[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Bring on the Thunder [Starscream, Coldwind, Open]

[Starscream]

Starscream chuckled lowly as Coldwind went on to confirm what he’d said. While he had no reason to lie about Soundwave being the one to crash the Nemesis, anyone who knew the Spymaster - or at least, knew of him - would’ve found the whole thing hard to believe.

The fact Soundwave had been sick had been left out in an attempt to tarnish Thundercracker’s view of him. While it would no doubt backfire once his Trinemate learned the truth, for now there was a certain smugness in being the one to relay the news.

He wasn’t surprised in the slightest when there was no retort from Thundercracker to Coldwind’s verbal jab. While Starscream had never filled the femme in on just what happened between himself and his brother in terms of details, the gist of it had been that he’d abandoned him - abandoned them.

Instead a question was asked, and he’d chuckle once more.

::Do try to pay attention, Thundercracker.:: there was some humor to his tone. ::Did I not say there are human threats?:: a smug purr followed these words, before he continued.

::I suppose I will let you off, though. While the majority of humanity are unaware of our existence, a small group have wriggled out of the woodwork with a certain interest in Cybertronian forms. They call themselves MECH, and are considered dangerous.:: the humor had faded, his tone more serious as he continued his descent toward what looked to be a small and unpopulated island.

::They tear apart our frames, reverse engineering our biology - usually while we are still alive. Neither faction are safe, they’ve taken - and killed - members from both sides. Especially those that travel alone, or shun the safety of others.::

There may have been a tiny dig at the teal Seeker in there somewhere.

::Despite our gift of flight, even we are not safe.::

[Coldwind]

Coldwind pressed ahead, closing the gap between her and the other two jets, preparing for a sharp descent. Spotting the island, she slowly made preparations to land once given the command. For now, Starscream seemed content in explaining the threat of MECH first. She'd let him finish. It was almost odd to hear practically the same words he offered her upon arriving on Earth. It made her wonder how many times he reduced himself to playing tour guide in the past. Surely he did not find these necessities any more entertaining than she had.

::Humans are a barbaric breed of local pests,:: she elaborated once Starscream finished talking.

::They infest a vast majority of this world, and due to their short, fleeting lives, they tend to be quite greedy. MECH, most of all.::

Coldwind scoffed through the comm line in disgust.

::In their falsely-assumed sense of superiority, they believe that they stand to profit from such scavenging as Starscream described. Perhaps it is better that we found you, after all...I wouldn’t wish such a pitiful death even on the likes of you.::

While Coldwind had no sense of compassion and did not care for Thundercracker's pride in the slightest, she understood full well how much MECH could abuse the body of a Seeker. What might’ve seemed like an uncharacteristic amount of concern for another’s well-being was, in truth, a simple matter of having the upper hand over her enemies.

[Thundercracker]

He was up to something. Lately he always was up to something that suited him or served his interest.

That was why he’d left. Because Starscream had left them first. But this was a family matter, and despite whatever “relationship” Coldwind had with the Air Commander, she was not and would never be family. She deserved as much watching as Starscream. For now though, he followed Starscream down towards what appeared to be a small island. So either the base was possibly underneath it or Starscream had decided to offline him here and now.

He detected another snark from Starscream, but it went unanswered. For now. Once they had a moment alone, there would be some words shared between the two of them. If either of them survived this.

::”We were never safe Starscream. You of all bots should know that.”::

His attention turned back towards Coldwind who had closed the distance between the two. Sure seemed like they were planning something. Thundercracker pulled off of Starscream’s wing and spaced off a few hundred meters, dropping back on the throttle slowly to decrease the gap even faster between him and Coldwind and possibly make her overshoot.

::”Your concern for my well being is noted, Coldwind.”::

His delivery would be almost deadpan, without a trace of humor or emotion.

[Starscream]

For a flicker of a moment, there were trace amounts of irritation in Starscream’s field. Whether this was because Coldwind had closed the gap between himself and Thundercracker, because she felt the need to add to what he’d said for the second time in a row, or due to what it was that she actually said remained to be seen, but his trinemate was close enough to have maybe sensed the subtle shift.

Just as quickly as it happened, though, it would vanish - neutrality once more, even despite him scoffing audibly in reply to Thundercracker’s words.

::You think I am not aware?:: he droned, continuing on course as he further lowered his altitude toward the island - only for Thundercracker to pull away and begin to slow.

He tsk’d, pulling forwards away from the pair quickly then and spiraling into a quick descent.

::You’re overcautious- and for nothing. If I wanted you shot out of the sky, I would’ve done so myself already.:: the familiar smugness laced his words.

