Chapter Text
The ground flew by. Thundercracker moved with a single purpose: saving Starscream. The worst of kas wounds were cauterized, but energeon still warmed Thundercracker's hands. Engines hummed behind him, but he didn't look back. It didn't matter who was following—those hostile Autobots couldn't chase him in the sky! If anyone from the flock wanted to come with him, so be it.
His spark pulsed as the land grew familiar in a way that sent a jolt of longing through him. The Seekers rarely came this way, so he hadn't seen where he was raised in a long time. He descended carefully, landing as close to the base as he could manage. He would be spotted at any moment, and all he could hope for was that he was recognized before they shot.
The ground crunched beneath pedes as Thundercracker's pursuers landed. He didn't turn toward them. But as the sounds of landing continued to reach his audials, he realized just how many Seekers had followed him. Did the entire flock come with him? Why would they all have come?
The doors to the base opened. Autobots slipped through, blasters charged. Some were ones Thundercracker recognized. Others were not. He searched the crowd, but none met his optics. One of the Seekers behind him growled.
"Don't!" He said, moving one of his wings to block the path. "If we don't shoot, they won't shoot."
He had no idea if that was the truth. So far, no one had recognized him. But he had to hold hope that at any moment, one of the mecha that knew him most would storm through and see who he was. Had he really changed enough for none of them to know who he was?
"You brought us to Autobots!" One of the Seekers hissed. The only solace he had was it wasn't one of the ones he knew by voice.
"You didn't have to follow me!" He snapped, keeping his optics trained on the Autobots.
A flash of red and white in the Autobot crowd. It was growing closer. Could it be…?
A shot landed just before them. A warning. The air hummed as the Seekers behind Thundercracker charged up their rays to retaliate.
"Don't!" He said again.
Another warning shot.
Then, the crowd froze. A mech pushed his way through, red and white plating reflecting the bright sun. Thundercracker fought not to sprint toward him, knowing that running would jostle Starscream.
Thundercracker opened his mouth and shouted:
"Ratchet!"
Ratchet's optics widened. His pace increased.
"Ratchet!" Thundercracker called again.
Ratchet skidded to a halt in front of him, staring up. His optics were fuzzy. He reached out hesitantly.
"Thundercracker?" He said softly.
"It's me!" Thundercracker said. "Ratchet, it's me!"
Ratchet's shoulders fell, his plating slackening as if a monumental weight had left his shoulders. He closed his optics.
"It really is," he said. When he opened his optics, they landed on Starscream. "What happened?"
"She was shot with a cannon," Thundercracker said. "She needs help. That's why I'm here."
Ratchet's brow furrowed, the determined medic Thundercracker knew sliding into place. He turned back toward the crowd and shouted for a stretcher. After a moment of hesitation, the crowd broke. Eventually, a stretcher was brought forward. Thundercracker laid Starscream on it gently.
They began to pull kan away. Thundercracker didn't move. Ratchet paused, turning back toward him. Thundercracker shook his helm. Although leaving Starscream alone hurt his spark, he would be there when he could. Leaving the Seekers right now was sure to result in a skirmish. Ratchet dipped his helm and followed the other medics.
Bracing himself, Thundercracker turned back toward the Seekers. They stared at him, some with bared dentae and flexed claws, and others with wide optics and flared wings. A cocktail of fear, apprehension and anger rolled off of the flock. Nearly all of them were here. Why had they all followed?
[{ID:SKWP} those are the autobots that raised you}
He couldn't tell whether it was a question or a statement. He nodded either way.
"These Autobots won't hurt us if we don't hurt them," Thundercracker said. "They're different from the others."
A broad, purple-blue Seeker pushed their way through the crowd, baring their dentae. Yet another Seeker Thundercracker had seen but had been unable to associate with.
[{ID:SKWP} Dreadwing. Trinemates: Skyquake and Contrail. Ka is hard-coded scrapheap]
Skywarp's colorful commentary led Thundercracker to expect that nothing this Seeker was about to say was positive.
"How do we know that?" Dreadwing hissed. "Autobots are monsters. They have deceived us before. All I see here is another trick. You spoke their language. You are one of them!"
Thundercracker couldn't deny it. He was an Autobot. At least he used to be before all of this. But he was also a Seeker.
"Na was captive raised!"
Skywarp's voice rang louder than he had ever heard it, only a slight tremble betraying a lack of confidence. Still, wa stood before the crowd, wings high. Wa stopped at his side, sending him a glance before turning back toward the crowd.
