Chapter Seventeen: Winds of Change, Part 1

Another slow day at Autobot headquarters. To an out['sider looking in, it might seem like every day in Beach City is full of adventure and peril. But in truth, most of the time things were calm enough to be boring. Sure, there were the occasional monster attack or world-ending disaster to contend with, but those only happened once every few weeks. Between missions, Ultra Magnus sat at Teletraan's computer, lazily playing solitaire.

That was when Steven rushed in. "Hey Magnus, can I talk to Connie?" he asked. "Last time we talked, she said she'd ask her mom if she'd think about letting us see each other in person again, so I have to see what she said!"

Magnus slowly turned to face him. "Wasn't the 'last time you talked' yesterday?" he asked dryly.

"Hmh," Steven said with a nod, not catching any hidden meanings.

"Well, I have been sitting here for a while," Magnus said, getting up and stretching. "I could use a walk. Knock yourself out–just don't reply to any spam mail. You remember what happened last time."

Steven chuckled guiltily. "Yeah, don't worry, I know better." He climbed into the chair that Magnus had vacated. "I'll be quick!"

"No, no, take all the time you need," Magnus replied, heading outside. "If anyone needs me, I'll be taking a stroll down the shore. Say hello to the Maheswarans for me."

"Will do," Steven said as he left. Tapping the keys twice the size of his hand, he sent the message to his friend, waiting for her to reply. After only a few moments, her face appeared on the screen. "Connie!"

"Steven!" She reclined on her bed, adjusting her phone. "Hey, how are you? Everything going good at the Ark?"

He nodded. "Yup, no trouble here! So, how'd things go with your mom?"

Connie sighed. "I asked her, but all she said was that she'd 'think about it.' She didn't immediately say no, though, so that's a good sign. With any luck, we'll be able to wear her down sooner or later."

"Hopefully," Steven said quietly. "Hey, so, I heard you've been practicing your swordfighting more. How's that going?"

"Pretty good, actually," she replied. "I figured that if I stepped up my game, I could prove to Mom that I can handle myself. I can't say for sure yet, but I think it's working! And speaking of swords, how about you? I heard you decided to hang up the Star Saber for now. What was that about?"

He shrugged, trying not to look uncomfortable. "I just figured I wasn't quite ready for that yet. Maybe someday soon. And hey, if you'd be willing to teach me, maybe even sooner than that!"

"Maybe I will," Connie said. "It'd be a shame if we went all that way to find it, and it just ended up stuffed in a closet. But anyway, I think it's time we got down to business: discussing the latest episode of Crying Breakf–"

While Steven would normally have been paying the utmost attention, his eyes had been diverted by a tiny notice popping up in the corner of the screen, accompanied by a ping of equal size. A message sent to Teletraan. While Steven normally wouldn't have paid it any mind, especially after that 'Carbombyan prince' debacle, he couldn't ignore the first three words of the message.

Mostly because three words were all the message contained. It said Are you there?

"Steven? Steven, what's up?" asked Connie, eventually regaining his attention. "You spaced out for a bit there."

He blinked, making sure he hadn't misread the words. "Uh, y-yeah, I'm fine," he said. "Can you see that on your end?"

"What on my end?" she asked.

Steven fiddled around with the keys for a bit, eventually showing her what was on his screen. "This. The Autobots got some kinda message, a really weird one. It might be nothing, but…" His curiosity having grown too strong to resist, he went to check for new messages.

As it turned out, this was not the first message Teletraan had received from this sender. The who, what, or where was unknown, but the sequence painted an unpleasant picture:

Are you there?

Please.

Help me.

Help.

Is this real?

It's too dark.

Where am I?

He felt himself shiver as he read back in time. Someone, or something, was desperately trying to contact Teletraan for help, but for some reason, all of them were being diverted into the spam folder. "Ah, they must've updated their filter after I gave that guy access to our bank account," Steven said. "It's my fault they don't know about this…"

"We should tell them," Connie said. "Someone's in trouble, so we need to do anything we can to help them."

But as much as Steven wanted to help, he couldn't help but think how he was technically invading the Autobots' privacy by reading their mail. True, it was for a good cause…but wouldn't they be angry if he told them? "Uh, yeah, we will, just let me see something first."

