The moment I stepped out of the portal (which of course immediately closed behind me) I was greeted by the fist of Bulkhead that quite hurtfully sent me across the field.
"What the fuck?!" I cursed profusely as I sat up. As I looked around I saw this was some excavation site on Earth. But why did these cloaked guys come to Earth?
"Come on! You bots are now onto neutrals too?" Came a deep voice I couldn't recognise. Seconds later someone stepped before me, his huge size shielding me from anyone.
"Neutrals?" I asked as I stood up. There were no neutrals as there were no bots and cons. The war was over, so there was no need for factions anymore.
"Yeah, you bore no insignia, portal hopper" he said casually as he lifted up his fists. "I hope you missed me, big guy," he smirked.
"Like rust in my undercarriage," Bulkhead stated, annoyed. What the hell was going on?
"You know this lunkhead?" came the much younger voice of Miko. I immediately turned my head towards her, only for my breath to hitch. She was young, like really young, wearing her hair in a similar way Mei does. Then a moment later it clicked. The importance of insignia and the young Miko meant one thing. I traveled back in time.
"Me and Breakdown… we have a history" Bulkhead stated with a small sigh.
"Wait… You're Breakdown?!" I looked up at the con standing before me. This was THE Breakdown I heard Knockout talk every time I asked him what it was like serving under my father?
"Huh?" he grinned. "I'm getting famous" then he turned towards Bulkhead and shrugged his shoulders. "You know what? I got this new recruit so I guess I will take my leave now" and before I could even protest, he just picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing.
"Put me down!" I yelled at him, hitting his back. Naturally I would not be in this situation but the fight with Onslaught was tiring enough to not have energy for stuff like this.
"I'm doing you a favor, kid. You don't wanna roll with the Autobots" he said nonchalantly as despite his huge size, he swiftly ran into the forest with me.
"Uh, because I definitely want to roll with the Decepticons" I rolled my optics, knowing I just got into the middle of something. Like usual.
"Well, not like you have options" he said and I just scoffed.
"Yeah, It's not like I have options after you kidnapped me!" Of course I was furious!
"Welcome to the Decepticon life!" he yelled as a groundbridge opened and he ran right into it and we were coming out to some base or… wait… yeah, the Nemesis. That was my dad's warship right? "Wait a minute here" Breakdown said as he promptly put me down to the ground before the doors that probably lead to the bridge. And before I knew it I was standing alone in that hallway, trying to collect my thoughts.
"Let's sum this up" I whispered to myself as I started pacing. "I ended up in the past, but not too much as the war is now on Earth. That's somewhere near the end, right?" I asked myself as I tried to piece together a timeline from all the stories I heard when I was just a child. "And now Breakdown, the Breakdown who is dead in the future just kidnapped me and made a Decepticon out of me" I sighed as I went through everything. "What more can happen now?"
"Come, come" Breakdown said as he peeked out of the door and I followed him inside. I swallowed hard as I tried to get my shit together while I looked around on the bridge. There were some soldiers, doing all kinds of monitoring stuff. They all looked identical, as if they were cloned in some lab. Were they even alive? "Let me introduce you to the new recruit I just found," I heard Breakdown say and I looked up, wanting to see who he was talking to. Possibly my dad, but I couldn't be further from the truth.
"Who the fuck are you?" It was so strange for me as I saw who Breakdown had been talking to. I knew all of my dad's soldiers in his inner circle. Mainly because once in a while they all sat down to have tea and reminiscence about the war they all fought in.
But not just that but I knew most of the seekers too. And he may have looked like Thundercracker or Skywarp but he wasn't any of them. How could I not know him?
"Watch your tongue!" he growled indignantly as he folded his arms. "You are speaking with me, Starscream, the leader of the decepticons!"
"The last time I checked, Megatron was the leader of the Decepticons" I blinked. Starscream? I never heard of anyone like him! How infuriating!
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here" Breakdown tried to cool the situation off as well as he can. "Starscream is our temporary leader until Lord Megatron gets out of his coma" he explained the situation.
"That explains" I wondered for a moment. So that's why I haven't met the past self of my dad. He was in a coma. And if he was in coma I could accurately estimate in which point of the stories of my father's life I found herself. I just needed some quiet moments to think about it. "Sorry for rubbing off the wrong way. I'm confused about many things."
