Hey everyone! I'm back with the first chapter for Season 3! I'm so excited about this season and I can't wait to share the rest of Stormracer's story with all of you.
Thank you all for your feedback on if I should do a story on Transformers One or not and I have decided I will, though I want to wait a while before I post it until I know for sure everyone has seen the movie. I've decided to add not just one OC but two OCs into the mix to make the story more interesting. I can't wait for you all to check it out when I post it.
Also, I know I said Lockdown would be in the first few episodes of season three, but i feel him being there would be too much so we unfortunately won't see him for a while still. Don't worry, he is coming back this season, and we'll be seeing a bunch of other characters around that time. Can't say any more about it for spoiler reasons.
Okay, sorry, enough rambling. Please enjoy this new chapter! P.S. Sorry for any grammatical errors.
Transformers Prime: The Medic's Assistant
Chapter 64: Darkmount, NV
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime
(Somewhere in the States)
Though she had been driving for hours, Stormracer felt it had been days. The storm only worsened as the rain began pouring down. She didn't know where she was going. All she could think about was wanting to get somewhere dry.
She kept her optics open for anything she could use for cover. Every five minutes or less, she would glance at Sierra to make sure she was alright. The red head could barely keep her eyes open as the rain lulled her to sleep.
It wasn't until she came around a mountain that she saw something that looked promising. Hoping her optics weren't playing tricks on her, she drove off road and straight towards the mountain. Sure enough, there was a cave down at the bottom, big enough for her to go in. Finally, some shelter.
The teal car shined her lights through the mouth of the cave, making sure there was nothing or no one inside. With the coast clear, she turned around and backed herself inside, wanting to face the entrance should they need to make a quick getaway. Even though she hid her energy signature, she didn't want to be caught unaware.
Once settled in, she shut the engine and vented in relief. She glanced at Sierra, seeing the girl had finally drifted off to sleep as she lightly snored. The femme undid her friend's seat belt and gently lowered her seat to make her more comfortable, allowing the girl to roll onto her side and curl up.
The femme then depressingly watched as the downpour continued. She couldn't believe the day they all just had. Only this morning they were all together at base talking about restoring Cybertron. Now they were scattered and on the run from the Decepticons who had taken over Jasper.
She could feel the tears escaping through her car form as she silently wept. She had held them back for so long that she couldn't any longer. She was scared. Scared, hurt, and ashamed. She was angry at Knock Out. She was ashamed of herself for not telling her team. And she was afraid she would never see them again.
She did her best to muffle her crying, not wanting to wake up her charge. She didn't want Sierra to see her like this. The girl was scared enough and didn't need to see her guardian blubbering like a sparkling. She had to be strong for her.
Her tears continued to fall as the heavy rain drowned out the sound of her muffled cries.
(Darkmount, NV)
Knock Out felt himself rebooting as he regained consciousness. He released a loud groan at the pulsing pain in his face where Soundwave struck him. Just then he paused, realizing something was off. Looking at himself, he saw his wrists were in restraints with his pedes dangling in the air. He looked around at the dark room, the only light being the one over his head. He was in the Decepticon brig.
"Scrap!" he groaned. Looking up at his restraints, he grunted as he tried pulling his servos free. But the restraints refused to let him go. After a few more tries, he growled in frustration as he gave up and just dangled there. He then sadly looked at the floor, remembering what had happened before he blacked out. He was expecting Megatron to just walk in with Stormracer's scorched body before terminating him next. He shut his optics at the thought of Stormracer. Well, if he was going to die, at least he was going to see her and Breakdown again.
His helm snapped up when he heard the door open. The first to enter were two vehicons who then stood off to the side. And, as he guessed, Megatron walked in... but empty handed. Knock Out was partially relieved, but it didn't last long as the warlord approached him, not looking very happy.
Megatron glared at the traitor. "You disappoint me, Knock Out," he said, "I thought for sure you had remembered your place, only to hear that you attacked your fellow Decepticons to save the Autobots. It that true?"
Knock Out only silently glared at him.
"I see. You're most likely wondering why I haven't terminated you yet," Megatron continued, "It appears the Autobots managed to escape through their groundbridge before their base was destroyed, including your dear Stormracer."
Knock Out's optics lit up as his glare dropped. She's alive?
"You've spent enough time with her," Megatron growled, "where would she go? Where would she hide?"
The red mech's glare returned. "Why? So you can hunt her down like an animal?"
The Decepticon leader roughly grabbed him by the neck. Knock Out gagged as he felt the large servo tighten around him. Megatron then pulled Knock Out closer to him so they were face to face.
"I will not ask again," Megatron warned in a dangerous tone, "tell me, and I might grant you both a swift execution."
