//------------------------------// // Cybertron // Story: Top Of The List // by dudenotactive //------------------------------// Cybertron, what was once a barren wasteland now a planet full of life. Years ago, Optimus Prime made the greatest sacrifice in all of history to restore the planet back to its greatest form. Many bots were born on the planet and populated the cities that were rebuilt in the name of those who had gone through hell just to bring back their home for all Cybertronians alike.  But it was not as peaceful as the heroes had envisioned. Decepticons still exist among them, the Autobots had made sure to bring back the police force to keep any Decepticon in check.  Nonetheless, Cybertron had returned to being an advance society with thousands of Cybertronians walking on the surface. It was what Optimus would have wanted. Bumblebee had become an Elite Guard lieutenant and Ultra Magnus is now part of the council to keep the peace and order. Bulkhead and his pal Wheeljack were in charge of both demolition and construction, a calling true to who Bulkhead was, but not so much for Wheeljack. Ratchet had vanished, leaving only a single note to his friends and allies. Smokescreen followed Bumblebee in his steps and became a guard as well, using his skills from what he learned on earth to keep the city in order.  As for Arcee.  It was simply undecided yet. For years after the restoration of her planet, Arcee had bounced around, city to city looking for anyone that needed help in any way that she could. Ultra Magnus offered her a seat in the council with him, but she simply declined. It wasn't a job fitting for her, she was not as collective and wise as Optimus or Ultra Magnus. But there were some perks of being the hero of Cybertron.  Such as being free to speed through the highway without any problems with the authorities. Unlike the Cybertronians that now inhabit the planet, she had retained her motorcycle form which she was fond of. Two wheels instead of hovering around. Sure, some Autobots had wheels, but her second form was practically a trophy itself. It was evidence of her time on Earth, a reminder of someone that was close to her spark, her family who had long since passed to the sands of time.  She sighed deeply as she drove past the other bots, her engine roared as she dashed through. The wind cooled her engine as she throttled, the needle on her speed dial started to inch towards the right. Everything started to blur as she drove along the highway, trying her best to reach maximum speed. And as she was starting to finally clear out her mind of worries, a very familiar jet roared passed overhead. She screeched to a halt and quickly shifted to her first form, her eyes narrowed at the jet in the distance. "Starscream." She spoke bitterly, the name lingered on her tongue with a sour taste that only made her sick to her stomach.  Without wasting time, she transformed to pursue Megatron's former second in command. Her wheels screeched once more as her engine went full overdrive. She drove against the flow of traffic, dodging any bots that was stupid enough to stay on their lane.  Meanwhile, Starscream had circled around and flew towards her. But instead of what she had expected, Starscream had launched his missiles towards the building far from her. Then he stared through the air as if he was trying to keep his distance before circling back again to launch another missile at a different building.  "Damn it Starscream!" She shouted as she quickened towards the jet.  As Starscream flew within her range, Arcee switched back to bot mode with her guns out and ready. Her eyes trained on the jet that was getting a little too close to the ground, then she blasted him right then and there landing two consecutive hits. She heard a yelp as Starscream started spinning out of control in the air before crashing into another building. She groaned loudly as she numbered the damages, but there were far more important things to do.  Starscream groaned loudly, his optics fluttered open and he was greeted by the clear open sky through an open ceiling, which was caused by him. His large form shifted among the debris that cluttered on top of him.  "Where did that come from...?" He asked himself as he pushed off the ground. "He couldn't have hit me from where he stood, somebody must've felt like a hero today." He growled loudly as the sound of an engine grew louder. "And that somebody is about to see why no one dares to attack me..." Seconds later a motorbike leaps through the hole he created and landed right on his face. Starscream couldn't react in time as the bike bounced off him and shifted just before they landed. As soon as he recovered, his optics widened as they land upon the femme in front of him.  "Arcee!?" His jaw dropped, he had not expected her here of all places.  "Surprised, Screamer?" The blades on her arms came out and she took on a stance, preparing herself to fight if needed. And with Starscream, there will be a fight, or a chase.  But then Starscream smiled, not a smile filled with foul intent, but an honest smile that looked strange on his face. Arcee couldn't help but cringe a little from this reaction. "Arcee!" To her own surprise, the Decepticon dropped to his knees with his servos raised in the air. "Thank the Allspark! Please, take me in, chain me up, and throw me in a secured cell!" He then moved his arms forward towards her with his wrists close together.  "What game are you playing, Starscream!" The 'Con shook his head. "N-no games! Just please, bring me in, throw the holopad at me if you need to! There is a psycho on my tail!" "Really?" She raised a brow at him. "I don't believe it at all Starscream. There are hundreds of bots out to get you, so what makes this one special huh? And why were you attacking the city?" "You don't understand! He's here, he's here to rip out my spark and drag my corpse through the streets!" He whimpered.  Arcee sighed. She brought out a pair of cuffs and quickly placed them on Starscream's wrists. There was no objection from the seeker, he simply and gladly accepted it.  "Oh thank you, thank you!" He repeated, and much to Arcee's disgust, the seeker began kissing the tip of her foot. "Alright, enough!" She pulled her foot away from the groveling Decepticon. "Now, why are you just blowing up stuff?" "He's here!" Starscream reasoned. "I don't know how, but somehow that crazy bot is here! And alive if I may add." "Who is?" "Starscream." Arcee whipped around with her guns and pointed them to a certain cyclops. Arcee scoffed. "Shockwave, I should've known." It was indeed Megatron's scientist. The large and imposing Decepticon stared at them both with his blood red eye. His large arm cannon was not pointed at her, which was strange since he didn't just blast Arcee when her back was turned.  "Shockwave!" Starscream gasped as he hopped up onto his feet.  "Starscream, you were supposed to meet me an hour ago. But instead, I find you here conversing with this femme." Shockwave ignored Arcee and simply took a step closer to them. The Autobot fired a warning shot in the air and the cyclops stopped just before he could get any closer. "Easy there Shockwave. Why are you out for Starscream's spark?" He looked at her silently for a second. "You are mistaken. I am not here for his spark, he is helping me with a project." He answered.  "So wait, who's after him then?" If Shockwave had a face, his would be a look of shock right now. "Starscream, are you being pursued by him?" "Y-yes Shockwave! He's here in the city, and he's not just here for me, but you as well!" Arcee was even more confused, but she opted to listen since the two didn't seem to be a threat as of now. Whatever or whoever was chasing them must have really shook them to their core. Or maybe Shockwave was not bothered, it was hard for anyone to see his expressions.  "Impossible. We had not left any tracks after our last encounter." The scientist spoke calmly as he lifted up his weapon. "We must hurry." "Woah there boys, no one is going anywhere until I get an explanation!" Arcee trained her guns on the larger Decepticon, Starscream was unable to fight due to the cuffs. "And besides, both of you are going behind bars for a very long time." "I will not be denied my freedom." Shockwave aimed his massive cannon towards the Autobot. "And I will not allow you to keep Starscream, he is... important to my plan." "W-wait Shockwave!" Shockwave looked past Arcee to glare at Starscream who was hiding behind the smaller bot. "Think about it... if we just turn ourselves in, then our chances of survival are greater than your plan!" The scientist scoffed. "Do you honestly believe that there is a prison on this planet strong enough to keep him out." It was not a question, merely a statement of what lengths this new threat would go to just to see Starscream's insides. His hand reached behind himself to bring out a small cylinder. "Put that down Shockwave!" Arcee warned him. "I said put that down! And who exactly is chasing you!?" "That... would be me." From the opening on the ceiling came a calm yet frightening voice. It was a voice that shook the cores of not just the two Decepticons, but Arcee as well. Starscream immediately scrambled over to Shockwave's side. Arcee snapped towards the hole with her weapons ready. And from it, a Decepticon larger than Shockwave had dropped down from the hole. Starscream made true to his name and screamed like a little sparkling while Shockwave moved his cannon towards the new bot in the room. There was a strange aura coming from this particular Decepticon, Arcee couldn't really understand, but she felt her body run cold from the sight of this 'Con.  