He looked at each message individually. The very first one had been sent a while back, even before his scam call. Had they really not seen it? The next message came a little while later, and every consecutive one came a bit sooner each time. It seemed like whoever this was was getting more and more desperate to be freed. Although knowing it was risky, Steven did the only thing he could think of to help.

Hello?

"Steven? Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Connie.

"Well, of course," he said, though he sounded a bit hesitant. "We need to learn more if we want to help, don't we? Our first step should be making sure this isn't a trap. Or another scam." Not long after sending the message, he got another in return.

You can see me?

He responded.

No, but I can read your emails. What do you need?

Trapped. Help me.

Well, that wasn't very specific. "Ask their name," Connie suggested.

"Good idea," said Steven, typing.

What's your name?

I have a name?

Of course. Everyone has a name. Mine's Steven.

Everyone except me. I think. Nice to meet you, Steven.

"I think I just made a new friend," he said. "But it looks like our new friend doesn't have a name."

Connie considered the various possibilities. "Maybe they have amnesia?" she said. "Ask them if they remember anything else."

Do you know where you are? Or how you got there?

Somewhere dark. Vast. Like space, but lonely. Lonelier. So many voices.

Voices? What are they saying? Who are they?

Nothing, and nobody. Just hate. Anger. Fear.

The more Steven communicated with this entity, the more chilling the situation became. "On second thought, maybe we shouldn't get involved," Connie said with a shiver. "I've read stories like this, and none of them end well."

Steven agreed, but he wasn't ready to give up yet. "Hang on, I have a few more questions."

How are you contacting Teletraan?

I called out.

...How?

I just did. He heard me, but he didn't answer. You did. Thanks. It feels less lonely with you here, Steven.

You're welcome. If you tell me more, I'll do what I can to help you.

I don't know much. I must not be able to access my memory banks. If anything happens, I'll be sure to tell you.

Sounds good. I might not always respond right away, but I'll get back to you when I can.

I appreciate that. Even now, you've helped me so much.

No prob, Bob!

Bob…is that my name?

It could be your nickname.

It has a nice ring to it. See you later, Steven.

Bye, Bob!

With that, the responses stopped coming. The entity, 'Bob,' seemed to have logged off. "Well, that was…something," said Connie. "Do you still think we shouldn't tell the Autobots?"

As much as he wanted to, Steven couldn't help thinking that they had to have known Bob was trying to contact them, and never once said anything back, or tried to help them. Why? Something was wrong here, something they didn't want him to know. "I think…we should keep this secret for now," he said.

"Keep what secret?" asked Sideswipe, somehow appearing over Steven's shoulder without either of them noticing.

"Gah!" Steven shouted, nearly falling out of his chair. "Um, th-the surprise Connie has planned for her Mom's birthday! Yeah, it'd be more surprising if we kept it a surprise!" He chuckled nervously.

Sideswipe grinned, none the wiser. "Wow, planning her birthday present nine months in advance! You sure are a thoughtful daughter, Connie!"

She laughed nervously too. "Oh, you know me, always going the extra mile! Anyways, it was nice seeing you, Steven and Sideswipe, but I have to go, see ya later!" She hastily ended the call.

With her gone, Sideswipe turned to Steven. "So, what exactly is this surprise of yours? Any way I can help?"

"Um…you know what?" said Steven. "We were actually thinking about planning a surprise for you guys, too! Since you don't exactly have birthdays, I figured we could plan something to celebrate all the, uh, great stuff that you do!" He smiled, hoping he wouldn't notice how much he was sweating.

For a good long while, Sideswipe stared at him. "Okey-doke! Can't wait to find out what it is!" He walked away, humming, while Steven sighed in relief.

Before heading out, Steven looked at the computer, his mind still on his mysterious new pen-pal. Just who was this Bob, and could they be trusted? And furthermore, how would the Autobots react if they found out Steven was hiding this from them?

He decided not to find out. With one last glance at Teletraan, he crept back into his house, vowing to contact Bob soon.

Not one day later, he got his opportunity, walking into the Ark to discover that nobody was home. "Hello?" he asked, getting no response. "Guys? Uh, are you hiding for the surprise party? That's not for another year…and I think I'm the one supposed to do the surprising…" He looked around a bit more, before remembering who he could ask. "Teletraan, what's the current location of the other Autobots?"

