[Transformers] Ghosts of Cybertron (6/11) - written with raisedbymoogles
Title: Ghosts of Cybertron (6/11)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: What with exorcisms, possession, and the occasional kidnapping, it's a wonder Rodimus Prime gets any work done. Especially with a ghostly Starscream making trouble around the base. But when the stirring of Cybertron's restless dead isn't limited to sarcastic ex-Seekers... Who you gonna call?

Contains an assortment of pairings, general bot-sluttery, crack, humour, and Decepticon/Autobot... 'alliances'. And Starscream. Lots and lots of Starscream.

*

To the great and magnificent Emperor of the Decepticons, o Mighty One, Master of all he surveys, this is getting silly. Dear Galvatron,

Do me a favor and let me know if any more ghosts pop up around where you are? We're kind of up to our audials in them over here.

For once, it's not Starscream's fault. ...I think.

Yours,
Rodimus

"It can't be that bad," Scourge mused, playing through the holographic datascreen with his claws. "He sounds cheerful enough."

"That doesn't mean anything," Cyclonus argued, pacing. "One ghost is bad enough. I don't want to contemplate there being more."

"But that 'one ghost' is Starscream. The rest can't be as- trouble on wings. You know."

Cyclonus didn't want to admit his Triad-brother had a point. "Just send your agents," he grumped. "I want to know who's coming back from the dead and why."

Scourge allowed himself an indulgent smile where the other couldn't see. "Yes, Cyclonus."

*

My dear Ultra Magnus,

Would you care to enlighten me as to the cause of your leader's rather cryptic request that we delve into the world of the supernatural? His missive has largely undone the distraction work of the past week, and Galvatron is... not happy.

- Cyclonus


Greetings, you have reached Ultra Magnus. I am sorry, but I am not at present in my office. Rest assured that as soon as I return I shall respond to your message as promptly as I may.

Yrs faithfully,
Ultra Magnus


My dear Ultra Magnus,

Further to my last communication, Galvatron has shot three Sweeps, two Stunticons, a passing comet, and the energon dispenser, because they 'looked like they might be possessed'. I would deeply appreciate a response.

- Cyclonus.


Greetings, you have reached Ultra Magnus. I am sorry, but I am not at present in my office. Rest assured that as soon as I return I shall respond to your message as promptly as I may.

Yrs faithfully,
Ultra Magnus


Where ARE you?

- C


Greetings, you have reached Ultra Magnus......


*

"We'vegotghostactivity! Intherecroom!" Blurr sped into the lab brandishing the portable detector he'd been assigned (it had seemed more efficient than setting them up all over the base, and Blurr was never averse to an opportunity to show off his speed). "Butit'skindof... weirdactivity, um, youreally oughttocomeandsee..."

The rec room was relatively quiet, most of the base being in recharge. Arcee, Moonracer, and Bluestreak were sitting around one table, their conversation punctuated by occasional surprised pauses as they watched what was going on around them, and Kup was stretched out in a chair looking half-asleep; apart from them, the only person present was Air Raid, who was... apparently having an argument with thin air.

It took a few seconds for the new arrivals - Wheeljack, who was rather pleased with the fact that he no longer needed recharge, Skyfire, who wished he didn't, and Perceptor, who had always been distressingly perky in the middle of all-nighters - to really register what was going on around them. When they did, Skyfire acknowledged that Blurr had been right - it was "weird" poltergeist activity.

All over the room, objects kept moving by themselves. Not, however, with any violence - discarded datapads arranged themselves into neat piles, aligned squarely - chairs and tables shuffled sheepishly into tidiness - bits of furniture were tweaked and arranged more efficiently.

Which would, in itself, have been fairly strange - except that, as soon as the invisible presence had finished with one part of the room and, apparently, moved on, the objects would slowly, sneakily, creep out of their positions and back into disorder. Even as Skyfire watched, one datapad shot out of its neat pile and clattered to the floor.

"It's been going on for about half a joor," Arcee supplied, seeing them enter. Most of the base knew, by now, that the science team were trying to track down the ghosts. "Air Raid's getting really annoyed."

"It keeps knocking it down!" wailed the Aerialbot in question.

Skyfire crossed the room to his side, absently laying a hand on his shoulder in reassurance. Air Raid was quite clearly in the middle of one of his favourite hobbies - building card houses with Smokescreen's poker decks - but despite the fact that he had become rather good at it over the years, creating architectural masterpieces that might not have looked out of place on Grapple's drawing board, he was surrounded by a chaos of fallen cards scattered all over the table.

"Every time I get above two stories, it knocks them over!" Air Raid complained, craning his head to look up at Skyfire with the hopeful, expectant look that all the Aerialbots wore when they expected the shuttle to magically solve their problems. "And then sometimes it starts trying to sort them back into their boxes. I don't think it likes me."