Everything about this mech screamed "Danger!", the way he carried himself, the way he just stood there under the light from the opening on the ceiling. And she could tell that even Shockwave was frightened. The nameless Decepticon's dual cannons were intimidating for sure, but what really made Arcee feel uneasy was his face, or his mask to be accurate.  Because on his face was the badge and symbol of the Decepticon. "Tarn!" Starscream cowered behind the one eyed Decepticon.  "Who!?" Arcee asked as she trained her weapons on the imposing Decepticon now named Tarn.  "Though my entrance is a bit underwhelming... I am Tarn, it is a pleasure to meet the great Arcee of team Prime." Tarn bowed gracefully. "Sadly, you are in the way of my mission. I advise that you step aside, or else I will... move you myself." "I'd like to see you try 'Con." "Tarn," Shockwave shoved Starscream forward with his hand that still held the cylinder. "I wish to make a deal." "Shockwave, how could you!?" Starscream whimpered. Even Arcee was giving Shockwave a disappointed look. Tarn chuckled. "You wish to sacrifice him over you?" He shook his head very slowly. "Forgive me, but I must decline. Both of you are too high on my list." "And what list is that?" Arcee inches away from the threat.  "My list of deserters and traitors." Tarn grinned under his mask. "And Starscream had been high on the list for so long now." Shockwave sighed. "If you do not accept, then I must continue with my plan." With one quick throw, the cylinder flew towards Tarn.  "And that plan is?" Tarn questioned as he caught the cylinder, only for it to explode in his hand. The blast consumed Tarn in a thick smoke.  "We must leave, now!" Shockwave pulled Starscream aside and started running for the exit.  "Hey wait!" Arcee tried to stop them but she herself found that her own legs were running as well. Instincts were telling her to get as far as she can from Tarn for whatever reason.  "I can't believe you tried to throw me under the bus!" Starscream nearly impaled Shockwave right then and there, but he knew that he needed the scientist right now. "How could you just do that to me!?" "Tell me Starscream," Shockwave glanced behind him as they ran down the hall towards the exit. "how many times have you left me to die? When the captives escaped and used my Space Bridge, what did you do? When the Terrorcons were raised from the dead, where were you?" Starscream tried to argue back, but found himself stuttering. Then he closed his lips tightly and frowned.  "Boys, I need answers, right now!" Arcee spoke. "Who is Tarn!?" "Tarn is one of Megatron's most loyal soldier back in the war, far more loyal than Soundwave." Shockwave explained. "But unlike Tarn or Soundwave, there were many Decepticons who chose to leave or betray the Decepticon cause. And that is where the Decepticon Justice Division comes in. They are in charge of tracking deserters and traitors alike and punishing them whatever they see fit." "And what's worse, is that Tarn is after me!" Starscream added. "I mean, he's after us!" Starscream corrected himself once Shockwave's glare landed on him. "And why don't you just take him down? It's a three on one!" Arcee suggested.  "Did you not listen to us, femme! He leads the DJD, which means he is not-" The wall in front of them collapsed and through the destruction entered a hulking Decepticon with a cavity in his chest, big enough for a smaller bot to be inserted in. And there was the big red "X" on his face as well.   "-alone... H-hello, Tesarus..." The giant smirked. "Starscream! I've been itching to get my hands on you all day!" The two arms on his back flipped over and reached for the defenseless seeker "Now come here and get in my belly!" Starscream once more screamed like a little girl, luckily for him, Arcee had intervened just in time and her guns blasted his face point blank making the giant stutter back a step. Using this chance, the three went through the new opening in the wall and out of the building. As quick as they could, the three had run from the giant. Tarn had just entered the scene and stared at his targets in the distance as they ran. He looked over to the giant and sighed.  "Are we getting rusty, Tesarus?" Tesarus stammered for a second after his vision returned. "M-maybe... I don't know." Just then, sirens started to fill the streets, and a dozen guards were approaching the building fast. Tarn sighed once more as he stepped back into the shadows.  "Regroup with Kaon and Helex, Vos is in pursuit with the targets. I will follow soon after." He ordered, Tesarus quickly did as he was told and left Tarn by himself. Tarn watched the guards nearing him, he eyed every single one of them with intent, foul intent. "Now, I need to do a little bit of stretching..."