"I will turn a blind eye just this once" he snarled, still pissed off at me. Not like I cared, the seekers were not much of a hassle for a pitfighter like me. "Now tell me. Who are you and where were you all this time?"
"I'm Winstreak" I said, using my fighter name as Victoria would certainly set off some alarms in them. It wasn't really a cybertronian name. "A pitfighter from Kaon." Was this believable? Sure not. But it was still better than saying Megatron's daughter right from the future. That sounded like total madness.
"That explains" he said in a condescending tone that made my energon boil. Like really? Who the fuck he thinks himself to be?
"Seekers" I rolled my optics as I whispered to myself. There were not many things more annoying than the Seekers. Or at least what was left of them once the war was over and they returned to rebuild Vos.
"Pitfighters" he spat back with the same poison in his tone I had, then looked at Breakdown. "Take her to Knockout and tell him to put an insignia on her."
So here I was sitting in the medbay of the ship while I was wondering how the hell I'm going to get home. And those hooded figures. Who were they? And where are they? They might be my only way.
"I can see you're not a fan of Breakdown's surprise adoption" Knockout chuckled as he tried to ease the tension while he worked.
"This is what we call this now, Doc? Surprise adoption?" I looked at him sharply as he was almost done with the Decepticon insignia on my forearm. Dad's gonna go ballistic if I go home with one of these on my arm.
"You're going to find out that he was just only helping you to get into the winning team" he said with confidence and I wanted to laugh. The winning team? The Decepticons lost the war fair and square. But to avoid further conflicts Uncle Optimus, with the pure spark he had, wrote that into the history of Cybertron as a draw, a tie, a war without winners. Which was true in a sense.
"I hope you're right because I would hate to be in the losing team" I said to him with sarcasm in my voice.
Knockout raised an optic ridge, his grin widening as he finished the insignia. "Well, Starscream might not like your kind but once the boss is back from his coma holiday, you're going to get a nice place. He values the pitfighters like him above anything."
"That doesn't sound reassuring" I told him as I stood up, shaking my arm as the insignia settled into my forearm plates.
"I don't think reassurance is what you need, Winstreak" he looked at me with that smile of his. "You're a lost lamb, my dear. And do you know what lost lambs need? Purpose. And here you can find many."
"I hope you're right" I sighed as Breakdown walked in.
"Are you done with the pretty princes?" he asked Knockout with a smirk and I grabbed his arm and yanked him into my level with a pissed look.
"You're not calling me princess ever again or I'll make sure you regret it" I told him, my crimson optics flashing angrily. I must have looked like my father because I saw true fear in his eyes for a few moments.
"You have his look" Breakdown suddenly said in his nervousness and I let him go as I took a step backwards. These people didn't even know he was my father but I was already compared to him. Way to go Victoria. Way to go.
"I don't" I spat back instinctively but the words didn't sit right in my processor. Even I couldn't fully convince myself of that lie. Megatron was unmistakably in me, in every step, every glare, and it wasn't just my optics or the intimidating presence I seemed to carry. The pit fighting had honed me, sure, but there was more, a deep-seated rage that simmered just beneath the surface. The same rage my father used to wield like a weapon back then. Aka now.
"Come on, I will take you to your room. A nice recharge will do you some good" Breakdown stated as he led me out of the medbay.
I was in such a predicament. Trapped in the past, on a Decepticon warship, with a freshly minted insignia seared into my arm. This wasn't exactly how I imagined spending my cycles. I was supposed to be with Bee, Steeljaw and Mei, drinking our shakes, laughing about how I won. But I just had to kill Onslaught, I just had to think I'm going to be such a great person by honoring his last wish.
"Here we are," Breakdown grunted, stopping in front of a door that hissed open to reveal a small, metallic room. It wasn't much, but it was more than I had expected. Decepticons weren't exactly known for luxury, especially during wartime. Or so I heard. "Get some rest, kid. Tomorrow, things get real."
"Thanks" I looked at him unsure as I sat down into my berth. It was like a metal slab, something I hated. I preferred sleeping in a soft bed of course as a human. With the spiky things on my knees and elbows would have made it very hard to sleep on a human-like bed.
"This is such a mess" I groaned as I laid down. I wanted my room, my friends and even my dad. I would have rather heard him telling me off a million times than being stuck in here. "Why did I need to follow cloaked figures? Could have just told someone else" I said, rubbing my face with my hands.
