~Knocked-Out~

Illogical

The scorching summer heat of the desert bared down on the red sports car, as it sped towards the sound of blaster fire.
"Arcee, come in." Knockout tried his comm again, to no avail. As the blaster fire grew louder, he noticed the sound to be coming from a cave in the auburn rock. Transforming, he ran in, into a stuffy hot area, where Arcee was battling it out with...no.
"Really?!" Darkshade cried upon noticing the mech. "I can't go one cycle without running into you!" She hissed, as a blast skimmed her shoulder, which Knockout noticed was bandaged up and was clearly injured.

"Nightstreak, stop! I know you're in there!" Arcee yelled, reluctant to shoot at her again. Darkshade glared at Arcee, and if looks could kill, she would be nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.

"I'm not NIGHTSTREAK! How many times do I have to tell you that she is dead!!"
A portal appeared behind her, and she ran in immediately. Then, it was still, the portal gone, and the air heavy. Panting heavily, and grasping her arm, Arcee stared at the place where it had been, then turned her attention to Knockout, the muttered

"What are you doing here?"

"I noticed two Decepticom signals approaching yours, so I came to warn you."

"Well, obviously, you were too late." She kicked at the ground, which was stained with energon leaking out of her arm.

"Well, at least let me patch you up." Arcee grumbled, and reluctantly trudged over. Knockout took out a welder and started patching up the gash.

"H...hey listen, I'm sorry about earlier."

"You have nothing to be sorry about. You're right. Nightstreak is gone. And Darkshade is a full Decepticon."

It was silent for a moment. A long awkward moment.

"So... did you hear that Starscream is going to be an Autobot now?"

"What?! When did this happen?"

" A few minutes ago."

" So he wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to join us."

"With Screamer, you never know."

Another silent awkward pause. Even in the cave, the heat looming in the air made their armor hot to the touch.

"Starscream told me Darkshade was the reason he left the Decepticons."

Arcee scoffed. "And you believe him?"

"I'm not sure. It seems impossible, but the way he talked suggested it to be the truth."

Arcees spark started beating quickest. Should she tell him? If Starscream could be honest with him, so could she, couldn't she?

"And I'm the reason Nightstreak no longer exists."

~~~

"Darkshade! Where have you been?"
Darkshade walked into the room, her servo clasped around her shoulder. She smirked, trying to mask her pain.
"Putting the hurt on an Autobot."
"Did I not instruct you to stack the remaining Energon Cubes?" Megatron roared.
"All done, my liege."
"Oh really? Soundwave!" Megatron called his communication specialist, as the slender bot walked in as if on cue. "Pull up the camera feed in the energon storage room."
Without any motion, the live feed popped up on Soundwave's visor, displaying the neat stacks of Energon cubes. Megatron nodded in approval.
"Very well then, but I would advise you restrain from any fighting until your shoulder plate heals. I can see the pain in your optics. Dismissed."

Megatron waved her away, and Darkstreak walked slowly to her berthroom. As the large mechanical doors slid open to reveal her room and Darkshade stepped in, her ped caught in something, and she went flying down to the floor.

"Arg!" Her shoulder seared with the impact. The new wound wasn't leaking energon, but it was deep, and painful. Slowly, clenching her teeth as not to yell out, she rolled into her back, and used her other arm to sit up, and lead against the wall, taking deep air-less breaths.

"Not again." She groaned. This time, there was no one to help her. She was on her own.

" Ok...1...2...3..." Darkshade pushed against the wall, trying to get up. She was able to get a few feet off the ground before her pedal slipped, and she slumped back down onto the ground.

"Your efforts are...illogical. You require help"  Darkshade shot her head up to glare at the one eyed mech looking down at her.

"Well, it's illogical for you to assume I can't do this on my own." She snapped back, and started pushing against the wall, despite the pain from her screaming shoulder. This time, with the pressure of being watched, she was able to get onto her peds, before her legs gave way, and she crippled to the ground. Shockwave merely stared at her, before walking off down the hall.

" Rude!" She called after him, then sighed once the door closed. She dragged herself across the floor, and pulled herself onto her berth, crying at the pain. The barrier had broken, and the tears started streaming out. Her heart ached. Nowhere on this ship, did she feel warm, or loved. She needed to feel loved.

"I'm sorry."
Those words, ironically, were filled with such a warmth, so full of feeling, that just playing it over and over in her helm made Darkshade feel better.
Who was it that had said that? It wasn't Megatron; that was out of the question. Shockwave had spoken to her for the first time today, so it wasn't him. Soundwave doesn't even speak, so it definitely can't be him. Steve was the only trooper who has spoken to her, and even then, he seemed reluctant to keep his mouth shut. Breakdown was...gone, and Dreadwing was currently M.I.A. Nope, not them.
So that left two mechs.
Knockout and Starscream.
Darkshade refused to believe that those kind words have come from the spark-breaking cherry Autobot, it couldn't be him.
That left Starscream.
Starscream
Repeating the name over and over in her head, Darkshade fell into a deep recharge, the name echoing in her spark. One question remained however, one that haunted her dreams.
"Where is Starscream?"
~~~