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.

June 16 1997 16:37 hours

Skywarp was the living embodiment of the phrase "idle hands breed trouble" and his fellow Decepticons often paid the price.

He suddenly materialized from out of thin air, in front of Starscream, with a loud BOO! Starscream leapt up in surprise from his station glaring at the intruder. His hand landed on the keyboard and the screen went blank.

"How dare you!" he screamed "You've caused me to wipe out three hours of my work." Starscream shook his fist at Skywarp with a suggestion that he was about to get an imprint of it in his face. "Oh well, never mind I'll finish it later."

He chose the already agitated Starscream as his victim and immediately began a game of "shadow". Starscream started down the hall and Skywarp stepped beside him. He mimicked his fellow Seeker's every gesture and movement.

"What are you doing?" Starscream asked calmly of the black and purple seeker following close behind.

"What are you doing?" Skywarp repeated as a grin tugged at his face. He tried to control in order to further imitate Starscream's annoyed appearance.

Starscream glared at him and had the look returned. It was almost like looking into a mirror.

"I don't have time for this nonsense!" Starscream shrieked turning away suddenly cringing his hands. How he wanted to throttle Skywarp. His childlike behavior was about to send him through the roof.

"I don't have time for this nonsense!" Skywarp imitated. Turning to follow Starscream so closely behind, almost touching the red Seekers back with his cockpit. He matched his step with Starscream's, marching behind him making rude faces.

Thundercracker came around the corner. He looked at Skywarp and shook his head. Skywarp only grinned back. "I've got good news and bad news Starscream." Skywarp stepped out from behind Starscream and stood off to the side.

The Air Commander glanced at him sidelong attempting to ignore his existence. "I'll have the good new first."

"There was a fire in the generator room. All normal base duties have been suspended until further notice. Megatron could not get to you so he had Rumble give me a message." Thundercracker's deep voice said.

"He did not try to find me. I was here at my post! I should be the first to know the going ons in this place, not the third." Starscream sounded very irritated.

Skywarp's mouth moved in sync to Starscream's voice. Thundercracker cracked a smile.

"And the bad news?" Asked Starscream. He shot Skywarp a dirty look, his eyes blazing with fury.

"They are going to power down the base so the Constructicons can fix it without getting a sudden lethal power boost," Said Thundercracker calmly.

"SKYWARP! Will you knock it off already?!" The purple Seeker continued to make rude faces and flipped Starscream the human gesture of insult. Earth words and phrases were readily absorbed by Skywarp and he used them often. But Starscream was at breaking point. He leapt at the offending Seeker and plowed him to the floor.

Skywarp, taken by surprise at Starscream's sudden move, fell back with little resistance. He could feel Starscream's azure hands tighten around his neck as he started to slam his head towards the floor.

"I'll kill you, Skywarp. Primus, Don't make me do it," Screamed Starscream whose grip on the purple Seeker was not life threatening, yet.

"And half the levels are sealed due to door malfunctions and they are going to try to free the Decepticons trapped on the other side," Continued Thundercracker watching the two Seekers scuffling on the floor. He reached down and grabbed Starscream by an air intake and jerked him off Skywarp to his feet. He was disgusted in his Commander's behavior, but he was not sure how long Skywarp had been harassing him.

"Yeah? So what?" Said Starscream, as he watched Thundercracker lend Skywarp a kinder hand pulling him up off the floor. Skywarp casually brushed himself off and when Thundercracker had his back turned talking to Starscream he thumbed his olfactory sensor.

"We are the furthest away from the generator room, Starscream; every one knows how aggravated you get when you are trapped. We are expected to be the last released."

"You! Skywarp, You can teleport. Get out!" he gestured sharply to the sealed door. If being trapped with Thundercracker was one thing, being trapped with Skywarp would be the ultimate test of resolve.

"No way Screamer, I am staying here with you! You'll need my morale support," Skywarp chuckled softly.

"You probably set the fire yourself just to ire me," Snarled Starscream uneasily.