"An urgent alert came in reporting a highly dangerous Predacon sighted near a residential area," the computer reported. "Elita-1, Sideswipe, and Ultra Magnus immediately deployed to handle the threat."

That was…oddly convenient. Still, it gave Steven plenty of time to learn about Bob. "Okay, thanks." The situation wasn't that strange–the Autobots went out to handle Predacons all the time–but the timing of it all was a tad suspicious. All of that was quickly forgotten, however, as he climbed up into the chair to check his messages. Sure enough, one had been sent recently.

You there?

Yup. How are you?

Still trapped in this place. It's hard to explain, but it doesn't feel real. Like I'm stuck in a dream.

Well, I'm real, I promise! How long have you been stuck there, exactly?

Hard to say. I'm usually pretty good at telling time, but it all sort of blends together here. Is the war still going on?

Steven paused. Was Bob really referring to what he thought they were? He had to ask, just to be sure.

Depends. Which war?

You know, the war. Optimus Prime fighting to 'save the Earth' or whatever. Is it over? Who won?

Uh, I think we did. We're still around, so that's good. Honestly, they've never told me much about the war. I haven't asked, to be fair.

Who, those three Autobots? I wouldn't bother. They probably wouldn't give you an honest view, anyway.

Why's that?

Steven, even without my memory I can tell you that the Autobots were nothing but a bunch of self-righteous terrorists ruining things for us hard working Decepticons. It's only natural they'd frame themselves as the good guys.

Decepticons? Now there was a word Steven hadn't heard before. Regardless, he couldn't let his family's good name go disparaged like that.

It's not like that! Magnus, Elita, and Sideswipe are my friends! They wouldn't lie to me about something like that!

Have you ever met a Cybertronian who wasn't an Autobot?

Bob had a point. Magnus, Elita, and Sideswipe were the only Transformers he had ever met. They hadn't once mentioned anything about the Decepticons, whoever they were. But surely Bob was mistaken, right? Surely his family wasn't evil.

So, these Decepticons…they don't sound very trustworthy.

You're changing the subject. Listen to me, Steven: those Autobots you live with are keeping secrets from you. Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe they really do care about you in their own way. But if I'm right…I can't distract them with a fake Predacon sighting forever.

Wait, that was you?

Yup! That's one of the few upsides of being stuck in here. Wherever it is, there's a lot of dark energon floating around. All it took was a bit of practice to send it towards that computer of yours.

Towards Teletraan? Isn't that dangerous?

Don't worry, all it does is set off his sensors. Besides, that gives us a chance to talk. That's worth it, right?

I guess…

Bob waited a while before responding.

Okay, fair, calling ourselves 'Decepticons' does make us seem a bit suspicious. I'm sure there's a good reason for that name, but it comes from before my time. If it makes you feel any better, I'm telling you the truth. You have my word.

I believe you, Bob. So you really think I shouldn't tell the Autobots about you?

I wouldn't recommend it. I bet if you asked them about the Decepticons, they wouldn't have any kind things to say about us. Just don't mention me directly, 'kay?

I won't, but…something about this doesn't feel right. How can I be sure you're not someone dangerous?

I wish I could tell you who I am. I think what happened is my system dumped everything but my essential data when…whatever happened to me, happened to me. It should reboot once I'm back to normal.

Speaking of what happened…the Autobots didn't do this to you, did they? Turn you into some kind of digital ghost?

Not your Autobots, that much I can say. If it was them, they'd probably be doing more to hide me from you.

Makes sense. Hey, you said you still have your essential data. Is there anything in there you think could help?

Worth a shot. Most of it's just diagnostics and stuff, but it's a start. It might take a little while to go over it, though. Talk to you tomorrow?

No, they might get suspicious if there's two false alarms right after the other. We should probably wait a few days, at least three.

Look at you, getting all tactical! Three days it is, then. I'll try to be a bit more creative with my "sighting."

Sounds good. Good luck, Bob, I'll see you then.

See you then, Steven!

And that was that, at least for today. Steven exited out of the messages, hoping Magnus didn't decide on a whim to look through the spam folder. This far in, it wasn't just guilt gnawing at him, it was the fear of being caught as well. But this deep in, he had no choice but to see things through to the end.

