Sky Dancer

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Author's Notes: Those of you familiar with the Energon series know that nothing was revealed about Alpha Q and Scorpinok prior to when Unicron came to threaten their world. Much of the background you're about to read, including the characters of Nebulina, Wind Scar, and Solarblade, was born from my own imagination. I hope you all enjoy this add-on to the storyline.

Chapter has been re-uploaded with an additional scene between Kicker and Misha.

Chapter Twenty-One

In spite of Jetfire's prediction, the meeting with Brian and Miranda Jones the next morning wasn't all that terrible. Still, both of Kicker's parents were having a fit when they'd been told their son was missing.

Miranda was practically pulling at her hair when she said, in a raised, incensed tone, "How on Earth do you lose track of a teenage boy?! There are security cameras all over Ocean City, for crying out loud!"

Hot Shot bowed his head, shame-faced. Quietly, he said, "It's because Misha apparently helped him, and Ironhide, to pull this off… We didn't even know anything was up until a report came in from the Mars space station that one of our own shuttles was spotted departing Earth's atmosphere."

Dr. Jones rubbed at his eyes. "Well, then surely you have the means to get him back, right now!" he said in an equally-angry tone, his hands resting at his hips. A pause, and then, "If that boy thought we were hard on him before, he's in for the shock of his life!"

Feeling downright uncomfortable, Scavenger admitted, "We can't do that either." He went on to explain why, then said awkwardly, "From what we understand, Kicker and Ironhide are more or less determined to rescue their missing partner from Megatron."

Miranda's eyes widened. After a short silence, she blurted out, "What on Earth is he thinking, going after that tyrant?!" Miranda paused, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She turned towards her husband, looking so stricken and lost that he was inspired to pull her into his arms.

An instant later, Dr. Jones looked up at his three Autobot companions with a hard glint in his eyes. "I don't care what measures you have to take, but you do everything possible to get my son back home safely!"

Jetfire nodded. "You have our word," he promised…

*****

Once they'd made the jump to a remote sector far removed from Earth, Misha had surprised her partners in crime once more by stating that they'd better get some sleep before commencing with their journey. "We're more liable to make a mistake if we're not fully alert," she had said, to which Kicker and Ironhide agreed after a few seconds.

Still, Kicker faced a lot of trouble actually getting to sleep once he'd lain down on his bunk, as thoughts of Misha and her close proximity (in the room next to his) kept flooding through his mind. Later on, he would admit to being surprised that he was exercising such restraint, though it was partially due to his fear of pushing things too far too soon.

Kicker was even more surprised when Misha appeared in his doorway the next morning just as he was waking up, dressed in a light pink terrycloth robe and shyly presenting him with two choices for breakfast. "I didn't know if you'd want vegetable soup or ravioli," she said, her timidity raising his affection for her.

Kicker smiled at her, lazily shifting on the bunk so he could focus on her better. "I'll go with vegetable soup," he answered, causing Misha to offer a shy, warm smile in return. She was turning on her heel and departing for the kitchen before he could even so much as blink.

It didn't take Kicker very long to shower and get dressed before he was joining her for their morning meal. Fortunately, he had timed it just right; the soup was still warm enough.

He had just taken one sip, seated across the counter from her, before he smiled and said, "You added some lemon juice."

Misha nodded once. "I know you like it that way," she answered, sounding a tad nervous.

Kicker hesitated, then temporarily set his spoon down. He knew her well enough to determine why she was so uneasy and so felt compelled to put her at ease. "It's different, isn't it?" he started. "Being on our own for a change… save for Ironhide and the Mini-Cons, that is."

When Misha nodded, Kicker went on with, "You shouldn't be so nervous. When we kissed last night… It was nice. But I don't want you thinking that it means I expect something from you… Something that maybe neither of us is ready for."

Misha blinked once the words sunk in, then her demeanor relaxed and there was a glint of amazement in her eyes. "Wow," she said softly, causing Kicker to regard her curiously. In turn, she went on with, "I'm sorry. I just… never expected you to hit on something that I didn't realize we had in common." After a few seconds, she leaned forward slightly, her arm stretching across the countertop with her palm facing up in expectation.

