Chapter Text
The battlefield, far from silent, was filled with corpses. Seekers and mecha alike milled about, murmuring to themselves and one another. A body was pulled from rubble. Another was reconstructed from scattered parts. Prowl didn't know the names of many of them. He noted them down regardless.
Pale green Autobot. Medium-size. Likely alternative mode: Jeep. Shot through the helm. Unidentified.
They remained unidentified decacycles later.
Dark green Seeker with mottled plating. Riddled with holes. Energeon loss.
Thundercracker recognized that one quickly. One of the Seekers from the other flocks: Lightframe.
Blue Seeker. Missing left arm and leg. Energeon loss.
Not very descriptive. Little about them stood out. Still, they were quickly identified: Ion Storm.
Others were known before cleanup even began.
Blue, red, and green Autobot. Alternative mode: car. Energeon loss.
Prowl didn't know Breakdown well, but he seemed kind. It was a shame.
Red Autobot. Alternative mode: truck. Beheaded.
Ironhide didn't deserve that.
Blue and yellow Autobot. Alternative mode: armored vehicle. Eviscerated.
Served Sentinel right. Prowl had never liked the mech, and especially not after he was arrested.
The battlefield composed a large chunk of, if not all of, Iacon. Each cycle, they uncovered more bodies than they identified. It could take orns, possibly vorns, to identify them all—and some would never be identified. But that was war. Prowl was used to it.
No one came forward to claim The Magnus's remains, not that there was much left. The shards of plating were collected in case the mech had relatives who wished to handle them. They sat in a jar somewhere. Prowl handed them off himself.
Looking up The Magnus's past was surprisingly easy. Optimus had an interest in history, and knew just the right sections of the archives to check.
Ultra.
A name as above-it-all as the mech himself. He was born in a poor area, but to wealthy creators. The Quintesson War started, and his size gave him an advantage. This was how he earned the rank of Magnus, which led to a seizure of power after the war ended. Prowl was born after the Quintesson War, so he never knew a world without The Magnus.
Had another mech taken power, would they be in this situation? Would the Seekers have been freed sooner? 87% likelihood they would not have. Prowl himself was stunned by Thundercracker when he began to grow. His first word nearly made Prowl jump out of his plating.
Place a tracking device, allow Thundercracker to find and infiltrate the Seekers, then destroy them. The original plan was quick and simple. But Thundercracker was so much like any other sparkling that Prowl forgot he wasn't one. The likelihood of success fell to 12%. A creature that could speak could reason. They wouldn't fall for a cheap trick like that. So, he reassessed. A raise and release operation became a spy mission.
And now, it led to this. Prowl noted the defining features of yet another corpse. This one had been buried beneath rubble, its helm crushed completely. But at least its lower body was intact. That was better than nothing.
A sound drifted over the horizon. Prowl ignored it at first. But with each body he noted down, it grew louder. It was melodic. Prowl didn't recognize any of the words. It was just sounds, timed in a steady tempo.
Quietly, the Seekers aiding him filed out. The Autobots stared as they walked away. Prowl followed. Seekers crowded before a small rock that stood in defiance of the cracked pavement. It was likely once part of a building, but there was no more indication of what it used to be. Upon it stood Soundwave.
The voice was his. Behind him stood Thundercracker, Starscream, and Skywarp. Beside them were other Seekers, which Prowl had to assume were other Winglords due to their positioning.
Eventually, the song petered away. Soundwave stood before the crowd silently. Skywarp came behind him and nuzzled him. Slowly, the crowd began to murmur.
Thundercracker stepped forward. Starscream and Skywarp stepped beside him.
"We may not be able to show those we lost the respect they deserve—" Starscream said. His voice cracked on the word respect. "But we can memorialize them and this battle. I promise, our lost allies and kin will not be forgotten."
There was a long, silent pause. But during that silence, the Seekers in the crowd stirred. Their optics fell on Skywarp. Then, after a quick glance at Thundercracker, Starscream spoke again.
"Autobots, what you just heard was Vosian. It is our language lowered to your range of hearing," Starscream said. "We have always been able to speak. You just could not hear us."
It was obvious in hindsight. How could the Seekers do what they did without communicating? But Prowl assumed they spoke using a comms-like system, not that they spoke in a range Autobots couldn't hear. The Autobots in the crowd—fewer in number than the Seekers—spoke among each other.
Thundercracker's optics landed on Prowl. Prowl stared back. Thundercracker's hand rose to his chest—to the newsparks Prowl knew were inside.
