Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Megatron punched in the code that would unlock the door to his quarters. The new code wasn’t quite muscle memory yet. He changed them up fairly often as a precaution against his treacherous second in command and the few that might deign to join him in his feeble attempts to seize the leadership. Behind him, Tyrannus snorted derisively. They had just returned from the Control Room where Tyrannus had his first confrontation with Starscream; and Tyrannus had left no doubt that he was wholly unimpressed with the arrogant red seeker.

The door to Megatron’s quarters slid open and the trio entered. As the doors hissed shut behind them, Megatron turned and fixed Tyrannus with a piercing look. He had to forcibly remind himself that his son was very young and lacked life experience. Tyrannus held his father’s gaze unwaveringly.

“You do realize you could just slag your sorry excuse for a second in command and be done with it already?” Tyrannus stated plainly.

Megatron flashed his optics warningly at the implication of that statement. He had warned both Conquest and Tyrannus about Starscream’s antics and other information that was on a need to know basis. Tyrannus swiftly made it clear that he found Megatron’s leniency toward his disloyal Air Commander to be weak and foolish. While Megatron could appreciate his position and bluntness, he did not take lightly to being questioned. Tyrannus broke optic contact, yielding out of respect for his father and the leader of the Decepticons. He meant no disrespect to his father; it just wasn’t in his personality to agree with the words and actions of others simply to maintain peace and order. Megatron knew this and so he let it go. His son’s conviction and forthrightness was a source of pride for Megatron.

Megatron disarmed, stowing his fusion cannon in subspace; and moved into a room similar to what humans would term a sitting room. His quarters were not especially lavish, but they were spacious and comfortable. A few melee weapons decorated the otherwise bare walls. He sat down while Tyrannus assumed his customary pose; leaning against the wall with one foot propped up against it and his arms crossed. A scowl darkened his features.

“Yes, let’s discuss Starscream,” Megatron said, lacing his hands behind his head and leaning back casually, looking up at his son expectantly. He knew from experience that he was going to get Tyrannus’ opinion whether he wanted it or not.

Tyrannus brightened an optic in disgust. “I don’t understand why you put up with his treachery.”

“Yeah,” Conquest nodded, curling her legs up underneath her. “There has to be some other reason besides he’s good at his job. That can’t possibly be worth all the trouble he causes.”

Megatron rubbed his chin and regarded his children, pondering what to say to them. “Having a treacherous subordinate keeps one’s wits sharp; keeps one from becoming too complacent.”

“I realize and appreciate that, but he’s also a distraction from the more important task at hand; the war. Besides that, he’s not going to give up. By showing him mercy, you’re letting him have all the control. You can be absolutely certain that if your positions were reversed he’d show you no mercy. Starscream continues to stab you in the back because he knows he isn’t going to be severely punished for it. You need to make an example of him.”

Megatron growled in irritation. As much as he respected Tyrannus’ forthrightness, it could be infuriating at times. But that’s because he speaks the truth and in this instance it’s touching a nerve.

Conquest stared at her brother in stunned disbelief, somewhat surprised that Megatron wasn’t angrier than he was. Her brother’s lack of tact often made her uncomfortable. It often offended others and even evoked fury in some. She was surprised that Tyrannus wasn’t more often involved in altercations with others. When the blunt words were with their father, she tensed visibly. “Primus, you don’t let up, do you?”

Tyrannus shrugged. “I don’t give two slags. If people don’t want to hear the truth; too fragging bad. If they don’t want my opinion, that’s too fragging bad too.”

Conquest rolled her optics and Tyrannus gave her a dirty look. Megatron ignored them; instead returning the discussion to something worth discussing.

“Have either one of you heard of the immortal spark yet?”

Tyrannus brightened an optic and uncrossed his arms, standing up straighter. Conquest also looked confused.

“But that’s just a legend, a myth,” she shook her head, disbelievingly. “Isn’t it?”

“And what does it have to do with Starscream?” Tyrannus added.

Removing his fusion cannon from subspace, Megatron removed the energon cubes stored in it and began cleaning and polishing it. Conquest groaned inwardly. That fusion cannon took forever to clean and the noxious scent of the polish he used combined with the amount gave her headaches. Unfortunately, she was stuck in this conversation while he made that beast all nice and shiny again. She once remarked with amusement to Tyrannus that it was no wonder that Megatron didn’t get involved in any serious relationships. How would he ever have time for one when he had to take care of that fusion cannon.

