Author notes: Hi everyone, guess what? I finally got chapter 14 done, yay! I'm so so sorry this is taking so long, I've not abandoned it, I just set myself a mammoth of a fic to write and got tonnes more to do yet. I'm also doing my honours project at university as well as getting disrupted a lot at home so yeah, it's not easy lol. Oh. And writer's block too, that didn't help either. But Anyway, here is the next chapter and I hope you like it.

o0o0o

"Text" spoken dialogue

'text' bond speech or unspoken thoughts

::Text:: Comm speech

Time conversions:

Astrosecond = 0.498 seconds

Breem = 8.3 minutes

Joor = 1 hour

Cycle = 1 Day

Solar Cycle = 1 year

Vorn = 83 years

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or its characters. Transformers is the property of Hasbro, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.
Original character, Shadeweaver, belongs to me

The Seeker Code of Honour
~Motto: Protect what is yours and respect what is ours~

1. Never offline trine member(s) without a valid reason

2. Never offline or harm kin, sparklings/younglings or bonded in our midst

3. Always respect our needs for open spaces and thirst for flight

4. Always be mindful of our winged frames; never knowingly harm them out of malice

5. Be ready to protect your peers and judge those who dare to disregard Seeker Code of Honour

Chapter 14 - Desperation

It had been a joor since the timely contact from the Humans via radio transmission. Although it had only been about three or four joors at the most, it felt like forever since they arrived on the island. So far the Autobots and Decepticons managed to work together without too much conflict, and despite the odd argument here and there, the space bridge was half way done.

Near the back of the main room, prowl diligently monitored the vast amounts of data streaming in. Knowing the unstable nature of the vortex, keeping a close optic on the bridge connection's trajectory was paramount. As the Autobot analysed the graph, his keen optics noticed something; the graph was slowly but steadily growing.

"Hmm, the difference between trajectories seems to be increasing," he spoke up.

"Really? By how much?" Skyfire asked as he glanced over his shoulder.

"Well, according to the latest stats, it's been increasing steadily by about 30% for the past two breems," Prowl replied, "We may end up losing the connection if this keeps up," he added.

"Hmm. Yes, you're right," Skyfire hummed thoughtfully as he read over the graph; it certainly did show a slow yet worrying incline, "Ok. In that case, keep an optic on that trajectory and let me know if it drops anymore. The reading isn't too much cause for concern at the moment but in this unfamiliar territory anything could happen," he added.

"Alright. Will do," Prowl replied as he returned to surveillance, "I'll keep you posted," he added with a nod.

Meanwhile, still seated at a small desk, Shadeweaver rubbed her optics. Never had she done quite so much admin in one sitting. The sooner she is able to get in the air again the better.

"How are you getting on there, Shade?" Wheeljack asked, turning from a spot of welding.

"Well, that's all the files sorted, just needs a minute to compile," Shadeweaver replied as she glanced at the installation bar on screen, "Should only take a breem to install into the main unit too," she added.

"Then we're making good progress," Wheeljack commented, "And once Screamer's finished building the unit, we should be good to go. Nice job, Shade," he added with a slap on the back, causing her to yelp as a sharp pain shot through her wing, "Oops." Ratchet, who was replacing a damaged panel on Ironhide's shoulder, couldn't help but laugh.

"Thank Primus you're not a Medic, Jackie," Ratchet joked, "You have as much dexterity as a Dinobot on high-grade," he added; Ironhide, Shadeweaver, and a few other Mechs within earshot just burst out laughing as Wheeljack frowned.

"Oh. Come on, I ain't that bad," Wheeljack harrumphed, "At least I can actually hold my liquor unlike some," he added with a smirk in the Medic's direction. Ratchet just snorted.

"Oh. Please, there's more to a good high-grade than drinking yourself under a table," Ratchet commented, "At least I actually taste it than throw it down my tank," he pointed out. Shadeweaver just chuckled to herself; those two were hilarious when they exchanged banter. A small beep then sounded from the board on her desk, signalling completion.

"Anyway," the Femme sighed a little as she grabbed her work, "I better take this lot through to get installed; shouldn't be too long," she added getting up off the stool.

"Alright, take care," the medic replied with Shadeweaver acknowledging him before heading towards the exit.

