing her to halt in mid-swing. Fighting to catch her breath and cool her overheating systems, Storm Bringer stared at the empty air with wide optics. Did I really do that? she wondered.

It was unclear how long she might have stood there, astonished, had the sound of applause not reached her from the entrance to the infirmary. Blinking, Storm Bringer turned to see Megatron watching her with a wide smile. "Bravo," he said, stepping further into the room even as she slowly lowered her weapon. "You're recovering your memory better and faster than I'd anticipated."

She offered him a timid smile and answered shyly, "At least one of us is sure." She relaxed her stance, turning towards him. "I… don't how I did that."

A look of puzzlement crossed his face, but only for a moment. Megatron stepped closer, reaching out to touch her arm in a way that warmed her. "Reflex," he answered in a pleasant tone. "It seems your know-how is coming back faster than the actual memories." He gave a short laugh, continuing with, "At this rate, we'll have you back on your feet and returning to the battlefield in no time."

Storm Bringer hesitated, looking downwards and feeling an unexpected surge of pride at the assessment. After a moment, she tilted her winged weapon at an angle that would allow her to see the twin purple symbols that were painted on it. In an almost inaudible murmur, she said simply, "Where I belong…"

Her first feelings of unease, since awakening, came when Megatron mentioned that her fellow soldiers had been worried and/or asking about her and took Storm Bringer to the bridge to meet with them per her request, that very evening. As her memory was still fuzzy, he had even been kind enough to provide her with names and visuals, after which she vaguely recalled fighting alongside each of her comrades.

Seconds after she'd stepped through the doorway, five sets of optics swiveled in her direction. Quickly, Storm Bringer put on a smile meant to put them at ease, preparing herself to welcome any relieved comments thrown her way. So, it came as something of a surprise when silence ensued. As the seconds ticked by, she was further startled to see signs of tension in three of the five who were watching her: Cyclonus, Demolisher, and Scorpinok.

Behind her, Megatron laughed, breaking the uncomfortable silence as he stepped forward and rested his hands, almost reverently, on Storm Bringer's shoulders. With a note of humor in his tone, he said, "Surely, you can't all be at a loss for words… How about saying you're glad to see that our girl here is all better?"

Cyclonus very much wanted to offer the femme (who'd instigated the events leading to his reformatting) an endless array of insults. But, the fresh memory of the threat that had been delivered from his commander via Sideways kept him quiet on that point. With great difficulty, he pasted on a smile and said, in a forcibly relaxed tone, "Welcome back."

When no one else said anything, Sideways rose to his feet and stepped forward, catching Storm Bringer's attention. "Don't mind them," he said, having quickly come up with something creative to explain away the tension. "They're just mad because they lost the bet on how long it would take you to leave the med-bay." He turned to look at each of his companions in turn, his gaze lingering on Tidal Wave for a moment when he saw the big guy also looked agitated for some odd reason. "Time to get over it, and pay up."

Megatron interceded with, "Don't be rude, Sideways. You can collect your bounty later." He maneuvered so he was standing to Storm Bringer's right, though his hands didn't leave her shoulders. For a moment, he let his optics rove to each of his men in turn; he too was puzzled by Tidal Wave's reaction and spent a few seconds pondering just what the colossal bot might have against her.

Then, his gaze went to Scorpinok, and Megatron's curiosity was piqued even more. The Decepticon commander had to remind himself that he didn't know his new recruit very well; perhaps Scorpinok had reasons to look slightly disapproving of this development.

Aloud, Megatron said, "Well, unless someone else has something they'd like to say, then I'll be taking Storm Bringer back to the infirmary so she can rest."

Storm Bringer let her gaze wander once more among the group, giving a pleasant smile. "It was nice to see you all again," she said, and was disappointed when this failed to get any response.

As soon as Megatron accompanied her from the bridge, Storm Bringer turned her head to look at him. "Tough crowd," she commented lightly, feeling uneasy. That was a lot of friction for a lost bet…

Megatron gave a reassuring laugh, stopping in his tracks and maneuvering so they were facing each other. Reaching out, he tilted her head up with one finger placed under her chin until her gaze met his. "Don't you worry. I'll have a talk with them and make sure they're more polite next time."

Storm Bringer blinked, her curiosity roused by the glint in his optics. She tried to recall if she'd ever seen Megatron this considerate, but came up empty. All her memories told her that he had, up until now, always been detached, as well as a harsh, uncompromising leader.

As he led her back to the infirmary, she mused, I wonder if that spill I took had quite an affect on him…

The entire day (following Starscream's recovery) at Ocean City seemed to pass by with painstaking slowness, and the overall mood of the colony's population was one of despair. It was hard to say who was most disturbed and/or depressed by the fact that there'd been no sign of Megatron. Optimus was even praying that the Decepticon leader might stage another raid for a change; at least that would provide the Autobots with an opportunity to tail him and recover their missing comrade.