The past was different, way different from the stories I heard from everyone. Mainly because of this seeker. This self-proclaimed leader in my father's absence. I'd never heard of him in any of the stories. Why? What happened to him after the war? And why was his fate just something everyone chose to forget?
"So a pitfighter?" I heard a noise and when I snapped out of my thoughts I saw him.
"God, you really have no idea about personal space?" I shot him an annoyed glare, rolling my optics as I sat up. So much for my well deserved recharge.
"A neutral is popping out of nowhere and speaking like she owns the world. Sounds suspicious, my Dear" he stated in a stern voice as he folded his arms.
There was something that irked me while looking at him. He looked like one of those people I just wanted to punch in the face. Nonetheless he was suspicious of me, which was bad since I have been in the past less than four hours.
So with a sigh I suddenly pushed him to the wall, my blade on his throat.
"Let's start this conversation again, shall we?" I asked him with a fake smile while he swallowed hard, his bravado gone. "You want to mess with me? Fine by me, but I'm not afraid of you. The only one who will regret it is you, so weigh your choices wisely."
I noticed his surprise, he hadn't expected me to be this fluid or bold. I was not much smaller than him and while I looked weaker than most, my reaction times and ballet-like movements compensated me for everything. I remembered my father's first lesson in fighting.
"You could never fight exactly like me. You have to fight like you Victoria. Picking the proper style for your set of skills is the most important thing."
"You wield your blades like him" he sneered, noticing the familiarity between me and Megatron. Something I totally did not want but here I was anyway.
"That's kinda a pitfighter thing" I chuckled as I let him go and he fell into his knees because of my sudden move. "You're sloppy, you should try and make your reaction time better" I suggested, the teacher part of me coming out. There was one thing better than fighting. Helping people to learn how to fight.
Starscream coughed, clutching his throat as he looked up at me from his knees, optics narrowed with a mixture of frustration and humiliation. "Sloppy? I'll show you-" he began, voice rasping with defiance, but I cut him off with a dismissive wave. Primus, Seekers are so annoying.
"Save it. If you had half the skill you think you do, you'd be standing right now." I turned away, my blade retracting with a metallic hiss.
"You think you're so clever" he said sarcastically, trying to slide to the doors unnoticed.
"No, you think you're so clever. Just like all the Seekers. No wonder why almost all of you are dead" I said it out of spite, angry that he just barged into here, wanting whatever he actually wanted.
"Take that back" he hissed. It seemed I managed to hit where it hurt. Hope this deters him from being in my aft. I'm not here for friends and sharing with everyone who I really am.
"Make me" I folded my arms. But then he just scoffed and slid out of my room like he wasn't even there in the first place. "Primus, he's such a nightmare. Don't have to think much why no one ever told anything about him" I murmured to myself as I finally got to recharge. Not that I liked it as I rarely spent this much time in my cybertronian body.
It was strange for me. I have never known war, only heard the stories of the battles of the great. I only knew what was like being constantly on the move. After abandoning his ways, my father found a new passion in being a stuntman. But this meant that he was always chasing after the newest thrills, pulling me and mom along with him until this year, when we finally settled back to mom's hometown, Blackwell.
"Your home is where your heart is" I remember her always saying when we spent countless nights in trailers. But that was my life, the life.
When I woke up the next day I was escorted to the bridge where I saw uncle Soundwave for the first time in the past. It felt way better that he was here even though he was possibly the most dangerous mech of all.
"So, what's the deal?" I asked Knockout who stood next to Soundwave and Starscream. There the medic pointed at Soundwave's visor where a picture of a statue holding some metal globe in a human museum was.
"That's an energon harvester and we need to get it. Probably without much hassle" he explained and I nodded with a grin.
"Consider it done," I said. This task was like it was made just for me and my skills.
"Big words from you newbie" Starscream said, picking up a fight once again. Did he never learn?
"I have a name, Winstreak. Use it" I threw a glance at him, but I wasn't really expecting anything from him. "But let's stay on track. Can you make a fake one, Doc?" I looked at Knockout with a plan in my head.
"Of course I can, but why do I need to? We can just take it and the humans won't bat an eye" he explained and I shrugged my shoulders. Humans don't know about giant transforming robots of course, but others did.
"I just want to mess with the autobots," I told him and he let out an amused 'oh', finally getting my idea.