After a brief hesitation, Kicker reached for her hand, clasping it in his. This time, it was he that was shy when he said, "You never told me what you thought of what my Dad had done…"

Misha pursed her lips. "I don't condone it, and I don't want you thinking that I ever would have. It's one thing that I wish you would have told me much sooner," she answered softly. A pause, and then, "From this point on, I want you to promise me something… That you will always stand by what you feel is right. And never let anyone say or do anything that makes you the victim, not even Megatron." Misha paused again, then added, "As much of a tyrant as he may be, even he knows on some level that you'd be much more valuable alive and unharmed, and he doesn't know you nearly well enough to hit you on an emotional level. If he ever were to capture you, Kicker, you could always use that against him."

Kicker remained silent for a beat, then said, "You almost sound worried that this mission of ours might take a turn for the worse."

Misha shook her head slightly. "I'm merely trying to prepare you for the possibility. Now are you going to promise me?" she said, the veracity in her tone causing him to laugh involuntarily.

Kicker rose to his feet, leaning over the countertop to gently kiss her on the forehead. "I promise," he said softly as he returned to his seat and, at her behest, resumed eating…

*****

Some time after her capture, Alexis found herself lying on her side in what she guessed was the ship's infirmary. Scorpinok had been "kind" enough to place her gently on one of the tables and, though he'd said that he didn't want her thinking that she was a prisoner, he hadn't removed the stinger. As Alexis discovered, in the time that she'd been left alone and to her own thoughts, she couldn't move at all, though she was still fully capable of speech.

Watching the paralyzed femme jet via a monitor on the bridge, Elita felt a strong sense of sympathy. Scorpinok had laid out all details of their "captive's" identity and predicament. Though Elita saw how Sky Dancer's goals conflicted with Scorpinok's, she knew it could be easily resolved.

Turning to look at Scorpinok and her father, Elita said gently, "If you tell her the truth -- what this has all been about -- she may be more inclined to trust us."

Scorpinok sighed. "I don't know if it would even do any good if I did," he said in a weary tone. "I couldn't have made her hate me any more at this point. She may not even listen to what I have to tell her."

Rodimus looked across at Scorpinok with crossed arms, though his demeanor was relaxed. "You'll never know unless you try… You did win over Chromia, Elita, and I, and we had no more cause to trust you than this girl does now." A pause, and then, "You told me that you'd once expressed a desire to negotiate a peace treaty with the Autobots. Convincing even one of them that you're not seeking to use Unicron for any evil purposes would help pave the way."

Scorpinok sighed again, hesitating for a moment before saying, "Very well." He looked at his three companions in turn before moving to march from the room and down to where Alexis/Sky Dancer was being held.

A mean look came to her blue optics the moment she got him in her sights, which she followed by saying in a surprisingly even tone, "I was a fool to think that you were actually any better than Megatron. Congratulations, Scorpinok. You're a much better master of deception… No, strike that. You're worse. At least he doesn't hide what he is."

Scorpinok took a step towards her, bowing his head in shame. It took him a full minute to offer a response. "You're partially right, I suppose," he answered quietly. "One thing I seem to be very good at is betraying those who put their trust in me… Even if it's never entirely my fault…"

Alexis bristled. "Don't you dare hold me accountable for your own actions!" she said in a heated tone.

Scorpinok gave a short, ironic laugh. "I wasn't talking about you," he answered simply, making her stop and regard him curiously. After a long moment, Scorpinok approached the table and seated himself in a nearby chair. Leaning forward and looking incredibly weary, he said, "I wish to tell you a story, if you'll let me. When I'm done… If you still hate me, then so be it. But I hope you'll realize by the time I'm finished that Alpha Q and I are not the monsters that you've made us out to be."

Alexis remained silent for a long moment, staring at him with a tiny hint of curiosity. At last, she simply said yes, and Scorpinok began with a soft sigh…

*****

There were so many perks that went with being intangible that Sideways was having trouble recalling why he'd had such a problem with it. For one thing, it was otherwise very hard to challenge Megatron and get away with it. Perhaps this was why the Decepticon commander had agreed to treat his newest recruit as an equal. On some level, Sideways mused, maybe Megatron fears that I might be inspired to take over his precious empire.

At that thought, Sideways snorted, thinking simply, As if! The Decepticons in general are too chaotic to ever make a good, long-lasting team. With the occasional exception, loyalty doesn't mean as much among their ranks.

Sideways was pulled from his musings when Megatron spoke; the former forced himself to recall his reasons for standing in the presence of his so-called leader. "Might I ask what you find so amusing, Sideways?" Megatron asked tiredly, his head leaned against one fist.

Sideways crossed his arms. "So, at last you speak," he said dryly. "Has to be a record, you being quiet for almost twelve hours. If I didn't know you better, I'd say that you were actually fond of this girl… I don't think I've ever seen you sulk for this long, not even after a lost battle."