Still, something Bob said had stuck with him. As he headed back into his room, he wondered if the 'bots really were keeping secrets from him…

The next few days, despite being more normal than what Steven was used to, were unusually tense. At every moment, he worried he would let something slip, that a single word would clue them in on what he was hiding from them. Surely they'd understand, wouldn't they?

And then, of course, there was Bob's claim that the Autobots were actually the bad guys. Seeing as the other side was called 'the Decepticons,' Steven had his doubts even without factoring in the Autobots he knew. But he didn't exactly know any Decepticons, so could he really pass judgment?

Currently, he lay in his bed, paralyzed with worry due to Magnus being so close to finding him out. The Autobot was currently at Teletraan's main console, working with Elita to refine his signal. After the false alarm a few days prior, there had been more than a few efforts to prevent similar things from happening in the future. Hopefully, Bob meant it when they said their next distraction would be more creative.

Slowly, he got to his feet. He said it himself: while they had never mentioned the Decepticons to him, he had never asked. Well, if there was ever a time to do so, it was now. Steeling himself for a possible scolding, he exited his house and headed for the lighthouse at the hilltop.

Due to most of the Ark being buried underneath the hill, the crew had to improvise to receive signals. A long time ago, they decided to hook up the ship to the lighthouse in lieu of a receiver or satellite dish. It had worked so far, and it was where Elita was currently. She had her arm connected to a bunch of high-tech stuff Steven didn't really understand. "Uh, Elita? Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Of course, Steven. What did you want to know?" she said, not looking up from her project.

At times like this, it was best to rip the bandage off and be done with it. "What's a Decepticon?"

The instant the word was uttered, Elita froze. This wasn't a mere pause, either, this was a full deer-in-the-headlights, fight or flight freeze. It almost looked like she was having flashbacks. She tried to play it off, hoping Steven hadn't noticed. "And where exactly did you hear about them?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

"Oh, Connie said something about them in passing she heard from her mom," Steven lied. "They sounded like something you guys would know more about."

Elita took a moment to think of how to answer his question. She soon detached herself from the antenna, sitting down beside the lighthouse. She patted her knee, indicating for Steven to sit down as well. "Steven, you remember hearing about there being a war a long time ago, right?"

"Yeah, I did," he said. "What was it about?"

"Well, when Cybertronians first came to Earth, there were two schools of thought. Some of us wanted to protect the life here and learn from it, while others wanted to take all of Earth's resources without caring for the life that was here. Those who wanted to protect it became the Autobots, while the ones who wanted to harm it…"

"Were the Decepticons," Steven finished. Suddenly, everything Bob had told him was put in a darker light. "Did…did you win?"

Elita looked away, her face darkening. "I suppose so. It was a long, hard-fought battle, with many casualties. But eventually, the Decepticons were driven back, while some of us decided to stay behind. The Earth was our home now, and we would always fight to defend it from evil."

"So you guys stayed behind to protect us," Steven said. He thought of his father, valiantly driving back the vicious Decepticons while protecting the humans. It was no wonder he held the Matrix of Leadership. "You don't think any of them…stayed here, do you?"

"No," Elita said. "After the war, the Decepticons figured that Earth wasn't worth the effort. They went away to find resources somewhere else, hopefully with less people around to be put in danger. I…don't think they'll ever be back." She sounded a bit worried when she said that. "Thankfully, this isn't something you'll likely have to deal with, so don't you worry about the Decepticons!" She stood up, her cheerful demeanor returning.

It was all a lot to process, especially because Steven now had more experience with a Decepticon than any of them knew. "Well, that's a relief," he said. "They don't sound like the friendliest people."

"Indeed. They are called 'Decepticons' for a reason, after all," Elita said. "But, like I said, that's all in the past now. I'll answer any questions you may have, but this really isn't something you should concern yourself with." She went back to working on the antenna.

"Just one more," said Steven. "Were there ever any…friendly Decepticons?" Elita gave him a funny look. "Or, maybe not friendly, but just less…bad? Ones who might be easier to get along with than others?"

Elita blinked. "Well, no, I can't imagine there would be. If a Decepticon was a good person, they would switch sides to the Autobots."

"Did that ever happen?" he asked.

