Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or any of the characters mentioned in the story. They are trademarks of Hasbro and the other companies responsible for their creation. So pleeez don't sue me.

When We Were Young
Chapter 22: Opponents Meet

"Ha! Victory!" Blitzwing sang as they exited the stadium and headed back toward the hotel.

"Again!" Dirge added.

"We, crushed those Nebulans like rusted metal!" Ramjet punched a fist into his other hand.

"Only one obstacle remains." Soundwave spoke. "Autobots."

"Yeah," everyone sneered

"All right kids, let's get back to the hotel and check up on Thundercracker and Skywarp." Skyfire ushered the the young transformers out of the locker room under the stadium.

"Hey, Soundie! How 'bout some victory music?" Blitzwing gave Soundwave a punctuating clap on the back.

Soundwave nodded and pressed the "Play" button on his abdomen. The sound that resonated was a heavy, loud, but energetic song that Soundwave had recorded Blitzwings' voice for two days before they left for the tournament. Needless to say it quickly became Blitzwings' favorite song.

Starscream lingered for a few seconds watching the others exit the locker room before turning to Skyfire who was smiling at him. Starscream frowned back.

"Why are you here?" Starscream's voice was almost a hiss. "What wasn't it you who lectured me about how barbaric this game was and that how anyone who joined it was no better than a savage! Did you come here to mock me?"

"No." Skyfire looked distressed. "After our 'talk' I thought about things, and it wasn't right of me to smash you down when you were so happy. I should have been more supportive of my friend. "

The two stood in silence for a moment. Skyfire was no longer smiling, but Starscream was no longer frowning.

"You were brilliant out there." Skyfire offered quietly. " I must admit, after watching you, the game takes more thought than I gave it credit for. Even though I've refreed some of the games, I have never actually watched them or study them for any kind of enjoyment, I was always looking for someone making a mistake."

Starscream chuckled then smiled a proud smile. "Yes I was pretty good wasn't I? Skywarp better watch his step."

Skyfire smiled back. "Yes he should. Come on let's catch up to the others before they do something destructive in my absence."

"Heh."

When Starscream and Skyfire caught up to the other Decepticons they were already on the main communicator in the room in which they were staying, however they seemed to be having trouble keeping the reception. The screen would go clear for a second, but then become fuzzy.

"Blast this outdated equipment." Shockwave spat. At least the audio com was working.

"I think it's us." Megatron growled.

Soundwave stood up apparently finished with what he was doing with the cords, then calmly punched a few buttons and the screen became as clear as crystal.

"Good work Soundwave." Megatron smirked. "Shockwave report."

"Yes. Thundercracker and Skywarp have reached full recovery, they are on their way to your position now, and should arrive within the hour." Shockwave announced.

"Excellent." Megatron said while the other players cheered in the background, with the exception of Starscream who looked as if someone had died.

"I hope you don't mind Thundercracker taking over from here Soundwave." Megatron said casually.

"Negative. Thundercracker is better built for the keeper position." Soundwave stated calmly.

"Right. Hey Starscream -- " Megatron turned to address the red seeker, but caught only a pair of wings disappearing through the door to the next room.

Megatron glanced briefly at Skyfire who was shaking his head disdainfully.

"Blast, I should have foreseen this." Megatron hissed quietly to Soundwave so that the others couldn't hear, but Soundwave could which was not hard to do considering Soundwave's sharp hearing and how loud the others were talking.

"Don't distract yourself his emotions. He must deal with what he has been dealt." There was an iciness to Soundwave's monotone voice that caught Megatron a little off guard.

"Megatron," Shockwave spoke again. "One more thing, the Headmaster himself is transporting Skywarp and Thundercracker to you."

"Really? I guess the Quintesson matter has been cleared up." Megatron said more to himself than to Shockwave.

"All right! The Headmaster's comin'!" Blitzwing cheered. The Headmaster was the only transformer besides Astrotrain that Blitzwing truly respected.

"Well let's start over to the docking bay shall we?" Dirge smirked.

"Hey Screamer, where are you? We're heading over to wait for 'Cracker and 'Warp." Thrust called out a little louder than necessary.

"I'm...I'm...in the cleansing chamber," Starscream's voice came from the other room. "I'll...I'll meet you there."

"Suit yourself!"Blitzwing called, "Let's go guys!"

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With leaden steps Starscream made his way to the docking bay. The reason for his slow progress was not because he did not want to see Skywarp and Thundercracker, but because with Skywarp and Thundercracker back – particularly Skywarp - Starscream was going to be out of his forward position, and Skywarp would be back in.

For moment a thought of Skywarp having an accident before the game, getting injured so he could not play, and then Starscream could have his position back for the big game against the Autobots.