Megatron bristled slightly, which Sideways took as a good sign. Strangely enough, he much preferred the angry, impatient commander to the sniveling, vulnerable one he'd been faced with for half a day. Sideways had even seen fit to relay a false message to Tidal Wave and Snowcat at one point to get them to stay at Unicron's remains for the time being; Megatron would never live it down if his other troops saw him in such a state.

"Scorpinok will pay for turning her against me," Megatron said, gesturing to the data pad that he'd found in the girl's room.

Sideways scoffed. "Sure," he said sarcastically. "It's okay for you to tamper with her mind, but Unicron forbid that anyone else do likewise…" A pause, and then, "Do you have any idea just how pathetic you sound?!"

Megatron growled in response. "Watch it, Sideways!" he warned.

Sideways' optics narrowed. "Oh, I don't think so. One of us has to be objective! So be it if it falls on my shoulders!" He took a step forward, stating in a no-nonsense tone, "So what if you no longer have this femme under your control? That doesn't change the fact that we still possess Unicron, that we still have the means to ultimately triumph over our enemies." A pause, and then, "What we're currently lacking in is firepower. Frankly, having only three soldiers under your lead is not going to cut it, Megatron... It wouldn't hurt to seek out more troops to aid in our cause."

Megatron remained silent for a time, thinking this through before abruptly activating his comlink. "Snowcat, Tidal Wave," he barked out, already sounding more like his normal self. "I'm in need of your advisement… I'd say it's high time we spread the word to the Decepticon soldiers on Cybertron of my, shall we say, return from the dead…"

*****

"For you to understand exactly how we've arrived at this point, I would need to start from the very beginning," Scorpinok said softly. After a short pause, he continued, "I suppose I must first tell you that I called Cybertron home once, a very, very long time ago."

"That I know," Alexis interrupted. Off of the look her gave her, she said, "One of the Autobots was able to identify you by name, said he knew you from before the war… As I understand it, you, and a group of pacifists you'd allied with, fled once the fighting broke out."

Scorpinok nodded absently. "Truthfully, only one among the group was a true pacifist. The rest of us had all been in training to be soldiers At one time, I thought that that was all I wanted out of life." He hesitated, a glazed look coming to his optics as though he were lost in memories of better times. "Early on, I became a believer that sometimes it takes only one being of strong character and charisma to change the world. In this case… Her name was Nebulina."

Scorpinok leaned back in his chair, giving a deep sigh. "Nebulina was the embodiment of everything that's good and just in this universe, and she was a very strong advocate of peace. Yet, once the war began, her message of such things became more and more of a threat to those in the Decepticon ranks." Scorpinok laughed briefly. "She was such a stubborn femme that it took a total of six assassination attempts before any of her most devoted followers could convince her that staying on Cybertron was getting too perilous. Still, I think the only reason she chose to leave, along with me and five hundred others, was because of the promise of establishing a new way of life, independent of our home planet."

Alexis hesitated, silently admitting in spite of herself that her interest was piqued. "You speak of her as if she's your leader…?"

Scorpinok bowed his head, a flash of pain showing in his optics. "She was. Alpha Q came later." Another silence ensued, in which Alexis realized that Nebulina was being referred to in the past tense. Feeling slightly somber, she encouraged Scorpinok to go on and that she'd allow him to talk uninterrupted.

Scorpinok rubbed at his face with one hand. "I'm not sure how long we traveled, the entire group divided between five shuttles, before we found an uninhabited planet that we'd come to call home -- a desert world, no less. Nebulina fell in love with it, called it beautiful. She came to call it Planet Q, a shortened version of the Cybertronian word for five, in honor of the founding ships. However, even though there were very rarely any storms, many of us couldn't tolerate the sand in our standard forms. Eventually, we all took on the guise of beasts in order to better survive.

"It took an entire century, but eventually, we had a city in which to live. It was nothing like the structures on Cybertron; most buildings were constructed using the planet's natural resources, such as clay and crystallized sand. For a time, the population lived in harmony, with Nebulina as the leader we all looked to and adored." Scorpinok hesitated, his optics just as glazed over as when he'd begun this tale. "But as is the case on all planets, idyllic life is not meant to last forever. There are those that grow restless, and then bitter."