"We hope that this new understanding will bring peace between us."
!!!
Thundercracker's plating tingled as he paced, anxiety causing his spark to turn faster. The litter was mere cycles away from hatching. Sunstorm told him so the other cycle. Bitstream's and Thrust's litters were already born, but Sunstorm said that was normal. They both had less seekerlings in their litters than Thundercracker, and the more seekerlings, the longer it took for them to develop.
He knew his cockpit would unlock when they were ready. But what if it didn't? What if they were stuck? Would they have to break his cockpit to set them free? What if they couldn't? Would the seekerlings starve if they were stuck, or was there some way they could feed themselves? What if—
A click alerted Thundercracker to something that alleviated his worries and immediately caused many more new ones. Ignoring the startled wingflicks of those around him, he darted into the communal burrow, pushing past everyone as he dove into one of the private areas. He settled against the wall, feeling his spark turn.
[{ID:THCR} Can you come here? My cockpit unlocked.]
Skywarp arrived first, with the usual puff of air to announce it. Wa settled beside him. Starscream came next, followed by Ratchet. Prowl crawled in next to him. The moment he was inside, Thundercracker reached out, pulling him into a hug and nuzzling him. Prowl returned the embrace, squeezing him gently.
"It'll be fine," Prowl said. "97% likelihood. Those are good odds, aren't they?"
Thundercracker purred. They were. He tried not to focus on the three percent. After all, it was only three percent, right?
Ratchet's deft hands pushed them apart.
"You can't let them out if Prowl is in the way," Ratchet said with a smile.
Thundercracker smiled back, chuckling silently. He went rigid as something inside of his cockpit moved. It was an odd peeling sensation, as if someone were removing a patch from his body. Something thudded against the bottom of his cockpit. The impact reverberated through his plating. He sent the command for his cockpit to unlatch.
Out rolled three eggs, each the size of his palm. The first was black and purple. Its plating kept shifting, but it didn't hatch yet. The second was a red that bordered on magenta with blue highlights. It stayed still, the hum of a spark inside the only sign that it contained life. The third was black, red, and gray. Its plating shifted as it burst to life with force, as if attempting to outpace its siblings.
After the red egg, the other two swiftly followed. The black and purple egg rolled before transforming, the seekerling that now took its place letting out a high-pitched yowl. In a slow and showy set of movements, the magenta-red egg transformed as well. The magenta-red seekerling stayed quiet, reaching for and grasping Thundercracker's fingers.
Careful not to pinch any of them, Thundercracker let his cockpit slide closed, then laid the three seekerlings against his chest. Warmth rose in his spark. All three of them were perfect. He looked toward Skywarp and Starscream.
[{ID:THCR} Do we name them now?]
Windshear hadn't been named until her first few decacycles had passed. Blast said na didn't want to name her if na wasn't certain she would live. But Thrust had already named nas seekerlings—Vortex, a purple seekerling with a tendency to bite, and Whirl, a dark blue seekerling who seemed to always be getting into trouble. Bitstream named kas seekerling — Slipstream, who had a vocalizer almost as loud and shrill as Starscream's—after only a handful of cycles.
Skywarp and Starscream exchanged glances.
"If you want to," Skywarp said.
Thundercracker looked down at the seekerlings again. He hadn't thought of any names. He should have. But now they were already in his arms.
The black and purple seekerling peeped as the red seekerling bapped vam on the helm. Va was slightly larger than vas siblings, with wider limbs and a sturdier build. It almost reminded Thundercracker of…
[{ID:THCR} Blast…]
It felt wrong to use the name so directly.
[{ID:THCR} Blast Off. I want the black and purple one to be Blast Off.]
Starscream gently flicked the red seekerling's hand away, quieting Blast Off's irritated peeping.
"Blast Off," Starscream said. "Va does look like a shuttle." Then, ka grinned and reached up, poking Thundercracker on the olfactory ridge. "Having shuttle ancestry would explain why you're so large."
Thundercracker never met his creators. Perhaps one of them was a shuttle, or maybe they were descended from shuttles. He'd never know. But maybe little Blast Off was the only answer to that question he'd ever need.
Starscream brought kas finger down and stroked the helm of the black and red seekerling, ignoring its indignant peeps. "How about Red Wing for this one?"
[{ID:THCR} Like your dam?]
"Like nam," Starscream said. "Va looks just like nam."
[{ID:THCR} Red Wing it is.]