"You can count on me Winstreak if it's about messing with the 'bots," he nodded and made his way to his lab. I smiled, thinking it won't be that bad being stuck in the past for a while.
So with the fake energon harvester in my servos I walked out of the groundbridge, just next to the museum which closed up for the night. As no one was there, just me, I transformed back into my human body, lifting up the harvester with ease, despite being much smaller.
"Let's get this shit done" I said to myself as I put down the globe for a moment to quickly lockpick the backdoor of the museum to get in. The lock was easy enough, nothing too fancy for a place like this. Just a few clicks and the door opened with a soft creak. Perfect.
I quickly slipped into the main hall while holding the fake above my head. Once I spotted the real one, I smirked and transformed back into my cybertronian form to reach it. It was easy, the main hall had a height twice as tall then the ones I took to reach it. After the switch I put the sticky note I wrote on the fake one.
Autobots inferior, Decepticons superior – it read. Primus, I have such great humor.
Later on I handed the energon harvester to Starscream while on the excavation site from yesterday, he smiled as he tried it on a troop. While Knockout and Breakdown looked bewildered I just stood there unmoving.
"Yeah, the harvester harvests energon alright, but… how are we taking the energon out of it for use?" I suddenly asked the million dollar question as I looked at Starscream who looked at the energon harvester then me.
"You just had to ruin the fun, didn't you?" he asked back and I shrugged my shoulders.
Starscream's smile faded as he realized I was right. The energon harvester was functioning, sure, but how exactly were we supposed to extract the energon it collected? The air between us grew tense as Knockout and Breakdown exchanged glances, clearly waiting for someone to address the issue.
"Well?" I asked, raising an optic ridge, my amusement at an all time high. "Any ideas, fearless leader?"
Starscream glared at me, the usual glint of irritation flashing in his optics. "This… isn't a problem. I'm sure there's a mechanism or process we simply haven't activated yet." His tone was defensive, as if admitting to an oversight would damage his fragile ego. At least he had something in common with my father.
Knockout crossed his arms, stepping forward to inspect the device more closely. "I hate to break it to you, Starscream, but Winstreak's got a point. This thing is collecting energon, but if we can't extract it, what's the point?"
"We should use it to kill the Autobots, perhaps?" Breakdown came up with the idea and I just giggled.
"After the time it needed to drain a small troop, the Autobots kill us twice before we could drain them" I said and Starscream angrily threw the energon harvester to the ground.
"It's useless!" he declared and shot it into pieces while I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. These were the guys my dad led here in the past? I'm surprised they lasted this long with their temporary leader throwing a temper tantrum!
"Oh God, you guys are more amusing than I thought" I said as I stopped laughing. If this is the past, I might have a breeze in finding my way home.
And that was the exact moment the Autobots decided to join in the party. A bit late, I must say as well… nothing was left of the harvester.
"That's the neutral I saw this morning!" Bulkhead pointed at me as he looked at my uncle. He had that serious face as always since I knew him. I doubted he was ever anything else than this responsible and serious leader, or diplomat which he is now in the future.
"Sorry to ruin even more people's fun" I interjected. "But I got this surprise adoption from Breakdown which means I ain't no natural no more" I stated, the Decepticon insignia on my forearm flashing in the moonlight. "But no need to worry, we were about to leave anyway" I said as I stretched and turned around. I was in no mood to fight, moreso with my own uncle, knowing he was not an easy one to best in combat.
"You leave when I order you to leave!" Starscream pointed at me annoyed. In one fluid motion, I pivoted and lunged at him, faster than he could react, pissed of being ordered around again. Before he even realized what was happening, I had him pinned to the ground, my blade at his throat once again. This time, there was no fake smile. This was a warning, one he would feel in his spark.
"I. Don't. Take. Orders. From. You." I growled, my optics locked on his. "And if you try to order me again, I'll make sure the next blade goes into your spark chamber" I said to him and then stabbed my blade into his shoulder. Deep enough for him to feel it, but not deep enough to seriously injure. "Come on guys, we're going" I told Breakdown and Knockout who followed me as I requested a groundbridge from Soundwave.
"Who are you?" I heard my uncle's voice and I thought for a moment as I looked back. Who was I?
"Call me Winstreak" I told him, turning back as I closed my eyes. Winstreak was supposed to be a persona for the arena, but now… now if I want to survive, I have to embrace Winstreak. Even if I might not like it.