Hello, everyone!

So, as the description says, this is an AU. I didn't like the fact that, not only Cybertron gets destroyed, but half of my favorite characters gets terminated in Optimus Prime: Unicron. So, in here, the bots got to know about the Talisman and deployed it before Cybertron was destroyed. Thanks to this, they still have a planet, and, yes, they are still around ―but not the Mistress of the Flame, 'cause I kind of hated her…

Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes here.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tranformers franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.

SCREAMING FOR THE STARS

Where was he? What-…?

Wait. He remembered now: Shockwave, Unicron… Bumblebee being alive ―good to know he wasn't actually losing his mind―; the Talisman…

Oh…

Right… He…

Well, scrap…

It was havoc. While law enforcers ran after new Decepticons who tried to take advantage of the chaos, medics were rushing in as many injured people as they could; and this included Optimus and Ironhide, who were fading fast. Windblade, meanwhile was leading rescue missions all over Cybertron, using every tool she could get her hands on to try to save as many survivors as possible; luckily for her, Soundwave decided to lend a hand with his sensors, while the Eukarians ―whose beast-forms allowed them to reach places others couldn't― served as rescuers; Velocitronians (coordinated by Knock Out and Moonracer) used their enhanced speed to take the wounded to the nearest medical outpost.

The red and black female took a look around. "To think that it had to come to this to bring our race together, once and for all… So sad." She thought with a sigh, before turning to face Soundwave, asking him if they should move to the next quadrant. The blue mech was about to nod when something else appeared on his radar; it was the faint signal of a spark, meaning there still was someone around… Or not? The poor former communications chief almost scratched the top of his head in confusion. The biometrical data he was receiving made no sense at all! How on Cybertron was it possible for a spark to be so damn above surface level?! It was ridiculous! His sensor must've been malfunctioning, because there was no fragging way for someone to be at the-…

A sudden realization made him look up to the sky.

"Query: anyone with a space shuttle alt-mode?" He asked, optics fixed up above.

"Um… Blast Off's back in jail, but I think I can get a hold on Jetfire. Why?" The Camien femme questioned.

"The scanners detected a spark."

"Great. Which way?"

And, just like that, the mech pointed up.

Like… Way up. The femme frowned at the former Decepticon, not understanding what he meant; yet, he kept saying that there was a spark-pulse coming from a set of coordinates incredibly similar to those where the Talisman went active.

"No way…" Windblade breathed, widening her optics in slight shock.

Could it be? Was he still… Alive?

In no time, she was calling the white scientist, informing him of the situation; and, even though it took a while, she managed to convince him to come over. Thanks to it, a few breems after, Jetfire was using Soundwave's data, trying to find anything. However, all he could see was the debris flowing around and the black hole left by that machine, but nothing that resembled a Cybertronian…

No, wait. There was something drifting right ahead. Something metallic. "Son of a-…!" It was him! Or… Well, what was left of him… But, regardless! He was still kicking! With care, the Autobot grabbed the mech and headed back to surface, warning Windblade and Soundwave to have the medics ready.

… … …

The doctors were a blur as they pushed the slab toward the nearest empty room to start operating. Behind them, Windblade was trying to catch up, but she arrived right on time only to see the door closing and locking; she couldn't help but worry. The condition he was in when Jetfire brought him to surface… She never saw a bot broken in such a way. It was a miracle his spark was yet attached to that mangled frame, somehow…

"Blade?"

The soft voice of another femme made her look behind, only to lock gazes with the blue figure of Chromia. Recognizing each other, the two best friends shared a happy hug for seeing the other intact. However, Cybertron's current ruler didn't waste time asking why her fellow Camien was at the clinic; this made the warrior femme sight sadly, admitting that she was keeping Ironhide some company. A shade of pain and guilt covered the cerulean fem-bot; she was obviously worried for the veteran, so, Windblade did the only thing she was able at the moment: offer a comforting embrace to her best friend. Even though the two-wheeler was known for being as tough as they come, she practically broke down.

"I hurt him, Windblade… Last time… When I confessed… I saw it… He wasn't just disappointed, he felt betrayed. I could tell…" The blue femme confessed against her friend's shoulder. "I didn't mean to… But then I was exiled and didn't even say goodbye, and now this!"

