I need more family fluff with these guys so I'm doing it myself. I'm also just kinda surprised and sick of everyone shipping the clones even though they are literally as related as they could possibly be. So no shipping goggles, please. Platonic family fluff the whole way.
A prelude
"Alright, original Starscream revived. Mission complete, though I'm sure I'll end up regretting it," dictated the purple femme to herself, as she observed the other Seeker get somewhat shakily to his feet through slitted optics. Not sparing him much more thought, she turned away to a data pad in her hand, stating, "On to phase two."
"'Phase two'?," echoed Starscream in confusion, rubbing at his forehead in an attempt to ward off his growing helmache. What a thing to come back to life to. A hole in his head from the forceful extraction of his Allspark shard, and apparently some kind of plot from his most confusing clone. Such a pain in the processor. Not that he wasn't glad to not be dead, it was just the fact that it was this particular clone that made him suspicious. "My, my, you've certainly been busy since you betrayed me to be all buddy-buddy with Megatron, femme."
Tapping something on her tablet, and pointedly keeping it out of Starscream's view when he tried to see what it was, she commented without looking away from her work, "It's Slipstream."
"Huh?" Starscream eloquently replied.
"My designation. Is Slipstream," she explained in an impatient huff, thinking it should have been obvious. "Now shut up, I'm working here."
"And working on what, exactly?" he asked, stepping closer to her to try and sneak a better look at the data pad in her hands, "We should prioritize getting out of here before some nosey Autobot or human shows up."
"You can go if you want," she sassed back, moving her work out of his line of sight again, "But we would all really be better staying together."
"'We all'? We who?!" growled Starscream, growing irritated at her evasiness.
"I'm calling the other clones to my location," she answered sharply, matching his irritation with her exasperation.
"Those useless losers?" snorted Starscream, "Why? Are you planning another little revolution against me?"
"They're your useless losers you know," she snapped at him, finally turning to look at him. "You made us, you should show some fragging responsibility."
The two glared at each other before, after a visible effort to calm down, Slipstream turned away back to her work with an ex-vent and a dismissive flick of the wing, typing at a faster rate than before, "The coward and the egomaniac are in space somewhere," she started to explain with forced calm, deciding to humor her creator (and also hopefully prevent him from asking any more annoying questions), "I'm borrowing some human satellites to hopefully establish communications with them and lead them here."
"Stupidly risky," criticized Starscream immediately, crossing his arms, "You'll be caught in a nanoklik."
"You seriously think I can't avoid the attention of a bunch of organics?" she huffed in retort. Expression shifting to a prideful smirk, she added, "I have your intelligence, you know. So if that's really how highly you think about yourself…"
The magenta jet growled lowly at the insinuation, but Slipstream merely shrugged flippantly, smirking all the while.
Arms crossed tighter in irritation, Starscream looked pointedly away from his troublesome clone, paying only half attention as she brought her fingers up to her comms and sent a brief message. If Slipstream had her way, this area would soon be filled with his copies. Starscream contemplated doing as his femme creation had sarcastically suggested and ditching this scheme. But curiosity kept him rooted to the spot. What had his errant clones been up to? And how would they answer for their insubordination? Plus, if anyone was going to be leading a group of Starscream clones, it was going to be the one who created them, not some full-of-herself upstart! So he remained as she called the liar and the kissup, offering his occasional notes which she immediately rejected.
The others arrived in a remarkably short time. As it turned out, the timid Seeker and his overly-confident counterpart had already been making their way back to the Earth moon, and the liar and sycophant hadn't traveled far. Once they were all gathered again, Starscream remarked mockingly, "So, Slipstream? What's the big plan now?"
"'Slipstream'?" questioned the coward hesitantly, immediately shrinking away when all optics went to him.
"It's the designation I chose for myself," she answered matter of factly.
"WHAT?!" exclaimed the ego clone, "Why does she get a real name?! I deserve one way more than her!"
"I definitely don't want a name, that sounds terrible," added the liar.