"Yes, plenty of times," Elita replied. "But by that point, they weren't really Decepticons anymore, were they? It's actually very simple how this all works: Autobots protect life, Decepticons destroy it. Does that make sense?"

It did, more than he cared to admit. But as much as he was doubting Bob right now, something about all of this didn't sit right with him. "Yeah."

"Wonderful. Now, could you go down and see how things are going on Ultra Magnus' end? Everything should be working up here."

"Sure thing," he said, relieved to have the subject change. If Bob was telling the truth about anything, it was that the Autobots wouldn't appreciate him being friends with a Decepticon. With any luck, he would be able to find Bob, free them, and then he could put all of this behind him, with his family none the wiser. But as he made his way back to the Ark, he began to wonder if that was really the best idea…

Bob? You there?

Steven? What are you doing? Aren't you worried the Autobots will catch us?

I'm pretty sure they're asleep. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you remember anything that happened during the war?

Not much. Like I said, specifics are a bit blurry right now. I must've gotten captured or damaged at some point, though, otherwise I'd never have ended up here.

Why's that?

Well, I ran those diagnostics, and as it turns out, my external shell was compromised! No wonder everything feels so floaty!

?

I'm just a spark, silly! If I had to guess, I'm probably being stored somewhere on that ship of yours. I don't suppose your friends have a room where they keep their spare sparks laying around, do they?

Actually, they do! You must be stored with all the Predacons–which explains why there's so much dark energon around you!

I know I've been out of it for a while, but…what's a Predacon?

You know, big scary monster? Likes dark energon? Causes trouble everywhere it goes?

Not ringing a bell. But enough about that, what are we gonna do now?

As much as Steven wanted to help Bob right then, he had to ask them something first. He had to be absolutely sure he wasn't getting into something there was no getting out of. At least, more so than he already was.

First, I need to ask you that question I was talking about. If I set you free, what happens then?

I go home, probably. As far as I'm concerned, the Autobots can keep the Earth. We'll go find some other planets to harvest.

Planets without life, right?

Steven…I get why you'd want us not to harvest planets that have life. But if we don't take energon where we can find it, we risk dying out. I don't like it either, but when the alternative is starving…

But if lives were on the line, why would the Autobots fight you guys off?

You tell me, you're friends with some. I guess they just like organics better than their fellow Cybertronians. But like I said, that's all in the past now. I'm willing to let bygones be bygones if you are.

Every part of Steven was absolutely certain that Bob wasn't lying to him. They may have been a Decepticon, but they weren't the violent warmonger Elita said the others were. It wasn't fair that they were stuck in there with all those monsters just because of what they were. He knew what he had to do.

Okay, hold tight. I'm coming to set you free.

You are? Thank you, Steven! I can't tell you how much this means!

Hopping up from his chair, he began making his way further into the Ark. However, as he went, he began having second thoughts. "Am I…being too hasty? Maybe this isn't the right thing to do. But Bob…" He shook his head. "I should tell the Autobots first. Bob might not like it, but if I show them the messages, I'm sure they'll believe me." He reversed his path, heading back towards Teletraan.

First, he would tell Bob about his change of plans, before going to wake up the Autobots. True, it was late, but Bob shouldn't have to wait any longer. But when he got back into the room, he stopped cold.

He wouldn't be needing to go to the Autobots' chambers, seeing as they were already there. The three of them were crowded around the computer, looking intently as Magnus scrolled through several pages. It was easy to guess what they were looking at. "Steven," he said, looking up when he arrived. He sounded calm, but then again, that didn't mean he was calm.

"H-hey guys!" Steven said nervously. "A bit late, isn't it? What are you all doing up?"

Elita looked at him: unlike Magnus, he could tell she wasn't too happy. "I would normally ask you the same thing, but we know what you've been up to." She gestured towards the computer screen. "I had my suspicions when you asked me about the Decepticons, but this confirms it."

Steven stepped forward, trying to reason with them. "Guys, I know this looks bad, but you read the messages–Bob isn't like that! They just want to be free, and to go home, they're not gonna cause any trouble!" He puffed out his chest proudly. "I'm willing to stake my honor on that claim!"