Starscream don't think that, Skywarp is your best friend, does that position mean so much to you that you would sacrifice him for it? Starscream berated himself mentally.

No, and yes. I want that position so bad, I want a place of fame and adoration. I'm just as good as Skywarp, even better. I'm a lot smarter than he is. I deserve a place fame and adoration.

Stop it! Stop it! Skywarp is your friend!

"Hey Screamer!"

Startscream shook the previous thoughts to the back of his mind as the aforementioned back and purple seeker jogged up to him, followed by the rest of the War Ball Team.

"Hey 'Warp." Starscream plastered a smile of his face. "How are the wings Thundercracker?"

"Back on my back, where they should be." the blue seeker chuckled.

"Well Skyfire, I think I can take it from here." The Headmaster addressed the white transformer.

"Yes, good luck boys." Skyfire said to the group, but was looking straight at Starscream. Then without another word he turned and left.

"So Headmaster, has the event with the Quintesson been cleared up?" Megatron asked carefully.

"We've got him in suspended animation until I return. It was decided that I should at least be present for the Decepticon/Autobot match." The Headmaster smirked.

Megatron returned the smirk, and went to join up with the other team members who were talking and laughing just ahead.

Heaven's War stood still for a moment, just gazing at the young Decepticons before him.

I hope they are in such good spirits by this time tomorrow.

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Skywarp was brought out of recharge, by someone shaking his shoulder.

"Uh...go away..." Skywarp grumbled and turned over.

However, his tormentor would not be driven off so easily. Thi8s time he was jolted out of recharge by someone pulling out one of the recharge bed plugs attached to his back.

"That's it I'm gonna---" Skywarp was cut off when a hand clamped over his mouth.

"Quiet! You'll wake the headmaster." The voice belonged to Thundercracker.

"What's up?" Skywarp whispered when his mouth was finally free to talk.

"Megatron wants to get in some last minute practice. Come on."

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"Excellent we got the stadium to ourselves." Blitzwing crowed.

"Never did this with Astrotrain did you guys?" Megatron smirked. "Whenever I was in a different stadium as a gladiator, Proximo would get me into the stadium when it was empty before a big match, so I could walk around and get acquainted with the environment."

"What's it like being a gladiator?" Blitzwing asked.

"Well, when you get past your life being on the line every cycle, it has some good points." Megatron answered staring thoughtfully at the empty seats of the stadium.

"Like what, specifically?" Starscream asked.

"Just imagine several thousand spectators watching every movement of your sword, willing you to make that killer blow. The silence before you strike and the noise afterwards rises and rises up like a storm as if you were Primus himself."

Megatron smiled inwardly as the others stared at him with wide, captivated optics.

"Bet you took your opponents down in 30 seconds flat." Starscream said eagerly.

"I wasn't the best because I killed quickly, I was the best because the crowd loved me." Megatron looked down at the ground and chuckled. "I tell you there were a good many Autobots at my matches, that's why we'll win, the Autobots want the same power we do, but are too weak to get it."

"Yeah, we'll beat the scrap out of them." Ramjet raised a fist.

"Oh Primus, I don't believe it." Thrust spat. Sure enough over at the other of end of the field was the Autobot War Ball team.

" Look who's here." Megatron smirked, as the Autobots approached them

"We want no trouble Megatron, we'll stick to one side of the field and you can stick yours." the captain of the team, Optimus Prime stepped forward.

"Afraid I can't agree to that Prime, you see we want the whole field and its first come first serve and we were here first." Megatron stated calmly.

"What is with you Decepticons and not compromising?" the Autobot forward Jazz.

"Because compromising means you're settling for less. So why have only a part when you could have it all?" Blitzwing sneered.

"Decepticons superior; Autobots inferior." Soundwave spoke putting his two cents in.

"Yeah what he said." Ramjet added.

Megatron smiled as he saw the angry looks cross the usually cheerful Autobots. He noticed the twins Skywarp and Thundercracker staring murderously at the Autobot twins Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, who stared right back just as lethal.

"Well if it's a fight ya' want we'll be glad ta' give it." The big red bot Ironhide growled taking a challenging step forward.

"Ease up Ironhide. That might be just what they want, to get us into trouble." Prime held up a hand.

"Really Prime, you read too much into things, all we want is the field. Our goalkeeper wants some extra practice and so we're going to give it to him. He's been out for a little while you see." Megatron motioned to Thundercracker, who drew himself up proudly.

"What happened? your poor little wings get broken?" Sideswipe said in mock concern, while Sunstreaker laughed.

"Why you little---" Skywarp tried to lunge at Sidswipe, but Thundercracker grabbed his wings to hold him back.