"Well just pick one, then," replied Starscream with an annoyed optic roll. The newly arrived clones just stared at him disbelievingly.
"You would allow us lowly, inferior clones to make such a momentous decision?" questioned the yellow one.
"'Allow'?" questioned Starscream, pulling a face at the phrasing, "Like I was stopping you? Everyone picks their own designation, it's just…how it works," he waved his hand vaguely as he explained, "You feel it in your spark, or, er" he paused, considering all of their current existential states, "your spark-equivalents, or whatever."
"Then how come we didn't have any names before, huh?!" goaded the egoist challenging, getting up into Starscream's face.
The original Seeker shoved his clone away none-too-gently, retorting, "I don't know! What do I look like, Primus?" He scowled, acting like he was annoyed at the question itself, but really more annoyed that he didn't actually know how it worked. A guy just comes back from the dead and now a bunch of clueless barely formed protoforms are asking him to remember back to his creation? Cut him some slack he wasn't built to be this existential.
He considered the question more seriously, looking at it from a scientific angle. Normally a spark would take to protoform and the resulting mech would come online and just…know their designation. However the clones' creation was hardly normal. Objectively, he posited, "It could be that, as you were intended to be copies of myself, your identities as individuals weren't strong enough to result in a clear designation. But since there isn't exactly a precedent for this, not to mention that the nature of sparks and identity has been a topic of debate and discussion of philosophers and scientists for millions of cycles, who can say for sure?" Taking a step back, he re-crossed his arms and leaned back on his hip, telling them all, "Anyway, if you want a name, then make one for yourself."
The sycophant looked to be deeply in thought, before slowly saying, "Though a humble clone as myself is not deserving of a lofty title, and it could not compare to the dignified designation of that of my esteemed creator, I think I will be called…Sunstorm."
"I'm Thundercracker, because that's the best name!" proclaimed the egotistical clones, pointing to himself with a prideful posture.
"I'm not Ramjet! And it's not a better name than 'Thundercracker'," called out the liar, leaning against the newly named Thundercracker's shoulder to draw attention to himself instead. The blue clone shoved Ramjet off, and growled at him threateningly, and Starscream wondered if he was going to have to break up a fight.
The commotion increased so much that they all barely noticed when a quiet shaky voice spoke up. "Skywarp."
Sunstorm at least realized the cowardly clone had said something, and asked loudly, "What was that, my superb fellow clone?"
All optics turned to the fearful clone, and he coward away from the attention he was receiving. "I-I'm Skywarp. I-I think," he stuttered, looking at the crowd cautiously and fully expecting to be berated for his stupid name choice.
Sunstorm beamed and the others looked apathetic. "That is a delightful designation! So well chosen! My horrid name can hardly compare," said the complimenting clone.
Skywarp calmed minutely at the praise.
"Ok, wonderful, you all have names, whoopee," dismissed Starscream, flicking his hand in a gesture to move things along. "Now, seeing as Slipstream doesn't seem to have a step three, I'll be taking back command. Unless you want to have any more desertions?" he hissed pointedly, glaring at each of the clones in turn. Skywarp ducked to hide behind Sunstorm, shuddering at the possibility of Starscream's anger. Thundercracker scowled, Ramjet smirked, and Slipstream looked apathetic, if annoyed at the dig at her planning skills, but none retorted. "Ok, good," said Starscream with a sharp nod.
"The first thing we need to do is establish a base. We've been exposed enough just standing around here. The question is where." Starscream brought a thoughtful finger to his chin and began to pace.
"C-could we just go home?" spoke up Skywarp timidly. Starscream regarded him with a vague confusion, and, though he trembled at being the center of attention any further, the black Seeker elaborated, "Back to the base on the moon?"
Starscream scoffed at the idea. "That place was at the end of its life when I created you all. It's fragged to a pile of scrap now."
"O-oh," replied Skywarp, though Starscream ignored him entirely and continued his thoughtful pacing. After a moment he stopped suddenly and turned around to point at Sunstorm.