"It's ok. He'll pull through; all the medics says that." The flyer assured her companion, knowing how much she cared about the red veteran.

It only reminded her of the person she was worried about at the current moment, reason why she couldn't help but look above her shoulder to the closed door behind of which the medical staff was struggling to stabilize him. Considering his close proximity to the Talisman when it went active… It was nothing short of a miracle that his spark was still pulsing after that. With a sigh, as the two-wheeler femme let go of her, Windblade walked closer to the door and sat down next to it, deciding to wait for news.

The second Camien, noticing her distraught, decided to keep her company for a little while. Her best friend needed her more than Ironhide at the moment… The flyer appreciated the gesture with a smile, before going back to the closed door.

It took joors, but, finally, a medic came out of the room, looking for the former Cityspeaker, finally spotting her as the femme got up next to him. It was evident that she was eager for news…

He just wished he had better ones…

"We…" The bot sighed. "We managed to stabilize his spark, but… There's no telling for how long."

Windblade felt her own spark falling to her feet in horror.

"What-…?"

"The damage is far too extensive, and requires massive reconstruction; rebuilding from scratch, actually. Unfortunately, he doesn't have enough strength left for us to perform said procedure." The medic explained, apologizing with the tone of his voice.

"C-can I see him?" The ruler asked, craning her neck over the doctor's shoulder, trying to spy within the room.

With a nod, the bot moved away and called his team to leave the patient and the visitor alone. Thanking the gesture, Windblade walked inside; Chromia tried to follow, but got frozen on spot the moment she stepped into the doorframe and got a glimpse of who it was… And how badly damaged he was…

Starscream… Better said, what was left of Starscream was lying on the medical berth, attached to thousands of wires to monitor every function of his remaining frame; long, thick tubes coming out of his chest said that the medics had connected his spark-casing to life support. What basically remained of him was his torso… When it came to his limbs… The inner wiring was showing, as the armor was completely missing ―not to mention that entire parts of them were missing, including his wings. His spark chamber was exposed too, but the blue femme couldn't tell whether that was due to the activation of the Talisman, or because of the doctors efforts to save his life. Even his face was scarred and mangled; and there were traces of dried Energon everywhere. How was it possible for him to still be alive?

Turning to look somewhere else, the warrior noticed her friend's droopy wings and head, so, knowing better, she stepped out of the room and closed the door. She needed a moment alone. With a sigh, Chromia decided to return to Ironhide's side ―hoping that he would wake up soon…

Meanwhile, Windblade was standing next to Starscream, taking in the damage he endured. There was a déjà vu feeling at the back of her mind, yet it took her a minute to realize why: she has seen this before; when the titan on Earth allowed her to connect her mind to his… This was one of the possible futures. "But this isn't a dream…" Almost as if to make sure he was real and not just some hallucination, her hand searched for his on its own. A shaky sigh left her vocalizer the minute her digits intertwined with his… The Seeker was real. He was really there… And he was really, really hurt…

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but… Thank you." She said, forcing herself to look at the mech's face. She chuckled in a humorless way at the memory. "And to think that you wanted to sacrifice the planet and run… Instead… You nearly sacrificed yourself, just so Optimus could have a chance to stop Unicron's approach… Speaking of a 'change of spark'…" The constant beeping of the machinery around the mech was the only response she got, making her small smile break. "Idiot!" She finally snapped, punching the unresponsive bot on the shoulder.

They had hated each other for so damn long… All the schemes, the fighting, the yelling… Frag, dammit; their quarrels has put them into situations that none of them would wish to speak about, ever again! Then, why? Why did it hurt so much to see him like this? "Probably because there's nothing I can do to help this time…" She thought with a sob, figthting back a lubricant tear that threatened with rolling down her face.

Starscream's spark was giving up a little bit more with each passing klik… It was simply a matter of time.

And all she could do was sit tight and watch…

The door reopened, and a short and kind of round shadow was projected into the room by the newcomer. Windblade didn't turn around to look who it was. She already knew. So, when a black and yellow servo patted her on the arm, she simply dedicated her friend a grateful and watery smile. Bumblebee reciprocated the gesture before turning to check on the Seeker.