Scorpinok looked over at Alexis with a haunted look in his red optics. "And then comes revolution…"

*****

The day had started off so pleasantly that both Optimus and Red Alert could not foresee any problem lurking in the background. For a number of hours that morning, the medic virtually had the Autobot commander at his mercy, as he spent some time retrofitting Optimus with a pair of workable booster rockets. As both of them would discover, as noontime rolled around, the task was proving to be a success; a test of the devices showed they were adequate.

Following this analysis, Optimus and Red Alert had retreated to the Autobot command center of Cybertron, where the former was quick to ask for an update from Rad on the construction progress of the towers. This endeavor, too, was moving ahead better than the commander could have hoped, as a large number of Transformers (Autobot, Decepticon, and neutrals alike) were endeavoring to construct the force field grid for the planet. If Optimus had to hazard a guess, it was fear over Unicron's rumored return that was motivating the majority of the workers.

Rad turned to look up at Optimus and Red Alert at the question; neither Autobot was surprised to see a shadow of pain in the young man's eyes. Rad had been rather melancholy since they'd told him about the situation with Alexis. Clearing his throat, he said, "Still moving ahead. I'd say we've got one-fourth of Cybertron covered already… If we keep progressing at this rate, we should have the planet secure in the next two to three days."

Optimus breathed a sigh of relief, turning his gaze towards the main screen set in the floor and fully prepared to offer a positive reply. The words died on his lips, however, when the monitor suddenly flickered and subsequently went to static. Perplexed, the commander started to look towards Red Alert, but froze when he saw that all of the screens in the room had likewise died.

Optimus didn't even have time to think that this couldn't be good before the picture returned, all screens ominously set to display the exact same image. Before the lone figure on the monitors even spoke, the Autobot commander's dread rose to unimaginable heights.

Wearing a wry grin, Megatron (shown in his old, much more recognizable form) began, his words implying that this was a planet-wide broadcast, "Greetings to all Decepticons present on Cybertron… As I imagine all of you are surprised to see a familiar face, let me say that rumors of my demise have been contrived."

Red Alert was moving even before Megatron had finished speaking, seating himself in front of the nearest computer and frantically typing in an attempt to terminate the broadcast. After a minute, the medic uncharacteristically backed away with a growl, slamming his hands down on the console to show his frustration. Turning towards Optimus with gritted teeth, Red Alert said tersely, "It's no good! We've been locked out of our own system!" A slight pause, and then, "I can't shut it down!"

Optimus barely had time to process this before both his comlink and Red Alert's buzzed to life, delivering reports from all Autobots within range. In moments, the Autobot commander and medic, and their human ally, were given a clear cut picture of how disastrous things were about to become.

According to the field reports, this video was being played all over Cybertron, even independent of monitors. Slightly disbelieving of this claim, Optimus turned to run outside, with Red Alert following after a moment. But, as they would find, the broadcast was being portrayed such; the sky was filled with freestanding view screens everywhere the Autobot commander looked. It took only a few moments to get the gist of Megatron's message; odds were great that the entire planet was soon going to fall into pure chaos.

The two words that escaped Optimus' lips pretty much summed up the situation: "Oh, slag…"

*****

"Among those who fled Cybertron with Nebulina were mechs and/or femmes who had the propensity to follow the Decepticon way. The worst among them were like shadows of Megatron… Over time, they stopped hearing Nebulina's message of peace and began to want something more." A pause, and then, "She was never the type to deny anyone the right to lead their life as they chose, but you know how Decepticons can be. Consumed by greed, this rogue group sought to overturn everything we'd built. I have no doubt that they would have assassinated Nebulina, and that one among them would have appointed themselves as leader in her stead.

"But they didn't count on me."

Scorpinok remained silent for so long, following this lone statement, that Alexis was compelled to ask, "You stopped them, I take it?"

Scorpinok nodded. "I did," he said quietly. "For all the good it did…" He remained silent for a long time, then continued with, "One of Nebulina's greatest qualities was also one of her greatest faults. She did not believe in dispensing retribution or punishment. Though she trusted me to the point that she appointed me as her personal bodyguard, she would not heed my warnings that more definitive action needed to be taken."

Alexis gave a very short, ironic laugh. "Sounds like Gandhi." Off of Scorpinok's (almost comical) look, she grew serious once more and said, "Never mind… You were saying?"

Scorpinok sighed. "I had turned to Wind Scar, my closest friend and someone I'd known since I was a youngling on Cybertron, for aid in protecting our leader. He was a technical genius and soon became the head of security for our planet." Scorpinok put one hand to his brow, gesturing to the visor that was resting there. "He's the one who built for me a private, immediate way for either himself or Nebulina to reach me, at a moment's notice."