Knock Out looked him in the optics as the warlord tightened his grip. He would be lying if he said he wasn't scared. After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke.
"Get... fragged," he growled with a glare.
Megatron was shocked by the doctor's defiance. Angered by this, he released Knock Out and ended up punching him across the face.
Knock Out grunted as the large fist hit him. His head spun around as he felt his processor shake. For a second, he thought he was about to black out again. Energon began oozing from his mouth as he groaned.
"Then enjoy being on the receiving end of Starscream's interrogations," Megatron growled at him. The leader then turned around and stormed out of the brig, leaving the two vehicons to guard the prisoner.
Getting over the dizziness, Knock Out spat the energon out of his mouth as he glared at the door. Though it may not have been his smartest moment, he didn't regret what he said. But the fear remained. While he was relieved knowing Stormracer was still alive, she was still in danger. And he had no idea where she was. He could only hope she was somewhere safe.
(Somewhere in the States)
(The next morning)
Stormracer woke up to the sun shining bright through the cave mouth. Realizing she had fallen into recharge, she mentally whacked herself in the head. She had hoped to stay awake to keep watch in case the cons found them. She checked the time. 8:40. She had been recharging for about seven Earth hours. Way too long, she thought to herself.
The teal car suspiciously looked around. The sun was peaking over the trees, and the birds were chirping with one another. Everything seemed to be okay.
The femme then looked at Sierra who was still asleep while curled up in her seat.
"Sierra," Stormracer said, "Sierra, wake up."
The girl stirred for a moment as she rolled over. Finally, she sat up and released a yawn while stretching her arms out. "Ugh, I had the craziest dream," she said as she rubbed her eyes, "we were all on Cybertron, the team found out about you and that jerk, and then we all had to abandon the ba-" she then gasped once she saw they were parked in a cave. Realizing it wasn't a dream; she groaned to herself. "Scrap!"
Soon the autobot drove out of the cave and made her way back onto the road. Everything was still wet from the storm, but the sun thankfully warmed them up and slowly dried everything around them. It wasn't long before they passed a sign, telling them they were somewhere in Colorado.
"Well, at least we know where we are now," Stormracer said.
"What's the plan?" Sierra asked her guardian.
"Our best bet is to head for Jasper."
Sierra looked at her in disbelief. "You want to head back to Jasper? Towards Megatron?!"
"There's a good chance the others might be heading there as well. Hopefully we'll bump into them along the way. In the meantime, we can't draw attention to ourselves that will alert the cons. That means no cellphones, comm units, and making sure we don't get caught in any surveillance feed. Soundwave will be scanning those as well."
Sierra didn't like the idea of not being able to use her phone. "No phone? But what if my parents call? I can't just-"
"No cellphones, Sierra. I mean it."
The girl sadly looked down but nodded. "Okay, no cellphones."
Stormracer told Sierra the rest of her plan as they continued towards their destination.
(Darkmount, NV)
Despite the situation he was in, Knock Out found himself increasingly uncomfortable. Then again, he was strung up by his wrists.
The red mech looked at the two vehicons standing there. "Is the interrogation going to happen anytime soon? My arms are killing me!"
"Silence, Traitor!" one of the vehicons barked at him.
Before Knock Out could retort back, the door soon opened again. He watched as two more vehicons entered the room, dragging in an autobot he had never met before. He watched as they restrained the white bot and hoisted him up next to him. The autobot painfully groaned before looking up at Knock Out.
Knock Out soon recognized his face. He had seen his mugshot before when he contacted Megatron about Hardshell.
Wheeljack.
"Rough day?" Knock Out asked as if starting a conversation.
Wheeljack looked him up and down before frowning. "Oh great," he sarcastically said, "a cellmate. Let me guess, you're the ex-con turned prisoner here to be my buddy to share secrets with, only to squeal to Megatron afterwards?"
Knock Out released a small huff. "Oh please. If anything, I would be the one doing the torturing."
Wheeljack scoffed. "Alright, I'll play along. What're you in for, Red?"
The red con rolled his optics. "Believe it or not, I'm here because I tried to stop the attack."
The wrecker of course didn't believe him and just laughed. "Ha! Yeah right. What, you decided you care and wanted to help us?"
"Ha!" Knock Out laughed back, "I could care less about you or Team Prime, Cowboy."
"Okay then, so why do it?"
Knock Out was silent for a moment as he glanced away. "No particular reason," he lied.
Wheeljack raised his optical ridge at him. "Seriously? You're going to tell me a bull scrap story of you helping us out, only to say you did it for no reason?"
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. Also, its none of your business," Knock Out told him straight forward.
Still suspicious of the red mech, Wheeljack frowned.