"The tidying would indicate Prowl," Perceptor said thoughtfully, running his detector over the walls, and Skyfire left Air Raid's side to begin setting up the ghost-catcher apparatus. "But I cannot fathom why he would then undo his own work."

"He's really, really bored?" suggested Springer, who had never entirely got along with the tactician.

"Where's Starscream?" Skyfire wondered aloud.

"With Fireflight and Skydive," came Air Raid's immediate, absent-minded response.

Skyfire decided that he was going to assume that they were practising aerial manouevres, and asked Air Raid to contact his gestalt-mates and get the ex-Seeker up here to help out. He quickly put together the device, double-checking the extra protocols they had set up to temporarily freeze the ghost in place (in the hopes of avoiding another Wheeljack Incident). Wheeljack himself was hovering over Perceptor's shoulder arguing with him about the readings on his detector.

"I'm just sayin', it doesn't look right somehow..."

Starscream chose that moment to rise through the floor, shooting a displeased look at Skyfire.

"What do you want?" He came to rest in the middle of the room with a scowl and a flick of his wings. "I thought you could at least manage this part without me..."

"There's something odd--" began Skyfire, just as Perceptor and Wheeljack said, in unison, "There's something wrong with these readings."

Starscream drifted towards them, all off-hand unconcern; his path took him past Air Raid, whose newest attempt at a card house chose that moment to come crashing down. Starscream froze, then spun around, optics wide and an expression on his face that Skyfire had never seen, and rather enjoyed - a strange tug of war between abject horror and startled delight.

"Skywarp?!"

Air Raid's cards shot in all directions, as if someone had slammed their fists down on the table in triumph. Skyfire exchanged surprised glances with Perceptor.

"Skywarp? Here? Are you sure, Starscream?"

"Of course I'm sure! I'd know his spark signature anywhere..." Starscream's optics were flickering, scanning the air frantically for a glimpse of his long-lost wingmate. "Besides, who else do you know who'd play silly tricks with Prowl? -- apart from your Twins?"

"Prowl's here too?"

"I assume so. Skywarp's not known for his tidiness."

A chair fell over with a bang. Starscream laughed - not snickered, not smirked, actually laughed out loud.

"Or his grace and dexterity."

Some minor object flew through the air and passed through Starscream without incident. Skyfire cast a nervous look at the rattling datapads elsewhere in the room, then a resigned one at his fellow-scientists.

"Starscream," he began, "could you try not to start up another poltergeist attack--"

... A few minutes later, sheltering behind a hastily overturned table as furniture and objects flew back and forth overhead, Skyfire reflected that he probably should have seen this coming.

*

The good thing about having ghost-Prowl around was that things tended to neaten up after a poltergeist tantrum pretty quickly. Even after Skyfire and Perceptor had worked their magic, Prowl still was wandering around, stacking datapads in neat piles and nudging furniture back to their proper places. The fact that Jazz was insisting on 'helping' didn't seem to faze him much.

Of course, it may just have been an excuse to avoid his fellow manifested. "What do you mean I can't possess people?" Skywarp groaned. "That's no fun!"

"Blame the Prime," Starscream shrugged, jerking a wingtip back at Rodimus, "it's his Matrix doing it."

"Lame," Skywarp groaned, rolling his eyes at Rodimus - which quickly turned into an impressive doubletake. "Wh- you're not Optimus Prime!"

"Thanks, I hadn't noticed," Rodimus answered flatly.

"How the frag long have I been dead again?" Skywarp demanded, then shook his head. "Never mind. I still wanna try possessing someone!" With that - and ignoring Starscream's cry of warning - he took a running dive straight at Air Raid.

And promptly reeled off him as if hit in the face with a frying pan, sending him sprawling into the floor and out of sight. "Idiot," Starscream sighed, but there was a laugh behind it.

Skywarp popped back up above the floor again, fixing Rodimus with a hangdog look. "Come on, please? Just this once?"

"Not a chance, you card-house-wrecker!" Air Raid shrilled.

Rodimus shrugged and grinned crookedly. "You heard the mech."

*

"Prime."

Rodimus actually jumped, despite being used to random ghosts popping up. Of all of them, Prowl was the most ghostlike, never making himself visible if it wasn't necessary and never announcing his presence like Starscream would. "Prowl," Rodimus greeted with a sigh. "How are you doing?"

The translucent Datsun shrugged quietly. "As well as may be. I've been doing much research over what's been happening while I've been... indisposed."

Indisposed is one way of putting it. "Most of it wasn't my fault," Rodimus offered with a smile, though his spark quailed at the thought of an intimate of Optimus Prime critiquing his work.

"Indeed." Prowl's voice was dry as always, but Rodimus thought he detected a flicker of amusement. "I think I have a theory of why we - the ghosts, I mean - are appearing, incidentally."

Rodimus brightened. "Really? Tell me."

"Unicron."



(TBC)