Megatron's livid optics narrowed. "What do you mean, you can't find him?" He hissed, pointed fingers tightening their grip on the drone's throat. Plating became dented and warped under the steely grip and the drone flailed as important components became damaged. The drone squealed in protest at the rough treatment. Disgusted, Megatron threw down the damaged drone and turned to Soundwave. "He's a flightless Seeker! He couldn't have gotten off the ship! Find. Him."

Without a word, the spy master inclined his masked helm and stalked away. The damaged drone got to his feet, static coming from his vocaliser.

Megatron glared at it. "Get that repaired. And send Knockout when he's done."

The drone gave a squawk of static in acknowledgment and fled the bridge.

The warlord was left alone with his thoughts. They were focused firmly on Starscream, and wherever the treacherous slagger had vanished to this time. The last punishment given to the Seeker had been the shredding of his beloved wings. Grounding his Air Commander was a risky thing but considering how far Starscream had pushed him with the last attempt on his function, it was more than fitting.

But now Starscream was missing, something he hadn't expected. Knockout had been the one placed in charge of the damaged Seeker, clearly he'd failed to manage to sparkling-sit the damaged mech.

A grounded Seeker was a pitiful thing. They lived for the sky, to soar through it, and to have it taken from them was to drive them to the edge of insanity. To remove a Seeker's wings was to condemn it to a life on the ground, and such a thing often ended badly. That had been why he'd wanted Starscream watched so closely, to avoid the risk of him escaping and harming himself in a panicked frenzy.

Steps approaching his position by the console caught his attention, and he was drawn out of his thoughts. The drone he'd sent to get Knockout was clearly deaf. The mech approaching wasn't the red medic, but instead his partner, Breakdown. All fixed up after that unfortunate run in with the humans, it seemed.

Breakdown paused a little distance before him, dropping into a stiff bow. "My Lord, Knockout is…unavailable." He said with a wince, as if expecting to be struck.

Megatron's hands curled into fists, displeasure growing. "Where is he? He had his orders, why were they not followed?"

"He was – is – racing, my lord. With the humans." Megatron watched him wince again. Breakdown didn't seem to take pleasure from ratting out his partner, but the fear of Megatron still made him do it.

"And where," Megatron growled, leaning in close to the shorter mech, optics menacing, "were you?"

"My lord?" A look of confusion flashed across Breakdown's red face.

"In his absence, those in the ward are in your care. Where. Were. You." The look on Megatron's face promised intense pain if the excuse for letting Starscream escape was not a good one.

Breakdown lowered his optics to the floor, anything other than looking at his master. "Patrol duty, sir." Patrol duty was generally reserved for the drones, but since Breakdown had been involved with M.E.C.H. the hammer wielding Decepticon had taken to patrolling, clearly hoping to meet them again and crush every single one of the insects.

Megatron straightened up, gritting his denta together. He couldn't blame Breakdown for this when he had been doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing. "Get out of my sight. Find him, or you and your partner will suffer."

Breakdown bowed again and left to join the search party trawling through the ship in search of the Seeker.

The warlord almost didn't notice Soundwave coming to stand by his side after a few more moments of thought. The communications officer stood silently until Megatron looked at him expectantly. "Soundwave, report." He ordered, turning to face his spy.

Soundwave straightened slightly, lifting his masked face for Megatron to see. There was a flicker over the screen then footage from a security sensor on the top flight deck appeared. As the warlord watched, Starscream appeared, de-winged and looking deranged, muttering to himself. Something seemed to change within the Seeker when the wind touched his form and the streamlined form straightened instead of gripping the wall for support.

Megatron hissed, clawed fingers digging into the metal of his palm. "Starscream, don't be so foolish…" he muttered, but it was too late. As he watched the pre-recorded footage, Starscream too off at a run, straight for the edge of the ship's landing platform. It was a sheer drop to the ground below…A frail form like Starscream's would never be able to survive it.

The Seeker launched himself off the platform, transforming at the last moment and activating his thrusters. The wingless F-16 fell fast, nosecone pointing straight at the ground. Starscream disappeared from view, the sensor no long able to track him. Soundwave cut off the footage.

Megatron exhaled through his vents and rubbed a servo over his optics. "Starscream…" He felt tired then, the footage of his Second throwing himself to his death affecting him more than he would have thought possible. He hadn't intended on Starscream dying… This would set back his plans for quite some time. He was going to have to appoint a new Second, and a new Air Commander. "Soundwave."

The spy stared mutely at his Lord.

"Time of offlining?"

The footage cropped up again, zooming in on the time stamp in the corner.

Megatron read off the time. "Twelve fifty-two a.m., local time…Inform the crew, and see about contacting his trine. This far apart, the bond may be too weak between them to properly feel the death of one of them. Inform Thundercracker he's now Air Commander, and he and Skywarp should make their way here. If they can replace Starscream, then have it done. Knockout is to be put in the brig the moment he returns."

Soundwave nodded mutely and turned away to carry out his orders.

"Oh, and Soundwave."

The spy paused.

"Congratulations on your promotion to Second in Command."

Soundwave appeared to look back at his Lord for just a moment, nodding once again and taking his leave.

-0-

Optimus Prime had been tracing an energon signal for a while now, cautious since Decepticons had been spotted in the area previously. He was on his own, Ratchet in base and the others out with their charges.

He almost stumbled over the source of the energon reading, spark freezing in his chamber. It was hard to tell through the wreck, the smoke and fire, and the energon, but he knew what he was looking at; or rather, who. Starscream.

He dropped to one knee beside the pitiful ruin of the once proud Seeker, wincing when he saw the missing wings. Whatever had happened to Starscream, the Seeker was lucky to have survived. Optimus could just see the flickering of a spark deep within the wreckage.

Now he had a tough call to make. Should he leave the Seeker to perish, or should he call Ratchet for aid?

His spark rejected the first option even as he thought of it. He could not in good conscience leave Starscream like this, nor could he perform a mercy killing.

The Prime activated his comlink to base. "Optimus to base. I need a groundbridge to my location…and a medic."