Domestic Disturbance

Chapter 25 : Brothers

"Thundercracker? What are you doing!?"

The blue jet's frown only deepened as he reached down to lift the Autobot leader from the ground. Without answering, he dragged the paralyzed mech to the nearest tree to sit him up. Only once Prime's position was stable was he able to see what had become of Megatron. Skywarp was struggling to lift the larger mech by his blocky shoulders. Thundercracker heard the dull thump as his leader slumped back to the ground in his wing mate's failed attempt. He turned from Optimus with a sigh to go help.

"Wait!" Prime called after him. "What is going on here? Why did you save me?"

Skywarp snarled as he once again tried to heave the heavy mech from the ground.

"Do not mistaken our intentions Autobot!" He glared evilly. "We didn't do this for your benefit!"

"But I should at least know why." The semi offered as he watched the two seekers collect Megatron. "I want to thank you, and I can't thank you unless I know why."

"We need no thanks from you!" The purple jet's tone was still harsh even under the strain of their burden. "We only did this for our brother."

Prime's spark skipped a pulse at the mention of Starscream. Megatron may have mentioned that the other seeker was in pieces, but whether he should believe the slagger was another thing. He knew the other jets wouldn't lie about their wing mate's condition.

"How is he?" He asked carefully.

"Barely alive....no thanks to you." Thundercracker muttered over his shoulder.

"Please." Optimus didn't care if he sounded like he was begging. "I need to know what is going on here. Can you tell me?"

"We're not telling you anything Prime!" Skywarp growled dangerously as he managed to get the silver mech over his shoulder with the help of his brother. "You and Starscream royally fucked up when you decided to start this little tryst! I can't blame him. I've been blaming him for everything for thousands of years! This time, I blame you!"

"The only reason you are spared today is for his sake." Thundercracker added. "Not yours. I'd have been just as happy to let Megatron have his way with you. The war would be over and you would receive a fair punishment."

"So you are on Starscream's side after all." The semi sighed with relief. "I'm glad he has someone. I failed to protect him, but at least I know he's not alone."

Both jet's exchanged curious glances with one another before returning their glares to the immobilized Autobot.

"You don't understand, Thundercracker, Skywarp. I didn't start this with your brother out of malice or even for a cheep thrill. I have been suffering with the weight of my choice since it started, questioning my motives and even my own honor. I didn't realize why I was so persistent with him until now."

Prime managed to force his head up enough to look the two mechs in their crimson optics.

"I love him. I've loved him from the moment he was brought to our base. Ripped to pieces, smashed by rocks, but not broken. His will, his determination, his strength. He recovered from the impossible and still managed to keep his snotty little head held high. Even after thousands of years of abuse, his spirit hasn't broken. I will always love him for that."

The seekers were silent for a moment, exchanging confused expressions. Looking from Megatron to Prime, Thundercracker sighed as his posture and expression softened.

"At least that's more than Megatron ever gave him."

Skywarp made an aggravated noise and shifted under his burden.

"Doesn't matter TC. We have to get this pile of slag back to base. The other's will be wondering what's up."

"Just a moment." The blue jet approached the semi despite the small whine of protest from the other. "I need to speak to him for a second."

The seeker knelt next to the Autobot until they were optic level. That same little frown returned, souring his pretty face as he ignored his brother's vague request of "Don't".

"Stay away from our brother, Optimus Prime." His tone was firm but not threatening. "Despite your good intentions, you have brought Starscream far more suffering and pain. We've failed to be by his side in the past, but we will not fail him again."

"If you want to protect him, then why not destroy the monster that hurts him." The red and blue mech tried to keep the scorn from his voice. "He's unconscious. It would be qui-"

"No." Thundercracker shook his head. "The only thing keeping Starscream alive is the Constructicons. The only reason those sadistic creeps are even bothering with him is because of Megatron's orders. If Megatron dies today, Starscream will not be able to assume command. That would pass to Soundwave. That monotonous bastard will only make himself concerned with revenge on you Autobots for our leader's death and Starscream will be left to die a slow death, half repaired and alone."

"I understand." Prime replied. "But how will you deal with Megatron once he wakes up? He's sure to know it was you who attacked him."

"He was far too busy trying to get under your hood to notice us." The jet grinned. "And if he did manage to hear us over your begging and pleading, I can tell him we were chasing the Autobots that managed to break free from the attack. You're comrades will be here shortly, if Megatron investigates his attack later, he's sure to see all the tire tracks. He'll believe your comrades saved you."

"Fair enough." Optimus nodded his sore helm once.

Thundercracker, too, nodded. Satisfied that the Autobot wouldn't be of any more trouble, he stood to leave.

"You should forget all about this." He added. " Starscream is our family. We'll care for him from now on. This war has to continue as if none of this ever happened. The more you fight for each other, the more suspicion you'll arouse. If any more mechs find out about this, you and Starscream could be exiled from your factions for treason. Or worse."

"I won't give up on him either." Prime growled. "Don't assume that I will."

"You'd do best to forget him. Starscream is a capable warrior when motivated. He will either succeed in destroying Megatron, or he won't. Either way, the war has to be won with one of two outcomes. Either you win, or we win. Your....relations...cannot be apart of either victory. There is too many millions of years of hatred between us to have a cross allegiance affair mess it all up now. Neither side will accept you, and even if you did manage to bring peace to our planet, you would still be fighting a war to stay together."

Thundercracker signaled his brother to take off. The purple jet shot Prime one last glare before his thrusters kicked to life and he took off into the air, carrying the unconscious Megatron over his shoulder.

"I am thankful to you." The blue seeker muttered. "For at least showing my brother some genuine affection."