"Na knows the language because na was forced to speak it," Skywarp said. "Na knows these Autobots because they took nam after nas creators were killed. Thundercracker is not trying to deceive you."
Dreadwing growled. Before ka could speak again, Thundercracker forced himself to talk.
"That's right," he said, trying to keep his wings from quivering. The Seekers that already knew had pitied him, but now that they were in the middle of all this, he doubted the others would react the same way. "These Autobots raised me. They have things we can't make—things that can help us. We're injured, hungry, and tired. We just lost our home. We need help. I'm trying to get us that help."
In truth, he was only trying to help Starscream, but now that the other Seekers were here, there was no reason not to ask his Autobots to help them as well. Dreadwing growled again, but silenced kaz as another Seeker made their way through the crowd. Blast stood beside Thundercracker, Soundwave and Windshear at nas side.
"Soundwave was born an Autobot," Blast said, resting a hand on Soundwave's helm. "Na respects us and has integrated with us. It's not impossible for us to coexist."
Dreadwing rattled kas wings. "Soundwave is a newspark! Newsparks are malleable. Those Autobots are fully grown. They have attacked us before. They will attack us again."
This was going in circles. Every point they brought up, Dreadwing just said the same thing. If ka didn't want to trust the Autobots, that was fine, but Thundercracker was getting sick of it. Ratchet and the other medics were treating Starscream right now, and every moment they spent bickering was another moment Thundercracker couldn't spend by kas side.
"Believe whatever you want!" Thundercracker hissed, baring his dentae. "If you don't like this, you can leave! You didn't have to follow me."
The flock grew quiet. Dreadwing shifted anxiously, kas wings lowering slightly. Thundercracker scanned the crowd. No one moved. He forced himself to calm down.
"You're scared," he said. "I understand that. The Autobots have hurt all of us. But they're treating my trinemate right now. That's why they took kan. They'll help us as long as we don't hurt them. They're afraid of us, too. But I want us to stop being afraid. I'm tired of living in fear."
Fearing the Seekers as an Autobot or fearing the Autobots as a Seeker, it didn't matter. Neither side was allowed to settle. Neither side was allowed to live. All that remained was endless war. The only way to end it was to do something different.
Dreadwing's wings lowered. Ka stepped back. Ka dipped kas helm.
"If that's what you wish, Winglord."
The fuel in Thundercracker's lines froze. It took everything in him not to visibly react. Winglord? He hadn't been the one to kill Megatron. The flock had done that.
"Y-yes," Thundercracker stammered. "I-if we're with these Autobots, the others can't hurt us. As long as we keep the peace, we'll be alright. So, please keep the peace. I'll—I'll speak with them soon."
How had this happened? Why would Dreadwing think he was Winglord? The others must have as well, since they followed him. No one had corrected kan.
But Thundercracker couldn't be Winglord. He didn't kill Megatron.
Thundercracker backed away. He motioned for Skywarp to follow him. His spark spun quickly. If he stayed here any longer, he would start to overheat, and then his shock would be even more clear than it already was.
Skywarp clung to him as they pushed past the Autobots. They gave them a wide margin, clutching their weapons as if they may need to draw them at any moment. Some of the mecha holding their weapons were ones Thundercracker knew. What happened? Why did they not recognize him anymore?
One question at a time.
[{ID:THCR} Winglord? I didn't kill Megatron…]
Skywarp nuzzled him.
[{ID:SKWP} you led us during the attack. besides, Blitzwing ceded}
Thundercracker nearly froze as pink plating came into view. Arcee. She held her blaster, but she fiddled with it, her optics meeting his. She chewed her lip, then looked away. Thundercracker's spark hurt. Why wouldn't she look at him?
[{ID:THCR} Ceded? They can do that?]
[{ID:SKWP} yeah. but not often. an easy choice when several us were willing to rip wan to shreds, though]
They passed other Autobots in the halls. All of them reacted anxiously, but none of them attacked. Word must have traveled quickly.
[{ID:THCR} Isn't that a break of tradition?]
Skywarp flicked waz wing.
[{ID:SKWP} when the winglord dies with no successor, we all fight or cede. no one who attacked Megatron wanted to fight. everyone ceded. so now it's just you. and we want you. so don't worry about it]
Thundercracker was worrying about it, sure. The real problem was that he didn't want to be Winglord. But with Starscream out of commission (and also widely disliked), what was the alternative? Dreadwing? Ka had already yielded to him, though informally. It was Thundercracker or no one. The flock needed a Winglord, and Thundercracker needed to keep the peace.