"Thanks for the complement but no, unfortunately that credit does not go to me. Look, Megatron said we have to stay here, so I'm staying here. Besides, what if I get out there and get hurt? What if I can't open the door for you and TC? Let's just sit tight and do as our LEADER tells us," Skywarp responded. He couldn't avoid a sheepish grin when he said "leader". He knew how it irked Starscream when Decepticons followed Megatron's orders and not his.

Starscream sighed loudly as Skywarp grinned broadly. This was going to be a hard day.

"So, what do you guys wanna do? Who knows how long we'll be stuck in here; we'll have to pass the time somehow," For once, Skywarp was serious.

"Why don't we sit here quietly and try to think of a way out of here?" Starscream's voice started calm but his statement ended with a shriek.

The three Seekers sat in silence for a few seconds. Starscream sat in front of his console with his chin propped in his left hand; his fingers of his other hand angrily tapped the metal surface. Thundercracker looked nervously between Starscream and Skywarp. He became more anxious when he noticed the smirk on Skywarp's face.

"Hey, Cracker, how'd you get in here if all the doors are messed up?"

"I was in this section already, looking for you. I was almost to the door when Rumble came out of a ventilation duct. He and Frenzy were being sent over the base to relay messages to the sealed sections. He was glad he found me first rather than you, Starscream."

"We could squeeze Screamer through the ventilation ducts. I bet he'd fit," Skywarp joked.

"You're the same size; why don't we squeeze YOU through?" Starscream replied still focusing on the blank computer screen. The grin on Skywarp's face quickly disappeared.

"Will you two stop it already? Why don't we just sit here and wait for someone to come get us?" Thundercracker was becoming more and more irritated with the animosity between Starscream and Skywarp.

The three sat in silence again. Skywarp looked down at his hands and nervously began wringing them. Starscream threw himself back in his chair and glared at the ceiling. Thundercracker rested his elbows on his knees and began rubbing his face with both hands.

"I can't take this anymore!" Starscream shouted at the ceiling. He thrust out of his seat and bolted for the control panel of the door. Thundercracker bolted in front of him; Skywarp stood from his chair but did not make any attempts to stop Starscream.

"It's too dangerous. We don't know what systems the Constructicons are working on. If you attempt to override the door, you could fry your circuits," Thundercracker pleaded as he pushed Starscream away from the door. He looked to Skywarp for help, but he was just standing there gawking at the struggling Seekers. "Warp can be really dense sometimes," Thundercracker thought to himself. Starscream stopped struggling and began to calm; no thanks to Skywarp.

"Fine," Starscream snarled as he jerked away from Thundercracker. "I guess I'll just go back to staring at the ceiling."

"You do whatever you have to do to stay out of trouble," Thundercracker retorted. "I did not join the Decepticons to become a babysitter," He thought angrily.

The room suddenly went black. Their optics adjusted to the blackness but all they could see was the bright red glow of each other's eyes.

The auxiliary lighting came on but the dim glow it shed was hardly worth it.

Starscream sat in a corner deep in thought, he idly watched Skywarp nosing around picking up things, looking at them and flipping them aside. Several hours had gone by and he was beginning to get a very uneasy feeling. He wanted to get out to see something different. Megatron would be a nice change to the dimness of the computer room. He could hear the sounds of clanging coming from access ducts. Ducts that were only big enough for Rumble or Frenzy. What was the hang up? How big was the fire?

Thundercracker had gone and looked at the door panel he had it pulled off and was seeing if he could somehow override the locking mechanism manually.

Skywarp had, for the time being, left Starscream alone to collect his thoughts, although the dark seeker kept looking at him with a knowing grin. He fiddled with something flat. Skywarp laughed bringing Starscream's abstract attention to full again.

"Thundercracker, you should get a load of this," said Skywarp merrily. Thundercracker looked up from his work and held out a hand for the flat black object.

Suddenly, Starscream realized what it was that Skywarp had just handed to Thundercracker. "GIVE ME THAT!" He shrieked leaping to his feet and running over to intercept the pad. All of his personal logs, thoughts, ideas and ambitions were in that pad. He usually kept it with him, hidden in a compartment and adding to it when the need arose. His history, the things that were most secret to him were all in that little black pad that Skywarp had been reading.

Skywarp jerked it out of his grasp and laughed. "Ho, Screamer, Megatron would love to get a look at this."