The door then opened again, gaining both of their attention. Starscream walked in with a malicious grin on his face as he approached the prisoners.
"Oh look, it's the bot of the hour," Wheeljack said mockingly.
"I am going to enjoy making you both squeal," Starscream said. He then looked at Knock Out with a grin. "I hope you don't mind, dear Doctor, but I decided to borrow something of yours." Reaching behind his back, he pulled out a long thin metal object.
Knock Out's optics widened once he saw it was his energon staff in the SIC's possession.
Starscream evilly chuckled as he activated it, extending the staff as electricity danced around the tip. "Let's begin."
(Somewhere in Colorado)
Stormracer was very quiet as she drove. The entire time, she barely said a word. Her silence was beginning to worry her human friend.
"Are you okay, Storm?" Sierra asked, "you haven't said a word in a while."
"I'm fine," the femme lied, "I'm just trying to stay focused."
"But if somethings bothering you-"
"Everythings fine, Sierra," Stormracer told her, "I'm... fine."
Sierra knew she was lying, but she didn't want to upset her. Thinking about her family, she looked at her phone. Thirty-five missed calls. Over half was from her mom and dad. Some even from her brother. She sadly looked at the text messages her family sent, pleading her to call them.
"No cell phones," Stormracer reminded her.
"But they're so worried," Sierra said.
"I know," Stormracer said sympathetically, "but if you call them, we'll be surrounded by Decepticons within seconds."
Saddened she couldn't speak to her family, Sierra shut her phone and put it away. She looked at her guardian. "You think they're safe?"
"Fowler said he had everyone evacuated," Stormracer assured her, "I'm sure they are."
Sierra held onto that hope as she looked out the window. "I hope we find the others soon."
"Me too," Stormracer said, "even if they're still mad at me, I hope they're alright." Remembering what happened, she sadly vented. "I'm sorry I made you keep my secret."
Sierra softly smiled at her. "If it makes you feel better, I've kept worse secrets. I just wish Megatron didn't tell the bots on you."
"No, it was my own fault for not telling them sooner. You were right... I was stalling. And now the team hates me."
"Hey, they don't hate you," Sierra said, "yes, they're angry, but they're still your friends. They just need time."
Stormracer didn't feel too sure as she glanced at the mountains. The tallest one was so high the top was hiding in the clouds. She let out a vent, hoping they would find the others before-
"Storm, look out!" Sierra exclaimed.
The femme hit the brakes as a jet dove overhead of her. Out of reaction, she transformed and skidded to a stop with Sierra now in her servos.
The blue jet circled back around and came at them again. This time, it transformed as well. Landing down onto the road in front of the femme and human was the blue and gold ex Decepticon SIC himself. Dreadwing.
Unsure of what was happening, Stormracer activated her EMP and pointed it at him while protecting Sierra in her other servo.
Dreadwing was about to say something before he collapsed onto his front and passed out, shocking the two.
"What the- what just happened?!" Sierra asked in shock.
Stormracer gasped once she saw the wound on Dreadwing's back. What happened?! How long had he been flying with a wound that size?!
She scanned her surroundings, making sure he didn't have anyone else with him. Setting Sierra down, she motioned for the girl to stay back as she cautiously approached the flier. Upon closer look, she saw he was in stasis lock. She then inspected his wound, seeing it was very bad. She was amazed he was able to fly with it.
"Come on, let's get out of here before he wakes up," Sierra told her.
Stormracer looked at Sierra then hesitantly looked back at Dreadwing. Her head was telling her to grab Sierra and run... but her spark was saying something else.
Letting out a vent, she grabbed Dreadwing by the arm and tried using her frame to pick him up. Unfortunately, he was bigger and heavier than the femme was, resulting in her having to drag him.
"Wait, what are we doing?!" Sierra asked.
"Just don't come any closer, Sierra," Stormracer told her as she dragged the flier off road.
The girl followed behind, but kept her distance as instructed.
The femme dragged the con deep within the wood where no humans could see them. Stopping near a creek, Stormracer released Dreadwing and rolled him onto his front. She then pulled out her small first aid kit from her compartment and pulled out what she needed. She wasn't sure if she could fix him, but she had to try.
Stopping several feet away, Sierra watched as the femme prepared to patch up the flier. "You're going to fix him?!"
Stormracer looked at her. "Just stay where you are, got it?"
Sierra was very unsure of the situation as she stayed away.
Stormracer looked back at the large flier. "Hang in there, Dreadwing," she said as she pulled out a small welder. Taking a big vent, she turned on the welder and went to work.
(Darkmount, NV)
Starscream spent over an hour interrogating the prisoners. He mostly tried getting the intel out of Wheeljack. Knock Out however he just tortured for fun.