"Oh! Shadeweaver, wait a moment please," called Skyfire just before she crossed the threshold, "Are you heading to the med-bay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna get these installed," Shadeweaver replied, gesturing the chips in her servo.

"Good. Then when you get there, can you tell Starscream to increase the modulators' ranges by 50%?" Skyfire asked, "Seems that the rift's a little more unstable than we first thought," he added.

"Yeah sure, I'll let him know as soon as I get there," Shadeweaver said.

"Great; much obliged, Shadeweaver," the Autobot Shuttle thanked gratefully.

"No probs, see ya," the Femme replied as she exited the room.

o0o0o

Meanwhile; in the med-bay, a lone Seeker worked tirelessly in a temporary laboratory area that was set up following the Scraplet infestation from earlier. As the Decepticon came up from completing and testing yet another component, he stopped for a moment for a small energon break before turning back to the matter at hand. As he keyed in and executed an array, the Scarlet Seeker couldn't help but hark back at the little conversation he had with Megatron a joor ago. He hadn't forgotten the little 'order' his dear Lord gave him a moment ago. 'Gain her trust? Hmph. Worm his way into his business more like,' the Second-in-Command thought bitterly. Though he did say he would let him do his own work at his own pace, he knew better. Starscream was certainly no saint when it came to lies and underhand dealings but neither was Megatron. If he didn't play his cards right both he and her trine will be in danger of offlining, especially if he ever figures out that he was the one who helped her escape in the first instance. Washing down his worries with a gulp of his energon he turned back to his work.

The installation process was relatively straightforward. Within a breem, Starscream had slotted the motherboards into the two main compartments and the green lights signalling completion shone in no time. He stopped to look out of the window next to the desk on which he worked, showing the decaying tunnels, strewn with Earth and rocks.

He just couldn't believe he was sitting at the very spot in which he had worked many vorns ago; a place he thought to have blown up during the war. He had almost forgotten his life before he joined the Decepticons but lately, slithers of the past self had begun to rear their helms, little by little. First Skyfire's discovery, then that Troublesome Autobot Seeker and now this. It was almost as if Primus himself was torturing him by sending the ghosts of his past back to haunt him. It was then that a familiar voice forced him out of his thoughts.

"Hey, Starscream," chimed the Femme as she came into the room; she blinked as the mech glanced up from the window, a little more subdued than usual, "Are you ok?" she asked with a hint of concern.

"I'm fine, what do you want?" the Mech pressed, crossing his servos; her optical ridge raised slightly at the curtness.

"Oh. We just finished compiling the sensory chips. They should be good to go," Shadeweaver replied as she walked up to him.

"Fine just leave them there and I'll deal with them," Starscream said.

"Fair enough, I'll be with the others if you need me," Shadeweaver said simply. Clearly he didn't want anything to do with anyone right now, so she just placed the chips on his desk and left him to his devices out of respect. "Oh, yeah; and before I forget, Skyfire said to change the modulator ranges by 50%," the Femme recalled as she headed towards the door, "Things are getting kinda unstable, apparently," the femme added. Before she could exit the room, however, a low rumble could be felt underfoot. They both looked at each other.

"Was that an Earthquake?" Shadeweaver asked out loud.

"I believe so," Starscream said as he got out of his seat before another, stronger tremor started.

"I don't like this," Shadeweaver commented.

"Me neither. Quick; grab one of the units," Starscream said quickly, "We need to get these installed asap. I believe the vortex is becoming unstable and if we don't get the bridge running now, we may miss our window before we lose the connection," he said with urgency.

"Sure. How long do we have?" Shadeweaver asked as she took a heavy metallic box underarm.

"Not long; three breems perhaps, judging by the exponential strength of the past two tremors," he surmised, grabbing the other unit "If we're quick, however, we should be able to get it done in one breem at the- Fraggin' Pit!" he yelped mid-sentence as a sudden, powerful quake thundered underfoot. He would have been floored if he hadn't supported himself against the wall.

"Scrap that; two breems!"

o0o0o

Meanwhile; in the main hub of the temporary base, klaxons blared as a deafening rumble thundered throughout the underground base.

"The Frag is going on!?" Sideswipe cried as large rocks loosened from the decrepit walls, with many Autobots and Decepticons running for cover.

