The resounding echo of footsteps filled the whole of the underwater base of the Decepticons. Heavily set footsteps that showed the authority the being had. Authority that was respected and without question, yet not because of fear . . . but because he was admired. They called him a great hero in his time. Such admiration that was worthy of one with a brilliant and strategic mind.

“General Onslaught, glad to see you finally made it back!” Megatron shouted as he greeted his friend, taking the battle-worn general’s hand in his own.

“Greetings Megatron! It is good to finally be home. The tolls of battle can make one long for a safe return to and comfort of their own land,” Onslaught happily stated, smiling beneath his facemask in reserved gleefulness.

Megatron laughed as he offered his old friend a seat beside him in the Decepticon commander’s quarters.

“I would think so, my friend. You and your men going against odds like those in the Autobots’ stronghold on Cybertron is no easy task. I am proud to call such wonderful fighters my friends.”

“No need to thank us, Megatron. We did what any other Decepticon would have done.”

“Yes, that may be, but all things considered, you still did an extensive blow to the Autobot forces at Iacon City. This will later prove to be a great help on our part to stop the Autobots from their goals.”

Onslaught nodded in exhausted silence. Megatron smiled at his strategic officer and took the Combaticon leader’s hushed replies as a sign that he probably needed a greatly required recharge cycle. He chuckled to himself and leaned drolly toward the old general, rubbing his chin in false contemplation.

“Well, I suppose you are in need of some off time after this little endeavor. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Onslaught nodded again in elation.

“Thank you, sir. I believe my chassis has gone past handling as much as it can already.”

Megatron chortled.

“Take all the time you need. You’ve earned it. Both you and your teammates. Besides, I believe that this would be a good time to catch up with your daughter since you’ve been gone.”

He watched as his friend’s face expression turned sorrowful. Sighing, he placed his hand on the other’s shoulder. “I know that you and Vitani haven’t been on the best of terms but I have a feeling that she will be pleased to see that you have finally returned.”

He patted the old soldier on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. Onslaught looked up at his commander and returned the smile and stood to leave.

“I hope you are correct, sir. It seems that I continue to lose her more every time I attempt to speak to her.”

“Don’t lose hope, friend. I’m sure she will come around.” Megatron gave Onslaught one last supportive smile and walked him to the door. As soon as the Combaticon strategist had left, he gave a distasteful sigh and shook his head.

As much as he wanted to believe the words he told Onslaught, the fact that Vitani had been acting so violently lately still rang in his central processor and told him otherwise. He regretted lying to the Combaticon commander; however, he was afraid that telling him the truth would have had a far worse effect on his friend.

Onslaught entered the access code to the quarters that he and Vitani shared. A confirming whirl and click sounded as the door unlocked and slid open. He stood in the doorway and regarded the completely dark room before him.

“Vitani?” he called out in hopes that she was hiding like she often did . . . no answer. He sighed in both disappointment and relief. As much as part of him wanted to see her and speak to her, another part was telling him to avoid any contact with her for the time being.

He commanded the lights to turn on and stepped back in shock. Vitani sat calmly in a chair turned toward Onslaught with her head hung, staring absent-mindedly at the floor. Onslaught looked around at what would have been their quarters at one time. It seemed that she had obviously thrown a fit sometime during his absence and left the room in ruins. He stepped carefully across the shattered remains of several glass containers and a large handcrafted mirror from a planet in the Rejlix System that he had gotten her as a gift. There goes my seven years of good luck . . . he silently murmured to himself. He walked up to his brooding daughter; still surprised that she had done such a thing.

“Vitani, what happened? Why did you do this?”

Still no answer as she continued to stare blankly at the ground before her, tugging at the alien wires that grew from her tail. Onslaught sighed and turned to begin the tedious process of cleaning.

“What took you so long?”

Onslaught turned around again in surprise and stared at his immobile daughter. She was now looking directly at him. He hated it when she gave him that look. It was as if she were staring right through him with those Amethyst shaded optics like he was nothing to her.

“I said what took you so long?” she growled again, gritting her sharp canids into a hateful scowl.

Onslaught snapped out of his daze and shook his head in bewilderment.

