Author's Notes: Well, after neglecting this story for nearly a month, I've finally finished it! This gives me hope that maybe I will be able to finish My Last Word Was Argh!. I must say, the tone of this one is a little different than its prequel, From: Your Friend, but I still think it turned out well. I hope you like it, and thanks to everyone who has read this story :)

Chapter 4

"You wanted to see me, pal?" Swindle asked Scavenger as he was escorted by the green and purple 'Con to the geology lab.

"Yes, Swindle. Did you procure the parts I requested?" Scavenger asked smoothly despite the pit growing in his intakes.

"Of course, and I expect my 400 creds now or else you won't get them," Swindle replied; untrusting of Constructicons and their superior attitude.

"You'll get them," Scavenger smiled, and then added, "Of course, that 400 could be easily turned into 700 for a small favor…"

"Name it," Swindle demanded; his purple optics aglow from the prospect of more cash.

"I want you to help me make something," Scavenger told him, "The money includes the parts, your services, and your secrecy. No one else must know what I'm doing here, understand?"

"Secrecy costs 50 creds extra," Swindle insisted.

"Ugh! Fine! Just keep your trap shut!" Scavenger snapped impatiently.

With the details ironed out, the two began to work on the device; a large temperature regulator for guardian model mechs. Swindle was no dummy, though. He knew who this thing was for. Omega Supreme was the only guardian model robot that was still alive, so unless Megatron was trying to make a new one (which wouldn't warrant secrecy from a Combaticon) then the part had to be for Omega Supreme.

It took 45 minutes for the duo to complete and test the device. They were efficient, and Scavenger was grateful for that. He really wasn't sure Swindle was qualified for this, but he knew the yellow jeep was easily bribed and would therefore keep his secret. There was just one more finishing touch he needed to add before he gave this thing to the Autobots…

Red Alert sat in the monitor room with Inferno watching the security cameras he had installed all over the Ark. Inferno sipped his morning energon contentedly as the red and white Lamborghini Red Alert kept an optic on the cameras. Sometimes Inferno feared his old friend was too high-strung for his own good.

Red Alert was so busy looking at the cameras on the inside of the Ark that he almost missed the Decepticon driving right up to the Ark like he owned the place! Inferno caught the visual and shoved Red Alert to make him look at the monitor!

"What the?" Red Alert nearly fell out of his chair when he saw what he had missed! The Decepticon was nearly on top of them!

/Red Alert to Optimus Prime! Come in Prime! We're under attack!/ Red Alert screamed into his comm.

Optimus heard, and sighed to himself. What had Red Alert found this time? Last time he thought a human-sized coat rack was an intruder, and before that he insisted Prowl was taking bribes from Sideswipe to keep the illegal high grade coming. Both, of course, were ludicrous. Reluctantly he answered his comm link to see what all the fuss was about this time.

/Sir, there's a Decepticon approaching the Ark at 175 mph! It's closing in fast!/ Red Alert shouted frantically.

/Can you ID the Decepticon?/ Optimus asked; suddenly interested.

/Um...Yes sir! It's Swindle the Combaticon!/ Red Alert informed him.

/I'm on my way!/ Optimus replied, /Send down Jazz, Ironhide, and Prowl to follow me! Prime out./

Optimus went to the main entrance where the others were already waiting and then transformed into his 18 wheeler mode. The 4 Autobots quickly made their way to where Swindle was heading, but by the time they got there he was already gone. Jazz looked to the right of the entrance and noticed a large metallic object that kind of looked like a box with microchips inside.

"What do you think it is, Prime?" Jazz asked as he hefted the heavy box to get a better look at it.

"If I'm not mistaken," Prowl said instead of Prime, "That is a temperature regulator. It appears to be quite large...Perhaps it is for Omega Supreme?"

"Yeah, that thing does look like the one I picked up back on Cybertron, only newer" Ironhide added, "It's probably a Decepticon trick. Why would Swindle give us one of these things, and for free no less? We all know that 'Con only serves himself!"

"Hm...Maybe somebody did pay him," Jazz speculated, "Could be they just didn't want to admit they got parts from a Decepticon."

"Perhaps…" Optimus looked at the part as he thought about possible motives and ramifications for using the device on Omega Supreme. Finally, he said "Take this part down to Ratchet and Wheeljack. They can test it for bombs or surveillance devices."