They reached the medbay. Thundercracker put his thoughts on hold. The flock could wait. He poked his helm in, searching the medbay. The surgery room's door was closed. Another medic—a small one, red and white—noticed him and waved him in. Despite Thundercracker never having met her, she showed little hesitation as he and Skywarp entered.
"Sit down!" She said, patting one of the vacant berths. "They're almost done. They'll be out soon."
"Already?" Thundercracker asked.
The small medic shrugged. "It looked a lot worse than it was. The real cybugbear is energeon loss, but they already started a transfusion."
Some of the tension drained from Thundercracker's frame. The medic seemed confident. That meant ka was going to be okay.
After what felt like vorns but must have only been moments, the door to the surgery room opened. Ratchet and the other medics wheeled Starscream out and placed na on a berth. As Ratchet fastened kan in place with restraints, Skywarp hissed and rattled waz wings.
Ratchet turned toward wan. His olfactory ridge crinkled.
"Oh, please," he said. "I'm just making sure she doesn't injure herself further. She was already fighting us before we got her under."
Skywarp's wings lowered. Wa continued to bare waz dentae. Ratchet ignored wan and turned toward the medic that was speaking with Thundercracker.
"First Aid," he said. "Can you watch her? I want to examine Thundercracker and his friend."
First Aid nodded. She exchanged places with Ratchet. As Ratchet approached, Skywarp pressed waz into Thundercracker and hissed. Ratchet rolled his optics and scoffed.
"I'm just going to examine you," he said. He motioned for Thundercracker to follow him and headed toward the scale at the back of the room. "Come on."
Thundercracker obeyed, gently pushing Skywarp away. Wa still stayed close, but did stop as Thundercracker got on the scale. Ratchet read the results and hummed, entering them into the nearest console.
"You lost quite a few tons," he said. "But some weight loss is expected."
Thundercracker nodded. Before he left, the most activity he'd engaged in was his weekly flights. Energeon was always available from the dispenser, tailored to his personal requirements. That made it easier to put mass on his plating. With the Seekers, prey wasn't guaranteed, and had to be obtained through hunting.
"Still…" Ratchet said, turning back toward Thundercracker. "I would like to test you for parasites."
Thundercracker's wings twitched. Irritation and embarrassment bubbled beneath his plating. Parasites? He was fine! Ratchet already said it was expected!
"No," he hissed.
"No?" Ratchet said. "I don't recall you receiving a medical degree."
Thundercracker straightened up. "You need my permission, and I say no."
Ratchet sighed. He looked between Thundercracker and Skywarp, then motioned toward wan.
"Look at how your friend here reacted to the idea of an exam," he said. "If that's how she reacts, I don't want to know how the rest of your Seekers will respond. If I examine you, I can get a better idea of what the rest of the flock might have without forcing all of them into here."
Ratchet was right. The vast majority of the flock wouldn't agree to being examined, and any he could convince would be wary. Thundercracker slumped.
"Fine," he mumbled. "But not now. I want to be there when Starscream wakes up."
He used the translated version of kas name. Silently, he was grateful to his past self for creating those translations, since he wouldn't have a way to refer to Starscream or the others in front of Ratchet otherwise. His Autobots wouldn't be able to hear their original names.
What followed was a typical examination. Ratchet kept them close to the berth Starscream was restrained on, which Thundercracker appreciated. It took a lot of coaxing, but Skywarp eventually consented to an exam as well. Referencing his notes from Thundercracker's past exams and the various sources on mechanimals Ratchet admitted he picked up over the vorns for treating Thundercracker, they managed to infer that Skywarp was healthy aside from being slightly underweight. If Skywarp was underweight, Thundercracker wasn't sure he wanted to know what Starscream qualified as.
Soon after that, Starscream stirred, then sprang up with a hiss. Thundercracker made his way over to the berth as quickly as he could as Starscream thrashed. He reached a hand out—ignoring Ratchet's warning shout—and pressed it into Starscream's chest. Kas claws flexed, and ka bared kas teeth, but the restraints prevented kan from sinking kas claws into his plating or biting him.
"Starscream," he said. "You're injured. Megatron shot you with kas cannon. You need to stay still."