"It's the vortex!" Skyfire chimed in, "Chip! Come in, Chip; are you still receiving us!?" he cried out but only received static. It was as he feared.

"We have a spike!" Prowl cried, "60% disintegration and still rising!"

"What the frag do we do now?" asked Sunstreaker in amongst the chaos.

"First priority, protect that research!" Optimus ordered, "Without the bridge we cannot hope to return back to our plane of existence. Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Mirage and Jazz; find the others and bring them to safety. You too, First Aid, in case they need immediate medical attention. Ratchet; prepare for casualties," he commanded with everyone, acknowledging him and carrying out their tasks without complaint.

"I will also send some of my comrades, we will be able to cover more ground," the voice of the grey Warlord chimed in.

"Assuming that we can trust your Decepticon's actions, of course," Optimus pointed out.

"As much as I hate having to work with you and your two-bit Autobots, this is hardly a situation to quibble over such matters," Megatron pressed.

"Agreed, it's just a shame that it takes times such as these to put our differences aside," the Autobot Leader mused.

"Don't get too used to it, our truce will be obsolete as soon as this whole charade has passed," Megatron warned, "We will return to enemy status and your demise will be my number one priority," he added pointedly.

"I expected no less, Megatron, " Optimus vented.

o0o0o

Meanwhile, back at the Ark. Sweat beaded the young boy's forehead as the radio emitted nothing but white noise. Despite trying different frequencies, no matter which station he tuned to, nothing prevailed. He adjusted his glasses and wiped the sweat from his brow as stress began to show.

"This is not good," Chip said grimly.

"What's wrong? Are the Autobots ok?" Spike asked, seeing his friend's reaction.

"The signal just went dead all of a sudden," Chip replied, "No matter what frequency I tune to, I'm no longer receiving any signal from either of them. I can only assume it's because the plane they're in shot out of range somewhat, or they're, you know, dead," he added with a shuddering sigh. That stunned everyone in the room.

"Dead, are you sure, Chip?" Carly reiterated, eyes wide at the prospect.

"Oh. Come on. I'm sure they're not dead. Maybe it's just that weird place they're in? I mean Starscream did say it was really unstable, " Spike suggested.

"Hmmm… I guess but what if that plane was so unstable that it killed them? I mean they could have died already," Chip started.

"Nah. I don't think so. They're still alive," Cathy said with confidence, overhearing the conversation.

"What makes you so sure?" Chip asked.

"Well, it's just a bad reception much like how it's near impossible to get a decent signal in some of the places we get assigned to," Cathy shrugged, "And trust me, without Shade's amazing ability to find a decent radio station with zero signal, we would have been bored stiff. So try not to worry about it too much, eh?" she added.

"And besides, we have a kind of connection with Shade. If she was hurt or worse, dead, we would know about it," Joe chimed in, "And if she's alive, so are they," he added.

Chip regarded them for a bit. He supposed they were right but he couldn't help but worry as the Autobots had become their friends. He would hate it if something really bad happened to them.

"So… what do I do?" the boy sighed.

"Just keep trying. You'll get through eventually like you did before, I know you will," Cathy added.

"Ok. I'll do my best," Chip eventually said with determination before resuming operations. The RAF pilot slapped him lightly on the shoulder before turning to her twin.

'I really hope she's ok.'

'Yeah. Me too.'

o0o0o

With waves of never ending quakes raining through the building, two Seekers ran haphazardly down the corridor.

"Oh! My god, this is insane!" Shadeweaver cried, shielding her helm from falling rocks with a free servo. She was caught by surprise as she was suddenly yanked by the shoulder-strut from a particularly large rock that narrowly missed her.

"Come on! If we don't get these units to Skyfire now, we'll be stuck here for Primus knows how long!" Starscream snapped impatiently.

"Well, I'm sorry if I can't do much about a bloody earthquake!" she snapped back in response. It was then that section of the ceiling collapsed with Shadeweaver avoiding the carnage. Starscream, however, was not so lucky.

"Starscream!" she cried as she set down the unit and promptly helped to shift the rocks, allowing the Seeker to free himself, "Are you ok?"

As soon as he tried to get up, however, she could see that he was not as she spotted a large wound in his abdomen.

"You're hurt."

