All Hail Lord Starscream; Ruler of the Decepticons and Emperor of Cybertron.

Targeting sight:
These sights are added to indicate recently posted fictions, art and other pages.

For more information on what really is new in the site, please refer yourself to the news page or the site's front page. Site updates will usually be found there.

Thundercracker opened the door to Skywarp's quarters. The dark Seeker sat on the floor in the middle of his room surrounded by piles of debris. He would carefully pick up an object, study it for a moment and then place it in one of several empty energon cubes. Starscream looked to the corner of the room where the nuclear weapons had been earlier and noticed they were gone.

Starscream felt nervous wondering what had happened to them. Had Skywarp hidden them to use later? "House cleaning? Where's the bombs?"

Skywarp continued to place various objects in the energon cubes and pointed to a large box on his desk. "They're in there. Someone put it in my room with this on it." He handed Starscream a data pad that read "Skywarp, please place all war heads in this box and return it to Soundwave for proper disposal."

"Then I was right..." He said in worried tone. Soundwave had been spying on them and the chances were they would never get the chance to know what it was he had found out. He would probably see Starscream as weak after showing the much softer side.

"Yeah, how else would anyone know I had that stuff?" Skywarp continued to clean.

Starscream looked over his damaged wing at Thundercracker. "I told you. It's an invasion of privacy. I'd love to know how long this has been going on, how far back." Starscream was unsure what to say incase they were being listened in on.

"Yeah, it does make you wonder." Thundercracker agreed gruffly.

Skywarp continued to place objects in the empty energon cubes. He ignored his guests.

"If my wing was not shot off like this I'd say frag the head injury and fly off this base to talk." Starscream whispered to Thundercracker. He was fed up of all this. The Decepticons had a right to be able to talk freely on their own time without fear of getting slagged.

"I've thought of that many times." Thundercracker had actually thought of just flying off the base to never return again, but he knew he could never return to Cybertron on his own.

Skywarp stopped cleaning and looked over his wing at the other two Seekers. "Did you want something?"

Starscream strode over to the grating in the corner of the room and wrenched it free looking deep into the darkness. "Sound can carry in these things. Mine is rigged."

Skywarp watched Starscream somewhat perplexed. "What do you mean rigged?"

"I caught Frenzy in it once, so I set up an alarm in it. Now if any of those runts get close to it to spy I am alerted." Starscream placed the grating on the floor by the wall. "There are marks in the dust so there has been someone here recently." Starscream observed.

Skywarp scowled. "Why does Megatron need to spy on us? And how long has this been going on?"

"I never thought much about it. But it makes me wonder. What they know about you know.... when we were together the last time." Starscream was wondering if that was Megatron's reliable source. Did he knew about the contents of the datapad or had the little cassette punks arrived long after that and had not heard anything?

Skywarp shrugged and went back to his cleaning.

"Um, the music." Thundercracker whispered.

Starscream turned to Thundercracker and whispered in his Audio. "Not the music. You know the other thing." He tried to clarify.

"No, Turn on your music. That will help drown us out so we can talk."

"Oh, go on Skywarp put the music on." Starscream felt kinda sheepish realising he had misunderstood Thundercracker.

Skywarp stood up and booted up his play list. "You might not like my selections, but it should serve its purpose."

"I am sure I won't but I can deal with it." Muttered Starscream as the volume was put to an almost intolerable level. He felt slightly unbalanced by the lack of wing.

Skywarp sat back down in the spot he had cleared and continued to clean.

Thundercracker pushed aside some debris and sat beside Skywarp. Starscream scooped up a handful of junk and tossed it in an empty energon cube. He sat down beside the other two. The three were sitting in a tight circle.

"Heh, look, a motorcycle." Skywarp held up his discovery.

"Step on it before it transforms. It's really an Autobot spy that died in your room Skywarp." Starscream jested.

Skywarp laughed and tossed it into a cube as Thundercracker laughed intensely. Skywarp's grin faded as Sunburn by Fuel began to play.

"This is that song you were talking about earlier." Thundercracker remembered the song and the emotions that came along with it. Skywarp nodded.

"Do you want a hand with this stuff? I'd hate to throw out your treasures."

Skywarp looked up at Starscream and shrugged. "I guess. I don't see any point in keeping any of this stuff anymore anyway."

