Connections of Steel, part 2
    by Suzanne M. Ferree (suz@cyberspace.org)


Feb. 2004

Astrotrain:  "Megatron, this is the *fourth* time in recent memory that 
        Starscream has *done* this."

Megatron:  "Just because someone doesn't enter you during a 'retreat'
        order, it doesn't automatically mean he's spying for the Autobots."

Astrotrain:  "Why are you defending him?"

Megatron:  "He's our Air Commander.  Accusing anyone that high up in the
        ranks of treason would be a serious charge."

Astrotrain:  "We're talking about *Starscream*, not Soundwave or Shockwave.
        He'd do anything to get back at you."

Megatron:  "You're wrong.  He's only willing to do *certain* things as his
        so-called revenge.  Telling secrets to the Autobots is hardly one
        of them."

Astrotrain:  "Why does he want revenge anyway?"

Megatron:  "Command decisions I made eons ago are none of your concern!
        *I* will deal with this Starscream incident.  Now leave."

(Astrotrain leaves.  Megatron approaches his private control panel, presses
a button, and Soundwave's face appears on the monitor.)

Megatron:  "Soundwave, come to my command room.  I have an important
        mission for two of your tapes."

(Soon in the command room...)

Megatron:  "I'm sure you've heard Astrotrain's accusations."

Soundwave:  "Affirmative."

Megatron:  "Normally, Ravage would track someone down, but since Starscream
        is a Decepticon, if he saw Ravage, he'd immediately know what we
        were up to.  Instead, send Rumble & Frenzy.  Make sure they track
        Starscream--especially during a retreat--to see where he goes."

Soundwave:  "Understood.  Rumble, Frenzy eject.  Operation: stake out."

Frenzy:  "It's about time you gave me another mission.  I was beginning to
        wonder if my guns would ever fire again."

Megatron:  "One more thing.  Try for minimal damage this time."

Rumble:  "Minimal damage to who?"

(Frenzy muffles a laugh.)

Megatron:  "I want all three of you to have only minimal damage at worse,
        no damage at best.  You're not to initiate a fight.  Is that
        clear?"

(Frenzy frowns, but they both agree to follow the command.)

Megatron:  "If Starscream or one of his allies initiate combat, you can
        defend yourselves, but otherwise remember that we're all
        Decepticons on the same team."

(Rumble & Frenzy nod in almost-unison.)

Megatron:  "Dismissed."

(Rumble & Frenzy leave the room & travel to a spot where they can observe
Starscream's door.)

Frenzy:  "You stay here to watch his door while I go grab some chairs."

(Some time later, Frenzy returns with two chairs:  one blue & the other
black with red arm rests.  Frenzy offers the blue chair to Rumble.)

Frenzy:  "Anything happen when I was gone?"

Rumble:  "Nothing much.  Starscream returned & Thundercracker dropped off
        some messages."

Frenzy:  "Wait!  Is that Swindle entering Starscream's quarters right now?"

Rumble:  "They're leaving together.  We'd better follow them."

(Frenzy & Rumble stand from their seats & shadow Starscream and Swindle:
first, down the hallway, then up two flights of steps until the twins
track the other duo to the hanger.)

Rumble whispers:  "They're probably headed for that shuttle."

(Rumble points to a small red shuttle w/ the words "Gleaming Gem III"
clearly visible on the tail section.)

Frenzy whispers back:  "We'd better hide in the cargo bay."

(The twins sneak through a hatch near the rear of the shuttle, while
Swindle & Starscream enter the cockpit.  Soon, the tower starts to rise,
the engines begin to purr, and the shuttle floats into the sky.)

Swindle:  "No matter how many times I fly this shuttle, I'm always
        impressed by how well it handles.  Here I'd thought that the GG2
        was fun to control, but that one was practically a *paper airplane*
        compared to this beauty."

Starscream:  "How can you act so casual at a time like this?"

Swindle:  "Simple.  It's nothing to worry about.  We'll deal w/ it when we
        land."

(Frenzy & Rumble cock their heads at each other, both curious over what
Swindle's "it" might be.)

Starscream:  "Well, it better not interfere with the mission."

Rumble whispers:  "Mission?  Megatron didn't mention anything about a
        mission."