"I ran into Chromia back there; she told me… At first I didn't believe it." He stated. "I didn't want to believe it; I mean… With everything that happened… I don't know what would've been worst…" He admitted, shaking his head at the sight. "Optimus says hi, by the way." He added, patting the Camien once more.

The femme arched an optic ridge at the mini-bot.

"He's awake? Already?" She questioned.

The yellow bot chortled.

"Have you ever met the guy? Jumping into a black hole and ending at the infraspace twice in one day is nothing for him!" Bumblebee laughed his friend and former commander's antics with a wide grin. "Not to mention that I spent years trapped in that sort of limbo, not knowing what to do, nor how to escape. Then, Prime shows up and in ―what? ― five minutes comes up with a plan that actually works!" Then, he let out a long vent. "Starscream is just like him, you know?" Windblade dedicated him a questioning look, not quite understanding. "Stubborn." The mini-bot clarified. "He'll pull through, you'll see. In no time he'll jump out of that slab to start bossing everyone around. Even you." He added, trying to lift the spirits.

And it worked, since the femme chuckled.

"Right now, I wouldn't mind it…" She admitted, crossing her arms and going back to stare at the unconscious mech.

She stood there for a few joors, while Bumblebee left little after his arrival, saying he was going to check back on the Prime. By nightfall, Windblade, too, had to leave; her tanks were urging her to get some fuel, so the femme headed for the cafeteria.

The moment in which the Talisman went active was repeating over and over in her processor, next to the sequence that followed to it: the debris, the rescue missions… Everything that was yet to be done. "Why is it that every time Cybertron seems to be healing from a catastrophe, another one hits immediately after?" He wondered with a sigh.

"Don't we all wonder that?" A nearly mechanical voice asked from behind her.

"I would appreciate if you didn't read my thoughts, Soundwave." The Camien complained, turning to look at the blue mech.

He was filthy, covered in dust and rubble from head to toe, which told her that he has been physically participating in the rescue missions; but his visor was dimmed, which also spoke volumes about just how tired he was. Laserbeak and Buzzsaw were back within his chamber, probably recharging.

"Don't think so loud." He retorted. "I came to check on you." The bot admitted almost immediately after.

"Me?" She questioned, doubtful, hand over her chest to gesture to herself, but, also, in slight surprise.

"You're our ruler…" He said nonchalantly with a shrug. "And you said it yourself: our history is but a chain of messes. If something happens to you, there will be another one… And I'm getting too old and too tired to deal with all this scrap." He, then, explained, crossing his arms. "Plus, you went missing; and guess who took over the duty of coordinating the entire rescue operation?"

"Oh, scrap…" Windblade cursed, face-palming at the realization.

"Indeed. So, I think that what you really want to say is: 'Thank you, Soundwave, for doing my job for the past nine joors without recharging nor refueling'."

The femme didn't say anything and let the bot rant. He was in his right, considering everything that went down during these past few days. None of them has recharged in who-knows-how-long, they were all running in fumes now; and there was yet so much to do… With a sigh, she apologized to the mech and invited him and his Minicons to a cube of Energon, to which they accepted immediately ―especially because the two little flying bots had their tanks nearly depleted.

They arrived soon enough to the large, rectangular room which was the cafeteria, where they were faced with hundreds of refugees and wounded bots who were just trying to get some fuel in their tanks. "Oh, my-… I never thought there were so many…" Only at this sight did Windblade come to the realization of the almost heroic amount of work that was right ahead of her. With nine ―ten counting Carcer― colonies gone, all and every survivor ran to Cybertron. But she didn't have time to think about that right now: she had to deal with the rescue, then the rebuilding, and then… Then she would deal with the destroyed colonies… Gripping her head when it started to ache as if a hammer was pummeling it, Windblade growled. This was a fragging disaster…

Soundwave placed a servo on her shoulder, silently wondering if she was alright, to which she nodded. First things first: Windblade knew she owed him a few cubes of Energon, so she gestured the former communications officer to follow her; to this, he simply nodded and did as told. Nonetheless, as the femme entered the large room, headed towards the counter where the fuel was being dispatched, the Camien couldn't help but start recognizing figures. Thus, smiling, she picked up her pace, eager to talk to them.