Red Wing swatted blindly at Starscream. Ka laughed. Thundercracker looked toward Skywarp.
[{ID:THCR} Are you going to name the last one?]
Skywarp shook waz helm. "I don't have any names. I'm just happy they're okay. Let someone else name vam."
Thundercracker supposed that was enough. Skywarp didn't have to name a seekerling if wa didn't want to. But naming two felt a bit greedy, even if they were his. So, with a flick of his wing, he turned toward Prowl.
Starscream inclined kas helm toward Thundercracker, then pointed toward the magenta-red seekerling. "He wants you to name the last one."
Thundercracker was learning sign—both Vosian and Common, courtesy of Dirge and Prowl respectively—but he couldn't exactly sign with his arms full. Besides, he was still early in his learning. A lot of the time, it was easier to just have his trinemates relay messages for him. Starscream was, embarrassingly, already a lot more fluent in Vosian sign than he was. Unable to go without knowledge, Prowl started learning Vosian sign immediately upon hearing it existed.
"I'm not good at names," Prowl said.
[{ID:THCR} You named me.]
Prowl's brow furrowed. "I didn't. We put names in a cup and drew one."
Thundercracker tilted his helm.
[{ID:THCR} Who won?]
"Sunstreaker."
Thundercracker flicked his wings. That made sense. Sunstreaker would come up with a name like his.
[{ID:THCR} What would you have named me, then?]
"Windblade," Prowl said.
The magenta-red seekerling looked up at him with wide optics, as if studying him. But vas optics were fuzzy. Va wouldn't be able to see anything for a decacycle or so.
[{ID:THCR} I like it.]
!!!
Soundwave landed with a grace unlike Thundercracker's. With the jetpack, na couldn't fly as quickly as the young Seekers that flocked nam, but they slowed down just for nam. Since the war ended, travel opened up between flocks again, resulting in a lot of mingling. Soundwave waved to the young Seekers, who flicked their wings in return. The moment they took off again, Windshear was on Soundwave, wrapping kas arms around him.
Ka had taken kas test while Thundercracker was away. Just like ka said, ka was a Claw. Thundercracker didn't doubt that ka would be trining Soundwave someday, whatever it would take to make that work—because it would work. They'd make it work.
CNA sequencing led Wheeljack to discover something completely unsurprising: Seekers and Autobots shared nearly all of their code. Only a small fraction made the differences that distinguished Seekers from Autobots. The blueprints were lost because there were no blueprints. Seekers were engineered from Autobot protoforms, with inserts from various mechanimals.
It turned out that Starscream was right all along: there was no difference. They elected to keep the matter quiet, but it would only be a matter of time before it got out. Wheeljack was already working on bridges to make Seeker-specific programs like trining compatible with Autobot systems.
"Hello," Soundwave signed, settling in front of him.
"Hey," Thundercracker signed back, using the one-handed variation because Red Wing had a grip on his arm and wouldn't let go. The seekerling was surprisingly clingy. "How was the flight?"
Na was much taller now, but na still had to look up at him. Every Autobot did. Windshear's growth had far outpaced his, despite ka being younger. For an Autobot, Soundwave was large. For a Seeker, na was tiny.
"Swiftrain and Double Loop invited me to visit their flock," Soundwave said.
Thundercracker forced himself to remain upright as Red Wing began climbing him. Va settled on his shoulder, which prompted a jealous peep from Windblade, who attempted to do the same. Soundwave's optics followed their movements. At least both of Thundercracker's hands were free, now. But his wings were obscured, so he switched to Common sign.
"And you want to go," Thundercracker signed.
Soundwave's shoulders slumped slightly. "I do. Windshear, too. But if you need us to help with—"
Thundercracker raised a hand, cutting nam off.
"Go," he signed. "I have plenty of help."
Silverbolt would be back with waz siblings soon. Skywarp was taking them to practice flying, since Silverbolt still balked at heights greater than just above the treetops. How Starscream managed to get wan to fly during the battle at Iacon, Thundercracker didn't know.
"You're getting too big for that."
Speak and wa shall arrive. The weight was lifted from Thundercracker's shoulders. Skywarp sat down next to him, placing a quiet Windblade and complaining Red Wing in waz lap. Blast Off, not wanting to be left out, launched vaz into Skywarp's lap, eliciting even more complaints from Red Wing.
"Get off of me!" Va whined.
Blast Off shoved vam. "There's no space! Stop hogging it!"
Red Wing shoved back. "You're the hog!"