"Give it back," his tone was fearful. "Return it to me or else!"

"Or else what? You have no bargaining power here now Screamer, I've got your pad, and I am in control."

"That's Blackmail!"

Skywarp grinned slyly "Indeed it is."

"I don't know who I should be more ashamed of right now; Warp for being so fraggin' nosey, or Starscream for being so…holy Primus, Screamer," Thundercracker trailed off as he read the data pad.

"Gramma Lynn's double chocolate chunk cookies," Said Thundercracker bemused "What the hell, Screamer? Don't tell me you have a fetish for human cuisine."

"Give that back! It's none of your business!" Starscream shrieked again. He could feel heat around his neck and face. Embarrassment like nothing he had ever experienced overwhelmed him.

"Soap made easy," Skywarp doubled over laughing.

"You certainly have strange tastes, Air Commander," said Thundercracker.

"It's research, now hand it back!"

"Karma Sutra 101," Gasped Thundercracker. "Slaggin' hell, Screamer, who the heck are you trying to impress?"

Thundercracker continued reading, occasionally shaking his head as Skywarp cackled hysterically.

Their knowledge of what was on that pad could mean his possible de-activation; Skywarp was likely to blab it over the base. And who knows with Thundercracker.

"Astrotrain and I spoke today, when we have the opportunity we'll ditch Megatron, and I will take over as rightful leader...." Thundercracker read out loud. "Now that's a conspiracy, Starscream. That alone should get you both put to a firing squad."

Skywarp stopped laughing, "I did not read that."

"Give me back that pad." said Starscream as he dangerously leveled one Null rifle at Thundercracker and the other at Skywarp.

"You wouldn't dare Screamer," said Skywarp. His grin fading as he met the angered optics of Starscream.

"You wanna bet?" his optics narrowed as he glowered at Thundercracker. "Put the pad down!"

"Megatron will have your head."

"He would have to catch me first."

"Warp and I promise not to say anything to anyone. Right, Warp?" He nudged Skywarp with his elbow.

"Huh? Oh yeah, right," Skywarp replied, still reading the data pad.

"But c'mon Screamer, the stuff you've got in here," Thundercracker took the pad from Skywarp and continued reading.

"Owners guide on healthy Pythons. I thought you did not like snakes," Skywarp chuckled

"Beginners guide to Astronomy, Queen's Princes of the Universe song lyrics, Human anatomy, uck what do you do with all this stuff?" Skywarp laughed and Thundercracker slowly shook his head

"Give me back my pad, please" his voice sounded weak.

Thundercracker handed the pad back. He looked very uncomfortable. Starscream snatched the pad from him. He lowered his weapon, turned away and sat in the corner. He hunched his shoulders over and looked at the black pad in his hands. He was hurt, angry and now more terrified than before. Those two now know of his meeting with Astrotrain. Oh, why did he have to leave that thing lying around?

Skywarp and Thundercracker stood looking at the red Seeker sitting gloomily in the corner of the room; they looked at each other and realized what they might have just done.

Thundercracker crossed the room and knelt beside Starscream. He rested his hand on his commander's shoulder. "Please, forgive Skywarp, he does not think before he does things. As for me I should have known better." His tone was apologetic, pleading, and reassuring.

Starscream's optics flickered in the direction of Thundercracker. He regarded the other Seeker for a long silent moment. Thoughts rolled across his mind. He wanted to hate Thundercracker for being part of Skywarp's schemes, but somehow he thought he could forgive him. Skywarp on the other hand was beyond redemption. He had persisted in his personal attacks, endlessly and tirelessly giving Starscream very little rest. Oh there were times when his humor made light of a grim situation and everyone got a good chuckle; but this time, it had gone too far. Such is the price for carelessness. Starscream burned inside.

"You know what will happen to me if it does get out. You said it yourself. I promised Astrotrain that I would not tell anyone. I did not think you, of all Decepticons, would nose at my personal log. If this gets out I'll not only have to worry about Megatron coming for my head, but Astrotrain wanting my wings," he said barely whispering.

"I'll promise to keep silent. I won't make logs of this incident and hopefully Skywarp won't as well. I'll make sure he keeps his lips zipped."