"Blurr! Wheeljack! You're ok!" She cheered.

The mentioned Autobots stopped what they were doing the moment someone called their names, and looked up searching for whoever was asking for their attention. As soon as their optics fell on Windblade's figure, both mechs grinned happily ―unfortunately for Wheeljack, his mouth-guard didn't let anyone appreciate his smile, but his optics spoke volumes. They both dropped everything and opened their arms to the newcomer, who immediately hugged them.

"Hey, girl!" The former racer greeted.

"It's so good to see you!" The inventor stated.

"And I'm glad to see you, both, in one piece…" She breathed, feeling a huge weight falling off her shoulders, as she let go from them.

"Yeah, my bar wasn't so lucky… This ginormous piece of rubble fell right on top of it…" Blurr sighed, depressed, crossing his arms. "But I managed to get everyone out of there in time!" He smiled in the end.

"Windy!" A third voice cried out with a slight buzz, before a pair of green arms wrapped around the Cybertronian ruler. Looking over her shoulder, she recognized the relieved beast-former who was hugging her so playfully. "Wazzzpinator was zzzo worried!"

"I was worried for you too." She told him with a friendly smile, patting the green bot's arms as he let her go. "So, what are you all doing here?" She asked to the trio of mechs.

"The clinic needed volunteers. We're all doing what we can to help." Wheeljack explained.

"Yeah! 'Jack repairs equipment, I prepare fuel, and Waspinator passes it around!" Blurr stated happily, gesturing to each one at the time.

"Wingzzz useful!" The beast-former commented, flapping said appendages for demonstration.

"Good, because we need some Energon too." The Camien admitted, inviting Soundwave to get closer with a gesture of her hand. "The sooner we refuel, the sooner we can go back to look for more wounded ones." She said.

With a wink, the former racer went to grab some cubes for the two bots, plus the two Minicons, who came out the moment they heard about possible food. Some minutes later, Soundwave sat atop some crates, holding his drink, and the one that belonged to his symbionts, while Windblade remained there like a statue. The mech with the visor couldn't help but focus on her, listening to her thoughts. Some were erratic ―mere flashbacks without a specific order―, but others were centered; and most of them were about Starscream. "So it was he…" The silent bot thought for himself, lowering his gaze. Back when he picked up the signal… He thought it was a glitch. It's clear, now, that it wasn't.

"What's on your processor?" Blurr asked suddenly, calling everyone's attention. His was solely on Windblade.

"Starscream…" She admitted, absently.

The former racer and barman nod, believing he knew what she was thinking; but, unfortunately, his train of thoughts about the matter ran in a different perspective than hers:

"I know right? Who would've guessed that he, out of all people, would've done something like that to save our planet?" He commented. "Then again, he might've done it for the glory, considering the truth about the 'prophecy' over his name…" He added with a shrug.

"He's alive, Blurr…" The femme clarified.

And, then, something that was believed impossible finally happened: Blurr accidentally dropped a cube, which broke against the floor. At the same time, Wheeljack, getting too distracted by the new information, screwed his own hand ―thanks to which, the scientist soon yelped, dropping everything and starting to massage his servo in hopes to alleviate the pain. Meanwhile, Waspinator simply stood there, confused.

"E-excuse me?" Blurr finally asked, looking at her, as if he were seeing a ghost. "Did you just said-…?"

"He survived the overload. He's at this very clinic." The Camien told her friends.

The three mechs stared at her in disbelief…

"Son of a glitch." Wheeljack finally commented ―no one too sure whether he was talking about the former commander, or cursing for his injured hand―, breaking the awkward silence. "But, then again, considering everything he survived in the past; what were we thinking?" He added, rolling his optics.

But Windblade didn't say anything else, and simply walked out of the room, carrying her cube and excusing herself. Soundwave heard a whispered thought as she left: she was going back with the Seeker. There was something else: she was… Sad. She was actually regretting the fact that there was nothing she could do for the jet. "Now I've seen it all… Starscream actually gained a friend." He thought, cocking his head.

"Windy sad…" Waspinator commented, shoulders sagged, as the femme disappeared behind the door.