Around noontime, Starscream came across Kicker and Misha during his blind trek through the city, barely surprised to see that the latter had been crying. Shortly after this chance encounter was initiated, Starxis quietly admitted to being hungry, prompting Starscream to ask the two teenagers to aid him with feeding the little guy.

Though Starscream couldn't follow Kicker and Misha into the human-sized cafeteria, he was still able to kneel (or rather, lie) down by the doors so he could peer into the room. Misha seemed to be going through the motions when it came to opening three cans of tuna and putting together a plate for Starxis, but she seemed compelled to speak shortly after the youngling started eating.

Misha turned to look at Starscream, wiping tears from her eyes. "I know that you and Alexis have always been able to communicate telepathically… Have you been able to…?"

The pained look in his orange optics caused Misha to break off mid-sentence. "She hasn't been responding when I tried reaching her," Starscream said quietly. "I'm afraid to find out just why that is."

Kicker remained quiet for a moment, idly rubbing Starxis' head. "Don't you go assuming the worst," the teenager said adamantly. "You'll only drive yourself crazy if you do." A pause, and then, "Megatron's not going to hide forever. You just need… We all need to just stay strong until then! There is not one being in this city that is going to give up until things are set right."

The answering heartened chirp from Starxis was sufficient to bring a small smile to Starscream's face. For an instant, the jet said nothing, then answered, "Thank you, Kicker…"

The drawback of having finally gotten some sleep that afternoon meant that Storm Bringer was up and pacing in the late evening hours. After an indeterminate amount of time, she decided she was tired of trying to devise ways to entertain herself in the infirmary and soon began musing that perhaps she'd head to the bridge and seat herself in front of a monitor. Surely, there were records she could sort through to help refresh her still-foggy memory.

If anything, Storm Bringer had not expected that any of her teammates would still be up at this hour, but she was proven wrong when she saw Demolisher seated at one of the consoles, blinking in response to the lights she'd just commanded the computer to turn on. Storm Bringer stopped in her tracks, downright bewildered. It took her a moment to find her voice. "Is it a habit of yours to sit around in the dark?" she asked lightly, forcing herself to relax.

For an instant, it seemed that Demolisher could only sit there gaping at her. Misinterpreting the reason for this, Storm Bringer shrugged and said, "I know, I'm probably not supposed to be wandering around when I'm still not feeling entirely well, but…"

Demolisher let out a breath, as if put at ease by her words. "Your memory's still shot, I take it?" he said lightly, an odd note in his voice that nagged at her. Off of her uncertain look, he shook his head and added, "Never mind… I wouldn't mind some company." He offered her a small smile; after a moment, Storm Bringer went to sit across from him.

"So, what are you doing here all by your lonesome?" she asked.

Demolisher hesitated, then looked over at her. "I needed time to think," he said absently. After a second, he shook his head as if to banish any and all dark thoughts on his mind; his smile grew slightly larger. "Do you remember once asking me if I considered us to be friends?"

Storm Bringer remained silent as she searched her memory banks, and was disappointed when she came up empty. Regrettably, she shook her head, and Demolisher hesitated before saying, "Well, the answer is still, as it was then, yes… I hope that what's happened hasn't changed that." There was a long pause, then he abruptly rose to his feet, extending his hand out towards her. "Join me for a drink?"

After an instant, she reached for his hand, allowing him to help her up. However, Storm Bringer was barely on her feet when something changed in his optics. Demolisher abruptly tightened his grip on her hand, pulling her towards him in a way that threw her off balance. As she was falling forward, she didn't even have time to cry out before his free hand was suddenly cupped roughly over her mouth.

An instant later, Demolisher twisted her around, somehow managing to keep his hand over her lips and looping his right arm under her shoulder to hold her against him at an awkward angle.

Storm Bringer let out a muffled cry, ineffectively squirming against him in an attempt to free herself. In response, Demolisher gave a small grunt and hefted her more firmly into his grip, so that her feet actually left the ground.

When she felt Demolisher back up a few paces, Storm Bringer pushed aside her thoughts over what he thought he was doing and began to focus on a plan to get away from him. Desperately, she fired up her thrusters at full blast, expecting that this would effectively send them both careening towards the ceiling, though it was likely he'd take the full brunt of the collision.

She had barely registered that they hadn't budged (which could only mean that Demolisher had enabled some magnetic couplings to hold him to the floor) before her so-called friend began moving again, at a faster pace this time.

They were out in the corridor, with Demolisher maintaining a solid grip on her and making sure to stay away from the walls lest she use them to throw him off balance, before Storm Bringer powered down her thrusters, trying ineffectively to start screaming for help. Later on, she would be amazed that he was moving so quickly, and that the sound of his pounding footsteps failed to draw attention during those few tenuous minutes.

