(Untitled)

[due_caution]

Red Alert had briefly considered tagging along with Kitten Prime and Company, if only to make sure Rodimus stayed safe and out of trouble, but thought better of it after contemplation. Right now, at a glance, who would even know that the small orange Terran cat is the Autobot Prime, unless someone draws undue attention to him

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[attair_al_fada]

Hmm, now what? Starscream muses as he threads Slingshot's hydraulic lines into place. Red's going to be watching his systems like, well, a paranoid security chief, and my secure reconnaissance just turned out to be not-so-secure. 65% chance she's told Red, but if she hasn't, he's going to be even more suspicious of me.

As he carefully screws a connector into place, Starscream continues to consider the matter. Getting tossed in the brig out of general paranoia would not do. Red or Frostbite, then? Red picked up on my advice about Spike--smart move to check Drath's remains--but Frostbite knows. She's up to something, as well. Slag, we underestimated her for years!

Starscream secures another hydraulic line. Duskwing will protect the younger brat of his own accord--and possibly the girl as well, whether I want him to or not. Not my problem, in any case. If Drath starts playing games with Transformer sparks again, though...Starscream carefully tightens the last connector; Slingshot's hydraulics are complete. He turns his head toward

[due_caution]

Red looks up again at Starscream's hypothesis, his expression distant and thoughtful as he considers it. It's more clear than ever that they need Starscream, if for no other reason than he still thinks like a Decepticon, regardless of whatever temporal state he may be in and whatever meeting of the minds he has come to with various other mechs. Try as they might, most Autobots - and Red lumps himself in there, too, to his continued disappointment - simply aren't capable of thinking along the same devious depths. Core programming is simply too different, regardless of its evolution

[attair_al_fada]

Starscream turns his head and stares at Red Alert.

"Red, has your CPU overheated again?" He waves a hand dismissively. "No, don't answer that." Starscream looks distinctly uncomfortable.

What is with these Autobots and their sudden willingness to trust me after all these years? Not even my fellow Decepticons do that! Is there a Gullibility Plague going around?

The haunting feeling that the change was in him, not the Autobots lingers. His glance shifts to Frostbite, curious to know her reaction. She agreed! Starscream's wings twitched slightly, and his discomfort increases

[due_caution]

Yes, there is an almost childish little flicker in Red Alert's spark that is deriving wicked glee from seeing Starscream squirm uncomfortably for once. He allows himself a full two seconds to savor that before getting back to business.

"Access to the files," Red Alert observes wryly, "can acctually be accomplished quite handily without handing our systems back over to you with a CMO colored bow

[midnightspook]

Unbeknownst to Blackstar, the two mechs he is looking for are actually with Starscream when the ghost appears - to Starscream only - next to his Air Commander.

Starscream I- oh. Hey. That's convenient. These are the two I was looking for. Skyfire didn't need me anymore, so I'm helping Duskwing out. Any updates on the kid's designer? Spike Witwicky?

[attair_al_fada]

Starscream was part-way through answering Red Alert's question when Blackstar dropped in.

"I left that particular bit of Dark Science out of the Machine," he says drily. "Corrupting a spark involves things even I hesitate to tamper with, not being utterly stupid. Mindbender didn't understand Cybertronian minds and sparks well enough to make the conversion in the first place, so I doubt he could have applied any such changes. Now, the cerebral circuitry in the mech body is still as programmable as it ever was, and--" Starscream pauses for just a moment.

No, Blackstar, we're still at the 'throw stupid ideas out and see what doesn't die' phase. How did you get involved? Have you run across either Spike?

"--the organic brain circuitry can also be 'programmed', but not the spark that is transferred from one to the other and possibly back."

[midnightspook]

No. Not yet, he replies, shaking his head. I don't even honestly know what he looks like yet. Promises to keep, though, boss, and Duskwing needed a hand.

He shrugs, knowing that Starscream will understand at least part of that.