Scorpinok took a moment to explain about the communication screen, then went on with, "Nevertheless, Nebulina soon decided that perhaps what our planet needed was a way to expand our ranks, to bring into being a new generation of sparklings. It was her hope that giving the rebels something else to focus on would quell the feelings of unrest. I suppose nothing eases social unrest more than change.

"She met with a small group of mechs who were known for having the most brilliant minds. Seeing as we didn't have an Iacon chamber to draw Transformer sparks from, we had to come up with a way to create new ones all on our own." Scorpinok lightly chewed at his lower lip. "The sparklings that were born on my planet were the result of the splicing together of two pre-existing sparks.

"I have to hand it to her, Nebulina had come up with a good plan. For a time, it seemed to be working; even those with thoughts of rebellion in their sparks melted when faced with these new, innocent little beings."

Alexis blinked, quite interested now though also wondering what any of this had to do with the current situation. But, she assumed that Scorpinok would soon be tying past and present together. To move things along, she asked, "Did you participate in this endeavor?"

Scorpinok shook his head. "At the time, no. But then, neither did Nebulina… I once told her that I felt I would never make a good role model, as far as being a parent goes. I never knew, at that point in my planet's history, why she wouldn't want a child, an heir, if you will." He paused once more. "If not for Wind Scar, there might not have been a problem. But he was always one to think outside the box, and he feared what might happen if another rebellion came about and should end badly.

"Thus, when the tenth generation sparklings were brought into being, Nebulina, under the encouragement of Wind Scar and myself, produced a son." Scorpinok sighed deeply, looking downwards. "His name was Solarblade, and you would never have guessed by looking at him that he could ever be anything other than innocent…"

*****

Among those working (so to speak) on the towers had been a young neutral mech known as Thundercracker. Just before the broadcast had been initiated, he had snuck off into a nearby alley for one of his unauthorized breaks, getting a good private laugh over how peeved the construction "manager" would be when she discovered he had once again gone missing.

Thundercracker leaned against the building behind him, lost in a daydream of better times. With a soft sigh, he recalled the final days of the first war and how he had been so enthused about joining the military. Had the coming of Unicron not brought it all to an end, he might have gotten his wish… in spite of the fact that both factions, in the aftermath, had crushed his hopes of becoming a soldier.

Thundercracker scoffed at the memory, derisively thinking that those Autobot and Decepticon recruitment officers didn't know what they were talking about when they'd said he did not have what it took to make it in the big (or little) leagues. Recollections of the half-afted explanation about him being all talk and no walk grated at him to this day.

Once Megatron's message began transmitting, Thundercracker's gaze was riveted towards the sky over his location. The more he listened to this proverbial call to arms, the more excited he got. At last, he thought. I may have just gotten my wish…

*****

"I never found out who Solarblade's co-creator was. I suppose it doesn't matter,"

Scorpinok said wearily. "Either way, you would think that someone with such a pure heart could never produce such a monster.

"Solarblade proved to be an inquisitive and demanding young bot, who was never content until he'd had something thoroughly explained to him. Nebulina, Wind Scar, and I never minded; we all adored him so much that we were quite tolerable of his demands… He grew up to be very skilled in all things, from the use of weaponry to engineering to architecture. If there were any warning signs that he didn't share Nebulina's ideals, he did a good job of concealing them. Either that, or we were all just too blind to the fact that he could be capable of such evil."

Feeling cold, Alexis asked simply, "What did he do?"

Scorpinok dimmed his optics for a long while, as though he were trying to gather the strength needed to revisit this particular memory. "Solarblade knew that he had to go through me in order to get to Nebulina. And because he knew I trusted him, his plans were made all too easy to pull off." Scorpinok focused back on her. "He did to me what Megatron had done to you. However, I wasn't quite so fortunate as you, Sky Dancer. Nebulina was slain by my own hand…"

Another silence ensued, broken when Scorpinok continued with, "I thank Primus that Wind Scar saw the truth of things. But then, he knew me well enough to see that I wasn't myself. I would never have hurt her otherwise." A pause, and then, "Though Solarblade did everything he could to make our people fall in under his lead, Wind Scar was able to incite a revolution to overthrow our treacherous sovereign… My old friend subsequently restored my mind and threw in some measures to ensure that my CPU could not be tampered with again, by any means." A very faint, fleeting smile appeared at Scorpinok's lips. "That may be why your youngling, Starxis, was unable to read my thoughts."

