Sky Dancer

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Chapter Twenty-Five

Once they'd left Cybertron, it hadn't taken Megatron and his team long to make it back to the battleship. Snowcat and a number of others personally saw to Tidal Wave, by both welding shut the more serious cracks in his armor and replenishing his vital fluids as best they could. And there were three other Decepticons who stepped up to pilot the ship back to Unicron without being asked. For once, Megatron was pleased to have a crew that was so dedicated.

The one exception to this rule was currently pinned, suspended several feet above the floor, against one wall of the bridge by the Decepticon commander. Standing nearby, Sideways was silently shaking his head at just how idiotic Shockblast was. For all of the rogue bot's machinations against the Autobots and Decepticons, he had never had cause to actually dislike any one of them to this extent.

After all, one had to be a complete and utter moron to say in front of Megatron that it was Tidal Wave's fault that they weren't still on Cybertron eliminating the towers and have the gall to suggest that letting the big guy die would be a fitting punishment.

"Hold your tongue, Shockblast!" Megatron snarled. "Lest you suffer the same punishment!" After a slight pause, the Decepticon leader went on with, as though anticipating a protest, "Regardless of what started this conflict, I don't look kindly on someone who would deliberately escalate it! If you had left well enough alone, then this disaster could have been avoided."

When Shockblast looked ready to foolishly offer a response, Sideways stepped forward and drew his sword, pointing it at the captive bot's throat. "Oh, please," Sideways said menacingly. "Give us an excuse."

At least Shockblast had some sense when it came to self-preservation. The threat was sufficient to get him to keep his mouth shut. Seeing this, a small smile formed at Megatron's lips. "Now, is there going to be any further problem?"

Shockblast shook his head, inspiring Megatron to let him down, though the Decepticon leader was shortly thereafter commanding him to leave the bridge. Even as he did so, Shockblast was inwardly fuming and thinking, And here I thought you were the perfect one to be in charge of the Decepticon army, Megatron. Perhaps what's really needed is someone who is more willing to cut loose the dead weight.

With that thought, Shockblast began to brighten, silently scheming that perhaps he'd do a much better job at leading the troops. All he needed was an opportunity to do away with Megatron (and perhaps several of the "elite" soldiers under his command) and all would be well.

Back on the bridge, Megatron activated his comlink, broadcasting a message to Snowcat and anyone else who was looking after Tidal Wave that they had permission to shoot at and/or eliminate Shockblast if he even made a move to approach the colossal bot. With that taken care of, Megatron went to his throne, seating himself and paying scant attention to Sideways and those that were piloting the shuttle until the former came to stand before him.

With crossed arms, Sideways said dryly, "I imagine you'll be using Unicron to repair Tidal Wave."

Megatron scowled slightly. "Why else do you think we're headed there?"

Sideways shifted his weight, a wry look in his optics. "Because where you see a chance to restore him to health, I see opportunity… One thing that went unsaid during that little meeting was what Tidal Wave did wrong during the battle. After all, even Shockblast had enough sense to recognize how much danger he was in." Sideways paused, then went on with, "Perhaps you could rebuild the big guy, just as you did with Snowcat, with a little more intelligence. What could be better than getting a faster, smarter soldier under your command?"

Megatron considered this, then adopted a wide, amused smile. "You just might have a good point, Sideways…"

*****

Once she picked up the info on Demolisher's situation from Starscream's thoughts, it was Alexis who requested that they all venture to the med-bay to talk. Still, once the group was positioned in the observation booth overlooking the infirmary, they remained silent while waiting for some acknowledgment from Red Alert on what the hard-edged bot's chances were.

It was a definite switch, seeing the latter so weak and vulnerable; Alexis had gotten so used to him being a tough guy. Currently, Demolisher was hooked up to many different machines to keep him alive, and he had three different medics working on him, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. As she gathered from reading Starscream's thoughts, Red Alert and the other doctors were working to strengthen Demolisher's spark.

Even so, Alexis delighted in being in Starscream's arms, as he held her against him with his head partially buried in her metallic hair, though her mood didn't show on her face. With a sigh, she stared blankly down into the infirmary, simply thinking, Please be okay, Demolisher. It wouldn't be fair of you to leave without knowing just how appreciated you are… At the very least, I'd want to thank you for trying to help me.

