As usual the skyline of one of Cybertron’s larger city-states, Vos, was buzzing with life. Vos was a state where luxury meant everything - it had attracted over the vorns a populous of extravagant, outgoing Autobots, those who considered themselves upper class, in some field or another and who wanted to mix with similar head in the clouds characters. Not a spot in Vos was ever derelict for long, the dictatorship would never have allowed it. It was the L.A of Cybertron, at this time, and Iacon aside - was THE place to be seen.

The population of Vos consisted of a high number of those who liked to use as their form of transport across Cybertron and in it’s air space the more free transportation form of spacecraft, jets, rockets, or similar airborne machines. It had good facilities in the city for air traffic, and so, over the vorns, those who fell into this category, and used more air transport than ground had come to Vos. There were a small minority of inhabitants who still preferred ground vehicles and devices other than planes, but they were few. Out of the council who ruled Vos, the Dictators, only one was not the owner of several private jet transports. The head of the dictators and one of the most respected (or at least fearfully respected due to his power) Autobot on Cybertron was one of the sleekest, most arrogant, fast - flying, jet - using executives of all - Starscream.

As with many Dictatorships, much of Vos’s wealth, as a state, ended up in the quarters of those with the power. Starscream had far more of everything than he was entitled to, by rights, and if it were not for checks from the high council in Iacon every vorn or so for state distribution, then he would certainly have squandered MORE! Over his time as ruler of Vos however, Starscream had learnt many dirty tricks - many ways to hide his greedy stores of resources from Iacon’s eye. Both he and his council were among the richest Autobots on all of Cybertron. And they could afford good military protection of their hoards, too. Unlike Iacon, the city, like it’s ruler, had little moral in it. In Vos, if it got you something - you did it. That was the rule. And so long as no one dared to touch him, or his wealth - Starscream really couldn’t care less.

Inside the main central tower of Vos, where the Council usually met to discuss trade deals with other states, and planets, etc, four members of the dictatorship were talking in a small room, for once, without their leader, Starscream.

Leozack, Skybrake, Gaihawk and Skywarp were all watching the city life buzzing away below them, through a window device. They had been having a heated debate on whether or not to construct a new city block on the border line. Iacon had said they would not allow Vos any further advancements deeper than 12 levels, because of the security jeopardy it would inflict on their neighboring state, if they ever were to have a falling out. Starscream had initially been enraged, and had threatened the Iacon council, asking if they would like to have a falling out, stuff the state next door! But since then, he had left the expansion plan alone.

The rest of the council thought this was probably a wise move. That is - all except Skybrake. He remained in firm belief in his master’s idea.

" Listen Skybrake! How many times do you need this told to you?! We cannot mess with Iacon, if they have said no, then no it is, and even Lord Starscream can see that. So why do you still try to think of a way round it, huh?!" Demanded Gaihawk, who never had liked his addressee, anyway. What a creep he was! Built under the same design as Starscream, the only distinctions were his light purple face, the colour of the wing stripes, the shade of red his chest was, his light blue feet and his lower arms and hands - they too were a lighter blue. Also, his arm weapon was different. Whereas a lot of the Autobots walked the silver streets of Cybertron, and that included Vos, unarmed, the council of Vos - when they did go out of their quarters, always had at least one arm weapon. They trusted no one...not even each other!

" I am sure that Lord Starscream has not given up the idea, Gaihawk. He knows what he is doing, Iacon cannot intimidate Vos, you should know that! I stand by the plan - and by Starscream," was the low reply.

" Damn you, Skybrake! Are you insane? Start a squabble with the capital state over the number of levels permitted on a new city block?! It is MADNESS!" Cried Gaihawk, wishing he could thump his comrade in the oral transmitter!

" Yeah, he’s right, you know, Skybrake," added Leozack, turning to them both. "You should let go of this stupid idea. We need to expand Vos in other ways."

" Lord Starscream has got a lot to deal with - he doesn’t need bolt brained idiots like you wasting his time with old plans that he threw out in the trash ages ago," put in Skywarp.

Skybrake and Skywarp were practically brothers, and had been very close in the past. But recently, Skybrake had taken an awe over Starscream, and he obeyed his every order, agreed with every word he said, and read up all the files that were available on him - even, it was rumored, hacked into the Head Dictator’s own systems and delved into his private files. Skywarp, on the other hand, obeyed his Master - but everyone knew that, as with most of the council, he would take any chance to become head, himself. But as yet, Starscream had made no mistakes.

Skybrake was an Autobot of hidden secrets, in these recent years. For example, he had taken the time to rebuild the lower level shutdown machine, which was used very rarely, in comparison to the one up on T- floor. It was where the Autobots would lie to get themselves recharged and were given the shutdown that their metallic bodies needed, to last a full Autobot lifespan. Some of the machines had become so advanced that they replaced your oil, lubricant and checked for any damages and if there were any located, it would print out on a screen what was wrong and instruct you if you needed to see a repair mechanic, a medic, or just fix yourself up! They were very useful things.

