Chapter 24
A Worthy Cause
Bulkhead and Ironhide were playing possibly the least energetic game of lob ball in the history of Transformer kind. They were both still recovering and therefore used lobbing as a form of physical therapy that didn't make them want to rip out their own T-cogs in frustration. Chromia was their referee, but she didn't really get the chance to do more than sit on the sidelines since they were playing nice for a change.
Chromia's processor was lost in thought over everything that was happening with Team Prime. It was so much so fast, and Chromia wasn't used to thinking this hard about things. She, like Ironhide, was a warrior at spark and spent most of her time thinking of battle strategies rather than diplomacy or conspiracy theories. Really, if she thought about it, she didn't know how Arcee turned out so intelligent with parents like them. Must've been due to her birth parents, whoever they were.
Every Vehicon they encountered from now on was a potential minefield. They had only just gotten used to the idea that Vehicons should not be killed because they could be former Autobots or civilians, but now they knew that Vehicons could also be former Decepticon higher-ups as well. That meant they couldn't just accept the first drone to defect to them. Yet, what if they turned away a lost Autobot or a sparkling that never had a chance to live like little Bluestreak? The moral dilemmas just kept piling on, and Chromia's processor wasn't equipped to solve such problems.
"Ow! Cheap shot, old mech!" Bulkhead groused as he rubbed his sore arm where the ball had hit it.
"That's what ya get for turnin' yer back on me, Wreckin' Ball," Ironhide taunted smugly as he shuffled over to retrieve the battered steel ball, "So, best 51 out of a hundred?"
"You're on!" Bulkhead replied gamely as he assumed a crouching stance.
Just as Ironhide was about to throw the ball to Bulkhead again, the corner of his optic caught sight of two Vehicons standing off to the side hiding behind a beam and watching them play. Ironhide didn't have to guess who it was, since they were the only ones who were brave enough to associate with Bulkhead.
"Hey Klunker, Saline," Ironhide greeted them in a friendly manner, "You two just gonna stand there pretendin' to be statues or are you gonna come play with us?"
"You should be more careful with that ball," Saline reprimanded Ironhide now that she knew she had his attention, "Bulkhead is still injured and needs more rest."
"Carrier, I'm fine! Really," Bulkhead groaned at his mother's doting demands, "I play lob ball all the time. It's good exercise."
"If you pull more wires Ratchet might never be able to weld them back again," Saline replied insistently.
"Now honey, let the boy have his fun," Klunker reasoned with her, "Ironhide is a good mech and isn't going to hurt him. Besides, he outgrew our advice long before we turned into drones."
"Yeah, well..." Saline looked like she was still trying to be angry, but in reality his words merely made her sad.
Saline sat next to Chromia while Klunker joined the game with Ironhide and Bulkhead. Klunker knew it would take time for everyone to adjust to their situation, his spark mate included, so he just tried to get along with as many mechs and femmes as possible.
Chromia, on the other servo, was the curious type that couldn't leave well enough alone when she saw something was bothering someone. She could see that Saline was hurting, and not just because she didn't get her way. She had a feeling she already knew the answer, but she still asked anyway...
"Hey Saline, what's botherin' you?" Chromia asked.
"It's none of your business," Saline replied gruffly in her deep drone voice as she watched the three mechs play lob ball.
"Yer sittin' right next to me and won't leave," Chromia pointed out, "I'm makin' it my business. You look like you need a friend, and I'm offerin' to be that friend. So, what's on yer processor?"
"Well, it's just...so much time has passed," Saline sighed miserably, "It feels like part of my life was stolen from me. My son is old now, and I'm so...tall. I can look my boy in the optic. I haven't been able to do that since he was a sparkling."
"Ain't the height a good thing?" Chromia asked in confusion.
"Not really," Saline shrugged sadly, "This world is so small. Small enough that my old body would have been perfect for it. Being able to see Bulkhead this way just reminds me of all the lost vorns we'll never have. He's so helpless and small...it reminds me of when he was a sparkling. It makes me just want to grab him in my arms and protect him from the big bad world, but I can't. He's a soldier with a war wound and as soon as he's healed he's going back out there to fight. I can do nothing for him now."
"That's not true!" Chromia snapped emphatically; causing the Vehicon to flinch at the volume and forcefulness, "You are still his carrier. Just because you don't have to bottle feed him his energon doesn't mean you can't support him and love him. Look at Arcee. She's dealt with more than her fair share of hurt. She's lost comrades, partners, and limbs over the vorns. The limbs they could rebuild, but nothin' takes away the hurt of losin' your first love. That's what Cliffjumper was to her. Her first true love. You think she don't need me an' Ironhide? Of course she does. No matter how big Arcee gets, she'll always be my sparklin'."