Starscream picked up an unidentifiable mass looked at it in disgust and tossed it into a box. "I'd be slightly afraid of finding a dead human in here." Starscream grinned.

Skywarp smiled slyly. "I think I'd know if I had that. They tend to smell after awhile."

"You are familiar with that then? I throw them out the sea lock before they get that bad."

Thundercracker looked frightened. He wondered how the other two Seekers knew that dead humans smelled bad.

Skywarp wondered if Starscream was joking and decided to change the subject. "So, what did you wanna talk to me about?"

"Well I apologize about what happened just now. We were only acting in your best interest. I ugh... did not think."

"I don't care. I know that you were probably just as trashed as I was anyway."

Thundercracker elbowed Skywarp causing the dark Seeker to put his hand out so as not to fall over. "Stop acting like me dammit. Look, we have no idea how long this has been going on. What we do know is it will probably continue. I suggest we carry on as we did before, only a bit more cautious."

"It's a little worrying that Megatron has become so trigger happy." Starscream glanced over at his shattered wing. The power behind the blast was a lot stronger than normal. it often sent him flying but rarely did it do damage such as that. "A bit more for you guys... extreme caution for me."

"So, you're saying I should just forget everything that's happened in the past twenty four hours?" Skywarp said raising his voice.

I don't think that's quite what Thundercracker means. I don't think any of us can forget. Just we need to perhaps watch what we say. Think, then speak." Starscream knew that would be hard.

"Yeah, we just need to be a bit more cautious of what we do and say." Thundercracker absentmindedly began to sway with the music.

Starscream slipped a few things into the half full cube. Skywarp looked at the object in his hand and wondered how he managed to obtain a human food vending machine.

"You have acquired a taste for human food now?"

"I have no idea where this thing came from." Skywarp tossed it into a cube.

Starscream pulled it out and looked at it quizzically. "I could have a use for that."

Skywarp and Thundercracker looked at each other puzzled. Starscream grinned knowingly. "I have many uses for things. I just throw things out after they've served their purposes."

"You should have a field day in here then. Help yourself." Skywarp shrugged. Thundercracker caught what Skywarp had not and wondered what Starscream was up to.

Starscream chuckled. "You might have a few things I could use." He noted Thundercracker's slightly perplexed expression. Starscream scrapped through the rubble and found a few other things that looked like they came from human homes.

"Do you play with dolls perhaps Skywarp?" Starscream held up a fridge.

"What? What are you talking about? No, I just find that stuff and try to figure out what it is and how it works."

"You find it or steal it?" Thundercracker inquired.

"He's a Decepticon for crying out loud. So you work mostly with how things work mechanically?"

"Of course I steal it. What, you think I walk into Wal-Mart with my Visa card?" Skywarp grinned. "Yeah, I like to figure out how it works and why humans use it." He explained to Starscream.

"Wal-Mart? Visa card?" Thundercracker repeated the foreign words.

Starscream chuckled. "Never mind Thundercracker. It's beyond your limited experience with humans." Starscream randomly scooped more stuff up and threw it into the cube filling it completely.

"So, what are we gonna do about all this?" Skywarp inquired.

"What the junk? Burn it."

"No, the other thing." Skywarp looked at the grating.

"I could set you two up with something that will alert you to spies in your immediate vicinity."

"I have nothing to hide. I think Megatron knows how I feel." Thundercracker stated.

"Yeah, you only tell him everyday." Skywarp scoffed.

"The first time Rumble or Frenzy steps over the line in the shaft will be his last if you catch hold of him right away."

Skywarp grimaced. "I don't want to hurt the little buggers. They're only doing what Megatron tells them to."

"Yes but if you catch them in the act it will tell Megatron you are on to him."

"I think he knows we're onto him. I say we just forget it and proceed as normal but a bit more cautiously." Thundercracker heeded.

"I still want to know what he knows." Starscream decided he may have some late night work to do.

Skywarp picked up a television and absentmindedly squeezed it between his fingers causing it to explode.

"Holy Primus! Was that a bomb?" Thundercracker jumped.

Starscream was alarmed by the explosion.

"Heh, I didn't know they did that." Skywarp marveled at the tiny shards of glass on his fingertips.

"What was that?"

"One of those monitor thingies that humans have all over their quarters."

"A television? Or a computer?"

"Yeah! That's it! Television."

"Primitive vacuum tubes." Starscream scoffed.