"We noticed, pal…" Blurr said, patting the beast-former's back. The three of them were wondering whether it was because the Seeker survived, or…

"He's fading." The blue former Decepticon explained, not noticing that the others never actually spoke their question; they were just musing in silence. "His spark is burning away…" He added, before opening his mask to take a sip from his cube.

An awkward second of silence, and…

"Since when do you have a mouth?!" was Wheeljack's sudden query.

Well, this sucks. He could feel himself evanescing, drifting further away from existence; yet, there was nothing he could do about it… Maybe he didn't even wanted to. After all, if he went back, what would be waiting for him? A prison cell? There wasn't much left for him… Bumblebee was back, sure, but he wasn't exactly certain if they were friends… Ok, on one hand, it was good to know that he wasn't 'losing it', and that the bot was actually alive; but it wasn't like they had the time to sit down and sort things out. He didn't even know how did the yellow Autobot managed to contact him from the infraspace! He would've loved to know at least that much…

Then, there was Prime. The red and blue guy wouldn't hesitate in pounding him into dust; not after his 'winning idea'… Abandoning half Cybertron behind? What was he thinking? Nobody would ever accept that… Perhaps he spent too long with the Decepticons after all.

At least the planet would be safe under Windblade's rule. For what was worth it, she actually cared.

He almost felt like chuckling at the memory of the Camien. She was one of the few, if not the only one, who truly tried to give him a second chance by showing him-… By showing him his true self. Sighing, he wondered what would've it been of him if he wouldn't have been cold constructed. Would he had become an Autobot instead? He kind of could see himself still being in talking terms with Jetfire, and hanging out with Bumblebee between missions. But then, would he had made it this far? Autobot flyers weren't the luckiest, but… When was his fortune any better? Then, another question popped up in his processor: if he would've been a 'Bot instead, would've he ever met Windblade? The thought somewhat saddened him, because even though they never looked eye to eye, that femme was the closest thing he had to a friend… Besides Bumblebee.

Scrap.

He was actually missing them both!

"Now this is grand… The 'Con, the 'Bot and the Camien…" he told himself, mocking his own thoughts. "Yeah… That wouldn't have lasted…"

With a sigh, he decided that this was probably for the best.

"I heard about this from Bumblebee, but I needed to see it by myself to believe it."

Windblade gave up her chair to Optimus Prime who was yet a bit weakened for the recent events. The yellow bot wasn't too far behind, refusing to leave his old friend's and leader's side for too long; even though the larger mech kept saying that he was fine and could hold himself on his own pedes. Nonetheless, the mini-bot was not happy, and followed him closely until the larger mech sat, allowing a relieved vent escape his vocalizer.

Then, the former law enforcer inspected the Seeker before him. It was hard to see Starscream like this… Especially when considering that he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the former Decepticon second in command. Shaking his head, he looked at the Camien beside him, immediately noticing her distress; she was hugging herself, with her wings down and her optic-ridges frowned in despair. She was utterly worried for this mech ―which, pretty much, impressed the old Prime, considering the past between these two. Optimus decided to look away, remembering last time he behaved like that over a small, pink, two-wheeler femme…

He frowned at the memory of Ariel, realizing it wasn't the same. He loved the femme; he was planning to make her his sparkmate, his Conjux, when the war pulled them apart. Truth be said, he did not even know what became of her… Within his spark, he wanted to believe she found somewhere safe where she started over. Maybe she even found a mech who could actually be beside her ―it hurt to think himself replaced, but it would be a nice thought, just because it would mean she was still out there somewhere...

But Starscream wasn't Ariel; and Windblade did not even tolerate him, leave alone like him.

Then again, their dynamics shifted these last months; and the Seeker even lost the elections willingly, giving the title of ruler to the Camien femme, while he ended winding up in prison. Everyone knew that Starscream wasn't an idiot, so he knew all along were he would end by confessing all his crimes (in public, no less); meaning he wanted to lose. For the first time, he didn't want to be on top; he actually handed the power over to someone else…

The thought made another question pop inside the red and blue mech's processor: was it possible for the Seeker to care for Windblade? Nobody would've ever believed he could show such feelings for anyone but himself, and yet…

"I must admit I couldn't stand him…" Optimus suddenly said, placing his elbows on his tights, almost as if he was trying to become smaller ―thanks to his size, this posture looked pretty funny for anyone around him. "But this…" He shook his head. "I would not even wish this to Megatron…"

"Yet you put him in a pressurized spaceship with Rodimus." Bumblebee laughed.