Starscream let out a deep breath that lightly ruffled her hair and caused her to shiver. After a second, she raised her head slightly and softly said, not even aware she was speaking out loud, "It's good to be home."

This caused Optimus to glance over at her, catching her attention by shifting his weight. "How did you escape Megatron?" he asked, deciding to start with the most basic question first.

Alexis sighed again, throwing a quick glance down into the med-bay. Though she wasn't sure she could get through the entire story without interruption, she looked back up and began with, "Scorpinok… He restored my memory. Shortly after the last battle on Earth, in point of fact."

Before anything further could be said, the group's attention was caught by Red Alert. The medic had been aware that Alexis was back, but hadn't been able to really acknowledge it. He began by stating how glad he was to see her, then got down to business, focusing on Starscream. "Well, good news. We have Demolisher stabilized." A pause, then, "He's very lucky. There's not many Transformers of his size who could walk away from having such a massive building dropped on their head."

Even as Starscream was breathing a sigh of relief, Red Alert cleared his throat and went on with, "The next step will be to remove his spark from its casing so we can work at repairing his body. But I should warn you, Starscream, that the damage done to Demolisher's structure may be too extensive. There's a chance we may have to insert his spark and memories into a brand new form… And I don't yet know what condition his memory banks are in. There's a chance that select parts of his life, as he remembers them, will be gone."

Starscream hesitated, then said, in as peaceful a tone as he could muster, "At least he'll be alive. Thank you, Red Alert."

The medic nodded, shifting his gaze towards Alexis. "Well, I imagine that you all have a lot to talk about, if you'd like to clear out. I'll contact you when we're done operating."

From there, the group dispersed, with the mutual agreement that they would continue their conversation in the conference room of Autobot HQ. Once they were all settled, Optimus kicked things off by asking for details in regards to Alexis' earlier statement.

It took roughly two hours for Alexis to tell her tale and explain why so much time had elapsed between the Jungle City battle and now. While nobody was happy to learn that she had been temporarily taken hostage by the very bot who'd rescued her, Alexis had informed them in no uncertain terms that no harm was done in the long run. "Scorpinok's tactics might have been questionable, but he had a good reason for them. I'm not going to fault him for that, knowing what I now do."

Alexis paused, then added, "In any event, I gave Alpha Q my word that we would not destroy Unicron until this matter is resolved."

As she expected, many of her companions didn't look happy about this. To help placate them, Alexis went on to say, "Look, it's a fair exchange. We help Alpha Q and Scorpinok get their planet back, and they'll give us Unicron. It's as simple as that… I trust them to keep their word, and I ask you all to trust me."

Optimus sighed, crossing his hands together over the tabletop. After a short silence, he said, in all seriousness, "I don't like it… We don't know what would happen if we infuse Unicron with that much Energon. The last thing I'd want to do is awaken him."

Alexis bowed her head. "Then we put a contingency plan in place. Unicron is not nearly as strong as he was before, which means we have a much better chance at putting him down if things get out of hand… But we should give Alpha Q and Scorpinok a chance to make this work. Despite their actions, they're as much the good guys as we are, and Sideways is partly to blame for engineering the conflict."

When no one said anything, Alexis leaned back in her chair, a feeling of comfort washing over her when Starscream gave her hand a small squeeze. He obviously knew what she was thinking, and this was his way of showing his support. "Well, that's just fine. Clearly, I should go straight back to them and tell them to stay away," she said by way of warning. "Since almost none of you seem willing to agree to this."

Without waiting for a response, Alexis turned to focus on Optimus. "I didn't expect it from you though," she continued. "Not with the number of times you've shown that you valued and trusted my judgment."

Optimus gave a soft sigh, tilting his head downwards a notch while he silently weighed the options. What ultimately swayed him was the thought of Ironhide and Kicker. While he didn't like the idea that they were still in the company of Alpha Q and Scorpinok, it had been weighing on him as to just how they had arrived in that position.

At last, Optimus looked back up, glancing from Alexis to Starscream to Hot Shot. After addressing each of them in turn, he went on with, "We'll head out to meet Alpha Q halfway… I imagine that Megatron's hands may be full when it comes to his own soldiers, but I'd rather not take any chances. If he comes back to Cybertron anytime soon, I'd prefer that he not find Unicron's head in the vicinity. The rest of you are to stay here to counter him if he does."