Thundercracker shook his head. "Drop it Screamer. You'll only get yourself into more trouble. I'm telling you guys, the best way to stay out of trouble is to pretend nothing happened."

"Anymore than I already am?"

"You really wanna push Megatron any further?" Thundercracker warned.

"He never carries out his threats."

"Anyone need a landing gear?" Skywarp held up a bent landing gear that had a severely dry rotted tire.

"You never know. He might act on it." Thundercracker responded to Starscream and ignored Skywarp.

"Skywarp I have my own landing gear in far better condition than that."

"Skywarp, are you even paying attention to us? This is serious." Thundercracker reprimanded the dark Seeker.

Starscream was slightly concerned that Megatron would act on his threats but he usually was lax. He picked up a small canoe and laughed softly. "You take this with you to bathe?"

Skywarp looked from Thundercracker to Starscream with a dumbfounded expression. "I'm listening. And I kinda agree with TC. Drop it Screamer. The subject not the boat. You can keep that."

Starscream scowled as he tossed the boat into an empty cube. He would have to look into things privately on his own time. Suddenly the red Seeker felt really off. His scowl turned into a sickened grimace.

"This is really weird. Listening to human music and surrounded by human objects... this is kinda creepy." Thundercracker shuddered at the thought of humans crawling about like insects.

Starscream stood up abruptly in silence and unsteadily picked his way over to Skywarp's re-charge alcove lying himself carefully down. He let out a small whimper which he partially stifled.

"Maybe you should go get Hook. Screamer's in bad shape. I'll stay here and keep him company." Skywarp said as he watched Starscream settle down.

"Anything to get away from all this human stuff." Thundercracker sneered.

"I am fine. Just tired." He lied as he wearily watched Thundercracker stand up and exit. He did not really want to see Hook again. He would be fine until the morning. He suddenly wanted to sleep. He off lined his optics.

Skywarp walked over to Starscream and looked down at him. "Who's YOUR favorite Autobot?" He asked with a grin.

"A dead one." Replied Starscream with a hint of annoyance. He brought his optics on line again and focused on Skywarp who stood beside him. He was suspicious of the dark Seeker's intentions.

"Heh, whatever. You just relax, I'm gonna finish cleaning." Skywarp returned to the clearing on the floor and looked around at the massive collection of junk. "You know what I should do with all this stuff?"

"Have a hangar sale?"

"I should drop it off in front of Megatron's room."

"I'd say drop the bombs there but that would take out my quarters and I have my sights set on his." Starscream wished Skywarp would shut up and let him sleep.

Skywarp grinned as he looked over his wing at Starscream. He looked back at the mess. "Why didn't they just have the Constructicons do this?"

"I thought about it. Bonecrusher would have a ball." He re-adjusted his position on his back trying to get his weight off his wing. He felt a wave of nausea and dizziness wash over him as his head throbbed. Joy, he thought: hangover.

Knowing them, I wouldn't have a room left when they finished."

"Probably not." Starscream murmured weakly keeping his answers short. He glanced over at Skywarp who held a cube full of junk in his hand.

"Then I'd have to stay with you." Skywarp grinned.

Starscream winced with the soreness in his head and wing. "You'd sleep on the couch." Starscream said as he off lined his optics. The stump of his wing was starting to throb more painfully. He could not resist the urge to go to sleep any longer.

Skywarp continued cleaning as he waited for Thundercracker to return with Hook. With a slight groan Starscream fell asleep.

Thundercracker darted down to the repair bay area looking around for Hook. He could not find him. He strode into the repair area and paged his personal quarters.

"Hook, this is Thundercracker, I need you in Skywarp's quarters." He waited for a few minutes.

"Hook?"

"Go ahead Thundercracker what is the problem this time?" Hook's image flashed on screen. Hook looked and sounded weary.

"I'm afraid Starscream desperately needs your help."

There was a long pause. "He's in Skywarp's room? You mean to say he is out of repair bay?"

"Yes." Thundercracker was surprised to find out Hook did not know of Starscream's absence. He did not want to try to explain that the Air Commander probably had his head rattled again as well as missing a fair portion of a wing. He could hear Hook curse and mutter something about having to bind him down this time.

"I'll be there in about five minutes, Thundercracker, Hook out." The monitor went blank. Thundercracker turned to return to Skywarp's room.

Starscream sat up. He held his fingers to the side of his face thinking... "What happened?"