Frenzy whispers the unthinkable:  "Does that mean they're on a mission for
        the 'bots?!?"

Shaking his head, Rumble replies:  "Starscream couldn't do that.  There has
        to be a better explanation."

(Suddenly, the shuttle starts to drop but slowly hovers to a perfect
landing.)
 
Frenzy whispers:  "Wow!  I see why Swindle likes this shuttle."

With a hand gesture, Rumble motions for Frenzy to follow:  "Shh.  We'd
        better follow them."

(Carefully, the twins sneak out through the same hatch they'd entered.
They discover that the shuttle has landed on the roof of a warehouse.)

Rumble points at one corner to their left:  "They went down that way."

(Upon reaching the corner, the twins notice stairs circling down into the
warehouse.)

Frenzy:  "Watch your step.  This staircase probably wasn't built for
        Decepticons."

Rumble:  "Then how come they vanished down it so quickly?"

Frenzy:  "They've been down these stairs a lot of times?"

(Rumble shrugs.)

Frenzy:  "Well, whatever the reason is, we'll find out really... soon?"

(As soon as the twins reach the bottom of the stairs, Swindle and
Starscream stand together as a road block, threateningly towering over the
twins.)

Starscream:  "You didn't *really* think you were quiet, did you?"

"We *tried*," Frenzy squeaks.

Rumble:  "Listen Starscream, we're here to prove your innocence.
        Astrotrain thinks that..."

Starscream interrupts:  "And he's wrong.  I didn't think you'd believe my
        word, so we brought you two here.  There's not a single Autobot
        symbol to be found.  Satisfied?"

Frenzy:  "An explanation would be nice.  How'd you avoid capture from the
        'bots w/o Astrotrain or get down those steps so quickly?"

(Starscream looks in Swindle's direction as Swindle nods.)

Starscream:  "You wouldn't understand if I only explained it.  I'd have to
        show you." 

Frenzy:  "Show us what?"

(In a quick flash, Starscream grabs Rumble's arm, hurls the tape robot into
the air, sending him straight into a cylindrical glass-like container.  A
sensor mechanism snaps the transparent case shut.  Swindle and Starscream
try to surround Frenzy as a mist starts to obscure Rumble.  Frenzy pulls
out his guns and starts shooting.)

Frenzy yells:  "Why don't you two pick on someone your *own* size?"

Starscream:  "Why don't you *spy* on someone your own size?"

Frenzy:  "What are you doing to Rumble?  Why isn't he fighting back?"

Swindle:  "He's not hurt;  he's only unconscious.  This is the only time 
        you'll be like this.  We promise.  There aren't even any side
        effects and you'll be back to normal before you know it."

Frenzy:  "But we don't want to *leave* normal... I've got to break him
        out!"

(Frenzy puts his guns back and transforms to pile-driving mode.  In that 
split second before Frenzy starts the pile-drivers, Starscream flies in
robot mode to Frenzy's back and grabs his arms to his upper chest.)

Frenzy kicks at Starscream:  "Let me go!"

(However, Starscream sets Frenzy in another case, repeating the process for
Frenzy.)

(Sometime later in total darkness...)

Starscream:  "Rumble, are you ok?"

Rumble:  "No, I feel like Optimus Prime just ran over me.  My guns aren't 
        here, I can't transform, and even my pile-drivers aren't working.
        My sensors are offline.  Even Frenzy and Soundwave haven't
        contacted me yet.  I'm... scared.  Is Frenzy...?"

Starscream:  "Frenzy is probably in the same shape you're in, but he's w/ 
        Swindle."

Rumble:  "Why?"

(Rumble falls to his knees in frustration.  For the first time, he feels
the cold glass beneath his feet.  In alarm, he springs back to a standing
position.)

Rumble panics:  "Cold?!?  Is there a chamber of 0 Kelvin air below me?  How 
        could it be cold if it weren't?  Are you going to freeze me?"

Starscream:  "No, we're not going to freeze you.  We just want to show what 
        it's like to... what means we're forced to go through for this 
        mission.  If you reveal everything to Megatron now, Swindle and I
        will have gone through all this blasted suffering for *nothing.*"

Rumble:  "You and Swindle have been working on a mission, feeling helpless 
        like *this*?  Why would you *do* this to yourselves?"

Starscream:  "If there were any other way to permanently free her..."