"I don't even know if Bulkhead has ever been in love," Saline told Chromia, "I know nothing about my own son. I was dead to him, and so was Klunker. Now he has two of Megatron's mining goons for parents. I wonder if he'd have been better off not knowing we were still alive."
"Just stop that!" Chromia shouted once again, and this time Saline didn't flinch, "That kind of self pity has no place here. You and Klunker survived a fate worse than death. You were drained of everything that made you who you were, and yet somehow you still managed to hold onto each other. You are a strong femme, and Klunker is a strong mech. That strength flows through Bulkhead, and that is how he has survived living among the Wreckers, the Autobots, and Team Prime. You wanna help Bulkhead? Then get to know him again. Show him you love him and do what you can. Play some lob ball with him, get to know his friends, and stop treatin' him like he just popped out of the Allspark."
"Bulkhead was merge-sparked," Saline replied cheekily, and Chromia smirked at seeing some fire coming back into the Vehicon miner, "Okay, I guess you're right. I just have to play this game on Bulkhead's terms. Our relationship has changed, but he is still my son. Hey listen, you and Ironhide are the only other bonded couple here so far, right?"
"Right," Chromia nodded.
"So, maybe you and Ironhide could hang out with me and Klunker sometime," Saline suggested, "I feel like the four of us would get along like two scraplets on a carcass."
"Sounds good to me," Chromia replied agreeably, "Now, I think Bulkhead just lobbed the ball at Klunker's helm. You wanna help me drag him into the penalty corner?"
Saline grinned mischievously, and together the femmes walked into the line of lob fire. Chromia and Saline came from different backgrounds, but they had enough in common to make for a good friendship. Both femmes were strong, both femmes were simple, both femmes were blunt, and both femmes raised some of the toughest children to ever depart from Cybertron.
VS-5001 just sat there and stared at the wall while Starscream was talking to him. Starscream was trying to comfort his trine brother all the while trying to extract any useful information about his transformation out of him, but the now aware Thundercracker wasn't in the mood to talk.
How could this be? He wasn't a mech. He wasn't the brother of the mighty Commander Starscream. He was VS-5001, the Eradicon leader and loyal servant to Megatron. He was a drone, a piece of property. Yet Starscream had deactivated the inhibitor chip. He saw the memories for himself and didn't forget them like he did with the dreams. This was real. Starscream said he was Thundercracker, and surely the air commander would know his own brother.
Still, it felt too good to be true, and yet too horrible to be true. VS-5001 had started this quest to save his fellow drones, and now he was fuselage-deep in a conspiracy that involved organ theft, processor wiping, and the enslavement of over half the entire population of Cybertron to Megatron and the Decepticons. Despite this horror however, it was one of the best days of his Eradicon life. He had found his brother, and Starscream welcomed him back with open arms despite his generic Eradicon body. If they could only find Skywarp, then everything would be perfect. That was unlikely, but Thundercracker held out hope.
Starscream had asked over and over again why Megatron had turned on Thundercracker. Even after Thundercracker stopped staring at the wall and started doing his chores he wouldn't tell Starscream. Thundercracker remembered exactly what happened, but he feared that if Starscream knew the truth it would cause the grey seeker to reject him. He might have lost his forced loyalty code, but he still didn't want to displease his brother and superior officer. No, he would have to take this secret to his grave. If only he could stop thinking about it.
The beginning of Thundercracker's end started when they reclaimed the New Polyhex space station for what was probably the 5th time since it was first built. It was 12 vorns after the death of Prowl, and therefore 12 vorns since Thundercracker and his trine had set pede within the aimless space-faring building. Skywarp had died 2 vorns prior, so now Starscream and Thundercracker had to face this new challenge without him.
Megatron had ordered the capture of all Autobots possible so that they could be taken to Shockwave for experimentation. Thundercracker knew he didn't wish that fate on anyone, and he was starting to feel dirty about his place in the Decepticon cause the longer this went on. Megatron's greed had killed Cybertron, and now they were fighting over scraps such as New Polyhex. It made Thundercracker feel like some sort of carrion bird picking at a long-dead carcass. In fact, that was how he was beginning to see the entire Decepticon faction.
Things only got worse when the raid and capture mission was complete. The higher ranking Autobots, including their commander, were to appear before a group of energon seekers and other Decepticons for a mock trial and then be "sentenced" to serve as Shockwave's guinea pigs. The process made Thundercracker sick, so he hung around at the back of the room and watched the proceedings with militaristic detachment. He knew he could no longer impact the outcome of anything, so why bother trying?