Then he remembered. "Right I had a 'party' with Skywarp and Thundercracker got shot by Megatron... nothing odd there." He thought rancourously. He was tired of getting shot by his leader. Right, he thought, I had been in Skywarp's chamber when I became very tired and Hook was there. Yes, Thundercracker had brought Hook in... Ah! He remembered, they dragged my sorry afterburner down to repair bay and sent me back to my private quarters.

Starscream stood up and almost left his recharge chamber when he spotted an empty energon cube with a whole load of junk in it. "Skywarp?" He said looking around. Starscream picked the box up and looked around his Living area, energon cubes lay scattered everywhere and bits of electronics. Starscream noticed bits on the floor and he picked of a piece that was purple and grey. "Eeech," he muttered loudly as he recognised it as a bit of his wing dropping it in disgust.

The Seeker spent a few moments clearing up the mess. He placed his wing fragments into an empty cube and placed them in the armoury until he could hand them to Hook for recycling into some spare parts.

He looked over at the box of junk from Skywarp's room. "OH Primus!" He exclaimed, "My experiments!" Starscream quickly walked over to the door and pushed the button to open the door. There was a buzz and he almost walked into the unopen door. He glanced down and pressed the button again, again there was an unhappy sounding buzz and the door still did not open.

"Computer open my fragging door." He said angrily holding the computer call button.

"Invalid command parameters, please specify name and rank."

"Open the door, Starscream, Air Commander." He said exasperated.

"Access denied; your security clearance has been overridden."

"WHAT?!" Starscream could not believe what he was hearing.

"Invalid command."

"Who is," Starscream thought for a moment to make sure he worded it correctly, "responsible for the override and why."

"Hook is authorised by Megatron, Reason: quarantine."

Starscream angrily turned away from the door he stormed over to his computer and punched in the comm's request for Megatron.

A few moments later Megatron's unsmiling face appeared on the screen. "Ah, Starscream, feeling better are you?"

"Cut with the slag Megatron..." He snarked.

"Yes, Starscream what is it that you want?" He inquired with slight irritation.

"Release me from my quarters!" Starscream demanded.

"I am sorry, I can't allow that until you have fully recovered. Hook requested it. He is sick of seeing you this week and as a matter of fact so am I." Sneered Megatron.

"You can't do that!"

"Sure I can, I am the leader am I not?" Megatron smiled.

"What about my duties? Surely I'm not getting a break from them?"

"No, I have sent you the reports I wish you to do. You can download them now."

"But my experiments... they—I've neglected them this week. They'll go off!"

"That is not my problem now is it? You will just have to start over again. Megaton out."

"But how long...ARGH!" Starscream scowled angrily. His Experiments were delicate and he was having partial success. His absence could mean seven months worth of waiting and years of experimenting could be lain to waste. There was no use in getting angry, he was stuck there for the intern so he might as well make the best of it. Starscream wondered if Skywarp would pop by or not. With a resigned sigh Starscream settled down and began his assignments.

Skywarp looked around his room and chuckled. He hardly recognized the place anymore. He had given the box of war heads to Soundwave and except for the few items Starscream took, everything else was given to the Constructicons. He stood up and walked to his desk. He noted that he did not have to step over anything or trip and fall on his way there. He reached for the computer to shut it down but decided to finish listening to the song that played first. It was Back 2 Good by Matchbox 20. Skywarp cocked his head and frowned as he listened to the words. "Well this don't mean that you own me. This ain't no good. In fact, it's phony as hell. But things worked out just like you wanted to. If you see me out, you don't know me. Try to turn your head. Try to give me some room to figure out just what I'm gonna do. Everyone here hates everyone here for doing just like they do. And it's best if we all keep this quiet instead. And I couldn't tell why everyone here was doing me like they do. I'm sorry now, and I don't know how to get it back to good. Everyone here's to blame and everyone here gets caught up in the pleasure of the pain. Everyone here hides shades of shame, but looking inside we're the same. We're all grown now, but we don't know how to get it back to good." He hit the stop button, paused for a moment and looked over his wing at the air vent. He turned back to the computer and deleted his entire play list. He picked up his data pads and teleported to the control room to report for duty.

Skywarp teleported into the control room and handed his report to Megatron. "Today's reports? And on time even. I am impressed Skywarp." Megarton sneered.