Everyone nodded their consent and transformed back into vehicle mode to drive to the hangar where Ratchet and Wheeljack were working on keeping Omega Supreme stabilized. As they drove off Jazz took the device inside his alt mode, and he noticed a note was strapped to the top of the part. He scanned it so he could read it before everyone else in case it was a threat or a demand for money. It read:

Forgive me, Omega Supreme.

From: Your Friend

P.S.: I hope the temperature regulator works. I made it myself…

Jazz analyzed the note. Nothing unusual about it except for a few drops of coolant spilled on the side of the paper. Of course, Jazz couldn't help but wonder how the Decepticon who wrote this even got paper that big! Still, there was one other thing that was odd about the situation; a Decepticon was claiming to be Omega Supreme's friend!

Wheeljack tested the device forwards and backwards trying to find a booby trap or a camera anywhere, but ultimately the device came up clean. In fact, the construction was so orderly he could tell that this was a device that had been built recently! No guardian parts looked this new! Someone went to a lot of trouble for this, which made the Autobots even more suspicious.

Ratchet, meanwhile, was growing impatient. While they were tinkering around with that blasted regulator he could've been using it to save Omega Supreme's life! He was tired of waiting, and when Wheeljack said it was all clear Ratchet didn't even wait for him to finish his sentence before taking the device off the table and swapping out the old device for the new one!

Ratchet worked quickly, and everyone else watched the monitors to see if the part would work and if Omega Supreme could recover in time. At first there didn't seem to be any difference, but after 30 seconds or so the monitors started to change. No one knew what those changes meant until they saw a relieved smile cross Ratchet's face plate. Omega Supreme would recover!

Three weeks later, Omega Supreme was sitting on top of the hill just as he did every day. Ever since he woke up things had been so confusing for him. He found out about the Decepticons giving him the part he needed to survive, and that his pen pal must have been a Decepticon in order to write the note that went with the part.

A Decepticon! His secret friend was a Decepticon! Omega Supreme was so angry! He felt used, hurt, and more alone than before this whole thing started! Decepticons were evil monsters that destroyed everything they touched and didn't care who they killed! They were the mindless drones of Megatron and his tyranny! At least, that was what Omega Supreme thought before. He wasn't so sure now. How could a 'Con be his friend if he was just a mindless slave?

He sighed deeply and offlined his optics to avoid the glare of the sun. Nothing made sense anymore! What was worse, his friend hadn't contacted him since that fateful day when he gave Omega Supreme a new part and a tear-soaked letter of apology. Why did he apologize? Just because he never said he was a Decepticon? That didn't make sense. His friend still saved his life! Why apologize for that? Unless…

Omega Supreme thought back to the last battle. He fought against Astrotrain, and after that had his skid plate handed to him by Devastator. Could it be…? Did the Constructicons build him that part? It didn't add up. They were brainwashed! How could brainwashed drones think for themselves? Omega Supreme had been hunting down the zombies that had once been his friends for so long that it felt second nature to him. His real friends would have never destroyed their own beloved Crystal City!

They weren't...They didn't...It wasn't true!

Omega Supreme sat there until evening fell trying to make sense of everything. He didn't know what kind of game the Decepticons were playing, but there was no way in The Pit this didn't have Megatron's slimy fingerprints all over it! How else could the Constructicons do this?

Omega Supreme looked down in time to see something approaching him. He saw green and purple and knew...A Constructicon!

Scavenger approached cautiously with a medium sized package in his servos. He would normally wait until Omega Supreme was asleep before depositing a gift for him, but this time he felt he couldn't take the coward's way out anymore. He had to talk to Omega Supreme.

"Constructicon!" Omega Supreme shouted ominously as he stood to his full height.

"Wait, Omega! I don't want to fight! I just want to talk! Please!" Scavenger pleaded frantically as he backed away uselessly from Omega Supreme.

"You: Talk!" Omega Supreme ordered as he sat back down with a loud earth shaking thud, "Five minutes!"

"Thank you, Omega," Scavenger ducked his head down as he sat. He briefly thought that this was probably a bad idea, "I brought you something! I hope you'll accept it. I know things haven't been good between us for a long time. That's why I was afraid to tell you who I really was. I didn't want you to reject me...again."

"Constructicons: evil!" Omega Supreme growled accusingly, "Destroyed Crystal City! Work for Megatron!"

"I know…" Scavenger's voice cracked on those words, "Believe me, I regret it, but I can't get out now. My brothers and I are a gestalt. Without me the whole thing goes down the tubes, and I can't do that to them no matter what I feel."

"No mind control?" Omega Supreme asked pointedly.

"No, Omega. There never was," Scavenger replied hollowly.