Down below on the small island, a portal would tear from seemingly nowhere. Swirls of yellow and green illuminating the general area in brilliant light, and there was a whir of transformation and shifting parts as Starscream shifted forms and landed with delicate grace, heeled pedes sinking some in the sand - much to his annoyance.

::As much as I love flying aimlessly and talking, it is decidedly not the place for catching up. You did want to see our actual base, did you not? Soundwave won’t hold this bridge for long, so you best get a move on.::

Taking a cautious step toward the portal, he would then pause and turn to look at the pair. Making no motions to make his way through to the other side.

At least not yet.

((Soundwave pupetting of the bridge done with permission - thanks Zer!))

[Coldwind]

Coldwind sped up, catching up quickly with her commanding officer. Her transformation followed suit and the large jet compressed into the form of a tall Cybertronian with rounded plating and a pair of wings sweeping back.

Then, she stood there in utter silence, waiting for Thundercracker to make his choice. Perhaps she would've stayed silent even during their flight had Starscream offered a more nuanced explanation to his old friend. But such trifles were beneath the likes of Coldwind and the Air Commander. They were old acquaintances and whatever quirks and petty squabbles they might have reserved for each other, well, those paled in comparison to how much they had in common...At least when it came to survival.

[Thundercracker]

He was right. The more he thought about it, the best opportunity would have been when they were flying over the ocean.

As Starscream transformed and landed on that small speck of an island, followed by Coldwind a few seconds later. It was time for him to make a choice. He had only come when he detected the Decepticon signals because he figured he could exchange his help for some energon. He had not expected Decepticon High Command to be stationed here. Especially Starscream. Should he have flown away when he first detected Starscream? No, he made his choice when he opened that comm channel earlier, when he did not fly away. It was just like all those years ago. And he hated himself for that...

With that, his T-cog came to life and he altered his form into his robot mode, coming down next to the green vortex with less grace than his brother. He turned to watch Starscream as he went to enter before pausing. So him first then...

::“Very well...Starscream...”::

He stepped forward and through the vortex, resigning himself to his fate.

[Starscream]

Starscream nodded at Coldwind as she transformed and landed beside him. There were no words spoken, and he would watch quietly as Thundercracker followed moments later. He was nowhere near as graceful, and his landing could be considered rather clunky - Starscream wondering if he was out of practice somewhat. Only once his trinemate shifted forms did he quirk a brow, helm tilting some to look up at the other mech’s faceplate.

It’d been so long since he’d seen Thundercracker that’d he’d all but forgotten how much taller the other Seeker was. Granted it was only a couple of feet, but standing alongside the both of them it was rather noticeable. There was a gentle flick as his wings unconsciously hiked up some.

He watched quietly, optics narrowing as Thundercracker moved. There was no hesitation from the other mech, which… was a little surprising. This could’ve been a trap of which he was walking straight into. A mysterious portal leading to the unknown, moved through without any sort of complaint.

Looping his arms behind his back, Starscream would stride after his brother, with Coldwind close behind. The vortex swirling to a close behind them as they stepped through onto considerably more solid ground.

Blackridge Hold.

The area which they stepped into would - more likely than not - be recognized as the Control Room, and probably the heart of their new base. Amber colored lights hung overhead, casting the room in a warm off-yellow glow. The floor smooth, polished to an almost glossy-finish. The room was vast, open with high curving walls carved from rock, and at one side of the room were an array of monitors and other equipment. There were three exits to this room - one which looked to be the main doorway to outside, while the other two led deeper into the base itself.

Standing at one of the many monitors in the room was the familiar form of Soundwave, peering at what looked to be a topographical map of somewhere on Earth, as well as a small wireframe of what looked to be the Nemesis. The navy mech did not spare the trio a glance as they bridged into the room, focused solely on what he was doing, it seemed - although was no doubt more than aware of their presence.

Starscream couldn’t help but cast the Spymaster a wary glance, before peering up at Thundercracker.

“Welcome to Blackridge Hold.” he purred, chuckling lowly. While the base was no Nemesis, nor would it ever come remotely close, it would make do for what they needed, and had done so thus far.

Peering briefly over his shoulder, he would then address Coldwind.

“Coldwind, you may return to whatever it was you were doing before our patrol.”

There was an almost hesitation at the end of his sentence, like he wanted to say more to the femme- but with Soundwave looming, and therefore listening? He would refrain. Instead, he would gently clear his throat, rocking some on his pedes as he turned his attention back to Thundercracker as Coldwind made her way from the room.

“Walk with me, Thundercracker. I am certain we have much to discuss.”

((Soundwave cameo and Coldwind puppeting done with permission, thank you! This thread is now over, continuing over here!))