Skywarp took his place at the console next to Thundercracker and began working. "Screamer has been quarantined to his quarters and Soundwave just left with the Coneheads on a mission. This really bites." Grumbled the blue Seeker.

"Why is Screamer quarantined?" Skywarp grimaced.

"Hook and Megatron are sick of him getting out and getting hurt. I guess it's Megatron's way of punishing him too...being claustrophobic and all."

"I could port into Screamer's room just to make sure he's alright."

"Geez, here we go again." Thundercracker groaned. "Why can't you leave it alone and just mind your own fraggin' business Warp? Look at all the trouble we've gotten into in the past week. Just let Screamer be and in a few days everything will return to normal."

"How would you feel if it was you in there? I owe Screamer. He's really tried to make things right by me these past few days. I gotta go see if he's ok." Skywarp was angry at Thundercracker's lack of compassion for Starscream. He had to make sure the Air Commander was alright. Skywarp knew how difficult it was for Starscream to reach out to his fellow Decepticons and decided that he would repay the hospitality as soon as his shift was over.

Starscream had set up a private comm channel for the Seekers. No one ever used the channel as they figured that Starscream was merely being paranoid. Skywarp decided to initiate it. He decided it would be safer to contact Starscream rather than just teleporting into his quarters and risk being shot by the frightened Seeker. "Skywarp to Starscream. Skywarp to Starscream. Do you read?"

"I copy you Skywarp, state your purpose... over." Came the immediate reasonably calm response.

"I was checking to see if you're alright. I can teleport you know. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

"I am fine, Skywarp, no there is nothing I need... wait, yes, there is something you might be able to help me with..." Starscream hesitated for a long moment debating whether or not he should even tell Skywarp to enter the lab. There was no telling what the dark Seeker would get up to while he was in there. "You can teleport to my lab, I have some... err pets, valuable experiments; I fear that they will perish with my extended absence. There are feeding instructions in my computer you can follow them and freeze the dead ones."

Starscream awaited in his room silently he wondered what Skywarp was up to. He paced over to the window and glanced out across the dark water to view the building in which his lab was in. Schools of fish swam by the window lazily. Starscream sighed wearily. He was tired of being cooped up.

Megatron insisted he was to remain imprisoned for a full two weeks until Hook had a chance decide if he was fit for light flying duty or not. Starscream relented to this sentence realizing it was a partial punishment for sending Skywarp on the spy mission.

It had been a six days since he had last checked in on his experiments and he was worried about their condition. Some of his specimens were quite ill tempered and had a tendency to dump their water and food dishes. He hoped for their sakes they did not dump their water. He usually supplied them with a couple days worth in case some of his missions took longer than he anticipated. They could survive without food for a week or two but they would die with in a matter of days without water.

Skywarp teleported into Starscream's quarters. He frowned as he wiped water from his cockpit canopy.

Starscream was startled by the sudden appearance of Skywarp but he did not jump like he usually would. "Why are you wet Skywarp?" Starscream asked puzzled. "I asked you to feed the creatures not bathe with them."

"One of them threw slag at me. I had to wash it off. They seem ok. A couple of them were...I had to freeze three." Skywarp said not sure how Starscream would react to the news that three of his "pets" were dead.

"What three?" Starscream hoped that it was not his best specimen.

"I don't know. They're your pets. I can't tell them apart. Why is that one so fat?"

"The fat one is alive?!" He was pleased, seven months of waiting were not lost.

"Yeah..." Skywarp was unsure why Starscream was so interested in the fat one.

Starscream leaned back. "That's a relief. I was worried that that one would have died." He was unsure what he should tell the other Seeker about the experiment.

"I, uh, the one that threw slag at me kinda made me mad...I'm sorry. He was with a female that did nothing but scream." Skywarp's tone was apologetic.

"What have you done with my creatures?"

Skywarp looked down. "I got kinda mad at the slag thrower and I silenced the screamer."

"You silenced a female?!"

Skywarp sighed. "Yeah...I'm sorry."

"Did you or did you not find any actual dead ones when you arrived?" He asked in a firm tone. Starscream was highly annoyed. He did not want his specimens to be killed off for no real reason.

"Yeah, one was dead when I got there."

"And two after."

"Yeah."

Starscream snarled in frustration. "ARGH! I asked you to check up on them not kill them. It appears I will have to make you understand."

"The food and water dishes were turned over in that cage. The male was dead and the female didn't want me to take him away. She was screaming at me, 'Don't take him from me.'"