Slowly, Windblade crept out of Skywarp's lap. Vas siblings continued to argue despite the increased space, completely unaware that va left. Va wriggled into Thundercracker's lap, fluttering vas wings as va sat.
Air Raid came along Skywarp's other side, grabbing the nearest seekerling—which happened to be Blast Off—and pulling vam to vas chest. Barely large enough to hold vam, it was quite the sight.
"Stop complaining!" Air Raid said.
Skywarp laughed. Blast Off rumbled angrily, but settled into Air Raid's lap.
Thundercracker remembered when all three of them fit in his cockpit. Now, he was lucky if he could fit one of them. Seekerlings grew very quickly. In a couple more vorns, they might be difficult to hold. Blast Off was already living up to vas alt mode, and was much larger than vas siblings. It was a wonder Air Raid could hold vam at all. Next vorn, va might not be able to.
But Thundercracker didn't complain even when his seekerlings' weight made him hunch, or when they pressed too heavily on his chest while they slept. He wanted them there for as long as he could keep them. Already, he missed when they were so small—when Windblade's little claws could only wrap around a single one of his fingers. Now, she could hold his hands palm to palm. And that's what va was doing as Thundercracker gently extracted them so he could speak again.
"Now that we're all here," he signed. "Should we get going?"
Air Raid settled into vas best pout.
"But I don't wanna go," Air Raid said.
"You don't even know where we're going," Skywarp said, lifting Red Wing as wa stood up.
Thundercracker stood up was as well, but quickly encountered an issue as he attempted to sign but neither of his hands were free. Thankfully, Silverbolt came to his rescue, holding out waz arms in a silent offering. Thundercracker transferred Windblade over, though he had to pry vas claws form his plating. Although Red Wing was vocal, va enjoyed attention from anyone. Blast Off was similar. But Windblade seemed to have a strong preference, even if va didn't complain or cry like vas siblings. Va let out a quiet whine and squeezed vas optics shut.
Thundercracker's spark twinged with guilt. He'd take vam back when he was done talking.
[{ID:SKWP} If you keep taking vam back the moment va starts to fuss, va will keep being clingy.]
[{ID:THCR} I know.]
It didn't make it any easier. Windblade was a lot quieter than vas siblings. They were nearly three vorns now and va had barely spoken a word. Thundercracker worried about vam, but those same worries were causing him to smother vam, further preventing vam from developing. He just… couldn't help it.
Despite vas complaints, Air Raid followed along as they walked through the camp. Other Seekers—many of them visitors that Thundercracker didn't recognized—glanced at them as they passed by. Some lifted their wings in greeting, but most went back to whatever they were doing. After the battle a few vorns ago, Thundercracker was well known across many flocks.
Ahead of them sat Acid Storm and kas trinemate, Nova Storm. Ion Storm died in the battle, leaving them as a lone pair. So, Thundercracker didn't expect the third Seeker that sat at their side, leaning over as ka sharpened a blade. Ka looked up and smiled, kas wings rising in greeting.
"Thundercracker," ka said. "And Skywarp, and others. How are you?"
"Fine," Thundercracker signed.
Nacelle watched him sign with squinted optics and a furrowed brow. Ka must not have been as practiced.
"That's good," ka said.
A little cyan and pink blur burst from Acid Storm's lap. Tiny claws sank into Silverbolt's legs as wa flinched. Wa knelt, placing Windblade on the ground. Slipstream wrapped vas arms around vam. Windblade's wings fluttered.
"Windblade!" Slipstream chirped.
Skywarp stepped around the seekerlings and placed Red Wing down. Wa smiled.
"I see you're on seekerling watch today," wa joked.
Nova Storm and Acid Storm exchanged glances.
"Actually," Nova Storm said. "Bitstream left vam with us because ka and Hotlink were called by the Autobots to help with something. They were going to take vam to the medic, and they knew you were going to drop some of the seekerlings off before heading there too, so…"
"You want us to take vam with us," Thundercracker finished. He shrugged. Why not? But… "What's going on?"
"Something about her not pouncing right, I think," Acid Storm said. "Hotlink wasn't very descriptive."
Huh. Slipstream was around his litter's age, so va would just be starting to learn how to hunt, and may even be starting to fly. What kind of trouble with pouncing would make them take vam to a medic?
"We can take her," Thundercracker signed.