Rumble:  "Who?"

Starscream:  "You don't need to know right now, but what about more
        pleasant things?  Have you ever thought about what it would be like
        to have Ravine back?"

Rumble:  "Ravine?"

Starscream:  "You remember.  She was the pink female cat tape that
        Soundwave used to have."

Rumble:  "Soundwave hasn't mentioned her since we first crashed on Earth.
        He never mentions her name, 'cause I don't think he ever expects to
        see her again.  As he's told me from time to time, 'It's better to
        focus on what you *have,* than what you've lost'."

Starscream:  "Just think of the reunion celebration you'd have with four
        and a half million years to catch up on."

Rumble:  "Speaking of catches, what's this one?"

Starscream:  "Megatron would agree w/ our mission but not our means.
        However, the only permanent answer is to do things this way.  Tell
        him part of the truth:  we aren't helping Autobots or selling
        Decepticon secrets.  However, don't reveal these means or we'll
        never save that ship of females."

Rumble:  "Is saving the females your mission?"

Starscream:  "No, but it's our goal... a side-effect of completing the 
        mission." 

Rumble:  "Why haven't you turned the lights back on yet?"

Starscream:  "We want you to be back to normal first, w/ your sensors 
        functioning, your weapons online, and your touch not registering
        the smoothness of the glass."

Rumble:  "You mean, you want me *completely* back to normal, so I can't see
        what I look like this way?"

Starscream:  "We're trying to hurry this up.  We want to give you an 
        explanation, not scare you."

Rumble:  "Scare me?  Come on!  I may be short, but I'm not a wimp;  I can
        take it."

Raising his voice again, Rumble shouts:  "I *said*..." 
    
         (as some of the lights pop on again.)

Rumble glances up and searches around:  "Starscream?"

(When Starscream returns, he appears even taller than usual.  In horror,
Rumble falls down on his bottom.)

Rumble:  "You *shrunk* me?  Every other robot leaves me in the dust.  Even
        *Bumblebee* talks down to me and you made me even *shorter*?"

Starscream:  "That's not exactly it."

(A transforming noise sounds and Starscream shrinks in size to a human.)

Rumble:  "A *human?*"

Starscream:  "You didn't even look at yourself."

Rumble:  "I'm so used to looking up all the time that I never thought of
        looking down."

Starscream:  "That's not all.  Stand."

(After Rumble stands, he finds that for the first time, he's actually
looking *down* at Starscream.)

Rumble:  "But why would you want to be short?"

Starscream:  "Can you keep a secret?"

Rumble:  "For this chance to see you shorter than me, you bet."

Starscream:  "We're going to surprise Megatron by rescuing Nightbird."

Rumble:  "Then after you do this, you're hoping that Megatron will order
        the shuttle w/ the females back?"

(Starscream nods.)

Rumble:  "But trying to find Nightbird is impossible!  Soundwave tried his
        hardest to find her for a very long time and all he was able to
        come up w/ was that stupid scientific newspaper article.  What
        makes you two think you can find her?"

Starscream:  "Swindle has connections and we have around three solid leads. 
        One of them claims that her creator is in poor health right now.
        When he dies, someone else should inherit her and if we're lucky,
        that new person might not *really* understand what he has on his
        hands."

Rumble:  "It sounds confusing and risky.  What are you two getting out of
        this?"

Starscream:  "My twin sister is also on that shuttle.  I'd do almost
        anything nonpermanent to have her back."  

Rumble:  "Twin *sister*?  How's that possible?"

Starscream:  "Vector Sigma made us as one mind, but our "creator" broke the
        one mind into two pieces, giving each of us a piece.  You know what
        it's like being separated from Frenzy.  Imagine if Frenzy had been
        away from *you* for 4 1/2 million years?"

Rumble:  "But four million of that wasn't Megatron's fault.  He didn't know
        that the crash would leave us inactive for that huge amount of
        time.  Besides, he probably had his reasons for sending them out in
        the first place.  That's why he's leader.  He's the one that makes
        the tough decisions."

Starscream yells:  "Why didn't he make the tough decisions w/ someone *he*
        cared about?"

Rumble:  "Isn't that how Nightbird got recaptured?"

(A considerable silence passes until Starscream can finally think of some
response.)
        