"You have a gift for stating the obvious," he winced, energon leaking profusely through her servos as he clutched his side, "Listen, take both the units and give them to Skyfire," he ordered.

"What? Don't be silly, I'm not leaving you behind," Shadeweaver protested.

"Femme; this is not the time for that" Starscream yelled, "I will just slow you down and- Hey!" he exclaimed as he was lifted onto his pedes against his wishes.

"Sorry but as an Autobot and an officer of the Royal Air Force, I'm not leaving anyone behind. Even you," Shadeweaver stated, "You're coming whether you like it or not," she added. Though undignified, the Mech just vented in response. Stubborn and proud? He would expect nothing less from a Seeker; especially from a Trine Leader. Then with a little amused smirk to himself, he gave in.

"Fine but let's be quick about it," Starscream said and, "There is no telling how long that vortex will hold until it collapses," he warned. Shadeweaver acknowledged him with a nod and they continued through the base.

o0o0o

Meanwhile, two Seeker Mechs were seen running through the base innards, trying to avoid the infrastructure crumbling around them.

"Frag! The whole place is falling apart!" exclaimed the blue and black Mech.

"Ya got that right, TC!" yelped the purple one as rock smacked off his helm, "I really hope Screamer's ok," added with concern.

"Yeah, though I'm fearing the worst," Thundercracker agreed, "I'm getting the sense he's hurt. C'mon, Warp."

As they traversed through the unstable ground, it was then that by some miracle they caught sight of two other familiar frames; one supporting the other.

"Thank Primus. Hey! Screamer!" Thundercracker called out.

"Yo! Ya'll right there?" Skywarp asked as they caught up, he soon saw that he was not ok judging by the leaking wound in his side.

"Primus, took you two long enough," Starscream breathed tiredly, "I contacted you a whole joor ago!" he chided.

"Yeah, sorry… Warp got us lost like three times already," Thundercracker looked pointedly at his purple trine brother.

"Wha-!? The Frag are you on about!? It was you and your crappy outdated coordinates!" Skywarp protested. Starscream rolled his optics.

"Whatever. This is not the time for this!" Starscream butted in; both closing their vocalisers in response, "Femme; you go ahead and these the units to Skyfire as quick as you can; he should be able to install them and engage the bridge," he said.

"Ok. Will do, take care," Shadeweaver nodded, taking both the units before heading off down the corridor.

He then turned to his Trinemates.

"I need your assistance."

o0o0o

With the nigh-complete space bridge looming over the main foyer at the end of the room, the Autobot Shuttle keyed in the last few codes. If he could just get hold of the last two units, then perhaps they could make their escape before losing their chance.

"How are you doing, Skyfire?" asked Optimus.

"Almost complete, Optimus," Skyfire replied, "I just need the two units from Starscream and it should be ready to use," he added.

"Good work, my friend," Optimus said, patting the Mech's shoulder, "Just keep doing your best," he added. If there was one thing their Leader was fantastic at it was keeping the morale. He is sure he would have burned his circuits from stress otherwise.

"Optimus! Skyfire!" then cried a familiar voice.

"Ah. I believe they have arrived," the Autobot Leader commented.

The shuttle turned to see the Femme stumbling toward him against the quakes with two metal boxes stacked on top of each other.

"Here's two, complete sensory units..." she breathed as she placed the heavy cargo on the desk beside them, "Hopefully the thing'll be good to go," she added.

"Ah! Brilliant! Thank you, Shadeweaver!" Skyfire said gratefully before slotting the units into place and keying in some commands.

"So how long will this take?" she asked.

"Well, assuming the unit is fully primed and ready to use, which it seems to be, it should take less than a breem," Skyfire replied.

"I would say a few astroseconds," said a familiar voice; Shadeweaver wheeled around surprised to see the smirking Mech in question, supported by his two Trinemates, "I modified the flux crystals with two energon diodes I found. It should help speed up the flow," he added.

"Hm. Good call," Skyfire commented, turning to look at the injured Mech but couldn't help bit vent, "I suppose you will be returning to the Decepticon base after this is over?" he surmised.

"Yes, and you to the Autobots, I presume?" he asked.

Skyfire simply nodded. "Yes. As much I missed working with you again, I'm afraid I do not share the same Decepticon ideals of rulership and conquest," the Shuttle said.