"Why lie?" Omega Supreme asked, his tone softening but not at all warm.

"We didn't lie. We just didn't correct you," Scavenger pointed out, "We tried to get you to come to our side. I didn't want us to stop being friends because of this. I should've known it wouldn't work. You worked for the council. Megatron never could convince the guardian robots to join us. I wish you could understand what we felt back then, and why Megatron's offer looked so good. We were the best at our craft, but no one cared about us. Construction mechs didn't mean anything to the council. No labor force did. No one respected us."

"Omega Supreme: respected you," Omega Supreme said solemnly, "Scavenger: kill. Constructicons: slaughter civilians. Why?"

"For Devastator," Scavenger said bluntly, "Megatron promised us that we would be the first of a new and powerful frame type. He promised us respect, power, and the total domination of those that would cast us aside like garbage! We were the first gestalt! Menasor, Defensor, Superion, and Bruticus wouldn't exist if it weren't for us! We were first! Crystal City's destruction was our initiation. Megatron wouldn't grant us the privilege of becoming a gestalt until we proved ourselves to him! We had no choice!"

"Constructicons: had choice. Could have said no," Omega Supreme pointed out, "Scavenger: kills without remorse. Friendship: terminated."

Omega Supreme crossed his arms over his chassis and looked away from the excavator. Scavenger felt his spark sink. He didn't want their friendship to end like this! Not after pouring out his spark to Omega Supreme and working so hard to save him!

"Wait! Please, Omega! At least open the gift I brought you!" Scavenger lifted the box up for Omega Supreme to examine as he spoke.

Omega Supreme looked down at the box and plucked it from Scavenger's servos. He looked at it, spun it around to look at the back, and then looked at the front again. He wanted to crush it in his hand like a bug, but it feared it may explode if he did. The Constructicons were geniuses, but they weren't exactly sane. Kind of like Wheeljack, now that he thought of it...

Reluctantly, he opened the box. Staring down into it, he saw a cube of energon. He looked confused, not knowing what was so special about energon.

"This is Mixmaster's special high grade," Scavenger explained with a hopeful smile, "Please, drink some. I'm sorry for everything I've done to you as Devastator. I can't actually control my actions when I'm in that form. It's very difficult to coordinate a gestalt. That's why Devastator is so stupid despite the combined intellect of myself and my gestalt brothers. Please, let me know if you like it."

Omega Supreme looked at the energon for a moment, and then looked back down at Scavenger with a severe look on his face.

"Scavenger: cannot control Devastator…" Omega Supreme said thoughtfully, "...But Scavenger can control Scavenger. You apologized to me, but what about everyone else you hurt? What about them?"

That was probably the longest stream of words Scavenger had heard from the big guy in millenia! It hurt him to realize Omega Supreme wasn't going to drink the energon, and he wasn't going to forgive Scavenger. He knew it was a possibility, but he hated facing the truth. Thousands of vorns of war and hatred had eroded their friendship beyond repair.

"I know you don't believe me Omega, but I really am sorry," Scavenger tried one last time, "I hate myself for what I've become, and I hope someday you can forgive me."

"Scavenger: stay Decepticon?" Omega Supreme suddenly asked; his tone serious and intent.

"Well I...I...Yes. I have to," Scavenger admitted, "I can't only think of myself and what I want. My gestalt needs me. I could never leave them, and they believe in the cause wholeheartedly. I'll probably be a Decepticon until the day I offline, whether I like it or not."

"Understood," Omega Supreme replied soberly, "Friendship: terminated. Leave now, before you are terminated."

"Alright, I guess this is goodbye then," Scavenger said dejectedly, "Take care of yourself, Omega. I guess when we meet next it'll be as enemies. See ya."

Omega said nothing. He merely watched as Scavenger transformed into excavator mode and slowly made his way down the hill. He held the energon in his hand still, and realized that after all this he needed a stiff drink. He gulped down the smooth elixir and exhaled tiredly.

Omega Supreme saw the last of the sun go down, and with nothing else to do decided to go into recharge mode. He pulled his blue tarp teddy bear out of subspace and considered whether or not to throw it away. It was an artifact, a remnant of a friendship that had died on Cybertron. Still, he didn't have the spark to abandon the gift Scavenger gave him to keep him company.

He cuddled up with the motley stuffed animal and slowly sank into recharge mode. With his luck he'd probably dream of Crystal City. Why couldn't his friends just be dead? It would be easier than dealing with this new evil persona they had collectively taken on. Oh well, he supposed that was why they were called Devastator.

The End