"How…?" Alexis started, only to break off and begin again. "That's right. Alpha Q knows that Starxis has telepathic abilities…"

Scorpinok gave a slight nod of acknowledgment and let out a deep breath, looking so tired that Alexis was surprised he was even able to go on. "Back to the story… Solarblade was not unlike Megatron in that he was obsessed with war. We found out later that he had been building a weapon within the core of our world, designed to fire a missile powerful enough to wipe out a small planet. Maybe he had hoped to one day transfer it to a warship. I don't know just what his aims were, but oddly enough, Solarblade's madness would end up benefiting us one day, in a manner of speaking."

"While the rebuilding and healing process, among the entire population, was going on, Wind Scar presented me with a message from Nebulina, which she had apparently recorded sometime after the first generation sparklings were born. I have never felt more pain before or since… She told me that she had loved me for a very long time, and that she had never known how to tell me or even how I'd react if she did. Ironically, it seems Nebulina always viewed me as standoffish, though we were very good friends. Perhaps she had even wanted Solarblade to be mine as well as hers.

"I learned through this recording as well as from Wind Scar that Nebulina had stored away part of her spark, in the event that anything ever happen to her. In accordance with her wishes, I allowed a fragment of my own spark to be taken and spliced together with hers to create a new being, a future ruler for our planet.

"And thus was born Alpha Q…"

*****

Almost as soon as the first reports of rioting came in, Optimus had zoomed back into the command center, giving a silent thanks that Megatron's broadcast had ceased and that they had control of their computer systems once more. Thus, he wasted no time before sending a transmission out to all colonies on Earth, telling his suspicions that Megatron had used Unicron's abilities to initiate this broadcast and demanding the presence of all his most seasoned and/or trusted warriors.

Optimus was there to greet them all at the Warp Gate in a nearby room of the building, not even hesitating before he began handing out orders on how to deal with the situation. The gist of it was that he wanted them to split up (so they'd be able to cover more ground) in order to exercise damage control in whatever way they felt best.

When questioned by Starscream, Optimus told the jet to focus on the most problematic areas and use his best judgment on how to get things under control.

In the next instant, Optimus turned away and started to say, "Now, Ironhide…" He broke off, startled when he noticed that the Autobot rookie wasn't present. Drawing conclusions, he shifted to look towards Hot Shot and said tersely, "I told you to bring Ironhide as well! Where is he?!"

Hot Shot went to perusing the floor, nervously rubbing at the back of his neck. "Yeah," he said weakly, dreading having to reveal this and what Optimus' reaction was going to be. "We were going to tell you about that…"

*****

Following this latest revelation, Scorpinok remained silent for such a long time that Alexis had to prompt him to go on. "This is an interesting story and all, but you have yet to get to the point." she said testily. "What does any of this have to do with what's going on now?" She paused, then added, "If you tell me that Alpha Q is anything like Solarblade…"

"He's not," Scorpinok interrupted, such vehemence in his tone that Alexis couldn't help but believe him. "Growing up, Alpha Q always had a gentle air about him. He was very much like Nebulina in that regard; he didn't have it in him to be cruel. He loved and respected life. And, like his brother before him, he had a brilliant mind." Scorpinok hesitated. "I, on the other hand, had learned my lesson, though I must admit to perhaps being a little extreme in ensuring there would not be a repeat occurrence… I shielded him as much as I could, made sure he'd never know such concepts as war and would never seek to cause strife. And, to keep him more objective, I treated him only as a student and friend, never told him that I was one of his creators.

"Imagine what a shock it was, for the entire population of my planet, and for our sovereign most of all, when Unicron came to destroy our world…" To clarify this for her, he added, "This event occurred almost eight Earth years ago."

Alexis' optics glazed over, an indescribable feeling welling up inside her. "So, Unicron found a way back to our universe…"

Scorpinok nodded. "He did." A slight pause, and then, "None of my people had ever expected a threat of this magnitude, and we were almost ill-prepared to do anything about it… Unicron was near enough to the planet that we were able to fire on him from the ground or air, but our standard weapons were not powerful enough to have any effect on him."

Alexis recalled his earlier statement. "You knew of one that was."

Scorpinok nodded solemnly. "We had discovered Solarblade's weapon roughly two months earlier, and had been debating what to do with it. There was even some discussion that it might be unstable, and, should we dismantle it, we could risk blowing up the planet's core… I took the chance that it just might be our only way to stop Unicron. By this point, my planet's army had been decimated. Even my friend, Wind Scar, had been killed, and I must admit to being desperate to save those who were still alive.