“Most legends have their basis in fact,” Megatron said.

“You’re suggesting that Starscream’s spark is the immortal spark?” Tyrannus scoffed, sensing where Megatron was headed with this. “Why would Primus waste the immortal spark on him?”

Conquest snickered. “It actually makes sense,” she smirked. “I mean, it would take him forever to learn life’s lessons.”

Tyrannus shook his head and Megatron chuckled. “Mind you, I obviously have no proof because Starscream hasn’t died yet, but I’ve learned to follow my instincts. If that filthy traitor does indeed have the immortal spark, he would be easier to control alive than dead. Ironic, eh?”

“Damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” Conquest groaned.

“Or keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” Tyrannus offered.

Megatron nodded as he continued polishing his fusion cannon. “Exactly.” He looked up at his son, who was grumbling about Starscream’s continued existence making a liar out of him. Chuckling, Megatron reassured him that he could always claim he was ordered not to execute Starscream.

“Now you know that making excuses is not my style.” Tyrannus grumbled.

Conquest tilted her head back and gazed up at the ceiling with frustration. “So does this mean that we have to put up with Starscream’s slag forever?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Megatron picked up his cannon and held it up to the light to ensure that the barrel was clean.

Conquest made a face. “Gah! Why is it always the annoying that live the longest?!”

Tyrannus chuckled at his sister’s comment and the three of them sat pensively for a few moments. Suddenly a huge, evil, Cheshire cat-like grin spread across Tyrannus’ face. There was no hiding the wicked gleam dancing in his optics. Conquest looked at him and bolted upright. “What? What are you thinking?!” She asked in excited anticipation. Megatron simply looked from one to the other in curiosity.

Tyrannus rubbed his hands together, still smirking evilly. “I’ve got a brilliant beyond brilliant idea.”

Megatron returned his fusion cannon to subspace. He rarely wore the heavy thing in his quarters, though he always kept it within easy reach.

“So Tyrannus, perhaps you’d care to share your wicked idea with your father and the leader of the Decepticons, eh?” Megatron’s tone made it clear that he expected an explanation and was not asking for one. Tyrannus growled at the subtle hint. He absolutely loathed word games, hints, and evasive and ambiguous responses. Conquest was a master of word games and it was a personality trait that grated on Tyrannus’ nerves no end.

“I am getting to that, father,” Tyrannus answered tersely. “In fact, I could use your opinion and assistance with it.”

Nodding, Megatron got up to snag a few energon cubes and tossed one to each of them before reclaiming his chair. “Let’s hear what you’ve got first.”

Tyrannus took a long swig, pondering how to explain his idea. “I recalled some scheme you told me and Conquest about a while back; something about a…Kremzeek? Was that the creature’s name?”

Megatron nodded.

“Anyway,” Tyrannus continued. “Didn’t you also create some contraption to keep it contained until it could be delivered to the Autobots?”

Megatron nodded again, sipping his energon; his look one of curiosity and puzzlement.

“Perhaps such a device could be constructed to contain an immortal spark for eternity.”

Megatron froze mid-sip and stared at his son.

“I’ll drink to that!” Conquest held up her cube cheerfully and downed it.

What the frag have I sparked?! Megatron thought with a mixture of shock and amusement. Granted, even I had no idea what kind of things my children would be capable of, but these two are sick and twisted. They think locking an immortal spark in an impenetrable container for eternity is just tough love for traitors. What’s even more interesting is I never thought of it. I’ve actually managed to improve upon myself. Excellent!

Tyrannus tossed his empty cube away and continued. “Of course, we’re going to need help constructing said device.”

Conquest put her hand up in the air and waved it around excitedly. Tyrannus rolled his optics. Primus, his sister was too fragging hyper; much like human female teenagers and he just wanted to slap her silly sometimes.

“Soundwave should be able to help us get something going with this idea. Besides, I want to hear him laugh when we tell him what we want to do,” she grinned wickedly.

Tyrannus and Megatron chuckled. Megatron stared down into the pink liquid in his energon cube and pondered Tyrannus’ plan. “Very well. You two may conduct your research, experiments, and enlist Soundwave’s help. Should you be successful, you are not to harm Starscream unless he acts up again. Is that understood?”

