Chapter 1

Hi guys! I have wanted to write a TFP fic for quite some time, so I figured why not? WARNING: This story will be set in a dark and gritty AU of the current series, Starscream's appearance has changed, as has his personality, and it will follow the season, but with AU elements. As for why I changed Screamer's appearance and personality, I envision him as a different type of Decepticon, and that's what I'm going to do. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Two cybertronian mechs sat trembling in the middle of what appeared to be some sort of hospital room, strapped down to their berths, EKG-like machines beeping quietly, reminding the mechs that they were still alive. One bore a grey paint scheme, with dark blue accents, the other, a red paint scheme, with yellow accents. Both had dark purple insignia's upon their chests.
Decepticons.

"Spark-Wheel!" Whispered the red and yellow mech.

"Y-y-yeah?" stammered Spark-Wheel.

"We need to-" He was cut off as the sound of claws scraping along the metallic floor neared. Both mechs turned their helms toward the open doorway and weak whimpers escaped from both of them.

Inside the doorway, was their captor. The mech was an imposing figure. Everything about him screamed menacing, Pitch-Black in color, grey accents, tall, bulky frame, long menacing, retractable claws extending from the long digits upon his servos, a digitigrade leg structure, peds with four claws, two in the front, two in the back. A hood-like appendage covered the top half of his facial plating, a silver mouth-plate covering the lower. He seemed to be a seeker of some sort, with two wing-like appendages crossing across his chest, with two thrusters upon his back.

The pitch-black mech slowly strode around the two smaller mechs, like an predator would with it's prey. He let out an eerie hiss as he finally stopped directly in front of his "prey".

"We've told you everything we know!" Whimpered the red and yellow mech. "Please! We don't know where he is, that was highly classified. So just let us go!" The pitch-black mech turned his helm towards the red and yellow mech before leaning closer towards him. Their was a sudden hiss as the mech's mouth plate slid out of view, revealing a mouth filled with razor sharp denta.

The pitch-black mech let out a fearsome growl, then rapidly extended his arm, grasping the red and yellow mech's neck in his servo, tearing the mech from his restraints. Then, with ease, lifted the mech straight into the air. The smaller mech struggled in vain to escape the pitch-black mech's grip, pulling at his captor's digits and kicking his peds in a desperate bid for freedom.

Spark-Wheel watched in horror as the mech extended his claws, and thrust his servo directly through the spark chamber of his fellow Decepticon. The red and yellow Decepticon's optics flickered as his whole frame went limp. In another swift motion, the pitch-black mech yanked his arm back, revealing the deceased Decepticon's spark chamber in his Energon-drenched servo.

The mech then tossed the lifeless frame aside, and promptly crushed the spark chamber, then casually licked the Energon from his digits. The mech soon noticed Spark-Wheel's horrified expression, and responded with a sadistic smirk, before contorting his lips into a sneer, and moving towards Spark-Wheel, claws extended.

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!" Shouted Spark-Wheel, pulling at his restrains, in attempt to free himself and flee from the advancing mech, who in turn stopped in his tracks. Spark-Wheel then lifted his helm to see the mech standing above him, with an expression that said one thing:

"Speak."

"He wasn't lying when he said he didn't know where your brother was." Began the trembling mech. "But I do, if you release me, I can transmit the information to your gauntlet.

The pitch-black mech's expression softened slightly as he pressed a button upon the berth, releasing the captive. Spark-Wheel continued.

"A few joors ago, Soundwave and your brother had discovered the location of the Autobot leader and his team. I overheard most of the conversation. I don't know the name of the planet, but I do know its location." With trembling servos, Spark-Wheel then opened a small computer gauntlet upon his wrist, pressing a few buttons. Within seconds, the pitch-black mech's wrist gauntlet beeped.

