The Good, the Bad and Starscream

Chapter 21: Inside Job

Smokescreen remained unconscious for a while after the Autobots had rescued him and brought him safely back to base. He was put on one of the tables in the medbay until he woke up.

"That was close," Ratchet remarked as he began scanning Smokescreen, just to see if he was alright. "Had we been just a few seconds late, Soundwave would certainly have made off with him."

The other Autobots turned to Starscream, who gazed between Smokescreen and them.

"We could not have saved Smokescreen without you, Starscream," Optimus said. "You did well."

Starscream smirked and shyly scratched the side of his head with a claw. "Oh, you know," he said casually. "Just doing my part for the team. He saved me before. Thought I'd return the favor."

Smokescreen groaned, and everyone turned their attention to him. "Ow, my head..." he said and held a servo on his head. "What happened?"

"Soundwave happened," Bulkhead replied. "You're lucky we got there in time. Well, and that Scream got there before we did."

Smokescreen rose to his elbows and glanced at Starscream, who stood with crossed arms and tried to act casual about the situation.

"He did?" Smokescreen asked. "Uh, thanks then."

"Consider us even," Starscream snickered. "Now that he's awake, shall we tell him?"

"Tell me what?" Smokescreen asked, looking around at the bots.

Optimus stepped forward. "It appears the final Omega Key," he said, "is within you, Smokescreen."

Smokescreen blinked and looked from Optimus to the other bots, then back at Optimus. "What? You're kidding, right?"

"I do not kid."

Smokescreen stared down at himself, clutching his own chest. "But how can that be?" he said quietly. "Alpha Trion launched the others in containers. Did he..."

"Knock you out and put the final Key inside you?" Arcee ended for him. "That's what we think."

Smokescreen stared at the others in disbelief. "But why? How could he..."

"There may not have been enough time for Alpha Trion to put the last Key in a container," Optimus assumed.

"So instead of coordinates," Ratchet continued, "he uploaded an image of you."

Smokescreen looked around at the others for a moment more before gazing back down at himself. "So the Omega Key is inside me right now, huh?" he mused. His face contorted into a smile. "Well then, saves us the trouble of locating it then. Hey Ratch, I'll let ya use the Phase Shifter to get it out, huh?"

The others smiled back at the recruit. He took the news pretty well. Ratchet approached Smokescreen as the latter lay back down.

"Let me just confirm it really is there," Ratchet said and brought out an x-ray scanner. He hovered it over Smokescreen's frame, and indeed, the reddish image of an Omega Key appeared right on the screen, right in the middle where it just wouldn't snap during transformation. Ratchet put down the scanner again and nodded.

"It's there, alright," Ratchet confirmed. "I will borrow that Phase Shifter of yours. It will be easier that way."

"And less messy," Smokescreen replied and handed over the Phase Shifter to the medic.

Ratchet attached the Phase Shifter to his wrist and activated it. He first tested it by having his servo go through his arm and out again. Afterwards, he turned to Smokescreen, who lay flat on the table with a smile, waiting excitedly to get the Key out.