"At least I'm not a two-faced bully with a hideous paint job!" Thundercracker spat back at the Autobot twins.

That was the last circuit.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe tackled Thundercracker and Skywarp, and the two lambroginis and the two jets were rolling around on the ground trying to get the upper hand on each other and cursing.

"Sideswipe! Sunstreaker! Stop!" Prime called out.

"Sabotage!" Megatron yelled and pointed an accusing finger at Optimus. "Decepticons defend yourselves! Attack!"

For the next five minutes the Autobots and Decepticons had gotten themselves into an all out brawl. Everyone seemed to take one their opposite from the other team.

Starscream dodged a punch from the Autobot named Jazz, shifted his balance and kicked upward nailing Jazz in the jaw. The red jet found to his own surprise he quite enjoyed combat. There was a strange pleasure in overpowering someone else.

Optimus Prime managed to throw off Megatron enough to speak.

"Call off your team Megatron! There is no reason we should be fighting like this."

"Tell me, why did they replace Orion Pax with such a peace lover like you. At least Pax had some fight in him." Megatron sneered.

"It's this 'fight' that lead him to his fate. We both know what happened to Orion. The night someone he admired stabbed him in the back and nearly killed him." Optimus shouted back.

"Nearly? And just how do you know this?" Megatron frowned.

" Because I am Orion Pax!"

For a moment genuine shock crossed Megatron's face, but the moment was broken when Prime tackled him.

"ENOUGH!" A booming voice echoed around the stadium causing all of the students to freeze

Alpha Trion, the Headmaster of the Autobot Academy of Science and Knowledge, jumped down from his high place in the stands and landed gracefully on the field.

"Autobots! To me!" He shouted.

The Autobot students quickly abandoned their Decepticon opponents, and ran to their superior.

"I suggest you head back to your current residence before you get yourselves into more trouble," Alpha Trion scolded the young Decepticons.

"As I seem to recall it was your group of students that threw the first punch, Trion" Heavens War came up behind his students.

"Heavens War, " Alpha Trion's voice softened. "it's been too long."

"Only since the last tournament." Heavens War said flatly.

"Even still all of those times, we have never spoken."

"There is nothing more I can say to you that has not already been said." Heavens War's tone was still calm, but it sounded tight and restrained.

"Why must things continue on like this?" Alpha Trion suddenly sounded trion.

"Until one side admits he was wrong." Heavens War answered simply.

There was and uneasy moment of silence in which the students glanced back and forth between their headmasters and each other. I didn't take a smart person to guess only half the conversation was being said.

Soundwave read the radiations from the headmaster with some shock. He had never seen the Headmaster this angry before. No not just anger, the Headamaster radiated utter hat and loathing towards the Autobot Alpha. The only thing externally that indicated the hate that the headmaster felt from his calm stance were his fists clenched so tightly that his fingers might bore into his hand.

"A new captain for your team, I see." Heavens War, said looking coldly at Optimus Prime.

"Yes, this is Optimus Prime." Alph Trion said proudly.

"Orion Pax, you mean." Megatron spat, arms crossed over his chest.

All optics shifted from Megatron to Optimus Prime.

"Yes, I was Orion Pax, and I suppose in some ways I still am. Not too long ago Orion met up with a dangerous person, a person Orion didn't know just how dangerous he was until it was too late. The person for whatever reason tried to kill Orion, fortunately his friedns found him and took him to Alpha Trion before he ceased functioning." Optimus never took his optics away from Megatron the whole time he spoke. "I changed my name in the hope that whoever wanted me dead would not come after me again."

Another moment of intense silence followed. Then once again Heavens War broke it.

"And interesting design you chose for his new form. Wherever did you get the inspiration?" Heavens War spat out the words through clenched teeth an accused an surprisingly betrayed look in his visor.

"From one the greatest designers of them all." Alpha Trion said softly.

The Decepticon Headmaster looked slightly taken aback. Apparently that was not answer he had expected.

Alpha Trion then turned to his other Autobots. "Come boys, let us get some rest, you have a big game ahead of you."

The other Autobots nodded and followed their headmaster toward the stadium exit, each of them casting last minute death glares at the group of Decepticons, who returned them with equal zeal.

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Greetings,

Long time no see. Today marks the two year anniversary of when I first started "When We Were Young."

I apologize for not working on it for so long. College, my job and my Harry Potter Fanfiction have kind of taken over things. I am determined to finish this story. It may take a while, but I will finish it.

Thank you for sticking with me for so long and I can only hope that you will continue to do so.

Till Next Time!

Vega Sailor

P.S. Would anyone be interested in being my beta reader for future chapters?