It wasn't until they reached the rear cargo bay that Storm Bringer fully realized what he was planning. As she stared towards the two airlocks at the rear of the room, each housing an emergency escape pod, Demolisher surprised her by saying, "I hope you'll forgive me for this later. But you will soon know that this is for your own good."

Storm Bringer didn't even have time to comprehend what that meant before Demolisher stood up straight, quickly shifting his right hand so that it rested against the back of her head. In the same instant, her feet met the ground, but even that didn't do her any good before Demolisher was shoving her forward, face first. A frightened scream rose to Storm Bringer's lips, but quickly died away when her head was roughly slammed, with a loud clang, into the metal counter that she and her assailant had stopped in front of.

An extraordinary amount of pain rushed through her head, leaving Storm Bringer quite dazed. And though she was vaguely aware that Demolisher finally removed his hand from her mouth, she couldn't organize her thoughts into calling for help. Helplessly, she could only watch and listen as he found a set of cuffs from somewhere to keep her confined, then went to one of the consoles and began prepping one of the escape pods to launch.

When she heard a gruff voice sound from the opposite side of the room, Storm Bringer wanted to cry with relief, thankful that the commotion hadn't gone unheard after all. "May I ask what you think you're doing, Demolisher?" Megatron asked in a downright cold tone…

Hearing that dreaded voice, the only thing that Demolisher could do was freeze in his tracks and curse his bad fortune. Another minute, and he and Alexis would surely have gotten away clean. Slowly, he turned his gaze from the control panel, though he couldn't bring himself to look Megatron straight in the optics. Under any other circumstances, he might have been able to come up with a good explanation, but, as things stood, there was nothing he could say to make this situation look any less damaging.

Curling his hands into fists at his sides, Megatron said dryly, "It's funny… You were always the last one I'd have expected to betray me, Demolisher." He turned his gaze briefly towards the girl, then moved to help her up, positioning her in a nearby chair as she was still dazed. "What happened to the soldier I could always count on to be loyal?"

Demolisher bristled at this remark, answering in a hard tone, "He's still here! He just found someone else to be loyal to!"

Megatron's optics narrowed to mere slits. Going by information previously related by Cyclonus, he knew exactly to whom Demolisher was referring. With a low growl, Megatron drew his sword, saying in his coldest tone, "Then perhaps, if you're lucky, you'll get to see him one last time before the end…"

Storm Bringer was quite relieved when she awoke in the infirmary some time later, under Megatron's watchful care. Nevertheless, she propped herself up with a startled cry, causing a look of concern to cross his face.

"Easy," Megatron said, touching her arm. "You're safe now." He paused briefly, then asked, "How's your head?"

Storm Bringer settled back onto the bunk, instinctively reaching up to touch her brow. Tentatively, she said, "Much better." She remained silent for a beat, then shifted her gaze to look at Megatron. "Demolisher… What was he doing?!"

"Shh," Megatron murmured. "You don't need to worry about him now." Though he was inwardly raging over the actions of his traitorous subordinate, the Decepticon commander didn't let it show. It bothered Megatron slightly that Demolisher had managed to escape in the pod that he'd prepped prior to being found. The only reason that Megatron hadn't taken the battleship in pursuit was because the traitor had been grievously injured; Demolisher wouldn't last very long unless he got help.

Focusing back on Storm Bringer, Megatron said simply, "For now, I just want you to concentrate on getting better. And, prepare yourself to face off against the Autobots again in a few days' time…"

As far as the Autobot elite were concerned, there were very few who were as consistently optimistic as Jetfire. But currently, he was in just as a foul mood as the rest of his comrades, and it was all he could do to focus on the security monitors he'd been assigned to watch.

Primus, Jetfire thought solemnly, bowing his head. It's been almost thirty-six hours, and still nothing! By nature, Jetfire had never been prone to praying, but he felt compelled to offer one up now. Leaning forward over the counter, he held his hands, fingers laced together, in front of his face. "Please," he said quietly, dimming his optics. "Let us get her back safely."

After a moment, Jetfire lit his optics back up, leaning back in his seat with a deep sigh. Until his gaze wandered aimlessly to the control panel, he'd not been aware that one of the lights had been rhythmically flashing.

Jetfire blinked, uncomprehending for an instant. Then, he abruptly leaned forward and began frantically typing to pinpoint a location on what he realized was a distress beacon. In the next second, he activated his comlink, sending out a hurried, elated statement to Optimus. "Sir, you need to get up here right away! We've got something!"

In response to the distress beacon, Optimus hurriedly assembled a team consisting of himself, Red Alert, and Ironhide, after making sure that word did not get out to Starscream. The last thing that Optimus wanted was for the jet to get his hopes up, especially if this cry for help was completely unrelated to Alexis' situation.

