The breakthrough came the same night as the news of his brother Fireflight's death. It was, in fact, as he sat in his darkened quarters trying to come to terms with the loss that the final problem that had been plaguing him- a matter of simple trigonometry, really- came clear. And as Skydive sat staring at the wall, his head suddenly full of equations and variables, he idly wondered if this was one of those new-life-from-death things or simply a bad omen. Then, after a moment to gather his thoughts, he left to find his partner.
* * *
Jazz shook his head as he pushed his chair back from the communications console. The Earthbase comm chief looked back to where Trixter and Air Raid were sitting on a bench against the wall. The Aerialbot slouched, almost curled up, with his head in his hands while the smaller blue Autobot kept a comforting arm around his shoulder. She looked up at Jazz. "Still can't get through?"
Jazz shook his head again. "Sorry, Trixie, we'll just hafta give it another try later."
* * *
"Mainframe?" Skydive stepped through the doorway into the seconday computer room, a place often referred to by those around the base as "Mainframe's quarters". And, as he had hoped, he found his partner in the Megavisor project seated in his usual spot in front of the secondary terminal, an interface to the Earthbase's main computer that composed an entire wall of the somewhat small room.
The Action Master looked up from the console at the sound of his name. "Oh, hello, Skydive. I was just about to look for you, actually."
But Skydive had picked up on the subtle twinge of bad news in Mainframe's voice from the first word. Some dark and cynical voice deep within him, an echo of his last few hours, asked who had died this time, but instead he simply asked, "What's wrong?"
"I just recieved a communication from Headquarters about the Megavisor project." The disappointment in his voice was much more obvious now, and the Aerialbot steeled himself for the worst. And that was exactly what he got. "They've revoked their support. We're to abandon it immediately."
"But why?" Skydive cried out. "It was coming along so well! Primus, that targeting system could well make the difference in this war, it could finally give us the advantage over the Cybertronians that we so desperately need! How could they pull the plug on us?"
"The message said we had failed to show that the advantages were worth the resources necessary to implememt the new system." Skydive sighed heavily and fell into a chair beside Mainframe. "I'm sorry, Skydive," he said quietly. "I realize this news could have come at a better time."
* * *
"Still nothing," Jazz said, turning back to Trixter and Air Raid.
And for once Air Raid looked up. "Fine. I'm getting sick of this." He sighed, shuddering against Trixter. "I don't want to talk to Silverbolt. I should get Skydive to do this or something."
"It'll be all right," she said reassuringly. "What's the worst he can do? He's however many light years away with his own Firestormer team."
Air Raid sighed again. "I know, it's just..." He shook his head. "I think I'm gonna take a walk or something. We can try this again later. I still have no idea what I'm going to say to him anyway." With that the Aerialbot got shakily to his feet and walked to the door. "I'll be back in a little while."
Trixter rose to follow him, but Jazz took her hand. "Let him go, Trixie," he said. "I think he needs to be by himself for a while."
Trixter sighed, letting her shoulders sag. "You're probably right. It's just... I'm just trying to be there for him. He and Fireflight were really close, and I know he's hurting really badly..." She looked down at Jazz. "I just want to help."
Jazz gently pulled her down onto his lap. "No, Trixie, I think what you really want is to not have to think about how upset you are by this. Fireflight was your friend, too, and even if Air Raid was a lot closer to him he's not the only one who's hurting."
And as Trixter looked up at him, looked him in the eyes for the first time since they had returned from that mission a few hours before, he could see her allowing the pain to surface. "Oh, Jazz..." she whispered, her voice almost a sob. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned against his chest. "Why do you have to know me so well?"
"There, Trixie," he whispered as she sobbed against his chest, "give poor Air Raid a little time to himself, and you just worry about yourself for once."
* * *
Skydive didn't return to his quarters until over an hour after leaving the computer room. The extended walk he had taken around the base had done nothing to improve his mood. He stopped as he reached the door. Part of him knew that the last thing he needed was to hole up in there again, with little to do but wallow in his own misery. It would accomplish nothing, and it certainly wouldn't make him feel any better. What he needed was to find Air Raid, or even just someone from his own Firestormer team, and go do something to get his mind off his problems for a while. But the depression that gripped him was stronger than mere logic, and it demanded his full attention. He didn't want to deal with anyone else, didn't want to do anything but sit in his darkened room missing Fireflight.