And it's not like I had anything better to- he is interrupted when Frostbite takes rather obvious notice of his presence.

Slag! I forgot about her! Sorry boss. What do you want me to do with this?

[attair_al_fada]

Starscream looks back at Frostbite, face expressionless. "A friend of Duskwing's. And when he gets a chance to finish his report, I might even know why he's here."

What does Duskwing need help with that you need to know about Spike? A flash of images--a tiny, insolent brat of a human child, the same individual older and more confident, firing at Starscream with a laser rifle from cover; a grown man,russet-haired, enclosed in a exosuit and standing beside Jazz. The ghost of ancient hatred at being thwarted by this insignicant fleshling; a grudging respect for the fierce warrior spirit housed in that fragile form; slow appreciation of a vicious, if alien, wit; growing awareness of the sheer dangerousness of the entire human race.

Then Skyfire sends his message and Starscream gets even more distracted.

[due_caution]

Red is quietly absorbing Starscream's explanation, faintly surprised at the Seeker's confession. He doesn't let it show, however, as he files and processes the new information.

Suddenly, the strange discomfort that he is learning to associate with Duskwing and Starscream doubles in intensity, catching his attention again, just about the sametime Frostbite's attention seems caught by the empty air beside Starscream.

“Who’s your friend, Starscream?”

Red stifles a sigh of dismay as Starscream answers. How many ghosts is he destined to be tormented with today?

[midnightspook]

Blackstar quietly absorbs the impressions and images Starscream is projecting, tucking them away so that he can recognize the kid's designer if he happens across him before offering the other Seeker a nod of thanks.

It's been a long time since Blackstar has had a radio to contend with, but he recognizes the faint look of distraction in Starscream's features, and guesses that it's not himself responsible for it. He pauses for a moment to give Starscream a chance to finish whatever it is he's doing besides the quick chatter to him. It's long enough for Frostbite to speak to him.

Blackstar blinks.

Can she see us? Or is she just... spooky? he asks, a little unnerved. He's never met anyone yet who can see him when he's trying not to be seen; not even Auspex can see him when he's hovering in the spirit world, rather than fully in the physical.

Duskwing promised to tell Spike that his kid was okay. Only he says that the guy he told wasn't the real Spike, he was some kinda copy. He's busy watching the kid right now, though, so he can't go

[attair_al_fada]

Starscream finds himself trying to track three conversations at once. I'm going to smoke a CPU at this rate! That'll be a good one to explain...

I don't think so--but she's very sensitive. Ah--that's rather what we're working on now. You'll want to listen in on this, if we can keep Frostbite and Red from freezing their circuits at your presence. As I said, we're still at the 'throw ideas at the wall and see what sticks' stage.Starscream very quickly fills Blackstar in on just what's been going on with Victor Drath, Ambassador Witwicky, the kidnapped-and-recovered Transformers, and what you do with a synthezoid duplicate. It's risky, using his thread of a connection to the Allspark like this--part of him wants more of it, wants to rejoin it--but time is pressing and Blackstar needs to know this

[due_caution]

Red watches Starscream thoughtfully, slowly slotting more and more pieces into this puzzle. So, "Air Commander" may be more than just a familiar label of respect. Only Starscream's troops are a little... less than ordinary these days. That's certainly going to present a challenge to maintaining any sort of physical security now, as Duskwing quite adequately proved that physical barriers are no impediment.

Red remains expressionless as Starscream, more distracted than Red assumes a simple report should warrant, winces. Just a flicker of pain, but deep, that. Deeper, even, than Red Alert had assumed him capable of, he realizes with a faint tinge of guilt.

Seeing as Starscream is engaged, Red opens a secure channel to Frostbite. // Frostbite, get our... "operatives" moving. This needs buttoned up, and quickly. Not only did Drath hit the ground running on us, we haven't even landed yet. I would like to see that remedied. Immediately. //

"Unless Duskwing's friend has any need of me, or anything important to add, I think I have enough