Both Wheeljack and Knock Out were in rough shape as energon leaked from their new wounds. For the first time, Knock Out was beginning to understand what it was like being on the other end of an interrogation... and it sucked. He didn't even want to see what his finish looked like.
Despite being tortured, Wheeljack had enough strength to antagonize the seeker. "Don't stop now," he said with a smirk, "I was just beginning to enjoy myself."
Starscream angrily growled as he held up the energon staff. "Believe me, Wheeljack, there is more where that came from," he threatened as he approached the wrecker, "and you will tell me the location of your compatriots."
Wheeljack let out a cry as Starscream shocked him while scraping the staff across his chest plate.
"No matter what it takes...," Starscream continued as he circled around him, "Or how long."
"Like I told ya," Wheeljack said, "they weren't expecting me. They never bothered to fill me in. So go ahead... knock yourself out. I got all day."
Amused by Wheeljack's jabs towards the seeker, a small snicker escaped Knock Out's lips. Though quiet, it was loud enough for Starscream to hear.
The seeker turned his attention to the red mech. "Is there something you find funny, Knock Out?" he asked as he approached him.
Knock Out smirked at the commander. "Besides you? Or the fact this wrecker is treating your little interrogation like a game? It must be so hard not being taken seriously."
Angered by this, Starscream jammed the staff into Knock Out's chest. The red con released a painful cry as he felt the shock go through him.
"How does it feel, Knock Out, being on the receiving end of your own weapon?" Starscream asked mockingly.
Soon as the staff was pulled away, Knock Out vented heavily from the pain.
"You truly are an imbecile," Starscream told him, "You threw away your position, everything you had worked for, and for what? An autobot? When we find her, and we will, her screams will be the last thing you will ever hear."
Knock Out responded by spitting the energon leaking from his mouth into Starscream's face. The seeker growled in disgust as he took a step back.
"You lay one digit on her, and the last thing you'll see is me tearing out your spark," Knock Out threatened.
Wiping the energon off his face, Starscream went to strike him before Megatron's voice spoke through his commlink.
"Starscream, report to me immediately. I have an assignment for you."
Starscream growled under his breath before responding. "On my way, Master." He looked at Knock Out and Wheeljack. "Don't get too comfortable. I'll be back."
"Aww, going already?" Wheeljack asked mockingly, "we were having so much fun."
The seeker growled at him as he stormed out of the room, leaving the two prisoners alone.
Knock Out vented before finally looking down at himself. As he guessed, his paintjob was a mess with scratches and cuts all over. He couldn't help but feel angry by his ruined finish. "When I get out of here, I'm going to slice his wings clean off," he growled.
Wheeljack glanced at him. "You're a good actor, Con, I'll give you that."
Knock Out rolled his optics.
The two were quiet as they slowly recovered from Starscream's interrogation. After a while, Wheeljack glanced at Knock Out. "Not that I believe we're on the same side, but what did Screamy mean? Something about an Autobot?"
Knock Out frowned as he looked away. "And why would I bother telling you? You wouldn't believe me."
"Try me."
Knock Out glanced at the wrecker, seeing he was actually curious. After a pause, he finally vented and just spilled it. "Alright then... I might have- I mean had- been seeing an Autobot. And I may or may not have gotten... close to said Autobot."
"Close as in..." Wheeljack asked questionably.
There was another pause before Knock Out vented. "As in developed feelings for her."
There was an even longer pause as the wrecker just stared at him. The silence in the room was so defining you could hear a pin drop. But it didn't last long as Wheeljack threw his head back and laughed.
Seeing the autobot laughing made Knock Out frown at him.
"Now that's hilarious! Good one!" Wheeljack chuckled. But the look Knock Out gave him made the wrecker stop laughing. "Wait... seriously?"
"I did say you wouldn't believe me," Knock Out grumbled.
Even though he didn't believe it, Wheeljack was still flabbergasted by the thought. "And what femme in her right mind would want to date a con?"
Knock Out grumbled as he looked away. "Just forget it."
There was a pause before Wheeljack asked, "Which one?"
Knock Out's frown deepened. "You don't know what, forget it, means, do you?"
"Hey, bogus story or not I'm curious," Wheeljack said, "besides, we're not going to be leaving anytime soon."
Knock Out didn't want to say anymore, knowing that the wrecker was only humoring him. He looked away and vented. "Stormracer."
Wheeljack raised his optical ridge at him. "Stormracer? Ratchet's right-hand bot? Heh, yeah right. Like she'd be dumb enough to fall for a con."