“Dearest, I told you that we didn’t know when we would be back. It was a difficult mission.”

Vitani snorted. “Huh. You’re a fool. You always have been. And so is the rest of this miserable crew. You think some little victory and lots of blown up enemy bodies is going to change the outcome of anything.”

“Now young femme, I--”

“You wanna know what?” she leaned forward in her chair, almost to the point of falling out of it and stared Onslaught straight in the optics. “We’re never going to win this stupid war. The Autobots are going to rule the universe. And you know why? Because they’re stronger than the Decepticons. Because they’re smarter than the Decepticons. And because they’re better than the Decepticons,” she snarled, insulting the very existence of her kind. Her optics danced with sadistic glee as she uttered the hateful words.

“And they’re better than you!” she jumped out of her chair and calmly walked towards the door.

“Vitani! Come back here! Listen to--” his words went to no avail as the purple-gold feline femme strided out the door without another word to her father. Onslaught slowly and sorrowfully staggered to the floor, picking up a broken holo-projection of a picture of the two of them together.

“Primus, where did I go wrong?” He fondly regarded the fading and fizzing image before switching it off and walking off to his recharging bed to dream whatever dreams he would be fortunate enough to acquire for the night.

Vitani stalked through the corridors that ran the length of the Decepticon base, ignoring any greetings from others that passed her. She couldn’t stand it anymore. Nor did she want anything to do with the Decepticons or their noble ways. What she wanted was to get out.

She didn’t understand why but something had felt like it was picking at the inside of her head and telling her that everything was wrong with what she had previously believed and thought. Her family was worthless and so were the rest of the Decepticons. She had been feeling these emotions spontaneously for several years now. She would end up raging at a moment’s notice, often causing damage to those around her, and within seconds change back to peaceful, wisecracking Decepti-kitty that she was before. However, the vicious urge became stronger with every transition and had been happening ever since she and her fellow Combaticons fought against a group of Autobots at the ruins of the Hoover Dam. Hook just casted her little mood swings off as “late maturing” and proclaiming that there was no relation between it and the battle at the dam.

Oh I’ll give him “late maturing” all right, Vitani growled to herself, suggestively punching her fist into the palm of her other hand. She wanted to hit somebody. She was pissed and she felt like proving her anger by delivering a personal greeting from her knuckles to the first idiot that she came across.

“Hey, Vitani!”

She flinched and tensed her body at the unappreciated shouting of her name, turning to regard the jovial figure rushing toward her.

Greeaaat, she mentally lamented.

Dead End came running down the hallway at full speed, waving his arm in ludicrous fashion as if to grab the attention of every known ‘con in the base.

Start the giddy talk, Mr. Sunshine. Go on, do it and see if I don’t put a nice dent in that perfect chassis of yours, Vitani silently grumbled, clutching her fists. A smackdown was a-comin’ and it had Dead End’s name on it. All she had to do was hear the magic words. . . .

“You know, Vitani, I’m really beginning to think that you’ve been trying to avoid me! But I’m sure it’s all just a big misunderstanding and that you didn’t mean any harm by it so you’re all forgiven buddy! Because you know I can’t stay mad at my best friend, now can I?” the gleeful Stunticon clapped his hands made various expressive gestures that were making Vitani’s stomach churn. “Anyway, what’s with the pouty face? Is someone have a bad day today? Come on, put on a happy face!”

That was it. Like a twig under a hiker’s boot, she snapped. With a blood-curdling screech, she released her tension on the peppy Stunticon in the form of a steel fist to the visor. Shards of glass spilled everywhere as the Decepticon “cheerleader” fell backwards into a cowering heap on the floor; sparks flew spontaneously from his shattered visor. Vitani straightened up as her senses finally returned to her and the sudden realization of what she had done to her friend.

She knelt down next to her cowering companion in an attempt to comfort him. Dead End shuddered in terror and backed away from her in an attempt to escape whatever insanity was still lurking inside his friend. Vitani held her head in pain as the last echoes of a distant laughter left her mind.

What’s wrong with me? Why am I doing this to everyone? she pondered these thoughts as she called the med bay for assistance and helped the traumatized Dead End gather his wits.