The Prime and the femme chuckled too at the implications of that sentence.

"Well, he did deserve some kind of punishment, considering how he tried to manipulate the trial." The tall mech justified with a shrug. "Nonetheless," he immediately added, turning to look at Windblade, "if there was anything I could do to help…"

"No…" The Camien breathed with a grateful smile. "The medics has been considering all possible ways, but…" Sighing, she dropped her arms to her sides, sagging her shoulders and looking away.

The red and blue mech placed a reassuring servo on her shoulder, before going back to the Seeker before him. There was no way for Optimus to tell whether Starscream learnt to care for someone other than himself, but Windblade no doubt cared for the Decepticon… The male flyer's chest-plates rose and fell rhythmically, as the machinery around him struggled to keep him alive another klik. This was spark-breaking to watch… He knew. "But, once again, I can't do anything about it" thought the mech, letting the hand he had on Windblade fall back to his lap. Then, however, as his optics focused on the mech's exposed spark-chamber, an idea popped up in his processor: Starscream's body may be scrap metal, but…

"I need to make a call." He suddenly said, rising to his feet and looking for any terminal from which contact his old friend.

Behind him, Bumblebee followed suit, worried for the leader who hadn't fully regained his strength yet. The yellow bot was calling after him, wondering what he was planning, but his only answer was his friend requesting him to help find a terminal. Fortunately for the Prime, Soundwave was yet at the joint, simply massaging his limbs and observing his mini-cons as they slurped all the Energon they could; so, the moment they passed by the cafeteria, Optimus couldn't help but stop and look at the blue mech, before making a beeline toward him.

The former communications chief, tired as he was, heard his thoughts long before the Prime requested his help.

Without a word, he simply gestured the two incoming bots to give him a minute, before he took an old communicator from his sub-space. The red and blue bot arched an optic-ridge, realizing he never told his companion why he came for.

Soundwave sighed…

"I'm a telepath, remember?" He stated, handing the device over.

"Ah, right. Sorry, I forgot."

…

Meanwhile, Windblade remained next to the Seeker, whose spark was now a shade less bright. "He's beginning to fade" thought the Camien, before averting her optics, unable to keep staring at her companion. She hated to simply stand by, just waiting for this to be over…

The hiss of the door announced another newcomer, but she didn't turn to see who. It were probably the medics coming to check on the patient.

In a way, she wasn't wrong…

«Alright, bring the camera closer. I can't see a damn thing! » said an old and grouchy voice that called the femme's attention.

Finally turning around, she was faced by Optimus, Bumblebee and Soundwave; they all were returning to the room with a communicator through which they were holding a videoconference with no other than Ratchet.

As the communications chief grabbed the device and went to Starscream's side, so the old medic could check his wounds, the Prime went to the Camien's side to explain:

"Ratchet is the best medic I've ever known. So, if there's anything we can do, he's most likely the only one who will be able to tell."

Still prisoner of her shock, the femme couldn't answer, reason why she simply mumbled that she didn't understand what he was talking about.

"It means we'll try to save Screamer." Bumblebee clarified for her.

«As hard to believe as it sounds… » the medic growled from the holographic screen. «I need more light » he said, and Soundwave was immediately holding a flashlight over the wounded mech. The white and orange Autobot frowned, scratching his chin, deep in thoughts. «Is he forged or cold constructed? » He suddenly asked.

"Um… Cold constructed" was Windblade's answer, her processor still unable to wrap around the scene before her.

Ratchet mumbled something from himself, before let out a deep vent, and a nod.

«Alright. Here goes a theory, but we'll need a CR chamber, Wheeljack, and someone to be brave enough to patch its mind to this sucker while we save his exhaust pipe… »

Ok, I just now noticed how humongous this chapter turned out to be...

I hope you liked it, and that you'll be here for the next part of the story! Let me hear your thoughts!

See yah!