"Humans are disgusting. We'll have to get her a new cell mate soon."

"So, what the frag are you doing and why is the fat one so important?" Skywarp inquired.

"I've been working on it for over ten years. It's why all... that stuff is on my datapad... I am, uh, researching how humans multiply so I can learn what will make them stop. That female is pregnant. In the ten years I've been doing this; she is the only one who has made it this far. It's imperative I keep her well."

Skywarp grinned. "Why should you care how humans multiply? You need to find a way to stop them from doing it. This planet is crawling with them."

"That's what I am trying to do, Skywarp. Well in order to find out how to make a species extinct you need to find something that will hinder how they breed and experiment with those. I plan to implant them with an altered gene. It's like a genetic virus and it takes time to spread. If a human breeds with another human without that gene then the gene is passed to their offspring. If they try to breed with a human who has that gene then they cannot conceive... It's not fool proof but it has potential to decimate or even annihilate the human population. Well, that's the plan I have anyway. It's a long term project and might take a couple centuries to finish seeding the offspring of my "pets". And at least a millennia before we see the real effects. but I am sure, in the long run, it will be well worth the effort."

Skywarp looked puzzled. He did not fully understand what Starscream had just told him. He decided to change the subject. "You're stuck in here for two weeks? Those humans won't live that long without you. Do you need me to check on them while you're out? I promise I won't kill any more."

"Yes, I would like that very much. Just stay out of the rest of the lab. There are volatile chemicals. Some in fact if they are mixed could blow the base sky high."

"You're determined that I'm gonna blow this place up."

"I am not determined... I just don't feel like getting blasted to bits; especially when I can't get out. The rest of the Decepticons could get out before it exploded... they would leave me locked in here."

"I promise to stay out. I'm not interested in chemicals anyway. So, do you need me to do anything besides feed them and give them water?"

"Do you think you could get me out? I hate being cooped up." Inquired Starscream teasingly. He did hope that Skywarp might be able to teleport him out.

"How would I do that? Besides, if Megatron saw you running around the base, he'd slag us both."

Starscream picked up a dart from the desk spun on his heel and threw it at the dart board decorated with Megatron's face, hitting him between the eyes. "Slag with Megatron! He knows better than to keep me locked in this place. I'd rather be exiled off the base than kept prisoner with in it." Starscream snapped angrily reaching for another dart and throwing deftly beside the other one.

"I'm sorry Screamer but I can't bust you out. Heh, I guess I'm being like you now."

The Air Commander snorted at Skywarp as he walked to the wall beside the armoury and glanced at his rifles hanging neatly on the wall rack. He turned his head and glanced at he black Seeker. "What do you mean you are being like me? How are you even remotely like me?" His voice was strained with frustration at his captivity. He turned away from his weapons and picked up three other darts. He threw them rapidly pausing only to aim. He pinned one in each eye and the other in the mouth.

"I have to think of myself. I've gotten into an awful lot of trouble lately. If I bust you out...no more Skywarp."

Starscream chuckled malevolently. "That's the spirit Skywarp, every mech for himself. But you have NO idea what it is like to be held in a small room for fourteen slagging days with the knowledge that you might be kept in for several more..." The Seeker sounded agitated. "It's freaky!" He said shrilly looking over at Skywarp with traces of panic in his optics.

"I know how hard it is to be locked up in here, but it could be worse. Just hang tight and you'll be out in no time. You're too important to the Decepticons for Megatron to keep you locked in here forever." Skywarp tried to comfort the agitated Seeker.

"He wants to keep me in here forever I know it!" Starscream battled back the feelings of claustrophobia that wanted to distress him.

Skywarp sighed heavily. "Get over it Screamer. Megatron isn't like that and he doesn't hate you...that much. If you were such a problem for Megatron he would have slagged you by now."

Starscream sighed in frustration. "I'm a fighter. I need to get out. I've not seen the sky in close to six days. I am sick of looking at fish." He walked into his storage room and brought out an energon cube. "Perhaps you are right, Skywarp, it makes me wonder why he's kept me this long... anyway if you feed the worms I will give you energon and if you don't kill anymore of them I might give you a bonus. Is this a deal?"

Skywarp grinned. He enjoyed humans and saw this as an opportunity to learn more about them.