"When I arrived at the palace to enter the core of our world, Alpha Q was there, alone and very scared. He was almost irrational, begging that we just gather together the remainder of our people and flee. When I told him my plan… He ordered me not to do it, and I disobeyed. I made my way to the lift that would take me down and was on my way before he could stop me." Scorpinok hesitated once more. "I can still see him kneeling down by the shaft, piteously pleading with me not to do this."

Scorpinok dimmed his optics, keeping them dark when next he spoke. Given what he had to say, Alexis understood that it was an enormous burden to carry. "The good news is that the missile was indeed powerful enough to destroy Unicron. The bad news is that firing it overloaded the cannon, caused an equally-powerful explosion." Scorpinok remained silent for a long while, and then, "In trying to save us, I destroyed our planet from within… I killed everything I had come to care so deeply about."

Alexis considered this, then grew puzzled. "If that's the case, then how are you and Alpha Q still here?"

Scorpinok lit his optics back up so he could focus on her. "Because somehow, Alpha Q's spark endured, even after his physical form was destroyed. He would tell me later that he remained in the vicinity of our lost world, mourning everything that was now gone. The loneliness, coupled with the memory of being betrayed by the one he had always looked up to and trusted the most, is what I believe shattered what was left of his mind."

"After half a year, Alpha Q ventured into Unicron's ruins, seeking answers as to why this had happened. I'm told that Unicron had been rendered inactive ever since that day…" Scorpinok hesitated. "I don't know how to accurately describe how Alpha Q was able to tap into the powers and memory banks of our destroyer, but my sovereign discovered a way to build a new form for himself from within Unicron.

"From this point, Alpha Q's quest for answers led him to a startling revelation. Bear in mind, he did not know at the outset, nor did I, that Unicron was a god-like being. Granted, Unicron is a being of pure malevolence, who has come to devote all his energy into death and destruction, but he is still an omnipotent entity. And, as proven by his progeny -- the Mini-Cons -- Unicron can create life as well as take it away."

Scorpinok sighed deeply, seeing by the glint in Alexis' optics that, though she may suspect where this was going, she looked uncertain. "Now, imagine the possibilities. Unicron was virtually powerless at this point, made so weak and defenseless that it wouldn't take much for anyone to seize control of him, body and spark. For someone like Alpha Q, who saw an opportunity to set things right, it was almost too good to be true."

Alexis hesitated, then her lips parted slightly in shock. Had she been able to move, she surely would have raised one hand towards her mouth to convey her astonishment. In a soft, almost inaudible tone, she said, "You've been seeking to recreate the planet you called home…"

Scorpinok nodded once more. "And therein lies the reason that we can't risk losing Unicron. If he were destroyed, then my world and Alpha Q's may well be gone forever… However, we would need to collect a tremendous amount of power to pull off such a feat. The Energon needed to reconstitute a single being is nothing compared to what it would take to regenerate an entire planet."

After a long silence, Scorpinok continued, "If I'd had a say in all this from the get-go, then the attacks against your bases in Earth's solar system would never have taken place. But Alpha Q didn't revive me until after, as I understand it, he'd organized the raid against your lunar base. As I would learn, the reason he'd waited so long was because he needed those in-between years to work through the pain of my betrayal and forgive me." A pause and then, "Well, that and… In spite of everything, he trusted me more than he did Sideways at that point."

"Sideways?!" Alexis said, greatly startled. But then, she realized how absurd she sounded; why should she be so surprised to learn that the rogue bot was a part of this?

"He'd been restored, partially, by Unicron just before your first war ended. Perhaps, if Sideways had not been left as a ghost and incapable of venturing beyond the boundaries of his master's body, we'd not have encountered any problem. You, and the other Transformers on Earth, could just as easily have been left alone, and Alpha Q would have sought a means of power elsewhere." Scorpinok sighed. "In this case, two things were working against all of us. Sideways was seeking to manipulate my sovereign for his own ends. And Alpha Q, being so young still, is not the most discerning of bots."

Alexis, though she was starting to understand, asked, ""How young are we talking?"

Scorpinok looked at her with a tiny amount of pain in his red optics. "Alpha Q's age and/or mentality is roughly equal to that of an eight-year-old human child."

Alexis dimmed her optics after a moment, trying to absorb the enormity of this single statement. While it explained so much, it also caused her a surprisingly great degree of emotional pain. No one should have to die that young, she mused sadly.