Skywarp was placed in an awkward position. He enjoyed pestering Starscream but never intended to hurt him. For reasons unknown even to him, he actually felt sorry for Starscream. At the same time, the loyal warrior in him felt obligated to report the treason. Thundercracker pulled Skywarp aside. "You can't say anything to anybody, understand?"

"But he…"

"No 'buts' about it. I know it sounds bad, but when has Screamer ever actually succeeded at his plans to take over? Just forget about it."

Skywarp peered over Thundercracker's wing at the red and white huddled mass of Seeker in the corner of the room. "Fine, I won't say anything; but, if something happens that he does follow through, I'm gonna say 'I told you so'."

"Agreed," Thundercracker turned his attention back to Starscream. "No worries about Warp. Well, knowing him, he might blab some of the other stuff. You know the cookie recipe and the whole Karma Sutra thing." He tried to keep from laughing so as not to further upset Starscream.

The Silence in the room was deafening. None one spoke, no one moved; they regarded each other in silence. Starscream slowly brought his knees up and hugged them with his arms. He felt the urge more than ever to get out of the sealed room. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and Skywarp. The reason why he wanted to put distance between the dark Seeker and himself, his regret in not truly throttling the life from him. His fingers wanted to squeeze the other relentlessly, while he screamed for mercy. Thundercracker however would intervene stopping him like he had earlier. Skywarp had better keep his distance.

He put the black pad into a chest compartment and stood up. Clearly, no one was doing anything about their situation. How much longer was this going to be? It was about one a.m. earth time and he wanted to re-charge. However the computer room was not designed for Decepticons to stay in over night. The living quarters were on the other side of the base. Curious as to why Skywarp had not just popped out and found out how much longer it was going to take, but now he wanted Skywarp where he could see him. If he was in his sight he was not going to blab. But he needed to know what was taking so long.

"Skywarp," he said making the name sound like an insult. "I want you to...."

There was a clang from above him and the vent grating swung open. Frenzy and Rumble poked their heads out. "Megatron sends his regards," Said Rumble sliding out the opening. Frenzy ducked back in and returned with a few energon cubes.

"You're gonna be in here for a while longer." Said Frenzy from above. "The fire weakened the Generator room's outer wall and during repair the wall breached. They are sealing it up and pumping the ocean and fish out.

"How much longer?" Skywarp asked.

Rumbled scrambled up into the vent after placing the cubes in a corner for the Seekers. He closed the vent and looked at them through the grating.

"Thirty-six hours, maybe forty-eight, at least you have auxiliary lights. The other half of the base is totally powerless. Happy camping!"

Starscream let out an anguished wail.

"Holy fraggin' Primus! Why you little, get back here!" Skywarp shouted as he tried to pull Rumble and Frenzy through the ventilation duct.

"Hey, you think crawling through these vents is a friggin' picnic? Now be a good boy and eat your energon," Laughed Frenzy as the tiny pair quickly shuffled away.

"This is ridiculous. I'm teleporting out of here," Skywarp grumbled.

"No!" Exclaimed Starscream. He could not take any chances with Skywarp leaving the room. He wanted to keep him in his sight and under his control. "I am your commander and I order you to stay put."

Starscream noticed Skywarp's right hand balled into a fist. He readied himself for confrontation. Instead, Skywarp brought his fist to his chest in a Cybertronian salute and said, "Aye Commander." His tone was flat and Starscream was unsure as to whether or not it was meant to be sarcastic. He could not deny the fact that above all else, Skywarp was a loyal soldier.

"Very well, we will sit here and wait this out." Starscream glowered at Skywarp, never taking his optics off of the black Seeker.

The trio, once again, sat in silence. Skywarp reclined in front of a console and stared at the ceiling as he swiveled his chair from side to side. His arms dangled over the armrests. Thundercracker stood anxiously by the ventilation duct, hoping Rumble and Frenzy would return to tell them they were free to go. Starscream sat opposite Skywarp, his chin propped in his left hand and his optics fixed on Skywarp. Skywarp raised his head and realized he was being watched as his gaze met Starscream's. He looked away timidly.