Though he did not react, Shadeweaver could see the tension between them. It was actually quite sad to see an old friendship that had become strained during the war. From what Skyfire told her, they were close, almost like brothers and that he was nothing like the cold-sparked Decepticon he was now. He often said that he was sad to see the monster that Megatron had turned him into. This revelation often made her wonder what Starscream was like before the war. Did Megatron really make him into something he's not, or was he always a wolf in sheep's clothing? She guessed only time would tell but right now there was not a lot of time to spare.

"Anyway, are the codes ready to deploy?" Starscream asked as he took position as his post, surprising his ex-colleague.

"Starscream, are you sure you are well enough to-" the Shuttle started, glancing at the open wound on his side.

"Hn, I am more than capable of typing a few commands, thank you very much," he snorted, "Besides, I am the only other one here qualified to pass the arrays through the firewall," he added. Which was true; the once-friend, however, couldn't help but be concerned for his well-being.

"In that case, yes; Port 1: open," Skyfire said, turning a dial.

"Receiving datastream. Port 2: open and engaging stella array," Starscream replied, pressing a series of buttons, "Ready?" he asked, receiving nod in acknowledgement.

"Initiating power flux."

As the two scientists pulled down a lever each, the machine whirled to life as a low whirr filled the room. The rotors moved into position and to everyone's relief, a beam of light shot up into the ceiling. Skyfire clicked a latch on the panel and Starscream adjusted a dial, allowing the beam to strengthen.

"Good. The vortex is still strong enough," Starscream eventually said, "It is weaker than we'd like it to be but it should hold for a good few astroseconds," he added.

"Very good, Skyfire and you too Starscream," Optimus commended, "Is everyone accounted for?" he called out to the group.

"We're all here, Optimus," replied an Autobot.

"Thank you, Blaster," the Autobot Leader thanked the Mech, "In that case, everyone; let's roll out," he eventually said, earning a few cheers. It was then that, one by one, mech started to walk through the beam, hopefully to the safety of their universe.

"How do we know they're not just walking into their deaths?" muttered a Decepticon, a Seeker.

"They're not," Shadeweaver said.

"The Pit would you know, Glitch or should I say, Autobot?" he scoffed, clearly commenting on the fact that she was a Seeker in the Autobot faction. "Whatever; C'mon Thrust, Dirge," the Mech eventually said before guiding them towards the light, "Let's get the Frag outta here."

Shadeweaver, however, could sense the new feelings of hope and relief filling the chest from her bond that had remained strong through all the chaos.

o0o0o

Drumming his fingers on the panel, he listened and waited for a response. After an agonising hour of nothing but white noise had passed, he blinked a faint voice stuttered through the static.

"Huh? I think I'm getting something," Chip spoke up.

"Really? Then they're ok?" Spike asked.

"Yeah… Wow! It's really coming in strong now," Chip replied as more and more voices streamed through the frequency. It was then that to their surprise, a light enveloped the room and, one by one, each of the Autobots reappeared.

Chip couldn't help but rub his eyes as the bizarre scene of Autobots just winking back into existence played before him.

"Hey, Kid!" the Autobot Mechanic as he reappeared more or less in the exact spot he vanished, "Been holding the fort for me, hey?" he grinned.

"Wheeljack! Am I glad to see you!" Chip grinned back, "But yeah, the panel's on auxiliary power but it was enough to keep it running," he added.

"Good to know. Thanks kid. We owe ya," Wheeljack commended, taking over operations.

"Yeah, amazing job," chimed Sideswipe joined in, "You sure you ain't a robot in disguise?" he joked a little with a cheeky grin.

"Ha-ha. I wish! But thanks, Sides," Chip laughed a little.

"Hey, do you guys know if Shade's ok?" asked Joe, seeing that some of the Autobots had started arriving back.

"Yeah, she's a-ok," replied Jazz, "She'll be back in no time at all," grinned.

"That's a relief!" Cathy breathed, "You know, no one back home will ever believe half the crazy slag we've encountered with you guys," she added.

"Ha-ha! I know, right?" Spike laughed, "It's like we're living in some crazy sci-fi flick." (A/N: if only he knew lol)

o0o0o

Back in the abandoned science facility, the last few Mechs remained with each going through the beam one at a time. Skyfire glanced at his once-friend manning his post, clearly tiring as energon dripped from his wound.

