Ghosts

Ghosts VIII

She continued to stare intently at the blue pod, waiting patiently for her hatchling to arrive. Being young and inexperienced, she began to worry of things that could go wrong; how would she be able to handle it? Sure, instinct would come into play, but it still frightened her.

Scanning the area, Moonracer noticed the other females had left; she must've been so engrossed in watching the cerulean orb, that she failed to take note of their leaving. "They probably went to find energon... or something." She ducked her head between her shoulders and cuddled closer to the 'cradle' made of debris. "I have a bad feeling about this," she murmured to the unborn hatchling.
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"Do you think it was wise to leave Moonracer alone? What if the Decepticons find her and destroy the nest?"

"Yea, you know they'd jump at the chance to steal a femme."

Chromia frowned and dropped the scraps of metal she'd been carrying. "It was not my favorite decision," she started, "But we needed as many hands as we could get, collect as much supplies and fuel as we could; we cannot make too many trips lest the Decepticons spot us." Her voice trailed off as she heard the roar of jet engines. "Speak of the Devil..." mumbled Arcee. Chromia gestured for her group to hide and keep quiet. She cursed herself for being so foolish as to leave Moonracer alone and she was unable to contact her for fear of one of the Seekers catching the signal.

They're scouting the area... It would take them no time to find the nest. The blue femme sighed and risked opening a private link with Wreck-Garr, hoping he was close by. She was hesitant, of course; even private calls could be intercepted just.

*Wreck-Garr, this is Chromia, are you there?*

Static.

*Wreck-Garr!*

With a soft growl, she closed the link and focused her gaze on the sky; "Wreck-Garr's not answering..."

"Maybe he's just one of those stubborn types." She glanced over to Firestar and feigned a smile, "Let's hope that's all it is."
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"The Autobots have been exiled..."

"I know that, Thundercracker!"

"Then what are we doing?"

Starscream transformed in midair, followed by his trinemates. "If what I heard was true, the female Autobots have left Cybertron and-"

"There are thousands of other planets! They could be anywhere."

"If you will let me finish, Skywarp!"

The dark Seeker bared his teeth in defiance, yet his lowered wings betrayed him; such a gesture was a sign of respect, to show submission towards one's trineleader. The haughty Air Commander smirked and scanned the surrounding area. "As I was saying, Shockwave is convinced the females came here... to raise their young." Thundercracker inclined his helm, interested in what else his brother had to say. "While I detest that suck-up, I do believe him. Being a scientist myself, I can say the females were receptive just weeks ago. Leaving that planet - which must be crawling with the swarm by now - had to have been the smartest choice, or the dumbest; Earth would be the last place we'd ever look for pregnant Autobots, hm?"

He and Skywarp began to snigger quietly as the eldest of the trine stood dumbfounded; "You're not suggesting that we... hunt these females and their children, are you?"

"Why not? If we destroy the pods, they will become receptive once again and once that happens... we'll breed our own little army of Seekers and take down Megatron once and for all."

Chromia peeked through a gap, spotting the trio above them.

"What are they saying?" came the hushed whisper of Arcee. "I don't know, but let's keep moving... We need to get back to the nest. Quietly."

As the small group began their nervous trek through the city's ruins, Thundercracker happened to turn his head, spotting the Autobots from afar. Chromia looked up, locking optics with the seeker. She shook her head slowly; she knew the cobalt jet was the more understanding of the trio, but she wouldn't put it past him to signal his trinemates. Thundercracker narrowed his gaze and returned his attention to Starscream. "Sir..."

"What is it?"

The elder brother winced at the sneer his leader gave. "I found the females... I think." Starscream gave subtle twitch of his wings and glared at the bulkier mech before training his gaze on the ground below. "I see nothing," he growled. Thundercracker also scanned the area. "They must've... gotten away... or something..."

"Or something!" Skywarp flared his wings and teleported from his spot with a clap of electricity. The remaining jets looked to one another, Starscream casting a wary glance in Thundercracker's direction; "Let's see what our beloved runt has found." Both seekers made their way to the uneven ground.

The darker brother had Arcee held firmly against his chest, the barrel of his arm-mounted weapon against her cheek. "Drop the guns, ladies, and no one gets hurt," he warned with a suggestive leer. Chromia growled and gestured for her comrades to lower their pistols. "Well, I hadn't thought of you to be much of a tracker, Skywarp, but congratulations." Skywarp lifted his wings in pride at his trineleader's praise. "I never forget the scent of a female..." The teleporter nuzzled Arcee's helm to add emphasis to his words. Starscream wrinkled his nose in disgust; "Yes, yes... We all know of your sexual adventures."

Firestar inclined her head in confusion, her optics roaming over her captured friend. "Is that true, Arcee?" she inquired softly. The lithe femme groaned, struggling against the seeker's grip; "I'm sorry..."

"That's right, babe!" Skywarp sniggered. "I had this little slut begging for it!"

Thundercracker smacked the younger jet upside the head. "That is enough." He then turned to Starscream, earning a short nod. "Alright, femmes," he barked, "You're going to show us where your hideout is or Skywarp, here, is going to blow her brains out."

How familiar... Starscream mused as he watched everything play out before him.

"Go ahead!" cried Firestar, "She's not one of us!"

"Firestar!"

"What! There's no telling how much the wench has said... while fucking those disgusting creatures..." The crimson femme spat at the seekers' feet. Skywarp mocked a sorrowful frown and groped his captive's chest plate; "Aw, we're not that bad... At least I'm not. Isn't that right, Arcee." The young Autobot jerked her face away as he mewled her name against her audio receptor.

"Fine." Chromia hissed through clenched teeth.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Starscream finally stepped forward, motioning to the female Autobot, "After you."