Optimus went on to say that they could take one of the nearby shuttles, both to accommodate Starxis (as the youngling would likely not want to leave Alexis' side at this point) and fly out to meet the approaching party as swiftly as possible. Rising from the table, he said firmly, "Let's move out."

*****

The ship that Optimus had selected from the nearby depot was so small that it would only take a single Transformer to pilot it, and its speed would guarantee that its crew would be able to intercept Alpha Q within an hour. Though the voyage would be short, Starscream and Alexis elected to make the most of it, once Optimus stated that they could have some time to themselves in the interim. Starxis, too, had agreed to stay on the bridge for the time being.

Laying on a bunk in one of the ship's staterooms with Alexis curled up against him, Starscream smiled softly when he heard her think that she wished this moment could last forever. (Apparently, they were still close enough to Starxis that the link was still there.) Tightening his grip on her ever so slightly, he tilted his head up to brush his lips against her brow. "It's good to have you back to yourself," he murmured, fighting to hold down the memory of Megatron's shared kisses with her; he'd likely become enraged if he spent time dwelling on that.

Alexis hesitated, then shifted so she could gaze up at him. Starscream soon angled his head so that their optics locked with one another. "It sure beats being forced to battle one another. I never want to go through that again," she murmured, feeling a pang by the silent reaction this got.

Starscream was quiet for a long moment, unsure how to respond. At last, he sighed and stated, in a slightly guarded tone, "In any event, it's good to know you can hold your own in a fight."

Alexis blinked, an indescribable emotion playing over her face. "Don't take this the wrong way," she said softly, "but, in the long run, it's probably a good thing that this happened." She paused, then continued with, "For one thing, we'd otherwise all still be in the dark about what Scorpinok and Alpha Q have been after."

Alexis shifted once more, maneuvering so her hand rested on his chest. "And for another thing… It brought back something you had lost, Starscream. Something you need." With a dead serious look in her optics, she said, "Scavenger was right. It's your anger that really gives you an edge. And maybe… that's who you're meant to be. You just need to incorporate that aspect with who you are now." With a wry smile rising to her lips, she made him laugh with the single thought that entered her mind.

And promise me you'll give Megatron the extremely good aft-kicking he deserves!

Starscream grinned, repositioning once more so that their lips met in a deeply passionate kiss. Anything for you…

*****

Of all the things that Optimus was anticipating once they reached their destination, all it took was something minor to throw him. Once he and Hot Shot caught sight of Unicron's head, and the two shuttles accompanying it, Optimus blinked several times in disbelief over what he was seeing.

Focused wholly on the red and yellow craft on the left, Optimus said, in a near whisper, "That's the ship that rescued us, the day that Megatron tried to abduct Kicker."

Startled, Hot Shot turned to look at the Autobot commander with wide optics. As he'd been unconscious during the incident in question, he dubiously asked, "Are you sure?!"

Optimus hesitated for the briefest of moments, then nodded. "It matches what we saw in the thermal imaging." He paused, recalling Alexis' tale of Rodimus. He knew of the latter by reputation, and had heard rumors that he had been an excellent soldier back in the day. If not for the fact that that war had been over for some time, not to mention the aid he'd provided during a critical moment, Optimus might have had a few choice words with Rodimus for having gone AWOL when he did.

As it was, Optimus sent out a hail to the advancing ships that Alexis had brought a small group out to greet them. Shortly after this, the three approaching vessels came to a halt, and Optimus broadcast a message over his shuttle's com system to alert Starscream and Alexis that they were needed.

Within minutes, Optimus and the three soldiers who'd accompanied him were exiting the ship and making their way inside Unicron's massive head. Seeing Ironhide and an unfamiliar blue femme watching from the main airlock on Rodimus' ship, Optimus gave the rookie a stern look that guaranteed they'd be having a very serious talk later.

Once in the main chamber, Alexis quickly introduced Alpha Q and Scorpinok to her companions, then watched silently, with a growing sense of hope, as the spindly bot and Optimus at long last began to speak with each other…

Author's Notes: Hope you all enjoyed this installment as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have to say that it will be a while until the next one. I'd like to get several chapters written so I can post them all at once. Don't be alarmed if a substantial amount of time passes with no update.

Next up: The battle to reclaim Unicron from the Decepticons begins...