Knock Out shot him a glare. "Hey, watch it! She may be naive at times yes..." He looked down at the energon droplets on the floor. "But she's kind and cares deeply about others... even scumbags like me." He sadly vented. "But I ended up hurting her. I thought if I followed orders, then she would be spared, but I was only postponing the inevitable. Soon as I learned Megatron had no intention of letting her live, I tried to stop the attack. Hence why I'm here."
Wheeljack studied him, but he saw no signs that he was lying. For a moment, he almost believed him. "Okay, either you're very good at lying... or there's something very wrong with you."
The red con frowned at him before rolling his optics and venting. "Yeah well... not that any of it matters now. She made it clear she doesn't want to see me again. And I don't blame her. Frankly, I'd rather be tortured than have Megatron find her."
Though Wheeljack was still skeptic, a very tiny part of him was saying the con may possibly be telling the truth. But his experience of fighting decepticons overthrew the tiny voice.
Both prisoners didn't say another word as they just hung there.
Up top of the fortress, Megatron sat in his throne and looked upon the view he had. The human town down below was destroyed and completely deserted. Everything else was just desert as far as the eye could see.
His optics then landed on what was left of the Autobot Base. Though he had wished the autobots had perished within their base, he still relished the fact he destroyed their home. Still, he had to find them before they could plan a counterattack.
The sound of a jet approaching snapped him out of his thoughts. Soon, Starscream swooped down and transformed into his bipedal mode.
Landing on his pedes, the SIC stepped forward and bowed. "How may I serve you, Lord Megatron?"
"Assemble a team and embark for Cybertron immediately," the warlord ordered, "while hunting Autobots remains paramount, we must not squander the opportunity to recover any Iacon relics left behind in the chaos." He looked out at the horizon and frowned. "For all we know, Optimus Prime is out there somewhere, planning to do the same."
(Somewhere in Colorado)
After a long while, Stormracer meticulously finished up the last of Dreadwing's repairs. She still had Sierra stay far off to the side in case the flier should awaken and decide to attack. Given everything that happened, she didn't want to take any chances.
Sealing up the patch, she put her tools away and inspected her work. She was no Ratchet, but it looked pretty good if she did say so herself.
She then reached into her kit and pulled out a small cube of energon. She hoped it was enough to give him his strength back. Connecting one end of a tube into it, she went to place the other end into him.
"Wait!" Sierra told her, "Are you sure you should be doing this?"
Stormracer looked at her before glancing down at the flier. "It's because of him we were able to reach Cybertron. We owe him." She looked at Sierra. "But just in case, you should hide. If anything happens, you run, got it?"
The redhead nervously looked at the large blue mech before hiding behind a large tree.
Releasing a vent, Stormracer connected the other end of the tube to Dreadwing's arm. She watched as the energon travelled through and into the flier's system, allowing his color to slowly return with each passing moment. Once the cube was empty, she removed the tube and studied him. He was still laying there motionless, making her worry if she did something wrong. Wanting to know if he was alright, she went to place her digits on his neck to check his pulse.
Dreadwing's optics snapped open. The femme shrieked as his servo immediately shot up and tightly grabbed her wrist.
Sierra fearfully gasped as she covered her mouth, afraid that the mech was going to hurt her guardian.
Gripping Stormracer's wrist, Dreadwing frowned as he tried processing what was happening.
Though she was scared, Stormracer tried calming him down. "Dreadwing, it's okay!... It's okay... you're safe."
Dreadwing's frown slowly disappeared as he looked at her. Finally, he released her.
Stormracer rubbed her sore wrist once it was free. She looked back at the flier who held his head with a groan.
"Where... am I?" he asked.
"Colorado," Stormracer said, "you swooped down at me then went into stasis lock."
Dreadwing realized something felt different. He slowly sat up as he tried to fight off the dizziness.
"Easy," the femme told him, "You were in rough shape. I was able to patch up your wound, but you still should rest."
Dreadwing tried to glance over his shoulder to look at his back. He could barely see the patch, but he felt better. He looked at her in confusion. "Why did you help me?"
"I couldn't just leave you there laying on the road," she said. She then smiled. "Besides, you gave us the Forge of Solus Prime. Figured we owed you one."
Dreadwing silently looked at her before glancing at his back again. He then rolled over and tried forcing himself to stand.
"Whoa, whoa, don't push yourself!" Stormracer said worryingly, "you really should rest!"
The flier ignored her as he stood up and twisted his torso around. His back still felt sore, but he felt functional.
Grateful for the autobot's work, he nodded at her. "Thank you."
Stormracer softly smiled as she stood up. "You're welcome. I hope you don't mind me asking but... what happened?"
The flier frowned as he stared at the ground. "Megatron."
Stormracer's optics widened. "What?"