"I swear I won't say anything," Skywarp appeared to be talking to either the floor or his wringing hands. "I know we shouldn't have read your personal logs, but even you have to admit it was kinda funny." He slowly raised his head to once again meet Starscream's gaze. His face was twisted into an awkward smile. Starscream did not look amused. "You probably hate humans more than anyone. To think that you of all Decepticons would be doing research on them is pretty comical," Skywarp continued but realized he was still not convincing the glaring Seeker. "Look, I'll be honest, I'm not real crazy about Megatron either," He whispered looking at the ventilation ducts. Starscream and Thundercracker both looked at Skywarp stunned. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? It's true. I know it seems like I follow him blindly, but to be honest, the guy is nuts. Who gives a slag about those stupid Autobots? I just wanna get enough energon to go back home to Cybertron. Earth is so weird."

Starscream eased and relieved Skywarp of his hateful glower. He was right; Skywarp was almost never insulted by Megatron. By faithfully following orders, he had managed to keep himself unmarked. Starscream sat nodding to his own thoughts. He quickly turned his attention back to Skywarp who sat eagerly awaiting Starscream's approval.

"Fine," snapped Starscream. "But if you ever breathe one word…" He wagged his index finger in Skywarp's face and realized the black and purple Seeker was once again grinning. He lowered his finger, exhaled sharply and sat back in his chair shaking his head. Skywarp leapt from his seat and bolted toward Starscream who instinctively raised his hands in defense. Thundercracker stood ready to intervene but relaxed as he saw Skywarp jerk Starscream out of his chair and hug him.

"Get off of me!" Starscream shrieked as Skywarp lifted him off the ground and began swinging him from side to side.

"Geez, get a room, will ya," Laughed Thundercracker.

Skywarp released Starscream and grinned as the red Seeker attempted to wipe off the Cyber-cooties.

"Now that that's settled, what should we do next? How are we going to pass the next thirty-six to forty-eight hours?" Inquired Thundercracker.

"Strip poker!" Exclaimed Skywarp. Thundercracker looked bemused, but Starscream looked irked. "You know what strip poker is? Of course you do. You've read the Karma Sutra," Skywarp grinned slyly at Starscream who was clearly not amused.

"Like I would want to play strip poker with YOU TWO," Starscream joked wryly. "I am not sure about you guys, but I would rather have some of that energon," he looked at the small pile of glowing pink cubes. Their glow illuminated the corner. He walked over and took one off the top. Skywarp walked over and grabbed two. "Hey Skywarp, don't be greedy. What about Thundercracker?"

"It is for Thundercracker." He smiled and handed the cube to the blue Seeker.

They all sat looking at the pink fluid. Starscream was about to indulge in his when Skywarp spoke up. "I propose a toast. A toast to us!" They raised their cubes and said, "To us!" in unison. Starscream raised his again and said, "To me!"

The other two Seekers shot each other bewildered glances and the trio burst into hysterical laughter.

"Hey TC, take it easy on the energon. Remember what happened last time?" Skywarp cautioned.

"No, I don't remember what happened 'last time' and I highly doubt your recollection of the incident is very accurate," Snapped Thundercracker.

"You passed out so fast. Even Ravage outlasted you!" Starscream cackled.

"Remember Lazerbeak?" Skywarp recalled as he made plane noises and gestured as though something was crashing to the ground.

"At least Megatron isn't here to bore us all with his 'I remember when' stories. That's why TC passed out so fast; he wasn't inebriated, he was bored to death!" Starscream scoffed.

"Thank you Starscream. I'm glad someone is willing to stand up for me," Murmured Thundercracker taking a deep sip of his energon.

Starscream chuckled in a giddy manner as the raw energon started to take hold. He looked at Skywarp and started to sing "Here we are, Born to be kings, We're the princes of the universe, Here we belong, Fighting to survive, In a world with the darkest powers," His voice was very off key.

Thundercracker and Skywarp exchanged glances and started to howl with laughter. Starscream broke off and glared at the others. "Do you think you can do better?"

Skywarp looked at Starscream and started to laugh more. "We don't know the lyrics; the fact you do is hilarious. We know you have it on the pad... but never knew you actually sang them."