Thundercracker kept his hand in place until Starscream finally stilled, kas optics growing focused. There was a large patch on the side of kas body, and several smaller patches on kas wings. The damaged metal was cut out and covered in some places, and merely flattened out in others. First Aid had been right: the damage looked more severe than it actually was. Skywarp's blow may have saved Starscream's life.
But that didn't say much—the patch on Starscream's side covered all the way from kas hip to kas arm. Based on the tinge of pain on the air, ka had hurt it during kas thrashing.
Starscream opened kas mouth and spoke. "Tell the medic to untie me."
Thundercracker turned toward Ratchet.
"'The medic' has audials," Ratchet said. "Are you going to keep thrashing around and hurting yourself, or are you going to stay still?"
Starscream glared at him. "I will stay still."
Slowly, Ratchet undid the restraints. He watched Starscream all the while, and paused between each one. The irritation in the air rose, but despite it, Starscream appeared outwardly calm. After the restraints were removed, ka sat up carefully.
"Can I leave now?" Ka said.
Ratchet snorted. "So you can strain your injuries? No."
Starscream growled quietly. Ratchet ignored it.
"We saved as much of your plating as we could," he said. "But a lot of it was unsalvageable. Patches are not as durable as natural plating, so don't do anything strenuous. You're very lucky—your internal injuries were minimal. But that can change if you make unwise choices."
Starscream flicked kas wings. Optics following the movement despite having no way of knowing what it meant, Ratchet stayed silent. When Starscream didn't say anything else, he spoke again.
"If you feel faint or experience pain that seems like it's coming from beneath the patches, come to us immediately."
Starscream stared at him. Thundercracker wondered if ka was listening at all. Although ka had medical knowledge of kas own, ka wasn't a medic. But would that stop kan if kas instructions were given by an Autobot?
"Do you understand?" Ratchet said.
Starscream hissed briefly. "I understand. Now let me go."
Ratchet turned toward Thundercracker.
"Your friend is a piece of work," Ratchet said. Thundercracker wanted to be offended, but considering the circumstances, he couldn't disagree. Ratchet continued. "Keep her—"
"Do not call me small!" Starscream snapped.
Ratchet stared at kan. Ka flexed kas plating to appear larger, wincing when it pulled on kas patches.
"You are small," Ratchet said.
Starscream growled. "Does not matter. Do not call me small."
Ratchet scrunched his olfactory sensor. "What else am I supposed to call you?"
"Anything else," Starscream hissed. "Large. An object. I do not care. Just not small."
Ratchet put his hands up in mock surrender. "If you wish."
Thundercracker was only able to puzzled by kas offense at being referred to as small for a moment before pedesteps reached his audials. He looked toward the door and his spark lifted. It took everything in him to stay rooted and stand straight.
From the doorway emerged Prowl. Despite his always-perfect posture, his optics were dim and his plating was dull. He had a bad habit of skipping meals, but had he really skipped so many that it showed? He approached slowly, cautiously—as if one misstep would make everything crumble.
He stopped before Thundercracker. Straightening up even further, Thundercracker prepared himself to speak. There was no time table for his mission, only a vague guideline that he sabotage Seeker resistance through integrating with them. In a way, he had done that. But he also knew that wasn't the path forward anymore.
His spark spun anxiously. How would Prowl take that? How would the Autobots take that?
"You want a report, right?" Thundercracker asked, his voice coming out weaker than intended.
Arms reached up, wrapping around him but not meeting. A chest collided with him. Thundercracker froze. Was Prowl…?
"Scrap the report," Prowl said.
Thundercracker returned the embrace.
"I missed you," Prowl whispered. "When you were gone, I realized…"
Prowl pulled away. He stared up at Thundercracker, his doors shifting.
"I kept too much distance from you," he said. "I knew I would have to give you up, so I tried not to get attached. But it happened regardless. I shouldn't have held back."
That was nice. Thundercracker should have wanted this. But he never felt Prowl was distant to begin with. He had just accepted that was how Prowl was. Now? He wasn't sure how to feel…
"I thought I would never see you again," Thundercracker said instead of replying.
"Same with you," Prowl said. "I'm… elated at your return."
"I kept wondering if you were alive," Thundercracker said.
"I did as well," Prowl said. His lips twitched upward. "But whenever I received descriptions of a blue Seeker, I knew it was you. You've made quite the impression."