"Are you sure you can continue, Starscream?" Skyfire asked, growing more concerned.

"I'm fine, just go on ahead," Starscream dismissed.

"Very well, take care of yourself, Starscream. It has been an honour," Skyfire said, holding out a servo. Starscream looked at the servo for a moment and to the Mech's surprise, accepted it.

He smirked.

"And you, just make sure to stay away from adverse weather conditions in between battles. We'd hate to lose a decent adversary." Skyfire couldn't help but burst out laughing at the reference.

"Whatever you say, Starscream," the Autobots chuckled, "Farewell, old friend," he added before entering the bridge.

"You do know that it does not have to be this way, Starscream," the low baritone of the Autobot Leader chimed, observing the exchange.

"I did not ask your opinion, Prime," Starscream scoffed, "What friendship we had in the past is exactly that; an old work partnership that is now defunct and no longer of my concern. I would never join you or your cronies anyway, not after the atrocities you caused," he sneered.

"Very well, I will leave you to your thoughts," Optimus sighed, "But please know that there are things that you do not yet know. I would advise you to search from both sources before you cast judgement," he added before crossing the threshold.

Thundercracker raised an optical ridge.

"What did he mean by that?"

"I'm not sure," Starscream admitted but then snorted, "Probably just cooking up some other scheme to catch us at a disadvantage," he scoffed.

Shadeweaver, who was quietly watching the whole exchange, could see the conflict. She wanted to say something but she knew better. He was a proud Mech where interference would only make things worse. The best thing she could do was say nothing at all and offer support when required.

Megatron then stepped up but not before glaring into the Femme's optics.

"Well, I suppose we part yet again, Little Femme," he sneered, "It seems that you Autobots are like worms, slippery and disgusting," he added, forcing her to look into his optics. She slapped it away instinctively, earning a scowl then a guffaw.

"Good to know that you still have some spirit in you," Megatron commented, "You shall make a great asset to our armada but for now, alas; we must part. Fare thee well," he added mockingly before entering the space bridge.

"Good riddance," Shadeweaver muttered under her breath. She then glanced at the injured Seeker still at his post with his Trinemates at his side. Thundercracker gave a brief smirk and nod out of respect before she eventually took the plunge.

o0o0o

Opening her optics, saw it was night and that she was back in the desert that she had grown accustomed to. Looking at herself, she saw that to her surprise she was whole. No scratches, dents, scuffs...nothing. Even the little bit from the scraplet on her leg was gone. It was as though she had never even left. Checking her systems, a conforming array of frequencies recurred, and both her T-Cog and phase converter whirred to life once more. There was a slight flash of light as none other than Starscream appeared moments later. They just blinked

"Huh. Well, that was anticlimactic," Shadeweaver commented, "It's like nothing happened," she added.

"Hn. It seems that our state of being was reset back to how it was before the vortex opened, including our locations," Starscream suggested, "This will make for a very interesting scientific report to say the least," he added. Shadeweaver couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, it's like some weird Doctor Who episode or something," she commented, "A TV show about a time travelling alien, basically. It's Joe's favourite," she added, answering the blank stare. He just cocked an optical ridge.

"Forget it…Anyway, so what's the plans now?," she asked, changing the subject.

"Well, for now I will head back to headquarters and report to Megatron," Starscream replied, "Then I believe a few cubes of energon is in order," he added. She just laughed.

"Heh, yeah; I don't blame ya. Might sneak a wee drink myself," Shadeweaver admitted, he smirked a little in response. "Anyway… I suppose I'd better get back," the Femme eventually said, "The others will be wondering where I am."

"Fair enough," Starscream nodded, "I will be in touch in due course to discuss matters further but for now, do try and stay out of trouble," he added with a smirk.

"Ha-ha, you're one to talk," Shadeweaver laughed, "Really though, you be careful. Especially as Megatron has been getting a bit unpredictable lately," she said a little more seriously. He regarded her, noting the concern lacing her persona. It was then that an odd, uncomfortable feeling began to develop.

"I should go," the Decepticon said suddenly, breaking eye contact.