That was how Thundercracker found himself with a peeping seekerling with a death grip on his wing as he landed. Slipstream's plating shook as va clung on, stubbornly refusing Skywarp's attempts to remove vam. If Thundercracker had a vocalizer, he would've hissed at the little pinpricks of pain vas claws caused. But eventually, Skywarp managed to extract vam—only to immediately drop vam as va sank vas teeth into waz arm.
Claws sank into Thundercracker's leg, quickly climbing up his plating. He stood still, resigning himself to being clung to by a skittish seekerling. At least Slipstream had stopped peeping now. Va was an affectionate little thing, but this definitely wasn't because of that. Something about flying scared the scrap out of her.
Thundercracker glanced at Silverbolt, who held Red Wing and Windblade in waz arms. Waz wings twitched. They headed inside, passing by a few friendly Autobots. There were some Seekers among them, much to Thundercracker's surprise and relief.
The medbay was loud as it always was—the constant hum of machinery and milling about of mecha. Sunstorm hovered in a corner, looking through a refrigerator. Starscream stood at the other end of the counter, opening machine that let out a cloud of steam. Ratchet stood at one of the consoles. As the door slid shut behind them, he turned toward them.
"You're here early," he said.
'For once,' was left unspoken.
"Yeah," Thundercracker signed. "I brought…"
He attempted to pry Slipstream off of himself, receiving an angry screech as she clung on. Sunstorm turned toward them, wings flicking as na approached. Na plucked Slipstream from Thundercracker's plating with ease as the seekerling stared ahead with wide optics. Sunstorm laid vam against his chest. Va leaned vas helm into nas plating, but didn't cling to nam like va did to Thundercracker.
"We know. We were called," Sunstorm said. Na placed vam on an examination berth. Va sat still, staring up at nam. "I can already tell you flew with her."
Comms weren't an option for Seekers. They quickly found that the low hum of comm units persisted even when inside a mech's helm, and the few Seekers who tested the units—Thundercracker included—begged for them to be removed. So, external call stations were created for the Seekers to use. Bitstream and Hotlink must have used one on their way out.
"Va is normally like this?" Thundercracker signed.
"Yes," Sunstorm said. "She is not afraid of heights. We already ruled that out. She is afraid of flying and climbing. And now she does not pounce correctly."
Ratchet hummed, stepping away from the console. "Let me take a look at her."
After a brief examination (which involved a nonzero amount of biting and screeching), Ratchet took a step back. Then, he held up one finger and moved it. Slipstream's helm tracked the movement, but as he slowed it, va stopped following it. Stepping closer again, Ratchet hummed. He covered Slipstream's face, withdrawing just quickly enough not to be bitten again, then scrutinized vam. Then, he did it again. And again.
"It's her vision," he finally said.
Sunstorm's brow furrowed. "She can see. We know she can see."
"But not well," Ratchet said. "That's why flying scares her. She doesn't know what's going on."
Sunstorm frowned. At the other side of the room, Starscream's wings flicked. Ka paused sorting the tools ka removed from the machine and crept closer.
"Can you fix it?" Sunstorm asked.
Ratchet shook his helm. "I'm not an optometrist. But I can refer you to one."
Sunstorm's wings twitched downward. Na turned as Starscream approached. Ka bent down, taking a syringe and needle out of a drawer.
"What are you doing, sibling?" Sunstorm said.
"Testing a theory," ka said. "Can I take line energeon?"
Sunstorm scoffed, but placed a hand on Slipstream, causing vam to go still. "Go ahead. Test your theory."
Deftly, Starscream took a sample. Ka brought it to the other side of the room, loading some of it into a chip, which ka then placed into a machine. After a few moments, it beeped. Ka motioned for the others to approach.
"What do you think?" Ka said. "It looks quite familiar to me. Except I was a lot worse."
Ratchet squinted at the readout. Sunstorm stepped back as if na had been slapped.
"How would I not notice?" Na said, bringing a hand up to nas mouth.
Starscream stared pointedly. Sunstorm turned away.
"This can be fixed, yes?" Sunstorm asked Ratchet.
Ratchet opened his mouth to speak, but a hiss stopped him.
"Not fixed," Starscream growled. "Only managed. You cannot fix everything."
"I can try," Sunstorm said.
Starscream broadened kas wings, snarling. "That has not gotten you anywhere. See what is in front of you for once."
Wings flicking, Sunstorm glared at kan. Thundercracker's plating itched. Should he stop them? Slipstream was right there.
"I do see," Sunstorm said, turning away.
Starscream sighed and rolled kas optics. Silence fell over the room, only interrupted by the periodic noise of equipment.
!!!