"You. You've been here on Earth. What have you been using as a base of operations?"
"My dear Ramjet and I have been gracious guests in the Earth cities. Their alleyways and abandoned buildings are astonishingly phenomenal at hiding giant Cybertronians," he grinned innocently at his explanation, and Ramjet smirked in kind, but Starscream's expression dropped lower the more the clone elaborated.
"You mean to tell me you two have just been wandering around the streets of Earth?! How have you even survived, being this incompetent?!" Whirling around, he snapped at Slipstream, "You've been here on Earth as well. Tell me you've found somewhere?"
She shrugged, replying, "I've avoided populated areas, unlike these glitchheads," she inclined her head towards Sunstorm and Ramjet, "But I was exploring this planet, never staying in one place long."
Starscream circled in his pacing a few more times, unhappy with the answer and thinking through his options. Stopping short once more, he addressed his clones again as he suddenly realized, "Megatron's base. Does anyone know the state of the Decepticon base here on Earth?"
Most of the clones shrugged, though Slipstream looked thoughtful. "Well, I know Megatron won't be coming back for it any time soon," she answered wryly.
"Yeah, how are you so sure?" shot back Starscream.
"Because he's in stasis cuffs on his way back to Cybertron," she said smugly.
Starscream took a second to process the news, before breaking into a wide grin, "That is the second best news I could possibly hear. Slipstream, my dear, you may now be my favorite just for letting me know this." He imagined the image of the once mighty leader of the Decepticons, bound and marched into the narrow halls of the Autobots prisons, and laughed doubling over in his joyful reaction. It really could only have been better if the old tyrant was dead. Eventually his mirth subsided and, getting serious again he straightened up.
"If Megatron has been captured there's no way the Decepticons will care about any base on this useless mudball," pronounced Starscream with certainty, "So that's where we'll go."
They all flew to the location of the base, Starcream taking point to make sure they avoided noticeable human airspace, as well as being the one with the best memory of the location. His clones flew around and beneath him in what could barely be called a formation, but he resisted the urge to try and straighten them out. He had been dealing with his difficult clones enough today, and he didn't need to be wasting time fighting them into orderly flying. Getting to the base was the most important thing. The group finally made it to the wooded area that used to be Megatron's hideout, circling around the rooftop "entrance" they had made the last time they were here. One by one they transformed and landed down into the large cavern that used to hold a space bridge, but now stood empty. There was a lot of rubble and debris, and Stasrcream could see several half or completely buried entranceways leading to other rooms. It was grim for certain, but he thought that it probably looked worse than it actually was. The main chamber had been the most affected by the space bridge implosion, but Starscream would be willing to bet that the side tunnels and extra rooms were mostly intact. Following this line of thought, the Seeker walked up to the largest collapsed doorway to prod at the stones filling it.
"There's no point to this," complained Slipstream with a critical gaze, "The base is caved in, there's nothing here."
The other clones looked at the rubble filled tunnels and doorways, sharing a despondent look at the pile of rocks before them.
Ignoring them, Starscream experimentally tapped at the rocks with a knuckle, listening to the sound it produced thoughtfully. "The entrances are caved in," he retorted, "We won't know what the rooms inside are like until we get to them." Stepping back, he took a shot at the pile, clearing out a hole barely bigger than his head. He gazed through the hole, optics brightening to give him a better view of what laid beyond. He smirked confidently when he caught a glimpse of open passageway.
"Looks like we're in business. Clones, null rays at the ready. We fire at my mark," the six Seekers gathered in a semicircle, their blasters aimed at the blocked doorway.
"Ok, let's go!" yelled Thundercracker, shooting his gun before Starscream had said a word.
"No, on my mark!" the older Seeker protested as the clones started to open fire.
The Earth rubble was no match for the concentrated firepower of so many Cybertronians, and quickly all that was left of the old wooden doorway was a rough and charred hole in the mountainside. The cave around them shuddered threateningly, but nothing collapsed further.