"After I spoke with Prime, I returned to the warship, intending to kill Starscream for what he did to my twin... only for Megatron to intervene. Before I could avenge Skyquake, Megatron shot me from behind, in an attempt to snuff out my spark."
The femme was shocked by this. "Wait what?!"
"I assume he believed he succeeded. When I came to, I was being dragged towards recycling, but I managed to escape and left the warship... I left the Decepticons for good." His optics flared red as he looked at the small creak running near him. "I was a fool to trust Megatron. After everything I had done for him, he allows my brother's desecrater to roam freely on the ship... and then attempted to terminate me."
Stormracer felt awful for what happened to him. "I'm so sorry."
Dreadwing walked over to the brook and looked at his own reflection. He then looked at the decepticon emblem on the left side of his chest and frowned. "There was never any true honor with the Decepticons." Growling, he angrily slashed his emblem with his sharp digits, hurting himself in the process.
"Hey, hey, stop!" Stormracer exclaimed as she tried stopping him, "you're only hurting yourself!"
Dreadwing didn't listen as he continued. Once he finished, the emblem was scratched over in deep cuts, completely disfiguring it. Letting out a vent, he walked over to a rock and sat down on it. He was lost in thought as he stared at the ground.
Stormracer sadly looked at him, unable to imagine what he had gone through. She looked over at Sierra who was peaking from behind the tree.
The girl too felt bad for the flier, but still felt uneasy with the situation as she stayed hidden.
Not wanting to leave Dreadwing in his depressed state, Stormracer walked over and stood beside him. There was silence between the two for a moment, the only sound being the running water from the creak. Finally, the femme spoke. "What do you plan to do now?"
There was a pause before Dreadwing responded. "I don't know. But I do know my brother is somewhere roaming in a shadow dimension. If I can find a way to get there, I will see to it he gets the rest he deserves."
Stormracer thought for a moment. "If it means that much to you, we could help you find him. He might still be at the spot where his gravesite is."
Dreadwing huffed as a frown formed on his face. "Why would I let the autobots help? They were the ones who terminated him to begin with."
The autobot went silent as she sadly looked down, understanding his resentment towards her team.
"I may not have been there when it happened... but I know Optimus tried to help Skyquake," she said, "Optimus tries to avoid violence as much as possible... but sometimes the ones he tries to reason with don't listen. It hurts him when he has to fight. All he wants is peace."
"It doesn't excuse his actions," Dreadwing growled.
Stormracer frowned at him. "And yours are any different? You think the autobots that you or any other Decepticon killed didn't matter to us? They were our friends. Our families! Autobot or Decepticon, we're no different! We've all faced losses from both sides! No one's the exception! Not even you!"
Dreadwing abruptly stood up and glared down at her. "Then why help?! If you're truly upset by your losses, why offer your help to me?!"
"Because I'm tired!" she snapped, "I'm tired of fighting, I'm tired of losing friends, and I'm tired of everyone getting hurt! We've lost so much because of this war, and I don't know how much more I can take! And just when we thought we had a chance to end it, to save our world, it was taken away! We lost our way to restore Cybertron, we lost our base, we're separated and being hunted and-!" feeling her tears escaping from her optics, she bit her lip as she covered her face with her servos. "I want this war to end just as much as anyone!"
Dreadwing tried processing what she said as he looked at her in confusion. "I feel that I have missed much."
Needing to tell him what happened, Stormracer released a vent. "On Cybertron, Megatron was using the Omega Lock to cyberform Earth, only for Optimus to destroy it. When we got back, Megatron had already built a fortress outside our base. We were under attack and had no choice but to evacuate through our groundbridge. We had to split up to different locations to avoid capture and I have no idea where the others are. Scrap, I don't even know how to find them!" More tears trickled down her cheeks as she held her head.
Peaking from behind her hiding spot, Sierra watched as her guardian cried. Her heart sank at the sight of her friend breaking down from the stress.
Realizing she was crying in front of Dreadwing, Stormracer immediately wiped away her tears. "Sorry! Sorry. I'm good... I'm good."
Dreadwing gave her a look. "No, you're not."
Her shoulders sadly drooped as she groaned. "No, I'm not," she gloomily echoed. Letting out a big vent, she looked back at Dreadwing. "Listen, No one is forcing you to join. That choice is yours to make alone. If you want to go off on your own, then you be careful out there, and know we'll be there to help anyway we can if you wish us to."
"Hard to help if you're in trouble yourselves," he pointed out.
She gave him a small smile. "Yeah well, like that ever stops us."
Dreadwing's frown slowly disappeared.
Needing to keep going, Stormracer vented. "I have to go. Take care of yourself, Dreadwing. And… no more doing anything drastic for your own sake, okay?" She then started walking towards Sierra's location, her smile already gone as she tried to think of a plan to find her friends.