Thundercracker slapped his knees. Starscream grabbed the data pad off the console and loaded up the lyrics being careful to re-key in the pass code. "There, now you can join me." He took another huge gulp of energon. He started to sing again, "And here we are, We're the princes of the universe, Here we belong, Fighting for survival, We've come to be the rulers of your world, I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings, I have no rival, No 'Con can be my equal...." Thundercracker howled at Starscream's alteration of the words.

"Don't you wish, Screamer?"

Skywarp fell off his chair in laughter. Starscream's face had been so twisted as he screeched out the lyrics, he hoped he'd remember Starscream singing earth music in the morning. This was something to blab around the base. They were laughing so hard that the sing along session had to be given up.

Thundercracker started to tell stories with Skywarp interrupting with lewd and rude comments every so often. Before they knew it, they were in a mangled heap of drunken happy Seekers.

June 17, 1997 09:00 hours

Skywarp awoke to a pounding headache. For some odd reason, his right foot seemed to be asleep. As he rejoined the conscious world, he realized Starscream was hitting him over the head with what felt like a lead pipe.

"Get off of me! You're laying on my wing you idiot!" Starscream shrieked.

As Skywarp attempted to remove himself from Starscream's right wing, he realized Thundercracker was using his right foot as a pillow. "As big as this room is, we all had to pass out in the same damn corner?" He said as he gently yet firmly kicked Thundercracker's head off of his foot

Thundercracker grumbled and went back to sleep. Starscream slowly sat in one of the console chairs and rubbed his head. Skywarp remained seated on the floor with his legs sprawled and began rubbing his foot to regain feeling.

"Get back here you runty little Autobot," Starscream and Skywarp both jumped as Thundercracker relived a battle in dreamland. They glanced at one another and chuckled softly, but the laughter quickly turned to groans as the pain set in.

Skywarp held his head in his hands grimacing. Starscream felt nauseated. He off-lined his optics as his head reeled in agony. He opened them again and spotted the black pad lying next to his wing. Quickly, he snatched it up and placed it with in him. Skywarp had not noticed. He was sitting with his head between his knees. Thundercracker was still out for the count. His lips moved as he was talking in his slumber.

"Ask him something," Murmured Skywarp.

"He's asleep," retorted Starscream holding his head, gingerly shielding his eyes from the dim brightness of the room.

"Doesn't matter, it's funny. You can find out so much," Skywarp chuckled painfully. "It's like reading your data pad except he will never know unless you tell him." Skywarp leaned over Thundercracker's sleeping form. "Hey 'Cracker, what's your goal in life?" asked Skywarp.

"To return to Cybertron."

"Nothing new there," Replied Skywarp. "Let's try something more incriminating. Thundercracker, who is your favorite Autobot?"

"Bumblebee."

Starscream repeated the name and burst into a fit of sharp laughter. Skywarp placed his hands over his audio sensors.

"You see? I do this to him all the time. He never knows," Skywarp said wryly.

"I think we ought to leave him alone... I think I am going to be sick....." Starscream hunched himself into a corner of the room and remained motionless. Skywarp lay back down on his chest. There was something he wanted to remember. Something about last night. Oh well, he would remember later when the pain was gone. He returned to sleep.

June 17, 1997 18:37 hours

The three Seekers were bored out of their minds. Every so often Starscream would have a panic attack and run to the door pounding it with his fists. Skywarp even had a go at trying to calm him. None of them liked being enclosed, however, their commander, suffered claustrophobia. It was apparent to Skywarp that Starscream attempted to maintain his dignity outwardly. But his optics showed the true inner feeling; the Air Commander was scared witless.

Thundercracker had given up attempting to open the bulkhead doors manually. They were sealed. Bulkheads designed to keep water in an affected area and out of other areas.

"Hey screamer," Said Skywarp "I know you might not like this. But you have that data pad... "

"No."

"I saw some Earth games on there... Tetris, Doom and some others.... perhaps we can all take a turn, it would be more interesting than sitting here watching dust settle on Thundercracker."

"Hey! I am trying to collect a blanket of dust!" Thundercracker joked.