That was all Conquest needed to hear and she leapt from her chair, bolting for the door and cackling wickedly. She stopped at the door and turned back to her father.

“Can we provoke Starscream into acting up? Pleeease?”

Tyrannus shook his head in mild amusement and followed her across the hall to Soundwave’s quarters.

Megatron snickered to himself. Primus help the Autobots if those two ever had to take over.

***

Frenzy keyed the door open after Tyrannus and Conquest identified themselves. Conquest peered around a corner into another room, looking for Soundwave. She spotted Rumble playing a video/computer game of some sort and hollering at the monitor. Conquest knelt down next to him for a moment to watch while Tyrannus went with Frenzy to chat with Soundwave.

“Heya ‘quest!” Rumble paused the game and offered Conquest the other joystick. “Feel like gettin’ your aft whooped?”

Conquest laughed jovially and gave Rumble a pat on the shoulder. “How about a raincheck on that? Tyrannus and I have to chat with Soundwave about something.”

“K, but I’m holdin’ ya to it.”

“I’ll be there,” Conquest grinned and waved.

Rumble resumed his game while Conquest moved off to join Tyrannus and Soundwave.

She arrived at their location to find Frenzy rolling on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. Soundwave was also laughing, just not uncontrollably. Conquest was relieved she hadn’t missed this. A laughing Soundwave was wicked cool. Tyrannus was smirking evilly and gave Conquest the thumbs up sign. Conquest looked down at Frenzy with amusement. He finally calmed down and sat up.

“Hey Conquest, you ‘n Tyrannus need to visit more often. I haven’t heard such a great idea in forever.”

“Thank Tyrannus,” she chuckled. “It was his idea.”

Frenzy grinned appreciatively at Tyrannus. “Well, let us know if we can help.” Then he scurried off to play with Rumble.

A moment later Ravage padded quietly into the room and pawed at Conquest. She reached down and gave his head a few gentle pats.

Tyrannus shook his head and chuckled. “Looks like you’re winning the popularity contest.”

Conquest nodded. “Or something.”

Soundwave, for his part, was quietly observing Megatron’s offspring. He had been since they first arrived. His cassettes seemed to be rather fond of them so far, particularly Conquest as she was the more approachable of the two. Tyrannus didn’t always come across as menacing; though he nearly always appeared standoffish. The menacing air was something he put on primarily for Starscream. Rumble and Ravage especially seemed to like Conquest. Soundwave found Tyrannus and Conquest both highly intelligent and creative, perhaps even more so than their father as evidenced by this most brilliant idea. However, it was currently still just an idea. Its success remained to be seen. Both children were less than a Cybertronian year old; and though sparking produced instant adult personalities, they lacked life experience and needed to be guided by their parents and other trustworthy adults for some time. Soundwave had also noticed that the brother and sister both worked well together, often counseling each other and expounding on each other’s ideas. He found it extremely interesting how they were both so different from each other and yet, they both were reminiscent of their father. They still had much to prove to the Decepticons, but they were well on their way to earning respect by choosing to find ways of overcoming their obstacles rather than accepting defeat. In this case though, that could be unfortunate for Starscream.

Returning to the discussion, Soundwave suggested that in order to maintain absolute secrecy the work should be done in either his quarters or Megatron’s. That was easily agreed upon.

“Looks like we’re under way then,” Conquest grinned evilly. “Let the games begin.”

***

Over the next few weeks, Conquest and Tyrannus spent much of their off duty time working with Soundwave in his quarters. Working in the labs would have been risky as most of the Decepticon officers had access to them. This project needed to be kept under wraps for as long as possible. The three of them had reconstructed the contraption that had contained Kremzeek nearly twenty years prior. The trick now was to get the box to entrap spark energy.

There were a few other obstacles that needed to be overcome. Tyrannus and Conquest needed “test sparks” to test out the new container once Soundwave was able to solve the problem of containing spark energy. Tyrannus and Conquest decided on attempting to capture a few Autobots to experiment with. Autobots were easy enough to locate as they were usually out and about on their patrols. Then there was the small matter of getting Starscream’s spark into the container. Putting Starscream in stasis lock and simply removing the spark seemed the simplest and easiest way of accomplishing this. There was much snickering, even from Soundwave over what would become of the empty shell after the spark was kifed from it.

“Oh, I’ve got it!” Tyrannus grinned. “Remote control airplane!”