The first few mechs were brave when faced with their own deactivation. Each one cursed out the Decepticons, cursed Megatron's name, and were led away once the Decepticons had finished toying with them. Starscream was upset because he couldn't get any of them to beg for mercy, and Thundercracker was upset that the Decepticons were doing this at all.
The last mech Thundercracker saw on the chopping block was a short silver mech with a blue visor; the New Polyhex commander. Thundercracker recognized this mech as Jazz, Prime's own second in command. Catching such a prize would surely make Megatron happy, but it did nothing for Thundercracker's mood.
"You know Autobot, we Decepticons are not incapable of compassion," Starscream said to Jazz with a predatory smile that indicated otherwise, "Perhaps if you ask nicely, we might commute your sentence to life in prison."
Jazz spat at Starscream's peds, causing the seeker to shriek in rage and disgust.
"Get fragged, buzzard brain!" Jazz shouted harshly, "I don't want nothin' to do with any of your so-called compassion. The Autobots will stop Megatron, you'll see. Whether I make it out or not, you 'Cons will fall."
"Whether you make it out or not?" Starscream mocked, "Isn't that adorable? The saboteur still holds out hope of rescue. Well, let's see how well you run without legs, Autobrat!"
"Starscream, don't!" Thundercracker shouted before he even realized what he was doing, "I mean, Megatron will probably want to deal with Jazz himself."
Starscream huffed and crossed his arms, but he didn't argue the point. Starscream was getting tired of Megatron taking all the glory for their hard work, but he was still too weak to do anything about it and he knew it. Jazz looked over to where Thundercracker was sitting, and the light in Jazz's visor suddenly became very bright and enraged.
"You!" Jazz shouted as he attempted to wrestle out of the grip of the two other seekers holding his arms, "You killed Prowl! You monster! I'll rip out your spark! You killed my best friend, you fragger!"
Thundercracker was slightly taken aback by the violence being directed his way. It had been 12 vorns. Thundercracker didn't understand how the pain could be so fresh in Jazz's spark when he had plenty of time to get used to being without Prowl. Then again, it wasn't that strange if Thundercracker really thought about it. After all, Skywarp's death still impacted the other trine brothers greatly. What if Thundercracker someday found himself face to face with Skywarp's killer?
The two seekers holding Jazz dragged him away kicking and screaming at Thundercracker for what he had done to Prowl. Thundercracker's face plate was impassive, but his spark felt conflicted. He no longer believed serving Megatron was the right course of action, yet if he tried to escape it would not only be the end of his life but Starscream's as well. He wanted to escape, yet he knew he could not. He saw the smug satisfied faces of the other seekers, including Starscream, and it made him sick.
Jazz might not have been innocent in this war, but none of them were. Jazz had lost his best friend, a mech as close as a brother to him, and now his own life would be taken as well. That was when Thundercracker realized he couldn't let this happen. His selfishness and fear had killed the former Autobot SIC, and if he was ever going to atone for that then this might be his only chance.
...
When Thundercracker entered the brig he saw Jazz just sitting on his cot with his helm in his servos. Jazz was not a tall mech by any means, but Thundercracker had still never seen him look so small. It was clear that Jazz's outburst had drained him of energy, but Thundercracker still feared the resistance he would face.
His heel struts clacked against the steel floor as he approached the cell, and when Jazz lifted his helm to see it was Thundercracker his face contorted into one of pure hatred.
"What do you want, Decepticon?" Jazz growled in a very un-Jazzlike way, "Come to watch Shockwave tear me to pieces?"
"No, I am here to set you free," Thundercracker replied stoically, "I cannot do much for you, but I can still give you a fighting chance."
"I don't feel like playin' your sick game," Jazz replied bitingly, "You 'Cons can kill me, but I'm not gonna be hunted for sport."
Thundercracker sighed and leaned against the door facing of Jazz's cell. He could feel the warmth of the energy forcefield since he was so close. This wasn't going right at all, but Thundercracker couldn't give up. He had to do something, even if it was small and might not even work.
"Jazz, I'm sorry about Prowl," Thundercracker said contritely, and he could see Jazz's optic ridges raise up in surprise, "I know how it feels to lose someone close to you. Not a day goes by that I don't think about Skywarp. Starscream is my brother, but Skywarp was more than that. He was also my best friend. I know you'll never forgive me, I don't expect you to, but you need to keep living. If you die, then a large portion of Prowl dies too, because only you have those memories. Now, if I unlock the door, will you escape without trying to kill me?"
