𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 [𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚎]

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖

"Saberstrike! Come back here!" Stormrunner shouted, and ran after the young bot. Atlas ran after him too and managed to catch him pretty quickly, and jumped on Saberstrike, pushing him over. 

Paradox walked after them, muttering angrily. "Getting too old for this scrap!"

Stormrunner grabbed Saberstrike's wrist and pulled him up. "What did I tell you about running off like that? It could get you killed!"

Saberstrike frowned. "I just wanted to get to the surface."

Stormrunner sighed and closed her ruby red optics momentarily. "I could take you up to the surface myself."

"Really?"

She nodded. "I can't take you up to cities like Iacon- we aren't exactly welcomed there. But I can take you to places like Kaon and Slaughter City and the Badlands. They aren't much safer than here, but at least is in on the surface."

"When can we go?"

Stormrunner looked over at Paradox, who had his arms crossed. "Right now. We'll go to Kaon since it is the closest. But you have to promise me that you'll stay by mine and Paradox's side the entire time we're up there, ok?"

"Ok!" Saberstrike replied happily. 

"Stormrunner, are you sure? If Saberstrike runs off in Kaon, there's a good chance we'll never see him again." Paradox said. "He is just a sparkling after all. His word means nothing."

Stormrunner was silent for a few moments. "We'll just have to keep a close optic on him. And we have Atlas to protect him as well."

Paradox scowled. "Very well. But don't say I didn't tell you so when Saberstrike goes missing."

~

"How is it possible!" Megatron yelled, causing Stormrunner to snap back to the present. She was standing in a straight line, beside Dreadwing, Soundwave, Knockout, and an insecticon by the name of Hardshell. Atlas stood at attention by her peds."There were 4 relics, each nearly in our grasp, and only Soundwave has come back with something other than an excuse!" He stopped at Hardshell. "Tell me, what is yours?"

"I have none, my lord," the insecticon said. "We failed to get the Tox-En, but we managed to terminate the large green Autobot."

"Then, maybe, this day has not been a complete loss," Megatron responded. 

Stormrunner scoffed and Megatron turned to her, his ruby red optics flashing. "Do you have something add, Stormrunner?"

Stormrunner mustered her courage. "Yes, I do." She turned to Hardshell. "Where is your proof? If he is truly deceased, where is his lifeless husk?"

Hardshell growled. "He managed to get through a ground bridge."

Stormrunner crossed her arms and turned to Megatron. "You see? How do we know the bug isn't lying?"

"You dare suggest I lie to our lord and master?!" Hardshell hissed, and Stormrunner stepped towards him. 

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm suggesting," she replied calmly. "As I said, you have no proof to back up your claim. I personally find it hard to believe that you and the other insecticons under your command accomplished such a task."

Hardshell roared and prepared to lung at her. "ENOUGH!" Megatron thundered. "Hardshell, are you absolutely sure that Bulkhead was terminated?"

"But my own servo's, Lord Megatron." 

Stormrunner opened her mouth to respond to that, but Dreadwing laid a servo on her shoulder and shook his helm. 

~

"What were you thinking?!" Dreadwing shouted at Stormrunner as they left the brig. "Your recklessness could have gotten you killed."

"For what? Speaking the truth?" Stormrunner narrowed her optics. "I was just pointing out that the bug had no evidence that he killed the Autobot." She stopped, and turned to Dreadwing. "Tell me you don't think its a bit far fetched? Bulkhead could have easily survived his injuries."

"He was exposed to Tox-En."

"So? The Autobots have a medic, don't they? Ratchet is his name I believe. From what I remember of him, he's one of the best medics that they have. He can probably easily fix Bulkhead up."

"It doesn't matter how good their medic is, you know as well as I do what Tox-En does to a bot."

Stormrunner shuddered slightly. She remembered during the Great War on Cybertron, that Megatron figured a way to weaponize it, and turned it into a bioweapon. She saw the aftermath of an attack using Tox-En. It had been horrifying to see, even when it was the enemy that was effected. 

"Maybe... maybe your right."

++