Starscream:  "She's... she's only been gone sixteen Earth years."

Rumble:  "He only knew her for a couple of days.  How long were you with
        your sister?"

Starscream yells again:  "What does it matter!  That's not why we're here!  
        The point is that we've explained our secret, but you two have to 
        keep it a secret just a little while longer!  We need to be much
        closer to having her when the truth comes out."  

Rumble:  "What about telling Soundwave?"

Starscream:  "How long could it take for one human to..."

Rumble:  "Why don't we just smoosh the human?"

(Starscream remains silent.)

Rumble:  "I never thought you'd decline wanting to kill a human."

Starscream:  "Diplomacy is more complicated than war."

Rumble:  "Frenzy & I are part of this 'diplomacy'?"

(Starscream nods.)

Rumble:  "I can't speak for Frenzy, but I guess we have no choice.  Could I
        ask one thing though?  It's almost unfair.  I mean, Frenzy and I
        have always been the shortest robots on the whole planet and the
        *one* time that we get to have someone around who's shorter than
        us, we're trapped in these glass things & can't do anything about
        it!  I wish there was something memorable we could do just this
        once."

Starscream:  "Maybe we could arrange something.  I'd have to talk it over
        w/ Swindle though."

(Before Swindle and Starscream turned the twins back to normal, the twins 
learned how to play basketball--and beat Swindle and Starscream in the one 
game the foursome played.)

(Later, the twins issue the following report summary:  Starscream is *not*
associating with Autobots during his free time.  Instead, he's associating
with one of Swindle's business partners.  Starscream's quick disappearances
from battle happen due to all the practice he's had at flying away and
retreating.)


November 2005--Cybertron

(In his personal quarters, Starscream prepares for his coronation.  Swindle
enters.)

Swindle:  "Starscream?"

Starscream:  "The *least* you could have done was knock.  After all, I *am* 
        going to be the new ruler soon.  I know, you came here because you
        knew I'd be transmitting the audio of the event to Rosestar."

Swindle:  "No, I came here about costs.  I don't mean monetary costs, but
        do you realize how much getting Rosestar back this way costs?"

Starscream:  "Megatron was old.  Everyone knew he wouldn't have lasted much
        longer anyway.  Now, could you go get Thundercracker?  Why am I
        asking!  I'm the leader now--I should be demanding it."

Swindle:  "You didn't even notice?  While you went to grab Megatron, Dirge
        pushed Thundercracker and Skywarp out of Astrotrain."

For a moment, Starscream can only stare:  "Dirge?"

(Swindle nods.)

(Then the moment passes.)

Starscream:  "It doesn't matter anyway.  I don't need my brothers.  Most of
        the time they were nothing but trouble."

Swindle:  "That wasn't the only cost you wasted when you took over.  What 
        about the circuits and all the favors I've cashed in to try to find
        Nightbird?  It's taken over *13 years* to get this far.  Now that 
        I've almost gotten her, you've destroyed Megatron.  Should I just
        give up, after all the time I've put into trying to get her?"

Starscream:  "This is the third year where you've claimed to have 'almost 
        gotten her'.  Get back to me when her owner agrees to meet w/ you
        and he's practically drawing up the papers."

Swindle:  "Without Megatron what good will she be?"

Starscream:  "The Autobots *still* outnumber us.  She couldn't hurt.  Could 
        you hand me that cloak from the chair, Swindle?  I mean, hand me 
        that cloak now!"

(With a broad smile plastered on Swindle's face, the jeep 'con carefully 
lifts the red cloak off the chair, shakes his head, and hands the cloak
to Starscream.)

Starscream smiles:  "I probably need more practice at giving orders."

"No," Swindle replies:  "You need more fashion sense."

Starscream laughs as he opens the door to leave:  "If you'll remember, it
        was even *worse* before... well, you know."

(Starscream opens his chest canopy, disconnects a skinny box, and places it 
in Swindle's hands.  Swindle rubs the well-worn circuit between his
fingers.)

Starscream:  Maybe some day you could find someone else to play Solitaire.

Swindle:  An impostor who only looked like you, wouldn't fool anyone.

Starscream:  I know.

(Swindle stands speechless in front of the door as Starscream's solitary 
footsteps reverberate down the dark hallway.)

---