According to their internal clocks, a full chord – an entire week – has passed since the experience in the Chamber. Bumblebee kept true to his word, protecting Steeljaw from anyone who tried to get close. The Lupicon himself was napping in his guardian's lap when the sound of the brig's door opening roused him from his slumber. He intended on ignoring whoever was visiting them today, but his interest piqued when he picked up their scents.
It wasn't Thundertron or Starquest, or Brimstone and Cannonball...
It was Sandstorm and Dust Devil.
"Remind me again why you brought me down here?" Dust Devil asked.
"We need to talk," Sandstorm said. With a wave of his servo, he gestured to the three imprisoned mechs.
"All of us."
Nobody knew what Sandstorm was getting at.
What is there to talk about?
"I guess now's as good a time as any to mention that we don't have security cameras installed here in the brig," Sandstorm added. Still, nobody else said anything.
"Fine. Since it's apparent that you require some motivation..."
In the blink of an eye, Sandstorm unsheathed his cutlass and jumped Dust Devil. The larger flight-frame shrunk away from the blade, but after cringing for about a minute without feeling any pain, he opened his tightly closed optics.
"I had a feeling it was you, Starscream," Sandstorm admitted nonchalantly, cutlass holstered and detached Lightbender in-servo. "That voice of yours is unmistakable."
Four pairs of different colored optics were glued to his.
"You knew?" Bumblebee exclaimed. "How?"
"Like I said, it's impossible not to recognize Starscream's voice," Sandstorm repeated. "Well, almost impossible, apparently."
"Wait, so no one else suspected a thing?" Knockout questioned. Sandstorm shook his helm.
"Are you going to tell the others about us?" Starscream asked.
"Why would I?" Sandstorm questioned.
The response took the other mechs by surprise, as they weren't expecting...
{SANDSTORM!}
A sharp, audio-splitting call erupted from Sandstorm's commlink, startling everyone. Sandstorm returned the Lightbender to Starscream and walked away, putting some distance between them.
{Uh, yeah, what is it, Thundertron? I'm a little busy at the moment.}
{I DON'T CARE! I NEED MY BEST PILOT UP HERE, NOW!}
{Why?}
{JUST GET YOUR SCRAWNY AFT UP HERE!}
The other mechs remained silent as Thundertron said something to Sandstorm over the commlink, something the rest of them couldn't hear, but a clenched fist was not a good sign.
"No, of course not...
Yes, I understand. I'll be there in a couple kliks...
Of course, sir. One klik."
Sandstorm's frame sagged as he released an aggravated vent.
"What was that all about?" Bumblebee asked. Sandstorm turned around to answer...
BOOM!
A volley of powerful blasts shakes the ship's structure to its core. Starscream and Sandstorm – being the only ones standing – were thrown off balance, the latter crying out as his temple connected with the cells' electrified bars and short circuited.
"Sandstorm, are you alright?" Knockout asked, his medical instincts kicking-in as he crawled over to the downed mech.
"I'm still functioning, sort of..." Sandstorm flinched when he pressed a servo to his wound. "Can't say the same thing for my commlink."
Grunting, Sandstorm got up and limped away, over to a panel none of them noticed before hiding in the shadows. He tinkered with the controls and unlocked the cells, then sabotaged everything else for good measure.
"I suggest you all wait down here for a klik or two before escaping, just in case," Sandstorm advised before leaving.
However, the shocked silence drags on longer than a klik or two as actions are still being processed.
"What just happened?" Starscream was the first to speak, slowly putting the Lightbender away.
"He just provided us with a way out," Steeljaw clarified, speaking for the first time in days.
"Steeljaw's right, we need to take the chance while we have it," Bumblebee stated, rising to his pedes while providing assistance to Steeljaw. "Oh, by the way, Knockout, how's your leg?"
"Still have a bit of a limp, but I can manage," Knockout reassured as he attempted to keep his balance. He gave a surprised yelp when Starscream yanked him out of his cell.
