Disclaimer: Transformers © Hasbro
Summary: Something was different, but he couldn't quite figure out what.
Note: This takes place at some later point in the "Road Not Taken" universe.

In all honesty, Sunstorm should have suspected something had changed when his hated cousin reappeared on the battlefield without any indication that he was suffering from a missing trine bond. He really should have noted the change when rather than attack quietly as he had been doing, Starscream had a comeback for everything the Decepticon trine threw at him and a few insults of his own to toss back.

But it wasn't until they managed to capture the Autobot's only seeker and one of those pit-spawned twins and locked them in the brig that Sunstorm realized that the other mech's behaviour had shifted from trineless wreck to the confidence one would expect from a trine wing leader. Never mind the fact that the only other flyer in the Autobot army was Powerglide, whom he couldn't see even his picky cousin choosing as a last resort; Starscream was a potential threat if he had either chosen groundpounder trine mates or somehow skirted around the need for a trine at all.

Granted, it would be much easier to observe and find out what the slag was going on if that damned Lamborghini would quit singing.

Skywarp was getting twitchy, if the faint hitch of his wings was any indication, and Sunstorm was getting rather annoyed by this point himself. How long was that fragging song, anyway?

"— and pass it around, forty-six bottles of fuel on the wall! Forty-six bottles of fuel on the wall, forty-six bottles of fuel—"

If it had been annoying Starscream as well, the seeker was disguising it well. He was resting quietly against the wall of the cell, legs crossed at the ankle and simply watching his cell mate with bemused azure optics. For all the two 'con seekers knew, this was normal behaviour for the glitched groundpounder and Starscream was long used to it.

"—forty-one bottles of fuel on the wall!"

"You skipped forty-three," the 'bot seeker remarked casually, and slag it all if there wasn't amusement in that whining voice of his.

"Oh." The Lamborghini paused before grinning. "Guess I have to start over. A hundred bottles of fuel on the wall—"

"Shut up!" Sunstorm finally snapped, shooting a murderous glare at the pair in the cell. Two pairs of Autobot blue blinked back at him before turning towards one another.

"Call me crazy, Screamer, but I don't think Stormy appreciates my singing," the groundpounder said with a faint pout.

"Maybe he just doesn't like the song, Sides," was the shrugged reply. They both fell silent for a moment before twin smirks made their way over their faceplates.

"This is the song that never ends; it just goes on and on my friends—"

If Primus is merciful, the Decepticon wing leader thought wryly, he'll strike me dead now.

The sound of an explosion came from somewhere down the corridor, and Skywarp headed towards the door to see what was happening. Sunstorm shot the prisoners a withering glare as they continued to sing (and if it got caught in a processor loop, he really was going to deactivate his cousin in as slow and painful a manner as possible) and moved to join his wing mate in the hall...

...and nearly walked straight into two Autobots, one of whom was the twin to the red menace currently trying to drive the seekers mad.

"Oh, thank Primus!" Skywarp cried. "Take them, get them out of here! Just make them stop!"

The 'bots stared at them for a moment before the yellow Lamborghini's optics went hazy for a moment before he abruptly started laughing. The saboteur apparently dialed up his audios because an amused grin crossed his faceplate and he called into the brig, "The Song That Never Ends is cruel and unusual punishment, and you both know it!"

"And I love my cousin so much I just had to share it!" Starscream sing-songed back to him, sending the yellow twin into another laughing fit. "Can it, Sunny, and let us out of here. My berth is calling me."

"This is seriously cutting into cuddle time, bro!" the red twin added.

The saboteur and the yellow Lamborghini – once he was finished laughing his aft off – followed the two seekers back into the brig, where Starscream and Sideswipe were now standing in the cell, the red mech bouncing slightly on his pedes. Jazz opened the cell to allow his comrades to exit and forced the two 'cons inside. Once the cell was locked up again, he turned and quirked a brow ridge at the three mechs with him.

"Y'all still aren't talking, are you?" he accused; Sunstorm narrowed his optics and looked a bit closer at his cousin and the twins.

"No," Sunstreaker said shortly.

"Nope!" Sideswipe confirmed.

"It takes all the fun out of the betting pool if we just tell you," Starscream added.

Jazz shook his head and headed for the door, looking for incoming 'cons before heading out. Starscream and the twins followed him quickly, not one of the three sparing a glance back. If they had, they might have noticed when Sunstorm realized what, exactly, had caused the change in his cousin.

::Oh, slag it all to the pit,:: he complained along the trine bond. ::Starscream's gone and formed a trine with the Autobot twins!::

::We are so screwed,:: Skywarp remarked, optics wide. Thundercracker, from his post trying to keep the rest of the Autobots from getting into the base, silently agreed.

Things were definitely going to get worse for the seeker trine from here on out.