And finally, after a long, painful moment of debate, Skydive opened the door. The room was just as dark as he had left it, all but the wall opposite the door drenched in deep shadow, but something felt...wrong, somehow. His sudden concern stripped the dulling pain from his mind, his mourning for the past replaced by the warrior's instincts for the moment. The Aerialbot suddenly regretted his decision to remain unarmed around the base. He carefully, quietly took a step into the room, trying to make out anything that might be lurking in the shadows. But the light from the hallway was weak, and before he had time to switch to infrared vision there was movement in the far corner. He quickly shifted to a defensive position as another robot rose from the chair in the corner and stepped into the dim light.
"Skydive, I presume?" the Transformer asked with a wicked grin.
Not letting his defenses down for a moment, Skydive regarded his visitor. The thing he noticed first, despite the handful of years the Alliance had been going on, was the purple Decepticon symbol on his chest. He was a blue-grey jet, a stealth of some sort, and he had an advantage over the Aerialbot in both height and bulk. He found himself hoping that this visitor hadn't come to clear up any pre-Alliance grudges. "What are you doing in my quarters?" Skydive challenged, pleased at how unafraid he had managed to sound.
The Decepticon shook his head, still smiling devilishly. "There's no need to be so defensive, Skydive. I've come to ask a favor of you, and this was the one place I knew I'd be certain to find you. Let me introduce myself. I am Falcon." He extended his hand.
And Skydive shook it. After all, he thought to himself, maybe the more military-minded Decepticons placed less importance on their privacy, and this intrusion was less an act of intimidation than a simple faux pas. He still didn't quite trust him, but he let down his guard a little. "Skydive. As you already know, apparently. So what brings you here?"
"I am the commander of a team of Decepticons known as the Predators. I had heard of this Megavisor project you and the Autobot Mainframe have been working on and was interested to see if it was something that might be of use to us."
Skydive sighed bitterly. "Then you've come here for nothing. The Megavisor project has been cancelled. Cybertron HQ says it's not worth the resources."
Falcon nodded. "Yes, I had also heard that it could not be integrated into an existing system, that a new body had to be constructed to implement it." The Decepticon thought for a moment. "Very well, then, I will make you this offer. I will provide the resources you need to continue developing this technology, so long as my team is the first to be rebuilt using it. In the process you may even find the key to incorporating it into existing bodies, so that we can all use this new technology against the Cybertronians."
"You...you mean that?" Skydive was taken aback by the generosity of this proposal. "You'll fund this project so long as I use your team as test subjects?"
Falcon nodded, and it seemed to Skydive that a lot of the menace he had seen earlier had left his face. "But I'm afraid there's one catch. In order for me to get clearance to fund this project, you'll have to join the Predators. As a Decepticon."
* * *
"Air Raid?" The Aerialbot looked up at the sound of his name. "I've gotten through to Silverbolt's ship."
Air Raid stared blankly at Jazz for a moment. "Oh...yeah." He let out a miserable sigh and slowly stood.
Trixter stood up behind him as he took Jazz's seat at the comm station. "Do you want me to stay with you, or would you rather do this alone?"
"I think...I'd rather do this alone." He looked up over his shoulder at her, visibly struggling to maintain some semblance of composure. "Just don't go far, okay?"
She managed a smile, patting him on the shoulder. "We'll be right outside." She turned to where Jazz was standing, already beside the door. "C'mon, we'll just wait in the hall."
Jazz followed her out, closing the door behind them. He took a seat on the floor and Trixter followed his lead. She leaned against him with an exhausted sigh.
"He's not taking this well at all, is he?" Jazz commented.
Trixter shook her head. "No, he's not. And it doesn't help that he and Silverbolt haven't exactly been getting long lately. Everything about this has been so hard on him. He's always liked to think of the other Aerialbots as his brothers, but it's the truest with Fireflight. And the way he died..." She trailed off, too awash in the memories of that day to continue.
Jazz took her hand, weaving his fingers through her own. "You never told me exactly what happened, Trixie," he said softly.
She shook her head. "I'm sorry. Upstart probably hasn't even written up a report for this yet. Everybody was pretty shaken. Even those timejumpers, and they didn't even know anyone involved. But he...he died to save the rest of us. We had to make the base self-destruct, and someone had to stay behind to make sure the destruct sequence didn't get shut off, and he was hurt really badly as it was... He volunteered to do it to save Air Raid. And trust me, that's not making him feel any better." She stopped as she heard the sound of footsteps down the hall. Looking up, she saw a familiar blue and red robot approaching. "Hi, Ups," she greeted, managing a weak smile.