Conquest waved it off. “Nah, that’s unoriginal.”

“So is smelting him. Why don’t we let dad dispose of him? After all O’ screaming one has been the thorn in *his* side for all this time.”

“Eh, you two are both wrong,” Rumble called out from the vent where he’d been listening in. He pushed the vent open and hopped down onto the counter. “I’m tellin’ ya, his shell is just a refit away from becomin’ a whole lotta fire hydrants.”

“Pity Ravage doesn’t piss,” Tyrannus snickered.

“What about a pinata?” Frenzy suggested.

Conquest bounced up and down. “Oh I like this idea! We can hang him from the ceiling in one of the training rooms and when we’re stressed out, we can go down there and whack at the shell.”

“Okay, I consider myself to be sadistic, but that’s bordering on gross.” Tyrannus brightened an optic in surprise. “It’s one thing to bludgeon someone *to* death; but keeping dead bodies around for that purpose is wrong.”

“Um…okay…if you say so.” Conquest said, trying to fathom how bludgeoning a live person was somehow more acceptable than beating a dead body; not that she was opposed to either method.

They all chuckled and Soundwave handed a datapad to Tyrannus. Conquest peered over Tyrannus’ shoulder and Tyrannus grinned.

“It looks like Soundwave has solved the problem of trapping spark energy; now to find test subjects to sample our little container.”

***

It was decided that the best way to acquire prisoners was to execute one of the Decepticons’ standard issue simple energon raids. Having several of the Decepticons involved in the raid provided a disguise for the real purpose of the mission. It would appear that prisoners were a random occurrence resulting from the raid rather than the reason for the raid itself. Sending Tyrannus and Conquest on a mission alone might have aroused suspicion; and Starscream’s natural penchant for nosiness would have led to questions that Megatron didn’t care to answer.

Together Soundwave and Tyrannus had developed an idea for trapping spark energy and had been working diligently at making it a technological reality. The gist of it was that the box was not only going to be programmed to encase spark energy; but it would also function as a “magnet” for it. In this way the spark would be drawn immediately to the container upon exiting the body instead of going Primus knows where. The other part of this plan involved building a chamber to execute this phase. The chamber would also be programmed to trap spark energy as a safeguard in case the box failed to attract the spark.

Two Autobots had been captured during the raid and some minor tweeking needed to be done to the box after the first trial run. Soundwave felt that the container needed a stronger “pull.” The first spark appeared to have offered some resistance and Soundwave didn’t want to chance with a possible immortal spark. He and Tyrannus were much more satisfied after the second attempt. They were also impressed at how well the contraptions contained the spark once it was inside.

All that was left was to inform Megatron of their success and wait patiently for Starscream to earn his little “rite of passage.”

Tyrannus complimented Soundwave on his work and then crossed the large hallway to his father’s quarters. He wasn’t sure if Megatron had returned yet as the Decepticon leader often worked long hours. He let himself in and peeked in all of the rooms until he found the old battleaxe reading some datapads. Work reports no doubt. Majorly boring, Tyrannus thought, not looking forward to the day when those reports would become a part of his daily routine. I’m surprised he’s not comatose from reading that slag. Megatron, sensing the presence of his creation, looked up from his reading and deactivated the datapad. As usual, Tyrannus gave no outward sign to indicate his mood.

“You have news?” Megatron dropped the datapad on the table in front of him and sat up, giving Tyrannus his undivided attention.

“Yes,” Tyrannus nodded and sat down in front of his father. “Our experiments have been successful and we are prepared to carry out this plan at Starscream’s um… insistence.” The corners of Tyrannus’ mouth curved upward slightly.

Megatron snickered. “Excellent, my son; you have done well.”

Tyrannus bowed his head slightly, acknowledging the compliment and stood. “I hate to be brief, but I don’t believe Conquest has been told of our success. She had a late shift today. I will return shortly.”

Megatron nodded and a he tried to repress the small frown that tugged at his mouth.

Tyrannus caught the barely perceptible frown and left Megatron’s quarters with an uneasy feeling that his father’s soft spot for Starscream was going to cut them off at the knees at the last moment. Don’t let him off the hook. You’ll regret it someday…

***

Conquest groaned at her brother and flopped onto the couch in her quarters.

“You can’t be serious?!”

Tyrannus was leaning against the wall in his characteristic pose with his arms crossed and a foot propped up against the wall. The scowl on his face indicated he was most unimpressed.

