(Disclaimer: This is just a fanfiction, I make no claim over the setting or characters. This story is just written for my own amusement. All honor to those who have actually developed and own the Transformers universe and have developed it.)

Down

It was only at moments like this that he felt truly free. The wind supported his red and white wings as he soared through the sky. Starscream seldom got the time to do this anymore, just fly, there was always some plan, some task which needed doing. However this afternoon an unusual calm had fallen over the Decepticon headquarters. With little else to do than squabble with his comrades Starscream had taken the chance to go out and train. There was one reason, and one reason only why he was the Decepticon air commander, no one was his equal in the air. Megatron would have loved to replace him, but the truth of the matter was the large, gray Decepticon leader had never been able to find someone with both the technical capabilities and the skill to outdo Starscream. Such skills however needed dedication to maintain. The mechanoid grinned as he let himself go into a spin, luckily maintaining his skills was a fun task.

Time and place ceased to have any meaning as Starscream went through the various training maneuvers. He swooped towards the ground at Mach 2,8, breaking off just before he hit the ground and then he ascended again just as fast. Starscream took some delight in knowing that not only could his fellow Decepticons not do that feat after him, but so rapid changes in speed would most likely kill a human passenger, not that Starscream would ever let a human fleshbag into his cockpit.

Starscream had again ascended to his maximum altitude when his communication sensors beeped. An angry Megatron wanted to know where his treacherous second was. Starscream did not know if Megatron had a mission for him back at headquarters or if he just wanted to make sure that the seeker did not get any time to enjoy himself. Starscream sigh and send confirmation that he had heard the order and was on his way back. He would have to do more flying another day. Starscream begun to adjust his course towards headquarters when his audio sensors was invaded by a load bang and the shriek of twisting metal. It was not before pain overwhelmed his circuits that the seeker realized the strange sound had originated from something tearing though his left wing. Then all begun to happen at once, the computers which made up Starscream's brain set off a series of calculations as they tried to determine the extent of the damage done to the seeker's wing. In the meantime other parts of Starscream's processors worked on adjusting his course and altitude, making allowances for the injury so that the large robot would not go crashing to his doom. Then a second impact hit Starscream, and this time whatever it was impacted right in the center of his mass. The red seeker could only scream as the shock sent him off line and the world went black.

When Starscream got to his senses again the first two things his processors grasped was, A he was plummeting towards the ground in a spinning nose dive and B whatever it was which had damaged him was probably a weapon. In his current condition Starscream could not do much about an attack, he had to focus on regaining enough control to stop his mad decent. Pain tore through his entire being and the seeker was tempted to turn off his pain receptors, but he resisted that temptation. With several of his systems off line he needed the pain to act as a guide, and to keep him awake enough to save his own metal hide. Prioritize, he had to prioritize. Starscream knew he could not survive hitting the ground at this speed, he had to level out and then try to transform. His robot form was far from aerodynamic, but it was more sturdy than his fighter yet configuration, and in addition the seeker entertained some hope that the rocket engines in his legs would still function, making him at least able to fly well enough to attempt a controlled landing.

Leveling out was not the most difficult, though the pain as air resistance hit his wounded wing with all the force needed to support his weight made the transformer scream in agony. The real problem however became clear when Starscream tried to transform. To many systems was damaged and it seamed the programing for transformation was off line, meaning that while the Seeker could move out out his F-15 Eagle configuration, he was not so sure his various parts and joints would lock into his robot form. For a few seconds Starscream considered, in his jet form it was a change that his inevitable crash would at least be survivable, however if he tried to transform and it did not work he would hit the ground when his body was at it's most vulnerable, locked between two forms. Still the risk involved in an emergency landing was great. Starscream quickly came to the conclusion that he had little choice but try to transform, and pray for the best.

Metal scraped against metal as configurations changed. The guide computer did not work but that fact mattered very little to Starscream, his main processor knew his transformation sequence by heart. Joint followed joint, plate followed plate, things shifted and clicked into place. As soon as Starscream's wings retracted and locked into place on his back what little control the transformer had gained over his decent was lost and Starscream knew he had to move fast. He was wounded and in pain, but finally the last piece of metal clicked into place and where there previously had been a fighter jet there was now a humanoid shape which was still plummeting towards the ground.

With the transformation complete Starscream for a few seconds believed himself saved. He adjusted himself in the air and then tried to fire up his rocket engines...nothing. An expression of horror spread across the Seeker's face as he realized that all hope was gone. He could not manage to transform back into his jet mode, and the hard unforgiving earth was coming towards him far to fast. Inevitable he would hit the ground and then his life would be over and only scrap metal would be left of the pride of the Cybertronian war academy. Starscream turned off his optics and resigned himself to his fate.