"Steven, this is worth more than your honor," said Magnus. "Elita told you just how dangerous the Decepticons can be, but you still didn't listen. Why would you keep this from us?"

"...I was worried you'd be mad at me," Steven said. "At least, I was at first. I still am, but then I was worried you wouldn't let me help Bob. You will still let me help them, right?" he asked, looking up at them hesitantly.

The three of them shared a glance. "Steven…you know we can't let you just release a Decepticon," Magnus said. "Whoever this 'Bob' is, and however they got into containment, letting them out now would be incredibly ill advised."

"But Bob isn't like other Decepticons!" Steven countered.

"Steven, you've never met any other Decepticons," said Sideswipe. "How do you know Bob isn't just tryna trick you, like all the others?"

This question made him hesitate, but when he found the answer, he answered with certainty. "Because…because this isn't right. Even if Bob is secretly some evil Decepticon, they don't deserve to be trapped in there forever. They just want to go home."

Magnus stepped forward. "Steven, I appreciate your compassion, but we cannot let you do this. By setting this Decepticon free, you run the risk of compromising the safety of everyone on Earth, everything Optimus fought for. Is one individual really worth risking all of that for?"

"Would Optimus think so?"

Steven's question gave Magnus pause. Nevertheless, he remained firm. "I know Optimus wouldn't make rash decisions that could get innocent people hurt. We'll handle things with Bob–for now, you go back to bed. We will discuss this further in the morning."

For the first time in his life, Steven was seriously considering disobeying the Autobots. "And what if I'm right? What if there's a perfectly innocent Transformer trapped in there, and you're too hung up on your prejudices too–"

"You were not there!" Even Elita and Sideswipe were startled by Magnus' sudden outburst. That was more aggression than any of them had seen from him in ages, possibly ever. "You…did not see what the Decepticons did to this world. To us. Do not even think of calling this 'prejudice.' Now go. To. Your. Room."

Under Magnus' firm glare, Steven was ready to fold. However, somewhere deep inside, he asked himself a question: 'what would Optimus do?' "No."

It was Magnus' turn to be taken aback. "N-'no?'"

"I'm sorry, but the Autobots are supposed to be the good guys. And good guys don't keep innocent people trapped!"

"You don't know they are innocent," countered Magnus. "Everything Bob has told you could be a lie to get themselves free. For all you know, you could be playing into the hands of a notorious killer."

"You're wrong. I trust Bob. I don't know how, but I can feel in my gut that they're not a bad guy. Don't you think we should at least find out first?"

Elita stepped forward. "Unfortunately, there's no easy way to do that," she said. "If Bob really is dangerous, the moment we let them out, that could be it. Especially considering how all of the Predacons we've caught are in that room…" She looked at Steven pleadingly. "Like Magnus said, we can talk more about this in the morning. Go to bed, Steven."

"No! Why are you all being so stubborn about this!?" Steven cried. "Bob is my friend! They may not be my oldest friend, but I still think we should give them a chance! And if you won't…then I will." He began walking towards the door.

Before he could get far, Magnus was blocking his way. "Absolutely not. I refuse to entertain this conversation any longer–now go, otherwise I will have no choice but to ground you."

The two of them narrowed their eyes at the other. Steven was fairly certain he was bluffing, but he did seem genuinely angry. "You wouldn't ground me."

"I don't make empty promises, Steven," Magnus replied.

After waiting for a few tense moments, Steven tried to dart between Magnus' legs, only to be grabbed almost immediately. "Hey! I'm telling you, you're making a mistake!"

Magnus lifted Steven up to eye level. "The only one making a mistake here is you, young man," he said. "Now, it's off to bed with you." He began carrying Steven to his room, but he was interrupted by a sudden alarm.

"Warning: dangerous level of dark energon detected," came the voice of Teletraan, as the room lit up red. The Autobots looked around, startled. Had there been a breach? Was Bob to blame? Magnus set Steven down, hurrying over to the computer as the doors were sealed shut.

Steven, on the other hand, knew for a fact that this was Bob's doing. He scrambled over to the door as it closed, and rolled underneath it before it had shut completely. He had made his choice, and there was no turning back now.

"Steven!" Magnus banged on the door, with the other two hanging back just behind him. "Don't take another step! Steven, I am warning you!"

