Title: Moment
Universe: G1
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Characters: Starscream, Thundercracker
Summary: A moment in time, between Starscream and Thundercracker--indirectly caused by Skywarp.
Author's notes: this was origonally written for the Seekers-Club September/October challenge over on DA earlier this week. i didn't win, but i'm long used to not winning art+fanfiction contests over there.
many thanks to
vani_nessa for the beta.
It was raining when they launched the assault on the power plant, which was probably the only reason it had gone off so easily. The Decepticons had managed to break in and begin siphoning off the energy in only a few minutes--and with no interruptions. Starscream wasn’t even sure that the humans had been able to make a distress call before Soundwave and the cassettecons had jammed their communications.
It had been relieving to have something finally go right for them.
Right, at least, until Megatron started handing out duty assignments. Thundercracker had sputtered angrily when Megatron ordered them to guard the entrance to the facility. Starscream had shrugged and said nothing. That hadn’t helped cool his trinemate’s anger. The Air Commander wasn’t any happier about it, but he didn’t complain. He wasn’t about to push his luck, with Skywarp currently out of the picture.
“So, tell me how we managed to get stuck with guard duty while the coneheads get to fly the overland patrols,” Thundercracker said bitterly as he pulled a pair of energon rations and handed one to Starscream. “Because I’m fuzzy on those details.”
“Don‘t whine about it,” Starscream said as he took the energon. “It’s Skywarp’s fault we’re grounded. If he hadn’t gotten torn up in by that stupid saboteur yesterday, we wouldn’t be here.”
“We’re still perfectly able to fly,” the blue Seeker replied. “I don’t understand why we’re watching the door, instead of somewhere where our abilities might actually be useful.”
“Thrust and Ramjet wouldn’t know an Autobot from their afterburners,” the Air Commander agreed. “But this is where Megatron wants us.”
“Our combat skills aren’t any worse without Skywarp,” Thundercracker continued. “We’re both proficient in combat styles that don’t require a trine.”
“I know that.” Starscream also knew that his trinemate needed to vent his anger before it became a handicap.
“Then why are we here and not out there where we should be?” the blue Seeker pointed at the cloud covered sky.
“Because Megatron was going to replace him.”
“What?” Thundercracker pinned the Air Commander with a look of shock. “Why?”
“Who knows why he does anything anymore?” Starscream replied. “He told me we could either let that fanatic Sunstorm into the trine or be grounded. I thought being grounded and on guard duty was the better option.”
Thundercracker finally took a sip of his energon while thinking that over. “That doesn’t even make sense. It’s stupid to break up the top trine just because one of them gets hurt. But you made the right call, I guess.”
“It was better than being separated.” The Air Commander nodded, then took a drink of his own energon. He looked at his trinemate in surprise at the exceedingly sweet flavor. “Did you give me the wrong cube?”
Thundercracker took another drink of his own energon, then shrugged. “Nope. But you have to remember, when I‘m on guard duty, it‘s not usually with you.”
“I’ll never understand how that glitch takes his so sweet.” Starscream took another drink, shuddering at the taste.
“He says it helps keep him from falling into recharge on his feet,” the blue mech replied. “I think he does it just to spite whoever’s manning the supplies.”
The Air Commander chuckled. That would be just like Skywarp. “He would.”
Thundercracker turned his gaze away from his commander and toward the plains surrounding the plant. “When do you think that we’ll be able to spring him from Hook’s domain?”
“I think we’ll go when Astrotrain comes to relieve us. I hate guard duty.”
They settled into silence then, staring off across the plains and only vaguely watching for an attack that didn’t seem likely to come.
please clicky!