Powering his weapon down, Starscream took the first steps towards the new doorway, grinning pridefully at the clear tunnel before them that ran into the old mine. "Nothing here, huh?" he mocked, shooting his femme clone a cocky smirk.
"We still don't know that anything over there is salvageable," she countered reasonably. "This is probably still a waste of time."
Smirk quickly turning to a frown, Starscream stalked into the tunnel, muttering lowly to himself in annoyance as he did. After a beat, his clones followed, though Skywarp lingered outside, "It's, uh, it's really dark in there. And looks tight. I'm claustrophobic, maybe I'll just hang back here." Unheeded, he was left on his own as the party continued to disappear through the mountain. "Then again, I'm also terrified of being alone, so..ah! Why me?!" he complained as he at last made his trembling way into the tunnel with the rest of them.
"I'm telling you there's nothing here," griped Slipstream with a scowl as the narrow tunnel only seemed to go on.
"I'm perfectly comfortable," mentioned Ramjet blithely.
"These rocks are getting dust all over my gorgeous, perfect, paint," moaned Thundercracker.
"These tunnels are so n-narrow and dark!" yelped Skywarp, tripping slightly over the train tracks beneath them as he hurried to catch up.
"Will you all stop complaining?" snapped Starscream, stopping shortly so that his clones nearly ran into him before turning around. "What kind of Decepticon warriors are you?!"
"Whatever kind you made us to be," replied Slipstream sweetly.
He glared darkly at the remark, but didn't bother retorting. He already had a processor ache and didn't need to make it worse by arguing with the contrary femme. Wings testing the air around him he could have sobbed in relief at the lightest feeling of moving air flowing over his wing flaps. Composing himself, he straightened his posture to be more leaderly and said firmly, "There's open air just ahead. We're almost there. Keep moving."
"Almost to what?" muttered Slipstream, though she did follow when Starscream pushed onwards.
At last, the space opened up into another large cavern, though one that was smaller than the space bridge room. Piles of rocks lined the walls, and the space was strewn with organic trash that Starscream didn't want to begin to guess where it came from, but otherwise the room was in good condition. A modest window sat near the ceiling, letting in the fresh air Starscream had felt, as well as giving a view of the surrounding mountains. Surveying the room, a grin formed on Starscream's face. There was a lot of rubble and debris, sure, but he could still clearly see where mostly open entranceways lead to smaller side rooms - probably the Decepticons' quarters, if he had to guess. Looking back towards the cavernous room they had come from, his grin turned wry as he remembered the last time they were all here. Ironic, that they would be building a base together where he had been betrayed and abandoned. On the other hand, Megatron had tried to take his clones, but in the end, here he was with them and Megatron was in chains. Really, he had won in the end. Yes, this base would work perfectly.
"Welp, we're home!" snarked Starscream cheerily, clapping his hands together briefly. "We'll clear out spaces to recharge for tonight and then tomorrow we can work on making this a proper base!"
Some clones groaned at the pronouncement and others cheered, but with a glare from him they all quickly scurried off to clear out the half buried passageways.
"I'm getting the top bunk!" shouted Thundercracker, shoving Skywarp aside as the two found a room, "I deserve it!"
"Well, Ramjet, my brother, you can have whatever bunk you desire," said Sunstorm genially, the two walking in a different direction from the two other clones.
"I just know I'm not sharing a room with any of you," snarked Slipstream, walking down a completely different hallway than her male counterparts.
Starscream listened to the bickering with a sigh, realizing he had his work cut out for him. Shaking his head, he went to find a room for himself. Their new home wouldn't fix itself, and he needed some serious recharge to get rid of this processor ache.
The Constructicons seem to get out fine, so I'm assuming the Decepticon base is some kind of usable. So, yeah, welcome to my thing. I posted this on AO3 but thought "hey why not post here, too?". I actually have chapters written ahead of time, so I'm going to try for regular uploads. Key word being "try". I might forget to crosspost them here even if I do remember to regularly upload on AO3, but, hey, we'll see how it goes. More family and hurt/comfort still to come! Thanks for reading!