Dreadwing watched as the femme walked away. He looked over his shoulder at his patch. The last thing he wanted was to be affiliated with the Autobots... But he was still a cybertronian of honor.
Letting out a vent, he looked back at the autobot. "Wait."
Stormracer stopped in her tracks as she turned around to look at him.
The flier stepped towards her. "You have saved my life today. In return, I will help you find your comrades."
Stormracer's optics lit up at his offer. "Really? You will?"
"But know that this does not mean that I'll be joining your cause," he clarified.
"N-no, of course. B-but If Megatron learns you're still alive and helping us, he'll hunt you down too."
"Let him try," he said boldly.
Happy to hear the flier was willing to help, Stormracer smiled at him. "Dreadwing... thank you."
Dreadwing nodded. "Now, where should we begin?"
"So far the plan was to head back to Jasper. I have a hunch the others have the same idea."
"A hunch doesn't give us much promise," the flier pointed out.
"You're right," Stormracer said as she tried to think, "if we can find some clue as to where they are..."
"What about the internet?"
Both cybertronians looked down to see Sierra, who felt brave enough to come out of hiding, walking over towards them.
"Maybe if I get access to a computer, I could check those conspiracy websites to see if any of the others have been spotted," Sierra continued.
Dreadwing was surprised to see the human girl standing there. What was even more strange to him was that she was unafraid of the two large aliens before her.
Stormracer chuckled at his reaction. "Dreadwing, this is Sierra. She's my human partner."
"Hi!" Sierra greeted him with a wave.
Dreadwing tilted his head in confusion at her. "Um... hello?"
The femme looked at the girl and smiled. "That's actually not a bad idea, Sierra. Though we'll have to find a computer somewhere."
"If there's a town nearby, I might be able to get a hold of one at a library or something," Sierra suggested.
Dreadwing looked at Stormracer. "I should be able to spot a human populated area from aerial view."
"Good idea. Sierra and I will follow you by road," Stormracer said, "I just hope we find the others before the cons do."
"In that case, let us make haste," the flier said, "I will let you know when I see something." Transforming into jet mode, he took off into the sky.
The other two watched as he flew off. "Are you sure we can trust him?" Sierra asked her guardian.
"One thing I know about Dreadwing, he's a bot of honor," Stormracer responded, "That part of him I do trust." The femme then transformed into her vehicle mode and opened her door for Sierra. "Come on. Let's go find the others."
Once Sierra hopped in, the teal car drove back towards the road and followed after Dreadwing.
"Hey, um... I'm sorry that you saw me break down," Stormracer told Sierra, "I didn't want you to see that."
"Hey, it's okay," Sierra assured her, "we've been through a lot."
"But I'm your guardian. I shouldn't be crying my optics out, especially with you watching."
"Storm, I'm not a little kid. And you are the strongest person I know. Don't suppress your feelings for my sake. Whatever happens, we face it together."
Stormracer couldn't help but smile in her alt mode. "Yeah... together."
The two continued following Dreadwing as they drove down the highway. Things were starting to look up for them. Everything was going to be alright.
(Meanwhile on Cybertron)
Standing at the wreckage site, Starscream looked at the large building that had been restored by the Omega Lock. It was the one thing that stood out among the destruction. He couldn't help but frown. The Decepticons were so close to victory, only for the Prime to shatter their only method of restoring their home.
The SIC then looked at the vehicons still digging through the rubble. So far, they had managed to secure only the immobilizer and the underling's hologram projector. He growled at the vehicon's slow progress. "Come on, put your backs into it!" he told them.
Soon one of the vehicons found something else under the debris. "Sir."
Starscream walked over to see what the vehicon uncovered. To his delight, it was the one relic he had hoped to see again.
"Aaaah, the Apex Armor," Starscream said with a grin, "how I've missed it. Lord Megatron will be pleased with my findings."
Off to the side, another vehicon was still searching around before he stopped in place. He looked around in confusion as his audio receptors picked up something. "Commander Starscream?"
The seeker looked at him with a frown. "What? What is it?"
The vehicon continued looking at his surroundings. "Something's coming."
Confused, Starscream looked around the area but saw nothing. "Where? I don't see anything."
"Listen."
Everyone stopped what they were doing and listened. Soon they heard it too. It was quiet at first, but it grew louder. And it was heading towards them... underground.
The vehicons had their weapons ready as they heard the drilling sound right underneath them. Soon it went dead quiet, making them all feel very uneasy.
Starscream nervously scanned the ground around him. "What is happening?"
Just then a large figure shot out through the ground, sending pieces of metal flying everywhere. Everyone jumped back in surprise as debris rained down on them. Startled, Starscream watched as the figure shot upwards before falling back down... landing on all eight legs.