Flustered, Thundercracker's wings fluttered of their own accord. "I have?"
Was that why those Autobots had tracked them down? Was it his fault?
Ratchet chimed in. "A Seeker nearly as large as the lead Seeker is hard to miss. Especially one that's bright blue."
Right. He should've figured. But still…
A vague memory file surfaced. Prowl was discussing strategy, but Thundercracker was mostly tuning it out. He loved Prowl, but the mech was immensely dry. Though, he caught a few scattered remarks, and those were what his processor pieced together now.
Mapping out attacks of the enemy to see where they might strike next, but even more crucially: where they might be coming from. Tracing routes, noting out-of-combat appearances. Seekers could travel far, but they always had to return home. If he was so recognizable, had those Autobots tracked his appearances to find the camp?
Thundercracker's spark sank. That Autobot—Sentinel—recognized him. He was pursuing revenge. If Sentinel had described him to the other Autobots, they would know what to look for.
But another part of his processor recognized that it didn't make sense. Even if he was used to track the flock, the tracking had begun long before he even joined them. Was Megatron not as recognizable as he was? Thundercracker was just yet another stand-out that made them easier to distinguish, not the primary cause of the distinguishment.
But that meant those Autobots were bound to track them down eventually no matter what they did. They would always need to travel, and whatever method the Autobots were using to surveil them hadn't been found or Megatron would have already torn it apart. Would they find them again? How long did they have?
Speaking of Megatron…
"He's dead," Thundercracker said.
Prowl's gaze hardened. "Who?"
"The flock's lead Seeker," Thundercracker said. "He died. That's why we're here."
"The flock's?" Prowl said.
Starscream snickered. Prowl turned, glaring at kan. A grin split kas face.
"Did you think there was only one group of Seekers?" Ka said.
"No," Prowl said. "But that Seeker has been present during every major attack, across the entire planet. So we assumed—"
"He did exactly what I thought he was doing, then," Starscream said.
Prowl turned fully toward kan, inviting ka into the conversation. "That was?"
"Taking over flocks and running them into the ground to appease his desire for endless war," Starscream said.
[{ID:STSC} I knew I saw kan before. I knew kas story about losing kas flock was a load of scrap. But I was a seekerling so no one believed me!]
The anger that rose on the air wasn't meant for the room's occupants. It was something older and deeper. Thundercracker didn't truly know Starscream. A few vorns was nothing in the history of the flock, and Thundercracker hadn't even attempted to unravel it. He was regretting his lack of curiosity now.
"Do you not want war, then?" Prowl asked.
Starscream sat up, legs dangling off the berth. Ka winced as the movement pulled at kas patches.
"I hate your kind," ka said. "But if we keep fighting forever, there will be no one left. I cannot rule a pile of lifeless frames."
Skywarp shimmied waz way into the group, waz plating tucked close. But a weak smile was on waz face.
"Actually…" Wa said in Vosian, motioning toward Thundercracker.
Starscream glared. "What?"
Skywarp motioned to Thundercracker again. It took a moment for waz intent to register, but when it did, Thundercracker's plating tingled with anxiety. He knew Starscream wanted to be Winglord. That was what they originally planned. But plans often fell apart in practice.
'I have to be the one to strike the final blow, unless you'd like to be on the other side of my swords.'
Kas voice was light back then. Friendly. Thundercracker bore kan no threat. But now, the unthinkable had happened.
"I'm Winglord," Thundercracker forced out.
Starscream's wings fell. Kas claws twitched. The rest of kas body was still. The air betrayed nothing. Then, it grew cold.
"Oh," ka said.
Thundercracker cringed. "I know it's not what we planned—"
"It's fine," Starscream said. "How long would I have kept the position, anyway? I couldn't even defeat him."
Kas voice was… off. It lacked its usual confidence. Shaky, unstable, and quiet.
"I'm sorry—" Thundercracker reached out, but Starscream backed away.
"I said it's fine!" Ka spat. "You're Winglord. That's fine. Megatron is dead. That's what's important."
Thundercracker straightened up, withdrawing his hand. Blitzwing had ceded, so why couldn't he?
"Okay," he said. "But I could—"
"Don't even finish that thought!" Starscream hissed. "Stop talking to me. Better yet, stop talking entirely. I don't want to hear it."
Thundercracker sighed. Across from them, Prowl stared expectantly. Since it was in Vosian, he hadn't heard a word of the exchange. There was a lot they still had to explain.