"Whoa, Starscream! What gives?"
"Unlike you, Knockout, I don't plan on leaving one of us behind."
"Are you seriously still on that?"
"You betrayed me."
"It was one time!"
"Look how well that turned out."
"Hey, none of this is my fault!"
"Yes it is!"
"No it isn't!"
"GUYS!" Bumblebee snapped, both him and Steeljaw following close behind the bickering pair.
"Will you two just shut up?" Steeljaw growled.
"He started it!" Knockout and Starscream blamed each other.
"I don't care! If you don't stop your pointless squabble, I will tear your helms clean off your frames!"
"Hey, is it just me, or has the ship ceased taking fire?" Bumblebee suddenly asked.
Everyone attuned their audio receptors in order to listen for any noise.
"It's because the ship's been boarded," Steeljaw answered. "I'm picking up a few scents that don't match anyone on this ship."
---
Inside the bridge, where the new smells were coming from, held quite a sight.
Vehicon troops, following a reformatted Eradicon, are holding their own against Brimstone and Cannonball off to the left.
On the right, Starquest is facing-off against a scarred, silver and teal femme flight-frame with black detailing and purple optics, skillfully wielding twin Energon swords.
In the middle is Thundertron, engaging in close combat with an equally as large, ramshackle, autumn-colored mech, whose amber optics flashed in hurt and anger.
"Something tells me this wasn't just a random thing," Knockout said.
"You think?" Starscream retorted.
"GET DOWN!"
Knockout, Starscream, and Bumblebee were shoved to the floor by Steeljaw, narrowly missing blaster fire.
"How the frag did you all get out?" Brimstone exclaimed, killing the vehicon he was tussling with instantly.
"Maybe a blast hit the brig and broke it open?" Cannonball suggested as he grabbed two more vehicons and killed them just as quickly as his mate.
"Isn't that Starscream?" Starquest pointed out. His opponent struck a major blow, knocking him unconscious.
"Never thought I'd hear that name again," the femme said.
Upon hearing the voice, Starscream's frame stiffened, radiating disbelief.
"Screamer, you okay?" Knockout whispered.
"She... She sounds so familiar, but it can't be," Starscream muttered. "She's supposed to be dead."
The others didn't have time to process the information when Thundertron's voice reached them.
"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME MEGATRON'S PITIFUL LITTLE LACKEY MANAGED TO SNEAK ABOARD MY SHIP AND REMAIN UNDETECTED?"
"Why are you so surprised? Any subordinate of Megatron's can easily outsmart you!" The autumn-colored mech commented.
If this wasn't such a serious situation, Knockout would've burst out laughing.
Someone else didn't have that problem, though.
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO LAUGHING AT?" Thundertron yelled.
"Nothing!" Brimstone choked out while Cannonball struggled to get rid of his smile.
Thundertron was far from amused, looking just about ready to kill anyone he can get his servos on, including his subordinates.
"If you want to avoid any more embarrassment, I suggest you let us take those four off your servos," the femme said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "If you try to stop us, we will not hesitate to..."
"Fine!" Thundertron interrupted, sheathing his sword. "Just get off my ship!"
"A smart decision, for once."
The femme walked past the pirates and over to Knockout and the others, Steeljaw still on top.
"Come along, you four. The sooner we leave, the better."
"Splendid idea, love, if not a bit obvious!" The autumn-colored mech said as he helped the pile of bots back to their pedes. He turned around to look at the still standing Eradicon.
"Fodder!"
"Coming!"
The Eradicon grabbed the deceased vehicons and carried them over to his group. Once all were together, they left one ship and entered another.
"Our new friends, may I be the first to welcome you aboard my ship!" The autumn-colored mech preened, wrapping one arm around Knockout and Starscream, and the other around Bumblebee and Steeljaw, bringing them in for a nice big group hug. "Welcome to the Daytrader!"