Thundercracker's cycles were largely occupied with raising his seekerlings, but as a member of the interim council, he had to attend meetings. This one stretched on for much longer than scheduled—not that Thundercracker could do anything about it. Between the council and the flock, there were plenty of problems to solve. It didn't help that Autobots liked to sleep when Seekers preferred being awake.
So, Thundercracker made his way into the communal burrow quietly. He flinched at every little twitch, fearing that maybe he'd stepped too loud and this time someone had woken up. But he managed to make it to Skywarp and Starscream without anyone waking. The seekerlings were smushed between them. Silverbolt slept at Starscream's side with waz siblings.
(It was a bit ironic that Soundwave was the one who wanted to travel and Silverbolt refused to leave the flock's territory, but Thundercracker had long stopped caring about roles.)
To avoid disturbing Silverbolt, Thundercracker settled down at Skywarp's side. He reached a hand over to place on Starscream, only to find it immediately snatched. Starscream stared back at him. Belatedly, Thundercracker noticed Skywarp staring as well.
[{ID:SKWP} how did it go]
Thundercracker flicked his wing.
[{ID:THCR] Well enough. We managed to convince them not to zone the Pietersite Mountains as a mining area, so the Peak Flock got to keep their hunting grounds.]
Skywarp nuzzled him.
[{ID:SKWP} thats nice I guess]
[{ID:THCR} It is. One less thing for us to worry about.]
Starscream was oddly quiet. Ka stared ahead, still clutching Thundercracker's hand.
[{ID:THCR} What's wrong?]
"I'm fine," Starscream mumbled.
[{ID:THCR} You're staring off into nothing and gripping my hand like you have a grudge against it, so no. You're not.]
Starscream scoffed. "Maybe I do have a grudge against your hand. You never know."
[{ID:THCR} Try again.]
"No," Starscream hissed, closing kas optics and turning away.
Thundercracker waited. Ka didn't speak again. It was Skywarp who broke the silence.
"I'm glad Sunstorm didn't abandon Slipstream."
Waz voice trembled. Thundercracker was reminded of Skywarp's past—of the memories he saw when they linked up to create their seekerlings. But looking back now, he saw what he couldn't before.
Energeon staining claws. Lowered wings.
'Leave! See if I care!'
Skywarp said waz sires left because wa was too much for them, but was that really true? Skywarp's dam had told them to leave, then they'd left. That may not have been the time they left forever, but Thundercracker doubted that one was any different.
[{ID:THCR} Your sires loved you.]
Skywarp shook waz helm. "They left me. The wouldn't do that if they loved me."
[{ID:THCR} They left your dam, not you. It wasn't your fault.]
Skywarp sighed.
"I don't believe that," wa said.
An irritated click from Starscream interrupted Thundercracker before he could respond.
"Sometimes, you're better off without them," ka said.
Skywarp let out a quiet rumble. "Just because your creators were killed—"
"I'm not talking about them!" Starscream spat. "I'm not. I barely knew them."
"Then who are you talking about?"
Starscream looked away again. Thundercracker finally followed kas gaze. At the end of kas line of sight laid Sunstorm and nas trine, Slipstream sleeping on top of them.
Starscream turned toward Thundercracker as if sensing his stare. "The Autobots hurt you, when you were a seekerling."
But not like that.
[{ID:THCR} They didn't know. They learned.]
But was ignorance an excuse, when Thundercracker complained and begged? When rather than trying to learn why he behaved the way he did, they scolded him? When they did so much research that The Magnus had used Prowl as a resource for the Seeker breeding program, and they still hurt him?
But things were different now. Thundercracker loved Prowl. He didn't know where he would be if Prowl didn't take him from that battlefield. Would another Seeker have found him? Would he have survived long enough for that?
"Some don't," Starscream mumbled.
Megatron was killed by kas own flock for kas callousness. The Magnus knew Seekers were just like Autobots and worked to hide that fact. Sunstorm…
[{ID:THCR} Some don't.]
But many did. Prowl admitted his flaws after Thundercracker came back. Ironhide heard them speak and helped them escape. Knock Out and Breakdown found the medicine in Starscream's storage space and the realization of what it meant led them to organizing their escape. Blitzwing saved them in the middle of their escape despite having once been Megatron's trinemate. The Decepticons once scorned Thundercracker, but now he was their Winglord.
[{ID:THCR} Many do.]
Thundercracker decided then that they should talk with Sunstorm. Maybe na would change. Maybe na wouldn't. But they could give nam the chance.