𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 [𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚎]

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕

A short while later, Stormrunner stood in the medbay, watching the new Autobot slowly wake up with Megatron and Knockout.

"Wakey wakey," Knockout said, staring down at Smokescreen.

"What?!" He tried to sit up, but quickly found out he was tied down. The Autobot looked over at him and Stormrunner, glaring at them.

"If you're looking for your phase shifter..." Knockout lifted his arm, showing off the small circular device attached to it. "Finders keepers."

"Enough, Knockout!" Megatron walked over to stand beside the metal slab, slightly leaning down. "Hand me the final Iacon relic, now."

"Yeah, I can't help you," Smokescreen said as he continued to strain against his bonds. "That was the only one I was packing."

Stormrunner scowled. "Liar."

Soundwave came forward, showing Smokescreen the image that they had decoded, the pixels slowly forming the image. "You got the wrong bot, chief. Optimus is the only one who can decode the Iacon database."

"Ah, but you misunderstand," Megatron said. "The final entry has been decoded. By us! And according to our findings, it would indeed appear that I have 'the right bot'."

The pixels finally stopped shifting around, forming the image of the Autobot before them. Smokescreen looked stunned, which Stormrunner was confused about. 'Shouldn't he know that he is the final relic?...'

"The question is, what is it that your still packing," Knockout said as he came forward, looking down at a datapad-looking device. Stormrunner looked over his shoulder as he held the device over his chest, revealing a key-like object stored in him. "Why, a hidden treasure of course!" Knockout laughed.

'I knew it!' Stormrunner thought to herself, containing a grin.

"Yet, another one of these relics?" Megatron said. "Remove it swiftly."

"With pleasure," The doctor's servo reverted to a saw. "I do resent a finish flashier than my own."

He turned to Smokescreen, who wriggled in his restraints. Stormrunner rolled her optics. "Stop, Knockout."

The saw stopped just as it reached Smokescreen's chest before it reverted to his servo. Knockout laughed. "Just kidding. Made you squirm though."

He activated the phase shifter on his wrist, sticking his other servo through his arm. "Trippy."

Knockout stomped on the ground. "And intuitive! Proper grounding makes sure that the user doesn't phase through the floor."

"I said swiftly!" Megatron sharply said. Knockout nodded and stuck his servo directing into Smokescreen's chest, making the Autobot flail around.

"Get your stinking servo out of my gears!"

Knockout finally took ahold of the relic and pulled, freeing the key, before showing Megatron.

He scowled. "Tell me the function of these keys."

"Door stops, shavers, bling? Beats me," Smokescreen smiled slightly.

"Pity that the phaser shifter won't let me just reach into his brainpan and pluck out the info," Knockout said.

"Fortunately we possess a device that can," Megatron gestured to Stormrunner to get a cable off of a table nearby. 'The Cortical psychic patch.'

-

A while later, Megatron stood, after engaging in the patch. "The power to remake Cybertron as I see fit. I will pry the other two keys from Prime's lifeless digits."

"We must find the location of the Autobot base," he continued. "Patch in and tear apart Smokescreen's mind if you have to."

"Me?!" Knockout sounded slightly startled by this.

"Who else," Megatron said, sounding annoyed. "Do you think I would entrust you to see this key safely to the vault containing the other one?"

Knockout looked over at Stormrunner as he left, who crossed her arms. "What are you looking at? You're the doctor here, not me."

He sighed, shaking his helm. "Once more in the brainpan."

"No," Smokescreen cried, struggling against his bonds more than he had before. Stormrunner looked towards the ground slightly, not wanting to watch. "Not again! Stay out of my head!!!"

Knockout cackled. "You're only going to make things worse for yourself." Suddenly he let out a small gasp, and Stormrunner looked up, seeing that Smokescreen had taken hold of the phase shifter.

"Worse how?" Smokescreen sat up, phasing through his bonds. He punched Knockout, and the two grappled for a bit.

Stormrunner ran over and attempted to separate them, though she kept phasing through them.

Eventually the two-phased through a wall, and Stormrunner ran out of the room, Atlas a few yards ahead of her to get to the other side.

There she found Knockout stuck in the wall, struggling to get free. "Where is Smokescreen?"

"How should I know?!" He cried. "Just free me from this predicament!"

"Which way did he go?"

Knockout pointed in the direction of the flight deck. Stormrunner turned and started to run in that direction. "Wait!"

Stormrunner didn't bother to look back. "I'll find a way to free you later Knockout, but not right now."

She transformed into her alt mode and flew through the hallways, onto the flight deck. Just in time to see Smokescreen jump.

'Scrap!'

"Wait for me here," she told Atlas, who proceeded to jump off and sit near the doors leading to the flight deck. 

Stormrunner went after him, and just as she got to him, she transformed back to her bipedal mode. "Surrender!" She shouted, her voice partly getting drowned out in the wind. "You will die on impact!"

Smokescreen scowled and turned the dial on the phase shifter on his wrist.

Stormrunner slashed at him with one of her blades, though it phased straight through him. He point his blaster at her and fired, the first shot hitting her shoulder, it cracking the armored plating around that area. 

She grimaced, as a swirling green vortex opened up beneath them. Smokescreen turned the dial back on the relic. 

"You're not getting away!" Stormrunner shouted, attempting to push him out of the way. 

But just as she was about to, something slammed into the both of them, knocking them away from the ground bridge. 

Stormrunner's vision doubled and tripled, letting herself go limp for a few moments as she fell through the sky. Finally, noticing how close the ground was getting, she transformed into her alt form, pulling up at the last second. 

She landed beside Megatron, the ground crackling slightly under her peds. 

"Scour the wreckage!" He commanded her and the two vehicons, and Stormrunner went to the fiery wreckage, his visor and mask protecting her from the smoke. "I want those keys!"

'Frag,' She thought as she searched the crater. 'Lord Megatron is going to have my spark for this!'

++