"Ok. Take care," Shadeweaver said before two familiar voices called out from the dark night desert. She wheeled around and relief washed over her as her two human siblings appeared from the undergrowth.

"Hey, you guys," Shadeweaver grinned, crouching down to let them board her servo.

"Oh! My God! Shade!" Cathy grinned, "Are we glad to see you!"

"Yeah, that was some weird slag," Joe commented, "We thought you'd, you know, died at first. If it hadn't been for Chip's quick thinking, I don't know if we could've stayed sane," he added.

"If you do not mind, I will take my cue to leave," chimed Starscream.

"Sure, go on ahead and take care, Screamer," she added with a smirk out of jest. He scowled.

"Must you call me by that infernal nickname?" Starscream vented tired.

"Well, maybe if you stop calling me 'Femme' I might consider it," Shadeweaver hinted.

"Ok, then; Autobot," Starscream smirked.

"You jerk," Shadeweaver vented, servos on her hips. Joe burst out laughing.

"Wow, Shade; you fell for that one," Cathy laughed.

"Hey, don't encourage him, you two," Shadeweaver chided, "But yeah, have a safe journey," she added with Starscream moving away. "Oh! And; here! On the house!" she called, tossing him a small black cube. He raised an optical ridge before sub spacing it. The Seeker then gave a small smirk to the mismatched trine before transforming and blasting off into the sky. Shadeweaver then, tearing her optics away from the newly-formed vapour trails, walked towards the golden sheen of the Ark gleaming like a beacon in the moonlight.

"Dunno about you but I'm dying for a drink," Joe commented.

"Aype. I still have some Glendronach left," Cathy agreed.

"Ha-ha, you too? Seems to be a recurring theme around here," Shadeweaver laughed a little, "C'mon then, not too much now, though. Can't have two hungover pilots in the morning."

o0o0o

Meanwhile, back in the Decepticon base, the report to Megatron had gone relatively smoothly for once. To his surprise, the Warlord had actually commended him on the success of the space bridge and opened up new opportunities for future exploration. He knew, however, that this was short lived and half expected to bear the usual berating the following Cycle.

After a long, eventful cycle, the Air Commander, having carried out the last few duties sat at his desk writing a quick log, while Thundercracker lay on his berth. Anyone reading this would have thought he had just had one or two too many high-grade considering the asurdness of it all. Shaking his helm at the bizarre entry to say the least, he filed the datapad just as a sudden whoosh followed and a slap from a certain black and purple pain-in-the-aft made him practically jump out his protoform.

"Ya'll right Screamer?" grinned the nonchalant menace in question.

"Primus, Warp!" Starscream blurted out, "How many times have I told you not to do that!?" he chided.

"Whoa. Chill, Screamer," Skywarp said with servos raised, "Just checking to see if you're alright?"

"Well, I was perfectly fine until about two astroseconds ago," Starscream hinted, narrowing his optics at the buffoon of a Trinemate.

"Oh. Really? You slaggin' near had a spark attack there," Thundercracker pointed out with a small humorous smirk, the stoic Seeker's words then radiated through their bond for privacy's sake, 'Besides, you've been staring at that same datapad for almost a breem. Sure you're alright?' he asked. Starscream just vented as Thundercracker and Skywarp could obviously pick up on his tension.

'I'm fine. I just have a lot on my processor, that's all,' Starscream responded. He paused for a moment. 'Also, I believe Megatron may have just made the situation more complicated,' he added.

'Really? How come,' Skywarp asked, now concerned.

'Well, our Dear Lord had recently ordered me to, and I quote, 'gain her trust',', Starscream revealed, his two trinemates exchanged looks for a moment.

'But why? I thought he's been trying to hide all this from us and the other Seekers,' Thundercracker hinted, 'Why is he suddenly getting you involved?' he asked. He had a very good point.

'I am unsure TC but we all know that this cannot in anyway be good,' Starscream replied.

'Hey, Screamer. You don't supposed Megatron already knows about you getting her out?' Skywarp hinted.

'No. I don't think that is the case,' Starscream answered almost certain; if he had, he would not be standing here in one piece. 'Though, I do believe he is suspicious,' Starscream continued, 'I believe he will certainly keep a closer optic on both her and me, and he will expect me to follow through with the deception,' he added.

'So, what're gonna do now?' Skywarp asked.