To the SIC's horror, a large dark magenta and black metal tarantula stood there. It's eight glowing green optics curiously looked around at all the cons staring at it in utter horror and disgust.
Then to everyone's surprise, it started chuckling... which turned into bone chilling cackling.
Starscream couldn't stand the sight of it any longer. "Shoot it!"
Hearing all the blasters charging up, the spider grinned. It jumped up into the air a second before the vehicons fired. The metal arachnid then leaped around its attackers at rapid speed, dodging their attacks. Wanting to subdue them, it then spat out a white sticky substance out of its mouth at a vehicon. It did the same to another vehicon. And then another. And another. One by one, each vehicon was soon trapped in the webs, restricting them from fighting back. It's prey now helpless, the spider landed on the ground and charged at the cons. And then... it transformed. What was once a spider was now a large mech with a yellow visor optic and spider-like facial features. It cackled with delight as it flexed its sharp claw-like digits.
Before the vehicons could even process what was happening, the arachnicon sliced through each of their chest plates at lightning speed, snuffing out their sparks.
Starscream watched in horror as each of his men fell before him. Looking over at the Apex Armor beside him, he went to grab it to save his own skid plate. But before he could even touch it, he felt something latch onto his pede. He released a high-pitched scream as he found himself on his back being pulled away from the relic. By the time he skidded to a stop, he was immediately greeted by the giddy spider bot towering over him.
The spider legs perched on the bot's back twitched with anticipation as he stared down at the horrified seeker. Seeing the terror in his optics, he leaned in close as his yellow visor glowed brightly.
"Boo!"
Starscream activated his blasters and went to fire, only for the spider bot to web both of them. The seeker was even more terrified as he looked at the webs, stopping him from firing. The spider bot continued cackling as it grabbed Starscream by the front and hoisted him up into the air.
Immediately the seeker began begging for his life. "Nono, please NO!"
"Aww, now where's the fun in that?" the spider bot asked in a scratchy voice. Raising up his other servo, he flexed his sharp digits, ready to finish off the seeker.
"That's enough, Tarantulas!" a voice ordered, stopping the spider bot in time.
Both Starscream and the spider bot, now known as Tarantulas, looked over at the newcomer approaching them in a cybertronian tank form. Tarantulas immediately tried to argue with the purple tank. "But-"
"Drop him," the tank ordered in a deep monotone voice.
Huffing in annoyance, Tarantulas dropped Starscream, making the seeker fall on his front with a thud. "Hmph! Kill joy."
Starscream immediately sat up as the tank transformed into bot mode. Soon as Starscream got a better look at the new bot, his optics widened in disbelief. "It... it can't be... y-you live?"
(Earth)
(Darkmount, NV)
Megatron watched as Soundwave tried repairing Laserbeak. Earlier they had managed to track down the autobot, Arcee and her human ally, only for the two to escape with Laserbeak damaged from the fight.
"Well, did any of the data surveillance survive?" Megatron asked the intelligence officer.
Inspecting the damage done, Soundwave shook his head.
Megatron frowned at this. "Clearly we need to improve our methods of hunting Autobots, and build upon the tactical advantage that we managed to secure."
Just then, Starscream's voice spoke through the comm unit.
"Master, I am ready to return to Darkmount," the SIC said, "and I am certain you will be pleased with my findings."
Megatron looked at his intelligence officer. "Soundwave, open a space bridge portal."
Retracting his tentacles from Laserbeak, Soundwave activated the spacebridge. Soon a greenish blue portal appeared in the room, allowing Starscream to return from Cybertron. The seeker looked quite shaken but tried his best to keep his composer.
"I find myself in urgent need of good news," Megatron said, "so please, Starscream, tell me that you've found something useful."
"Some things, Lord Megatron," Starscream said, "plus... some extra servos." He then stepped out of the way, allowing Megatron and Soundwave to see two figures making their way through. Tarantulas stepped into view after the first con, though it was the first con that shocked Megatron and Soundwave the most.
He was a large purple mech with a fusion cannon arm which had a large cable connecting it to his back. But what stood out the most was he had no face. Only a lone large glowing red optic that showed no emotion whatsoever.
"Shockwave," Megatron said in surprise. He then released an evil chuckle. "Just the tactical advantage I need."
Dun dun daaaa! Shockwave is here and he brought a friend! Yes, Tarantulas is here and as terrifying as ever! I have been hoping to bring him into this story for a long time and finally here he is! He will most definitely be causing trouble for Team Prime. Especially Stormracer.
Thank you all for reading the first chapter of Season 3 and hopefully I will post again soon. Until next time! God bless!