Starscream handed Skywarp the energon cube. "Don't let Thundercracker or anyone see you with this. There is something more... you could help me out if you bring me back my tools and the female I can begin a dissection and I mean the dead one, not the pregnant one."

"Um, about that..."

"You pulped her didn't you?" Starscream murmured softly shaking his head.

"Yeah."

"Ugh..." He wondered how much of a mess his lab was going to be when he was able to return to it.

"Humans are very squishy." Skywarp looked at his fingers to ensure he had washed off all the blood.

"Yes they are..." He did not want to say too much more than that.

"So, what do you want me to do with the two I squished? Do you want me to bring you the other dead one instead?"

"Well I can't very well look to see if he was pregnant now can I?" He said with sarcasm. "Keep them frozen. I'll deep six the lot later."

"How often should I check on them? I gotta be careful you know. If Megatron finds out I'm helping you, we might both get in trouble." Skywarp was eager to help, maybe even a bit too eager.

"Evening will be fine. I feed them once a day anyway." Starscream sat down at his computer console. "I need to get finished. I have a backlog of work this week, makes me feel a bit like you handing them in late." He frowned sighing heavily. "Report your observations to me when you have finished the feedings and pay particular attention to the pregnant female. She needs more food than the rest and try not to scare her too much. Humans can miscarry for the strangest reasons."

Skywarp turned and started for the door but then remembered it was locked. He looked over his wing to see if Starscream realized his temporary memory loss and teleported out.

Starscream sighed as Skywarp teleported out. He felt bad for sending Skywarp on his way. As much as he appreciated the dark Seeker's concern he felt uncomfortable by it. Skywarp's presence only further reminded him of his captivity. The black Seeker had a gift of teleportation; there were no barriers for him. He could come and go as he pleased. Starscream's ability was speed and to be fast he needed to be free. To be free he needed to get well and to keep out of trouble.

Skywarp decided he should locate Thundercracker. The blue Seeker would want an update on Starscream. Skywarp knew he could not tell Thundercracker about Starscream's lab and the experiments inside. Knowledge of human experimentation could cause Thundercracker to distance himself from the other two Seekers. Skywarp did not want to lie to his dear friend but he had no choice. Thundercracker was an enigma. He hated anything that did not have wings but felt pity for humans if they were injured by Decepticons.

Skywarp found Thundercracker in his quarters and teleported in without an invitation or warning.

"Slag Skywarp, you scared me!" Thundercracker jumped at the sight of the dark Seeker. "How is Starscream holding up?"

"He's ok but a bit overwhelmed." Skywarp had practiced his lie during his search for Thundercracker. "Megatron gave him a pile of paperwork and he needs help. I volunteered to help him but we have to do it secretly. Megatron can't know that I'm helping him." Skywarp spoke rapidly and looked at the floor.

Thundercracker studied Skywarp's face. He sensed that something was not right. Had Skywarp just lied to him? He began to wonder what exactly went on in Starscream's quarters. "Ok, if you need any help, I'm here." Thundercracker wondered how Starscream and Skywarp's newfound friendship would affect the one he had with Skywarp. He began to feel a tinge of jealousy.

Skywarp nodded and teleported back to his own quarters. He thought he saw a hint of pain in Thundercracker's optics. He felt terrible for lying to him and he knew that the blue Seeker didn't buy his story. However he did it for the sake of their friendship.

Skywarp knew he had to find a way to balance his relationships. He had a hard time trusting others. As close as he was to Thundercracker, he still had secrets from him. He wondered how Thundercracker would react if he knew some of the things Skywarp had done in the past. He also wondered what would become of his relationship with Starscream. He didn't think he could ever trust the Air Commander fully and was sure the feeling was mutual. He began to see what Starscream meant about the triad being balanced. They needed each other to keep their sanity and stay alive. They depended on each other on and off the battle field. Skywarp thought about the statement that Starscream had made about human family units. "We are Seekers, the three of us so much alike, in physical and alternative form, yet, we are so damned different. That is why I ran to your rescue. I did not want us to lose a 'brother'."

If only the Autobots knew. Decepticons were viewed as cruel and heartless, yet here Skywarp stood pondering the hurt he had caused his 'brothers' and what he could do to make up for it. "What's that term that humans use?" Skywarp thought to himself. "The ties that bind. That's it." Pain seemed to be what bound the three Seekers together, yet it also kept them apart.

Cannon An Author's Note