Armed with grappling hook guns and a medical kit, Optimus and his two companions stepped onto the Warp Gate platform, each of them prepared to be transported to a point that was approximately five hundred yards from the beacon's point of origin. According to Jetfire, the coordinates were centered somewhere in the dead of space. With any luck, this just might mean that the one they were going to rescue was on board some sort of ship.

As Optimus had hoped, there was a vessel in sight -- an escape pod from the looks of it -- that was drifting aimlessly through the darkness. The Autobot commander quickly surveyed the surrounding area, but could see no sign of a larger ship that the pod might have come from.

Working as one, Optimus, Ironhide, and Red Alert fired their grappling hooks towards the pod, reeling themselves in once they all had found a solid anchor. Nevertheless, Optimus was the first to reach the vessel, and he was soon maneuvering his way across the hull to the single view port to have a look at the occupant or occupants.

Ironhide was coming to have a look as well, his hopes sinking, when the commander said nothing. The instant that the rookie registered who he was looking at, he blurted out a name in utter disbelief. "Demolisher!"

At Ironhide's declaration, Optimus forced himself to focus. It didn't take the commander long to see that there was a nasty rend in Demolisher's midsection, and there appeared to be some type of fluid leaking from the wound, and dangerously so. Optimus grimaced, silently musing that, worst case scenario, Demolisher could very well be bleeding to death.

"Red Alert, you need to get in there, now!" Optimus said, such vehemence in his tone that the medic didn't dare think of stopping to question him.

Even as Red Alert moved towards the hatch (and noted that a hole had been blown through the door, which meant that pressurization would not be an issue), Ironhide turned to look at Optimus in surprise. "What…?!" Ironhide started to say, only to have Optimus round on him in a fury.

"Not now, Ironhide!" Optimus barked out, hesitating a moment before turning back to gaze through the view port to watch the proceedings, all the while praying that Demolisher would pull through this…

Until he was unexpectedly called to the med-bay, Starscream, cradling a sleepy youngling in his hands, hadn't heard a word about the distress beacon or the recovery of a lost soldier. For a moment, he almost dared hope that the one he loved had been saved; it died when he saw just who awaited him.

Starscream hesitated, staring across at the groggy Demolisher and torn between confusion and outrage. Eventually, he settled on the latter. Turning towards Optimus, he said heatedly, "What is that traitor doing here?"

Roused slightly by the sound of Starscream's voice, Demolisher turned his head languidly in the jet's direction. "Not a traitor," he said weakly. "Never was."

Starscream scoffed. "Then exactly what do you call betraying us to get back into Megatron's good graces?"

Optimus bowed his head, his hands at his hips. "I think I owe everyone here an explanation," he said cryptically, drawing Starscream's attention and rousing his curiosity. After a short pause, the commander looked up again and said, "There's no reason for you to be angry, Starscream… Do you remember that day that Megatron attacked Ocean City, when we found out that Sideways was still in the game?"

Starscream snorted. "It wasn't all that long ago," he said derisively.

Optimus sighed. "That was the day that we learned through Starxis that Megatron was looking to restore Unicron to health." The commander paused, briefly dimming his optics and looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. "That's what sealed an agreement on a plan of action that Demolisher and I thought was best kept under wraps." Optimus sighed again, rubbing at his face. "Demolisher agreed to operate as a spy within Megatron's camp until we could find out Unicron's location."

Starscream was taken aback by this revelation, as was Ironhide when it sank in. The jet remained speechless for so long that Demolisher was free to throw out another comment. "I failed… I didn't anticipate that Megatron would take Alexis…"

Optimus put one hand to Demolisher's shoulder to silence him, filling in the blanks by quietly saying, "Your friend here was nearly killed trying to get her out, Starscream."

Starscream nodded absently, his mind reeling for several moments. At last, he looked up at Optimus and said, "Not too long ago, you were quizzing me on how much faith I had in Demolisher…?"

Optimus bowed his head slightly, looking somewhat ashamed. "I needed to know that I hadn't made a terrible mistake," he said softly. "Demolisher had put on such a convincing show that even I had some doubts."

Demolisher turned to look at the Autobot commander. "Wasn't all a show," he managed to get out. "I really was that intimidated…" He paused, then added, "Need to tell you all, about Alexis… or Storm Bringer, as he's now calling her."

Optimus, Starscream, Ironhide, and Red Alert listened with increasingly heavy sparks as Demolisher laid it all out. It was hard to say who was most stricken by the news that their own teammate and/or loved one had been turned against them.

Optimus fought to keep it together, though he very much wanted to start screaming as a means of venting the pain he was feeling. Instead, he turned towards Starscream, quietly saying, "This doesn't change anything. Whatever it takes, we will still find a way to get her back… But, we should also be prepared for the very real possibility that we may soon have to face her in a battle…"

Next up: Storm Bringer vs. the Autobots...