Just then, there came a cry from behind the door and all four turned in time to see a lion like creature enter, with a toss of it’s head, snarling and dragging a small Autobot worker by the arm, who had bumped into it along the corridor! It was yelling in pain as the metal teeth sunk in. As the workers in this sector were no better than slaves as far as the council were concerned, all four glared at the intrusion!

" Leozack - I told you to control that creature!" Skybrake was clearly annoyed.

" Ah, shut up, Skybrake! Lionbresto - come here and put that foolish robot down!" Ordered Leozack, pointing at the animal, and then at the floor by his feet.

Without a second’s hesitation, it obeyed it’s master, dragging the robot into the room before sitting at Leozack’s feet and staring up with hunting eyes, waiting for it’s next order. Leozack grinned, always content when one of his orders was obeyed, and stroked it’s metallic head.

" You! What were you doing to my pet, then, eh?! Come here, I’ll teach you to upset him!" He growled at the small robot, who was making for the door. He sneered, and pointed at him, as he reached the doorway. " Fetch!"

Lionbresto leapt from his position on the floor, to where the robot was, and grabbed it with his teeth. It brought it’s catch back to it’s master, proudly dumping it at his feet. Leozack scowled down at the robot, who knew that to mess with the Dictators of the state or their mechanical pets was a dangerous game! Leozack reprimanded the robot severely, and put him on to the most downgrading of all the Autobot duties in the sector that he could think of. The robot apologized and begged for forgiveness.

Skybrake walked out whilst this little dispute was going on…and headed for the personal quarters Starscream had allocated to him, which were at the end of the 2^nd to top floor of the central tower. Skywarp saw him go, but took no notice - he was more interested in watching Leozack telling off the small worker Autobot. Gaihawk had his own mechanical pet, Hawkbresto, perched in silent observation, on his shoulder.

Skybrake was obsessed. This time there was no doubt that he truly believed he should ‘be’ his Master…become Starscream. There was more to being someone than a quick lick of paint, though…but at least that was a start! So, the Autobot Dictator began to change the colour on him to match that of Starscream - not just closely, but EXACTLY!

Skybrake admired himself in the shiny, reflective steel surface of his wall panels. Staring back at him was Master Starscream. He chuckled to himself. Yes, his careful study and recording of Starscream’s voice had paid off, now the new chip he had fitted to his vocal circuitry enabled him to speak only with the exact tone and pitch of his master! Not only that, but the insane Autobot actually believed he was Starscream…and acted like him as well. If he had known what he was doing, he would have called himself a clone, for that was what he was. But he did not. There were now two Starscream’s…and that was that! With a determined snort, he headed for the Council rooms.

The Autobot Overlord had seen the presence of two Starscreams appearing within Vos over the last breem or so…but assumed it to be a joke, a prank, or at worst…some idiot mucking about with the head Dictator! So no breach of identity was recorded.

It had been a day of sheer hell! Starscream had seriously considered shooting that blasted Overlord at Iacon in the brain module…once again they had denied him permission to expand his militia and, devious as he was, he didn’t favour the idea of yet more secret service troops hidden from the eyes of the Overlord and the high Council at Iacon. For one, he got no support for these and they had to be kept a secret…hard when Vos was full of Autobots just as greedy and self centered as he was! Secrets sold well if you knew the right place to go and who to see. No. No more, a new way must be found! But…want?!?

" Damn it!" Snarled the Dictator, as he brushed some dirt from his decorative wing like shoulder mounts. He strode powerfully down the dimly lit corridor ways to the convenient shut down machine, to think it all out. A robot was near the door way. He bowed and got out of the way.

" Master Starscream - your lieutenant Skybrake has assumed your likeness. Skywarp instructed me to inform you at once."

" Skybrake? Oh, that fool! Tell him I have no time for strange jokes, and that he is to stop it right now! Only I am ruler of this City State…and anyone who annoys me knows what the consequences will be!" He snarled back. The robot bowed again, and ran to find the culprit.

But he could not possibly have done so!

Starscream noticed nothing unusual about the shutdown machine connected to him, as he lay there, scowling at the ceiling and thinking of that blasted Autobot Overlord. Once it was on however, and he was put into a state of quite harmless shutdown, something deep within felt un at ease. Starscream saw images, as if they were dreams…but not all were his thoughts…some were of him - and they were not pleasant! Next to him, concealed by a tall screen, was sat Skybrake, who had tampered with the machine and now had it connected up to his own brain module with various wires. He grinned at the helpless Starscream, who, while shutdown, had no grasp on reality and would not be able to wake up until Skybrake permitted it.

" Now we will see who the real Starscream is!" He laughed, " At last, the memories you have denied me for so long will be mine!"