'Well, for the time being I think it is best to continue with the cooperation with the Autobots; I believe that will actually work in our favour. Though, we will have to be extremely careful about what we do and say around her,' Starscream said, 'I will talk to the Femme in private about it when I can. I will possibly get Prime involved as well as his aid would be an asset in this situation,' he added.

'Well, sounds like you've got a plan, at least,' Thundercracker said, venting at the inconvenience of the situation, 'I'm just slaggin' tired of this whole thing and that Fraggin' Femme,' he added. Though he got his sentiment, that last comment didn't sit well with him. After all, it wasn't really her fault that Megatron was so adamant in killing her trinemates. Organic or not, they had just as much right to protection as any other trine. Besides, he had to admit that she wasn't actually all that bad for an Autobot when she decides to not be a nuisance for once.

'I understand your feelings on the matter, Thundercracker, but please remember that as Seekers, it is our sole duty to protect others if they are in danger,' Starscream pointed out, 'Would you really wish a Seeker to experience the loss of both of her Trine Bonds? I certainly wouldn't,' he hinted. The thought made both Thundercracker and Skywarp cringe hard; no Seeker would ever wish that on any living thing let alone another Seeker.

'Yeah, yeah. I get you, Screamer,' Thundercracker hummed solemnly; though he didn't say it, he could sense the apology in his side of the bond.

'But anyway, for now let's just end it here here and we can worry about it later,' Starscream continued, 'I will speak to the Femme in person during the first phase of the deception; with Prime too if possible. But do not worry for now, at least and whatever you do, never speak about this to anyone. In fact only ever either communicate via Private Comm, Trine Bond or Seekercant as we do not know when or how Megatron will be tracking us,' he added. Thundercracker just nodded

"Alright, fine," Thundercracker confirmed aloud, "Anyway, crappy watered-down low-grade anyone?" he suggested, holding a couple of cubes.

"Please; I'll have anything to drown today's fiasco," Starscream replied, taking one with a faint lilac sheen.

"By the way, what's with the little cube?" Skywarp asked, seeing the small black cube sitting on his desk.

"Oh. It's something the Femme gave me," Starscream replied, picking it up, "I haven't had a chance to look at it yet," he added, examining it. It was then that he saw it was a subspace container and managed to open the lid and, to his and his Trinemates' surprise, revealed two decent-sized bottles of high-grade. He then read the embedded message.

'Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp

Found this on the weird island (Someone's secret stash, I think, ha-ha) and thought you three would appreciate it. Try not to drink it all at once.

Love Shadeweaver x'

"Whoa! That's like good quality high-grade!" Skywarped gaped.

"Yeah, good maturing date as well," Thundercracker commented, "Want some?"

"You bet I do!" Skywarp said eagerly, "Screamer?"

"Sure, why not," Starscream replied, allowing his Trinemate to do the honour. Then with a pop and a faint fizz, he poured and handed out a cube to each filled with a rich cyan liquor. Taking a sip of the rich, smooth high-grade, the three felt like they had offlined and gone to what the Humans call heaven.

"Oh! My Primus, I forgot just how good this stuff was," Skywarp gushed.

"Hmm. Just like the good old days," Thundercracker hummed, "Why did she even do this?" he commented.

"Uncertain," Starscream said truthfully as he didn't really understand her motives but could not ignore the nice gesture, "She is rather spontaneous it seems," he added.

"Well whatever it is, this stuff's the greatest!" Thundercracker downing his cube (A/N: An actual quote from the show that I had to include lol)

"Got that straight, Bro," Skywarp agreed, draining his energon, "Welp. That was a blast. Anyways, I'm off to recharge guys. See ya in the morning," he added, slamming his empty cube down before lying on his berth.

"Yeah, me too," Thundercracker said, "See ya," he added before he too settled into his berth.

Starscream then with one last gloss over the cube, and it's little message, smirked a little before subspacing it. He then followed his Trinemates example and too, turned into his berth.

Author notes: Yaasss I finally made a new chapter, le gasp. So yes, that was chapter 14 done and dusted, and everyone's back where they should be but what about Megatron and his obsession with Shadeweaver? What will happen now that Starscream has been forced into his plans?

Thanks for reading and for your insane patience.

Hope you liked it :)