When at last she focused back on him, Scorpinok continued with, "You know how things developed from there. Tidal Wave, and then Cyclonus, were turned to our team, though primarily through trickery. This, too, was Sideways' idea, the fact that they be told we were looking to revive Megatron with the stolen Energon." He hesitated, seeing no need to explain this last statement; she'd heard from the Decepticon commander himself how he had survived.

"Let me guess. Something went wrong," Alexis said dryly.

Scorpinok bowed his head slightly. "It was the laser turrets that the Autobots had installed at their bases," he answered. "Seeing that continued raids against the mines on Earth were impossible, I went to Alpha Q to suggest an alternate means of collecting Energon. In turn, he ordered that Tidal Wave and Cyclonus be dispatched." Scorpinok went on to explain the reasoning behind this and why he hadn't be inclined to disobey. "After the way I'd betrayed Alpha Q before, I vowed to do everything possible to make amends, even if such acts went against everything I believed in.

"I don't think that any of us could have anticipated that Megatron would engineer his own comeback, supposedly because the lives of his men were being threatened," Scorpinok said simply. He went on to tell her of Alpha Q's subsequent escape and his side of the fiasco with Sideways, then leaned back in his chair, a deep sigh passing through his lips. After the tale he'd told, Alexis wasn't the least bit surprised by how tired he looked.

After another long silence, Scorpinok said wearily, "So, now you know everything… Tell me, Sky Dancer. Would you still be inclined to run, if I were to let you go?" There was another silence, then he rose to his feet without waiting for a response. "You know what? Forget I asked that." He approached the table on which she was resting, silently reaching over her; in spite of everything he'd just told her, Alexis had to admit to being surprised when he removed the stinger.

Scorpinok sighed, backing up so he could focus on her once more. "You'll be able to move again in a few minute's time… You were right, Sky Dancer, when you said I had no right to hold you here, even if it was the only way I could get you to hear me out." A pause, and then, "You're free to go home. We won't stop you this time." He turned and walked towards the door, then added as an afterthought, "All I ask is that you don't deny Alpha Q and I the means to achieve our own ends."

With that, he offered her the code needed to open the airlock door and was gone from the room, leaving Alexis staring after him in wonder while the toxin slowly dissipated from her system…

*****

All later stories of this phenomenon would say that there was not one area of Cybertron that went untouched. But none created as much panic as the one that resounded through the halls of the planet's maximum security prison. In the initial aftermath, many of the Autobot (though also a handful of Decepticons) guards had their hands full with the bots who were taking Megatron's message seriously. So much so that they couldn't pay much heed to those who were locked up.

In a solitary cell in the heart of the prison, Shockblast slowly lifted his head, the sound of Megatron's words echoing in his mind. While he was surprised to know that the Decepticon commander still lived, he gradually began to brighten under the revelation that the war just might be starting anew. It had been so very long since Shockblast had felt anything other than hopelessness; he had almost given up hope of ever seeing the light of day again.

Clenching his right fist, Shockblast began pulling at the chains binding his arms and legs to the wall with a renewed vigor, very much determined to break free and take his rightful place amongst the Decepticon team…

*****

When Alexis was finally able to move, she gingerly drew herself up, shifting into a sitting position with her legs hanging off the side of the table. Though she had every intention of getting to her feet and making her way to the shuttle's exit, she found herself inexplicably frozen in place, Scorpinok's words playing over and over in her head like a broken record.

After a long while, Alexis dimmed her optics and bowed her head, letting out a sigh as an image of Starscream and Starxis came to mind. In the next instant, she climbed to her feet and began moving, knowing exactly what she now had to do.

It didn't take her very long to find Scorpinok, as he was positioned in front of a window in a nearby corridor, gazing out at the stars. Wordlessly, she stepped up next to him, mildly surprised when he didn't turn to gaze at her. Quietly, Alexis said, "I have just one question… If you and Alpha Q were to get your world back, would you then hand Unicron over to the Autobots to do with as we wish?"

Scorpinok gave a single nod, letting out a deep sigh as he did so. Alexis hesitated a moment before going on with, "Then you're going to need help in wresting him away from Megatron." She looked up at Scorpinok. "To start with, I'd like to meet with Alpha Q…"

Author's Notes: Sorry there wasn't much coverage of the revolt on Cybertron, but I will be focusing on it a lot more in the next chapter. Stay tuned. :)