“I hope I’m wrong, but I sensed doubt from father now that we’re on the doorstep of accomplishing this. I haven’t confronted him about it yet.”

Conquest sat up swiftly. “And you’re not going to.”

“I beg your pardon?” Tyrannus said dangerously. Conquest ignored him.

“Look, your method of confronting others is just that-confronting. If you confront father with your method of “persuasion” all you’re going to do is piss him off. This needs to be handled more delicately.”

Tyrannus snorted mockingly. “Delicately? Spare me.”

Rolling her optics, Conquest continued. “Just hear me out, okay? I know you loathe mind games, but really that is the best approach to this. Father simply needs to be reminded why Starscream needs to be slagged and how much is at stake. Besides, when Screamer screws up next time, father will be pissed again and likely won’t object anyway. I think we’re worrying about this too much.”

Exhaling in annoyance, Tyrannus mulled it over. “Perhaps. Very well, you may try it your way first. If that doesn’t work, then it’s my turn.”

***

Megatron growled to himself. He knew Tyrannus has sensed his doubt; and was no doubt confused and revolted by it. He was being soft and weak; and the very thought of that was making him ill. Tyrannus and Conquest were right; Starscream had gotten away with too much and needed to be dealt with permanently. It was obvious that he was never going to let up so it was either him or Starscream. Unfortunately, that made the decision no easier to make. Tyrannus and Conquest didn’t understand his hesitation because they had only known Starscream as a menace to the leadership. Megatron had once known a loyal Starscream. Tyrannus viewed life as black or white with virtually no gray area. When he pondered a situation, he weighed the pros and cons before making a decision. If the pros outweighed the cons, then that was the decision he went with and vice versa; and seldom allowed personal feelings to influence his decisions. He had a very cold and calculating approach to life. Conquest was a little more complicated. She was likely more in this little scheme for the entertainment factor than anything else. True, she also had no love for Starscream and also felt everyone was better off with him out of the picture; but it was the actual hunt rather than who was being hunted that garnered her interest.

A strong, ebony hand curled into a mighty fist in self-reproach. Megatron had created Tyrannus and Conquest for this very purpose; to neutralize Starscream’s accursed antics. Well, he had been thinking that by “neutralize” they would serve notice that Starscream was no longer Megatron’s heir due to his treachery; with the option to kill Starscream if the situation warranted it. He was somewhat surprised that they were opting for killing him right off the bat. Still, Megatron was having second thoughts about a plan he had put into motion; a feeling he was unaccustomed to. He did not regret Tyrannus and Conquest’s existence. In fact, he found them both excellent company. They had both turned out very much what he was hoping for and even surprised him on occasion. It was just he hadn’t expected them to have reached this point so quickly. The finality of it was a bit…disconcerting. Still, it needed to be done and Megatron would be there when it was. To do otherwise would be cowardice. Starscream hadn’t scored a victory over the Slag Maker yet and still wasn’t going to, even on death’s doorstep.

***

Tyrannus strode down the hallways of the base at a leisurely pace. He was in no hurry to be anywhere. Besides, he felt impatience betrayed a lack of control over oneself and everything else. To an observer it might have appeared that Tyrannus was too engrossed in his own thoughts at the moment to be much aware of his surroundings; but nothing was further from the truth. He had discovered a while back that an excellent way of catching others off guard was to act as if he might be caught off guard himself.

It was nearing midnight, which meant a skeleton crew was monitoring key posts on the base and the hallways were deserted in most areas. However, Tyrannus was not alone. Off in the distance, Tyrannus could faintly see two red optics glowing in the darkness of an alcove. It was true that “eyes were windows to the soul.” Despite the fact that most Decepticons had red optics, it was possible to tell who they belonged to even if that was the only part of the person you could see. And Tyrannus knew this hateful creature. Tyrannus stopped in the hallway and faced his observer. Putting his hands on his hips, he grinned mockingly. This time fury and hatred blazed in those optics; and Tyrannus could hear the whine of weapons being charged as Starcream stepped out of the shadows.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Tyrannus drew a sword from subspace. “You’re still going to go for it even after the warning I gave you?! Primus, you are a persistent piece of slag, aren’t you?”

Starscream smirked, holding his arm out, with the business end of his arm rifle aimed center mass at Tyrannus. “You and I both know Megatron hasn’t the guts to kill me, which just leaves disposing of you and your sister.”