Upstart gave them a wave as he reached where they were sitting. He was smiling, but only a little. Even his usually cheerful demeanor was subdued. "Hiya, Trix. Manage to get through to Silverbolt yet?"
"Just did," she answered. "He's in there now talking to him."
"Good, good. Bring him down to the lounge when he's done. Slapdash found a channel that'll be showing 'Top Gun' in about an hour. We were thinking maybe his favorite movie would cheer him up a little."
Trixter laughed. "That's so nice of you guys! Thanks!"
Upstart shrugged. "He's our teammate, too." He gestured back down the hall. "I'm heading back now. Just pop in when he's done."
"All right, see ya in a bit, then!" Trixter called after him. But before she could settle back into position beside Jazz loud cursing from the other side of the door sent her sitting bolt upright again. "Oh no..." She got to her feet as Air Raid came stomping out the door. "What's wrong?"
"Gngh." He staggered to the far wall and collapsed against it. "Have I ever mentioned how much I fragging HATE Silverbolt?"
* * *
Skydive sat motionless in his quarters, staring blankly into the dark, struggling with the decision he was now forced to make. Autobot, Decepticon, did these designations mean anything anymore? The alliance between the two factions had lasted over six years now, with no signs of weakening. To the contrary, the two once-warring factions had been making nothing but progress towards putting aside their differences for the common good. The base he was currently at attested to that, the first base with members of both factions regularly assigned to it. By all rights it should make no difference what symbol he wore. But it did. It made him feel like a terrible hypocrite, but it did. The idea of leaving everyone he cared for to join those who had been their mortal enemies for countless millinnia made him feel sick. But therein was the most important argument he had for taking Falcon up on his offer: those he cared about. The pain of losing Fireflight still stabbed at him like a thousand needles pushed into his very spark. This project had been his way of contributing- meaningfully, for once, and not just as a soldier- to ending this ceaseless warfare. But Fireflight's death had reminded him just how important that was. His own feelings toward the Decepticons were unimportant. What was important was that he did all that was within his power to keep his remaining friends from falling victim to the war. Even if it meant leaving them.
And with that realization, Skydive stood. "I have to do this," he whispered to himself. "I have to do it for Air Raid."
With that vow made, he left to find Falcon.
* * *
The late near-Arctic dawn was finally breaking over the Earthbase. Air Raid stood at a window inside the base, watching how last night's newly-fallen snow sparkled in the orange glow of the sun rising over the horizon. The clouds had moved on in the last few hours, and the sky was clear and crisp in the frigid cold. He turned at the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway towards him. He noticed that Skydive looked about how he felt: like he had just been through a very long and unpleasant night. He managed a half-smile and a nod in greeting. "Come to hear how things went with Silverbolt?"
Skydive reached the window and looked out at the glittering landscape. "Not...necessarily. I have something to tell you, 'Raid."
Air Raid looked over at his fellow Aerialbot with concern. "Oh no, not more bad news."
Skydive looked down. "I...I'm joining the Decepticons."
"You're...what?" Air Raid asked quietly. "What do you mean..."
"The project I was working on, the Megavisor project...Autobot HQ pulled their support, they cancelled the project. But there's a Decepticon commander willing to continue funding my research so long as his team gets first crack at it. But he can only get me the funding if I become part of his team. I need to do this, 'Raid. I need to do something to help stop this war..."
Air Raid nodded. "I understand, Sky."
Skydive looked up at him. "You...you do?"
Air Raid smiled at his brother. "You're no glory-hound, Sky. If you're doing this I know it's because you feel it's for the common good. And it's not like it means I'll never see you again."
"You mean it? You're not going to be upset or anything?" he asked, astonished.
"Honest. It doesn't matter what symbol you wear, you'll still be one of us. You'll still be an Aerialbot at heart."
And Skydive smiled. "You're right, I will be. Thank you so much for understanding. I have to go get my files together, but I'll let you know before I leave for the Predator base."
Air Raid watched him as he walked off back down the hall to his quarters and realized how much worse he would have taken this news just a few hours earlier. But the night had finally taught him what Trixter had tried to convey ever since Slingshot had died. No matter what happened to the Aerialbots, he still had a family.