Jazz was silent for a long moment. Thundercracker was sure that silence meant Jazz could not accept those terms and he would indeed never accept Thundercracker's help, but then...
"I've never heard a 'Con express remorse before," Jazz stated so softly that Thundercracker strained to hear him, "I know trines are important, but I guess I never thought about Starscream's trine havin' those feelin's too. You mechs seem so brainwashed by Megatron that I guess I forgot you were Cybertronians too. I'm curious though, does Starscream actually...do you think he cared enough about Skywarp to miss him?"
"He does," Thundercracker nodded solemnly, "He hides his true nature because Megatron would exploit it, but he has always had our best interests at spark. I must admit though that I believe he would not change if I died. Despite his cowardly nature he is emotionally strong. He would behave exactly the same, I believe."
"Mm," Jazz grunted as he nodded, but then said, "Prowl's death is still on your servos. You'll never be able to wash away his spilled energon, but I think you know that already. That's a punishment that won't ever stop. It's not enough, but it'll have to do. Free me or leave me here, I don't care. I don't expect much from Decepticons. I do hope though that someday you'll be able to come to your senses and abandon this cause. I wouldn't let you in the Autobots, but Prime's a better mech than I am, and I think he would if given the chance."
"I'll keep that in mind," Thundercracker replied wryly; not really keen on the idea of joining the Autobots.
Thundercracker then activated the locking mechanism on Jazz's cell, and Jazz slowly and suspiciously stepped out. He gave Thundercracker a scrutinizing look, and satisfied that he wouldn't be followed, he rushed off into the halls.
Jazz escaped that night, but Thundercracker did not. Shockwave had seen the blue seeker on the security monitors and informed Megatron of all that transpired. That action sealed Thundercracker's fate, and a mere two deca-orns later Megatron faked Thundercracker's death and had the hapless jet turned into the first Eradicon. The new model was supposedly made for Starscream to honor the sacrifice of his brothers, which only added insult to injury.
As the former VS-5001 thought back on these events he knew he could never tell Starscream the truth. His brother would never have accepted a traitor as a brother, even if they both hated Megatron now. Starscream still believed in the Decepticon cause, so how could Thundercracker ever tell him that he did not?
Just as Thundercracker's thoughts were about to consume him, Starscream came back into the room holding a small grey round device with a series of purple buttons and a black screen.
"I have done it! My latest invention is finished, and in record time too," Starscream bragged as he showed Thundercracker the device, "Oh yeah, I've still got it!"
"Um, what is it?" TC asked as he stared down at the tiny gizmo.
"I have managed to take the technology of the spark reader and make a portable version! Ha ha!" Starscream replied with manic glee, "With this we can find other former Decepticons that have been turned into Vehicons."
"How do we do that?" Thundercracker asked; trying not to seem skeptical despite his confusion.
"Easy," Starscream replied with an undeterred smile, "You look just like every other Eradicon, so if you sneak aboard Megatron's warship the other Decepticons will be none the wiser. You keep this device on you at all times and read the sparks of every Vehicon and Eradicon you come across until you find a Decepticon spark signature. Once you find one, you convince them to come back to the Harbinger with you. Then I will repair their processor, and they will be so grateful to me that they will join my cause to overthrow Megatron and the Autobots! Together we will form a new army, one that will overthrow our former slave masters and rule this rich new world!"
"Sounds ambitious," Thundercracker replied, "I just hope I'm not discovered by the other Eradicons. I mean, I am their commander after all."
"Hm, good point," Starscream mused as he put a claw to his chin, "Alright then, start with Vehicons. We get one Vehicon, and then send him back to find Eradicons. This will work."
"Yes," TC replied with pride in his voice, "Down with Megatron, and long live Lord Starscream."
Starscream laughed a giddy evil laugh at those words. Thundercracker was exactly the missing ingredient to his surreptitious schemes. Now he had his brother, and his brother was now a willing servant to a new empire.
"Thundercracker, when I am ruler of the Decepticons, you shall be my second in command," Starscream promised, "I will see to it that we have everything we desire and more. The mighty Decepticons will overthrow the weakling Autobots and the cruel barbaric Megatron."
Thundercracker couldn't remember ever being as stirred by Starscream's words as he was in that moment. He knew his brother could debate with the best of them, but this was different. It felt as if Thundercracker had a worthy cause to rally around again for the first time in millenia, and he wasn't going to let Starscream down.