Starscream knew nothing. He lost nothing. But Skybrake gained everything…as the mind transfer made a direct copy of Starscream’s mind, and then pasted it into the mind of Skybrake, leaving a virtual duplicate…save for the extra Skybrake mind inside him! Still Starscream could feel nothing, except a low, draining sensation he presumed to be waking up syndrome, frequent on shutdown machines. But this time it was more icy, somehow. He could do nothing except dream anyway…so he did not try.

In less than two breems, it was done. Starscream stood up and held his head, wearily.

‘ I thought that idiot jokester Skybrake said this thing was fixed correctly?! Trust him! Oh well…’ grumbled the Autobot, to himself, as he left the room, shutting the door behind him. Slowly, the new Starcream stepped out of the shadows…now in a way, himself a living shadow of his Master! He smiled, as he examined himself in the wall surface, again. ‘What a clever guy you are!’ He thought, as he reguarded the face that stared back at him. With that, he hid the equipment he had used in a locked closet, before leaving for the next session of the Dictators of the state…where all would see who was really who!

Skybrake recalled the fight he had had with one of the larger Autobots from a distant state less than a vorn ago…he had barely survived, thanks to the other guy cheating! As an insult, he had stolen his name and named the flying move with which he took him out, as the Skybrake maneuver! What an insult! Since then, he had gathered heavies from the Dictator’s secret service agents…and had deactivated the opponent. But the shame that hung with the name would never go away…before his end the other Autobot, a large green robot who loved to fly, had spread the word, and now flyers everywhere on Cybertron did ‘Skybrakes’ in practice combat, laughing at the origin of the term, too! Besides…he may not be dead for ever, he could be reactivated and then…?

" I need a new name!" He thought to himself, as he walked along.

The following week, after being annoyed at how like him Skybrake now was…and acknowledging the possible potential threat this posed, Starscream lost his temper with his fellow Dictator, during a small minor gathering of a few members of their group.

" You are a fool if you think you can ever match my wit, cunning and skill by dressing up like some Nerthonic Credling from the 34^th sector! This is blatant disobedience, Skybrake! I told you to undo these hideous likenesses!"

" Don’t call me that name! I hate it."

" Do you defy my order, Skybrake?!"

There was a frosty silence.

" I do not wish to, Master…but to my regret I cannot do as you demand. It is impossible to reverse what I have done now. I do not want to cross you, but I will if you make me." Skybrake glared at his Master with defiance and boldness in his optics. Starscream stared back, furiously!

" Very well, you have made your decision, Skybrake! Get out of my sight, and I outlaw you from all of Vos from now on! If anyone sees you, you will be attacked…is that clear?"

" Yes ‘mighty leader’!"

Starscream glared! " How dare you impersonate me like that?! Guards…take this fool away…and mark him so that he cannot pretend to be me."

The troops did so! Despite a fierce struggle, they bound Skybrake down to a table in the Med Bay, face down. He tried to look up, but his head was held down. Then he heard a buzzing sound, and tried to contain a scream of agony, as a deep symbol of a black hawk, the sign of the dark, devious one, was burned very deeply, into his wings and onto his forehead, shortly afterwards. The pain of this last branding knocked him out, and when he awoke, he was lying face down, oil splated on his face, his wrists locked together in tight metal links, in some dark back alley of outer Vos, painful cuts on his face and chest aching badly. Starscream had shown no mercy! Hang on…he was Starscream, wasn’t he? The confusion hurt him, so he stopped thinking and rolled over, got up and found the work shop of a small robot he knew from old days long gone by, who would help him. Indeed, although scared, the robot cut the links and repaired the worst of the injuries. After that, he begged Skybrake to leave.

" I’ll be arrested for harbouring you, Sir! Please, I beg you - go!"

"Ok, I shall go. If you see Lord Starscream…tell him that the real Starscream is still at large and will catch up with him one day!" With that, he left, unarmed but unafraid.

He wasn’t sure how much of Starscream was within him…and if he truly was the nasty dictator, or not. Being knocked out had twisted past and present, reality and fantasy together, beyond all distinction. He believed he was Starscream, rightful ruler of Vos…and Cybertron. That was Starscream’s ambition…and it didn’t stop there either! So, it was also now HIS ambition. He decided he would call the other ‘him’ Black Starscream. He was Starscream…and to hell with anyone who dared to cross him! Everything he saw was rightfully his, he deserved to rule supreme!

With that thought in mind, the shadow hid himself in a derelict region of Cybertron, taking on all Vos guards who found him and tried to take him out with ease. So near to The Pit, he knew he was safe enough! The black hawks that had been burned into him were a problem…but nothing he couldn’t handle. There was nothing Starscream couldn’t handle! So, the shadow slipped away into the dark…and the dark concealed him from all eyes that would pry.