“Um…okay. You’ve really thought this one out.” Tyrannus said sarcastically. “It hasn’t occurred to you that perhaps slagging me and Conquest wouldn’t convince Megatron once and for all that you need to be disposed of permanently? This whole idea is indicative of faulty programming. Perhaps you should see Soundwave or the Constructicons about having that fixed. Oh and just a hint before you take your first shot; you might want to aim at the wall to my right. That might correct for your bad aim and you might hit center mass on me that way.”

“YOU’LL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!!!” Starscream screeched.

Bristling at the insult, Starscream fired, but Tyrannus leapt out of the way just in time and lunged for Starscream, sending them both crashing to the ice cold floor. The impact disoriented Starscream and before he could recover, Tyrannus’ fist made contact with his face, hurling Starscream into the black void of unconsciousness.

Tyrannus stood up, keeping a wary optic on the red jet; and shook his head in disgust, then radioed for Megatron and Soundwave. He didn’t want Starscream waking up anytime soon so he kifed Starscream’s arm rifles; at once effectively disarming the sleeping menace and giving Tyrannus a quick method of putting Starscream back to sleep should he wake up before they could get him moved. Megatron arrived a few moments later and seeing Starscream’s condition, looked expectantly at Tyrannus for an explanation.

“He missed. I didn’t.” Tyrannus said simply.

***

Megatron placed Starscream’s unconscious form on the operating platform in Soundwave’s personal lab. It had been decided that they were going with the safest, albeit least amusing option; merely removing Starscream’s spark from his unconscious form and shoving it their little invention. Well actually Megatron decided that, wanting this whole thing over with as quickly as possible. There were was grumbling and groans of disappointment from not only Tyrannus and Conquest, but Rumble and Frenzy as well. Soundwave simply did as he was told.

“Eh, I was really hoping to make him suffer a bit before making him suffer for all eternity,” Tyrannus grumbled.

Conquest rolled her optics. “Oh not this again… You still want to bludgeon him to death like you did the Autobots? You’re a real fragging piece of work, you know that?”

“No, he would have been.” Tyrannus grinned when Conquest groaned. “Besides you’re one to talk, Miss “I like playing sick games with my prey before I slag them.”

Megatron couldn’t explain why, but the constant bickering of his creations was grating on his already frayed nerves at the moment. “Silence! Both of you. Soundwave, finish this up and be quick about it.”

Soundwave continued on, trying his best to focus on the transferring this spark from body shell to inescapable container without incident rather than Megatron’s foul mood. He had somewhat expected such agitation as Megatron was known for sparing Starscream over and over again. Now that the moment was here to put an end to Starscream’s corporeal existence, Megatron was no doubt realizing the finality of this decision and it was apparently causing him some angst. Megatron’s irascibility had put a damper on Tyrannus and Conquest’s enjoyment of the success of their hard work. Tyrannus glowered darkly in a corner; his body language radiating his extreme dissatisfaction with that. Conquest simply looked bored, checking the chronometer every few minutes or so. Megatron noticed her fidgeting, but ignored both of his children.

Finally, Soundwave sealed the contraption with Starscream’s spark in it and looked at Megatron, awaiting instructions on what to do with it. Megatron stared at the container for a moment, realizing he really hadn’t thought about that. “Give it to Tyrannus and Conquest,” he said finally and stalked out.

Conquest sighed in relief. “Thank Primus, I thought we were never going to be able to enjoy this. What do we do with the body now?” She jerked her head in the direction of the former Air Commander’s dull gray and most importantly, lifeless body shell.

Tyrannus grinned wickedly.

***
A few days later, Tyrannus and Conquest could be seen traveling down the corridor behind an antigrav unit. Sitting on top of the antigrav unit was a small, but rather heavy cage. It was being moved to Tyrannus’ quarters for safekeeping. The cage resembled a miniature version of old jail cells the flesh creatures used. The type with the sliding bars. With Rumble and Frenzy’s enthusiastic help, Tyrannus and Conquest fixed up the cage to include a miniature recharge platform that would support the weight of the spark container, which was anchored down with a standard issue ball and chain. Starscream’s spark was back in his shell; just not in the way it use to be.

“Hey, whatcha got there?” Thrust asked, passing by.

Tyrannus pondered that for a moment. “Pandora’s Box.”