"And I thank you." Prime sounded as honest as his tired vocals could manage. "For everything that you've done today."

"Save it...for when you finally bring peace to our home."

With a roar of an engine, the jet was gone, leaving the paralyzed Autobot with new found strength and determination. Though his spark ached at the thought of forgetting about Starscream, Thundercracker was right. It had to be pushed aside for now in order to do what was right by all of Cybertron. Just knowing that the seekers were sticking together put his burdened mind at ease. Once he was repaired, Optimus would go about his duties with far more spirit. He would no longer dwell on his mistakes and push forward to bringing the galaxy the peace it so rightfully deserved. Hopefully the red and white jet would be waiting for him at the end.

Also, the small amount of confidence from the blue jet didn't hurt.

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* * *

Thundercracker left the Nemesis's bridge with Skywarp by his side. With Megatron's latest plan outlined and ready to go, a certain uneasiness fell over the seeker duo. Their leader's determination to capture Prime alive was confusing, and slightly disheartening seeing as how the tyrant wouldn't call for retrieval until he felt it necessary. Meaning, the silver mech didn't wish to be disturbed for quite some time after the Autobot was captured. Their job was to distract the Autobots long enough for Prime to be lured to the trap that was being dug out now by Rumble and Frenzy. Then Megatron would contact the jet's personally to come and help him pack the unconscious mech back to base. But why did Megatron want so much time alone with the Autobot?

Far too many odd occurrences had been happening within the purple walls of their fortress for far too long now. Some how, the Autobot leader had to be involved. Why else would Megatron be so determined to capture him? And why was he acting so much more possessively over Starscream then usual? There had to be something more to all of this then the air commander's simple rebellion for his mistreatment.

Thundercracker wanted to get to the bottom of this. Something didn't feel right, and somehow, adding Prime to the equation made it much more disturbing. Making his way to the repair bay, Thundercracker felt the answers lied within his broken brother. Skywarp trudged along at his heels. They didn't have much time. They were due to leave for the attack at the solar plant in only a few minutes.

The Constructicons had managed to repair Starscream's emergency tank. A mild EMP managed to stop the jet from squirming and undoing all their patching. He lay on the table with a steady energon drip feeding his tank. Enough to keep him online and awake. The engineers all hovered around, taking a quick recharging break seeing as how the seeker was stable enough to leave for a few moment. Each with a cube of energon, sipping them quickly.

"What do you want?" Scrapper looked up with surprise as the other jets entered the bloody repair bay. "Megatron ordered you to stay away!"

"I have to speak to him." Thundercracker glared at them murderously. "He's still awake, right? You haven't started the surgical procedures right?"

"We're just about to start." Long Haul replied. "You'd best make it quick."

"I need to speak to him in private." The jet grit out between his clenched dentals, clearly not in the mood to argue.

"Fine. You can monitor him while we go scrub off. Slagged up glitch wouldn't stop bleeding on us. Be nice to get his stink off us if only for a minute."

The Constructicons filed out of the room quickly, knowing that if Megatron caught wind of their small break he'd flip slag on all of them. Skywarp and Thundercracker moved to their brother's side. There was no time to be concerned for his condition. No time for pity or encouragement. They needed to do this quick.

"Starscream." Thundercracker muttered close to his wing mate's audio. "Can you hear me?"

The injured seeker managed a small nod. His nearly off lined optics looked up at his brother lazily, but recognition was still there.

"Megatron's plan is moving forward. He's had the cassette twins dig out a large pit and line it with electro-distruptors. The plan is to lure Prime there and capture him alive."

Before he could say more, Starscream, in a startling show of strength, reached up and clasped his brother's arm with an alarmingly tight grip. His chest heaved, panicked as he tried to speak. His vocals scratchy and hoarse.

"No....please...s-s-stop Megatron."

"I knew there was something wrong here." Skywarp growled as he too leaned close to his brother.


"Tell me, Starscream. Why should we stop Megatron from capturing Prime? The war would be over. We would win."

"N-n...no!" The red and white mech shook his head as the remainder of his body trembled. "Megatron...only wants....to hurt...Prime. To hurt...me."

"What do you mean?" The blue seeker placed his servo on his shoulder to keep him from moving too much. "How will he hurt you?"

Starscream struggled to speak. His strength draining fast and his optics fluttering tiredly. He didn't have much time to explain. He had to tell his brother's the truth.

"I....I....love him....I love...Prime.... Please....don't let Megatron....hurt...."

His grasp slipped from Thundercracker's arm, his chest heaving as he vented cool air to what was left of his fried internals. He couldn't manage another word, but his optics still pleaded.

Not fully understanding what it was that they had just heard, the other seekers looked to one another in utter confusion. The doors slid open a moment later as the Constructicons interrupted.

"We will, Starscream." Thundercracker muttered as the purple and green mechs advanced, informing them that it was time to leave. "We will do what we can."

With one last lingering pat to his cracked red shoulder, the two jet's departed and made their way to the launch pad.

"You sure about this?" Skywarp didn't break his pace as he walked along side his wing mate.

"Never been more sure in my life." The blue jet frowned as they approached their waiting comrades. His determined optics fell on Megatron and a deep growl erupted from his usually composed chassis.

"I don't care what happened between Starscream and Prime. I don't even want to know! What bothers me is that Megatron knows and he's only encouraging it in order to torment them both. There's no honor among this plan."

"So we're really going to stop this?" Skywarp whispered.

"I've had enough of sitting on the side lines. How about you?"

The purple jet glared at his leader, letting all that had happened sink in. He shuddered slightly as he remembered the sensation of the tyrant's lips against his own. His core twisted in disgust and rage as he remembered the abuse.

"Same."