"Please, Steven, don't do this!" cried Elita. "You don't know what they want! This could be a trap!"

"Yeah, don't fall for it, man!" Sideswipe said. "At least let us tackle this together!"

But Steven's mind was made up. He couldn't allow his new friend to remain trapped, even if there was the possibility, however remote, that this was a trick. "I'll only be a moment," he said softly, looking away. "When I get back…I'll accept whatever punishment you want to give me." He made his way down the halls, the doors opening as he got close.

Magnus and the others continued trying to get his attention. "Steven! Steven!" But it was no use. He was already gone.

Steven had never been to this part of the ship before. He just went where the opening doors led him, reasoning that Bob knew the way. His path took him deep underneath the mountain, with the few windows he passed blocked by rocks. Then, he finally reached the sealed vault, which opened like all the others.

Wall to wall, ceiling to floor, the room was full of small chambers the perfect size and shape for holding a spark. There were hundreds of them, maybe thousands. Even if only a small portion of them were full, this room was still the prison for more Predacons than Steven ever considered to have existed. The only problem was, he now had to find the one that held his friend.

"Uh…Bob?" he called out, hoping his friend had some way to help him navigate this haystack he now found himself looking through. Thankfully, as he called out, one of the containers began beeping, a light blinking as it did. "Is that you? Beep once for yes, twice for no." One beep. He had found his needle. "Alright, hold on, I'll be right there!"

He then began climbing his way up the wall, heading towards Bob. Once the canister was within his reach, he turned the dial at the end, which clicked open to produce a spark. It didn't seem to be tainted by dark energon, which hopefully meant he had got the right one. Grabbing hold, he fell back to the floor.

Once it was freed, the spark began to change. Just as had happened with Elita, a body began to grow from it: first, a frame, followed by the outline, before finally regaining its color. In no time at all, Bob now stood before him.

She was primarily red and black, with a large pair of wings extending from her back, two turbined contained within. "S-Steven…?" She wobbled around a bit, getting used to her new legs, before turning around to face him. Her face was white, looking almost like it was painted, with a yellow crest atop her head. "Steven! You did it!"

Steven looked up at the Transformer he had just freed. Sure enough, rather than an Autobot insignia, she wore a purple symbol he had occasionally seen before. A Decepticon insignia, no doubt. "No prob, Bob."

She laughed, sitting down next to him. "Please, call me Windblade. That can't have been easy, standing up to your friends like that. Do you…really trust me that much?"

"I mean…the Decepticons don't sound like nice people," he said. "But even though you are one, I don't think you're bad. You aren't bad…right?"

A look of uncertainty crossed Windblade's face, but her smile returned soon after. "No, of course not! I know what I said earlier, but I don't want this place to be harvested. Especially not now that I know my savior lives here." She reached out to give Steven a hug. A bit awkward considering the size difference, but nothing he wasn't used to. "When I get back to Cybertron, I promise not to mention Earth."

"Th-that would definitely be appreciated, yeah," he said. "So, now that you're free, your memory's back, right? How did you end up in there in the first place?"

Windblade looked up, realizing that, without her sending dark energon signals to Teletraan, the lockdown had lifted. "I'll tell you in a minute," she said. "Is there another way out of here?"

He remembered the various drills and protocols Elita had shown him. "Um, I think there's a tunnel that leads out into the ocean," he said. "We'd better hurry if we don't want the Autobots showing up."

"No need to tell me twice!" Following Steven's lead, Windblade traveled down unfamiliar corridors across the Ark, head on a swivel for the Autobots. Through perhaps a bit of luck, they did not encounter them on their journey through the ship. Before long, the two reached a room that had a pool in the center, filled with seawater.

"Through here," said Steven, taking a deep breath before diving in. Windblade followed, with Steven leading her down yet another tunnel. They soon saw moonlight refracting through the surface, emerging to find they were now underneath the stars. "Ta-da! Your freedom, madame."

Windblade chuckled as she and Steven walked up onto the sand. "You sure delivered, little guy." She looked up longingly at the night sky, this being the first time she had seen it in centuries. "I'll give this planet one thing: it sure has some nice views."

Steven looked up as well, smiling. "Yeah. It sure does."

This tranquility did not last, as they heard a shout behind them. "Steven!" He recognized Elita's voice. They both turned to see the Autobots approaching, armed and ready for battle.