"You would only just get nosey," replied Starscream over Thundercracker's voice.

"C'mon Screamer, be a sport," pleaded Skywarp.

Starscream hesitated. What could the harm now be? The damage was done. There was very little incriminating evidence left for him to expose, and he had both Skywarp and Thundercracker sworn to secrecy. If they failed to keep their mouths sealed he would poison their energon when they were not looking. He opened his chest compartment and withdrew the pad. He turned it on and set the rest of the files password protected and then loaded up Doom. "You try anything..." he let the sentence hang in threat. He handed the pad to Skywarp.

Thundercracker looked over in surprise. "You're trusting Skywarp with that thing?"

"No, when can I trust 'Warp?" Starscream said, affectionately shortening Skywarp's name. "But what damage has been done can't be undone. I've sealed off my Private logs and my assorted files; anyway, giving him the object of my undoing should keep him out of other mischief."

Skywarp was oblivious to Starscream and Thundercracker's conversation. He was totally engrossed in the game and began shouting human obscenities at the data pad.

Power flickered and went out.

Skywarp did not notice. He swore, "Those damned spiny things keep killing me," he said as he continued playing.

"Slag," uttered Starscream. "I think our auxiliary power has just run out."

Skywarp looked up from the game. The glow from the pad was the only light in the room aside of their red eyes. "When did that happen?" asked Skywarp.

"Just before you got killed by that Imp," said Starscream. "And if you get killed by one of those puny creatures, you are going to be a mess when you meet the Cyberdemon..."

"A Cyber what?" He asked in surprise.

"Shut up and play 'Warp," Starscream snarled back.

"It's scary that you know that stuff Starscream. It means you really do read and use that 'research'. What about the Karma Sutra?" Said Thundercracker with an amused chuckle.

Skywarp laughed, his red optics looked up from the pad for a moment. The pad's glow illuminated his face well enough to see the smirk. "Oh! I remember now! Thanks T.C." he said merrily his voice full of blackmail.

"Remember what?" asked Thundercracker curious.

"Oh something, nothing important, nothing useful, just good," he replied with a sinister grin. He quickly returned to the game.

Starscream shot him a warning glance. The red Seeker thought he might know what Skywarp was on about, he had not forgotten.

"Yes! I just fragged one of those Imp thingies," Skywarp could not remember the song Starscream was singing last night, but he did recall another Earth song he had heard several times since their arrival. "We are the champions, my friend. And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end…" He began to sing softly, keeping Starscream in his peripheral vision. Starscream pretended not to notice. He had learned that reacting to Skywarp often egged him on more.

Suddenly, all of the lights returned with full power. All three Seekers groaned as their optics and audio receptors adjusted to the bright lights and whining and popping of the generator kicking back on. The bulkhead door hissed as it opened. Megatron stood in the threshold. Skywarp quickly hid the data pad behind his back and discreetly passed it off to Thundercracker.

"I trust you three have managed to stay out of trouble," Megatron sneered looking at the three Seekers clustered closely together.

"Yes, sir," The trio replied in unison. Starscream passed behind Thundercracker and took possession of the data pad. He quickly stashed it in his compartment and shot the other two Seekers a look of gratitude.

"The Constructicons have managed to repair the majority of the damage. There is still some repair work that needs to be done. Starscream, you will return with me to the main control room. Skywarp, go to sector G and aid Soundwave. Thundercracker, you will go to the main generator and assist Hook," Megatron wasted no time in conferring orders. Skywarp and Thundercracker quickly complied with their leader's commands as Starscream stood at attention awaiting further instruction.

As they left the room, each Seeker shot Starscream a "so what happens now?" glance. Much had changed in the past twenty-six hours. He would never openly admit it, but Thundercracker and Skywarp now felt more like brothers to him than they did before. One thing was for certain, their relationship would never be the same.

June 5, 2005

Skywarp watched Astrotrain blast away. His damage was severe but nothing that could not be repaired. As he drifted through space, he noticed Thundercracker floating near by.

"Hey T.C." Skywarp said weakly.

There was silence for a moment. With a faint moan, Thundercracker replied "Yeah?"

"I told you so."

"Shut up Skywarp."