The Day We Hailed The Heavens

Chapter 27

Would she think of him, at the very last moment? Would his name be her last word... screamed out in terror and desperation as she died? Screamed out in vain, and to nothingness...?

... would she scream for him to save her?

An aggravated hiss escaped him when Thundercracker interrupted his thoughts with a white-hot Cybertronian rocket, which slammed straight into his flank and sent him completely off-course as he was forced, by the ensuing pressure, to bank to the left. But as incensed as he was by the resulting pain - not to mention his now-smoking side - his mind was elsewhere entirely. He was remembering the days of plotting to overthrow Megatron... the days of endless scheming for the position as leader.

Starscream, for the first time in three years, was formulating a plan.

Could he... no, perhaps not... but wait... yes, he could! Unicron was right over the planet now - the entrance his maw was only a mile or two above the atmosphere, surely. If he could... transform back into his original Cybertronian jet form, as he had when he had left Earth after the first battle at Mission City... yes... then use his advanced thrusters to make greater speed...

Megatron would probably have laughed himself senseless at such a hurried, slapdash and utterly illogical plan. But, in all honesty... Megatron was the one who was lying at the bottom of the ocean in his watery grave... not him.

/Hold your fire, Thundercracker/ he simpered in a misleadingly syrupy tone.

Dear Primus... he hadn't even realised that his voice could sound that hideously... kiss-ass, as Sam would undoubtedly have put it. Then again, it must have done back on Cybertron, in the days when he had been trying to get on Megatron's good side and earn his trust, so that he would have the opportunity to kill him when he wasn't expecting it... not that that had worked...

Static was all that he could hear over the radio for a moment; Thundercracker was probably just as surprised as he was, and rightfully suspicious of his intentions. /Don't play games with me, Starscream. We're finishing this today!/

/I asked you to stop shooting at me, idiot/ Starscream snapped, annoyed. /I didn't ask you to be my new best friend./

Thundercracker said nothing in response for almost a minute - not counting his snort of dismissive annoyance at Starscream's words, of course. That went without saying... he had always been downright impertinent, even when Starscream had been Air Commander, and in possession of a far higher rank in the Decepticon militia. That was the Seeker's problem, in Starscream's opinion - he was far too disrespectful of those who were, evidently, his rightful superiors in the universe.

He would learn, very soon, that it was extremely unwise to disregard the mighty Starscream. Starscream... who was about to try and save his mate from the jaws of death itself.

Like a hero.

Noticing the fact that Thundercracker hadn't tried to fire on him since he had ordered him not to - ah, perhaps he does remember the days of being my subordinate, he thought smugly - he decided he probably ought to announce his leave-taking to the Autobots before he made his escape. He had a parting gift for Thundercracker, but he had to alert the others to the fact that they were losing one of their principal aerial combatants.

/Starscream to Ironhide./

Ironhide sounded tremendously frustrated when he responded - then again, he was battling hordes of drones on the ground. Besides, the aged warrior wasn't nearly as blessed in the fighting skills department as he was. /What do you want?/