Not wanting this to come to blows, Steven stepped between them. "Guys, I know you're mad at me–you're probably right to be," he said. "But Windblade's harmless! She even promised she wouldn't mention Earth once she got back to Cybertron!"

"No way are we letting her leave!" said Sideswipe, brandishing his swords. "Who's to say she won't lead the Decepticons here by accident?"

Before Steven could offer a rebuttal, Windblade stepped in front of him, no longer looking quite as serene. "You." she hissed, her face twisted into a scowl. "I was in there for almost six thousand years, and you never once tried to help me! You never even acknowledged me!" The turbines in her wings started to spin. "You really think you're the good guys here!?"

Elita clutched her blaster. "Says the Decepticon tricking our boy into releasing her!"

"What? No, you don't understand!" cried Steven, desperately trying to ease the tension. "Windblade didn't trick me! There's no reason to fight!"

At that moment, Elita leveled her blaster at Windblade, her finger on the trigger. That was all Windblade needed to see; the turbines on her wings accelerated to their top speed, creating two tornados that rushed towards the Autobots. Sideswipe and Elita were thrown back, but Magnus managed to only slide back a few feet.

Once the gale subsided, Magnus responded by letting loose a barrage of rockets. Windblade responded by sending out another whirlwind, throwing the projectiles off-course and careening into the sand around her, as well as into Magnus, knocking him down. She then produced a device from her hip: a purple energy sword extended from it, and she charged.

Sideswipe hurled herself in front of her, his twin blades clashing with hers. "Get outta my town!" he growled, pushing her back before swinging both swords from either side. Windblade leapt back from the maneuver, before darting forward with a stabbing maneuver. Their weapons were interlocked once more.

"Trust me, I'd rather not stay here any longer than I have to!" she replied. Her turbines spun again, kicking up sand that swirled around them. With this momentary distraction, she headbutted Sideswipe, before sending him to the ground with a kick to the chest.

As much as he didn't want to join the fight, Steven's best efforts to calm them down weren't doing much. "Please, everyone, let's stop and talk this out!" he shouted desperately, afraid to get too close to the fray.

The others were too consumed in their battle to hear Steven. After Sideswipe had gone down, Elita charged in, opening fire on Windblade as she ran. Windblade spun her sword to deflect the incoming blasts, but once Elita got close, she switched her blaster to close-range configuration. The concussive blast knocked the sword from her hands, as well as stunning her enough for Elita to press the weapon against Windblade's chest.

Before Elita could fire, she was blown back by a burst of wind. Another gust blew Windblade's sword back into her hand, a swing of which almost took Elita's arm off. Instead, it created a gash on her shoulder, which was still enough to cause her to drop her weapon. Windblade raised her sword to deliver the finishing blow…

"Stop!" As she brought her blade down, she found it blocked by another. Steven, in his Cybertronian form, had raised his axe to protect Elita. "We don't have to fight! Neither of you are the bad guys. If we take a moment to discuss everything calmly, I'm sure we can–"

Magnus chose that moment, to Steven's horror, to throw himself at Windblade, delivering a punch that sent her careening into the sand some distance away. He managed to hold him back from following, but the damage was done. Incensed, Windblade picked herself up, wiping a drop of energon from her mouth–dark energon.

"You know what? I'm done playing games," she hissed. A familiar noise sounded as she began to transform, but stopped short as she cried out in pain, clutching her upper chest. Recovering from this, she glared at her former captors. "You're going to regret keeping me trapped for so long!" The sand beneath her began to swirl as a massive tornado formed around her, strong enough to lift her into the air. This tornado carried her past the Autobots and beyond Beach City, off into the wilderness.

"Both of you, secure the Ark, I'm going after her!" said Elita, transforming and taking to the skies. Magnus and Sideswipe returned to Steven and the ship respectively, playing damage control. Magnus tried to get Steven's attention, but he was completely despondent.

Seeing Windblade vanish over the horizon, Steven fell to his knees, shifting back to human form. "What have I done…?" he wondered softly, as the sun began to rise.

AN: Just as the introduction of Lapis Lazuli marked the moment Steven Universe turned more serialized, so too is Windblade the herald of the wider story...