Optimus Prime stood on a rock outcropping. Ratchet fidgeted behind him. For hours the Autobot leader had tried to convince the medic that he was fine Ratchet however had remained unconvinced. Optimus and a group of his Autobots had been in one of the nations in the part of the world the earthlings called Africa to disarm mines the humans had deployed in their own wars. It saddened Optimus that wars was not unique to the transformers, everywhere he went in the wast universe factions fought one another for domination, well at least here he could make a difference and save some lives. The humans primitive mines could hardly hurt a transformer, leaving it safe for Optimus and his team to move through the fields and pick the little weapons like a earth child picking flowers. Unfortunately one of the explosives had gone of in Prime's hand, and while it normally could do little more than scratch his paint job, this time a bit of shrapnel had hit his optics, and gone through to damage his aiming computers. The damage had been minor, and Ratchet had fixed it up in minutes. However the white medic could not leave it at that. He wanted to see if there was any permanent damage to his leader's target location processors. Optimus had eventually come the conclusion it would be faster to just indulge Ratchet.
"Let just just do a general test first Prime. Just aim into the air and fire a few shots and we will do some target practice on those rocks over there later."
Optimus sigh and lifts his laser rifle. The medic's concern was touching, however the other robot's fussing could be a tad bit annoying at times. Not that Optimus would never express such feelings to Racthet's face, he had no desire to hurt the medic's feelings, so on the doctor's orders Optimus fired into the air, once, twice...the laser rifle delivered it's deadly payload with a dull metallic boom.
"Well basic aiming seams fine let us move on to..."
Racthet begun, but his voice trailed off when Optimus lifted a hand to indicate he should be silent.
"I hear something Racthet...something screamed. Damned it I think I hit something."
Ratchet glanced in the direction of Optimus's shots.
"I checked Prime, there is no human air crafts in the area, and the aerial bots know we are commencing these tests, Powerglide I do not know where is, but he can not fly at such an altitude."
Optimus nods.
"Nothing on earth save their primitive space crafts can hold such an altitude, and none of us either, but I know I hit something."
Optimus threw his laser rifle into it's compartment in his back and then took off. Autobots where not skilled in the air, and Optimus while extremely powerful where no great flier. The engines in his feet giving him some ability to stay airborne had to work overtime just to lift his considerable weight.
"Where are you going Optimus?"
Rachet said, the medic was still glancing towards the sky, and now both robots could see the falling shape of a transformer descending towards the ground. Ratchet squinted with his optics to see better.
"Is that...Starscream?"
Optimus Prime nodded.
"Yes I think I just shot down the Decepticon second in command by accident."

Starscream wished he would hit the ground faster. This waiting to die was torture. Right now he wished for the mind of a weak earthling, their minds where so linear so this whole decent would by one of them be experienced in a one short sequence. Starscream however was a mechanism and his various processors fed his CPU enormous amounts of information, making the whole decent seam to take forever. But it would soon be over now, soon he would hit the ground and then this whole thing would be over. At least Megatron would be pleased. Suddenly Starscream felt strong hands grab him, his decent halted then stopped completely. Confused Starscream turned on his optic sensors and looks into a chrome face protected at nose hight by a plate of finest steel, kind, blue, glowing optics stared back at the seeker. It took Starscream's central processor a few seconds to realize who held him...then he panicked.

"Stay still Starscream or you will kill us both. Calm down you fool, I will get you safely down on the ground."
Optimus shouted to the other transformer as he struggled to keep him from wriggling out of his grip. It was something in Optimus voice, something Starscream could not put his finger on, a calm command that the Decepticon found himself unable to ignore, so he calmed down and ceased his struggling. After a few moments to think things through Starscream came to the conclusion that being a prisoner of the Autobots was better than being dead.
"So it was you who blew a hole in my wing Prime?"
The red Seeker said in an accusing tone of voice. Optimus simply nodded.
"Yes Starscream, but I did not intend to it this time. Now settle down and conserve your energy, or there will be little Ratchet can do for you once we get down on the ground."

Ratchet could hardly believe his eyes when Optimus landed and placed a badly wounded Starscream on the ground beside him. The Decepticon could not stand on his own and had it not been for Optimus supporting him the Seeker would crumple to the ground in a heap.
"Can you fix him doctor, I do not feel like being guilty of taking a life today, even if that life belongs to a Decepticon."
Prime said as he glanced from the medic to the wounded Starscream. Ratchet did not protest, even if the mechanoid before him was an enemy, Optimus concern even for the likes of Starscream was exactly the quality which made Prime such a great leader. The medic took two steps forward so he could examine Starscream's wounds.
"It is bad Prime, but I have fixed worse. With the equipment in my lab back at the Ark I can make him as good as new, if that is what you wish."
Optimus nodded, he then hands the wounded transformer over to Ratchet as he transforms. Starscream would not fit in the back of the medic's ambulance form, but Prime's trailer could easily hold him.
"Load him up. And then contact Megatron and inform him that he can send someone, unarmed mind you, to pick up his lieutenant once we are done putting him back together again."

Starscream did not protest as Ratchet helped him into Prime's trailer, he was hardly functioning he did not have the strength to do much more than comply. However even as wounded as he was his sensors burned with embarrassment. He would never be able to live this one down, Megatron having to send someone to pick him up at the Ark like so much misplaced trash. It had been far better if Prime had not been so noble and instead had decided to keep him prisoner. How could a day that had started so good descend into such depths of shit? Five minutes ago he was soring among the clouds and now he was taken by the enemy for repairs as an act of mercy. Starscream just shut off and went into energy reservation mode, the shame was just to much to bare, he just wanted to sleep and have this horrible day over with, what had he done to deserve the universe punishing him like this? He the great Starscream, why did things like this always happen to him? Oh well he would endure the taunts that no doubt would follow from his fellow Decepticons when they heard about his plight, oh yes he would endure and one day he would have his revenge. As Optimus Prime's engines started up Starscream fell asleep, he was to wounded to stay awake any longer. And in his sleep he dreamed of his sweet revenge.