The pitch-black mech gazed upon his gauntlet, then turned his gaze back towards Spark-Wheel. He was contemplating something. The mech turned his back towards Spark-Wheel, and began pacing. Suddenly, the mech clutched his helm, and crashed into one of the machines, and began swatting himself alongside his processor, before grabbing his helm with both servos and flailing about the room, before dropping to one knee, and allowing his servos to drop.

Spark-Wheel saw this as an opportunity, and immediately rose to his peds and sprinted out through the doorway, bolting down the hallway. Before he could get to far, however, he heard a loud boom, before feeling a terrible pain in his lower torso. He looked down to see a large hole where the majority of his lower body should have been. Slowly, he fell to his knees, and keeled over.

Before his optics went dim, he saw the pitch-black mech standing over him, a sadistic grin plastered upon his facial plating, his right servo replaced with the four smoking barrels of a type-4 scattershot blaster.

"Do you fear the dark?"

The pitch-black mech stood over his newest victim, converting his scattershot blaster back into a servo, then made his way to the nearest exit. As he passed through the blasted open doorway, he flipped open his gauntlet, allowing a holographic image to show. The image was a spherical object. Pressing a few buttons, the image began to rotate, as cybertronian text flowed beneath it. The mech's lips twitched into a small grin as a small cylinder slid out of his gauntlet. Without missing a beat, the mech flipped open the cap, and pressed the button within.

Within moments, the entire building behind him exploded with an unrelenting force. As flames and debris rained down around him, the mech let out a sick chuckle.

"Earth…"

A blue motorcycle screamed down the barren highway, leaving only dust and open road behind it.

"I don't know what to tell you, Cliff." Spoke a feminine voice aboard the cycle. "We're all alone down here."

Miles away, a red muscle-car roared down the highway, passing telephone pole after telephone pole.

"Not really," Said a male voice inside the vehicle.

"What do you mean?" Spoke the female through a radio piece.

"I got you." Chuckled Cliff.

"Always the charmer," laughed the female, "Aren't you Cliffjumper?"

"Well Arcee," laughed Cliffjumper, "I try."

Several purple cybertronians smashed into a wall, slumping onto one another. These cybertronians, called Eradicons, all looked very similar, and made up the bulk of the Decepticon army. Though they looked the same, they had their own thoughts and personalities, making them much more than mindless clones.

Seeing several of their comrades being thrashed, three more Eradicons rushed into the room, attacking their comrades' attacker. Their attacker, was a mech with a silver color scheme, with red accents. He had an average sized frame, with two wing-like appendages protruding from his back, long legs, with sharp knee joints, blocked shaped peds, with two toe-like points protruding from the back of his heels for support, long and well-built arms with two missiles mounted on both forearms, long digits with sharp claws at their tips. He had a pointed chin, a red crest upon the top of his helm, and two red orbital ridges above two crimson colored optics. He also had a red Decepticon insignia upon his chest plate.

The silver cybertronian turned his attention towards the advancing Eradicons, and adopted a fighting stance. The first Eradicon rushed the silver mech, who in turn, side-stepped the Eradicon. The silver mech then grasped one of the Eradicon's arms, then thrust his palm forward, breaking the Eradicon's arm at the joint.

The Eradicon staggered backwards, but before he could let out a wail of pain, the silver mech leaned to his right, and swung his left ped, connecting with the Eradicon's helm with a devastating force.

As the first Eradicon dropped, the second took his opportunity to blindside the silver mech, who then swung his right elbow, bashing the Eradicon across his facial plating. With the second Eradicon staggering, the third switched his servo to a blaster, and took aim.

Thinking quickly, the silver mech dove to the side as red bolts of Energon screeched past him. The silver mech then aimed his right arm towards the Eradicon, and fired one of his four mounted rockets. The rocket hit the Eradicon directly in his chest plating, sending him soaring across the room and against the wall, where he then slid to the floor, his entire frame now limp.

The silver mech then stood up straight, and made his way to the exit, as the sound of footfalls neared him. The silver mech then dodged the incoming punch from the second Eradicon, grabbed it by it's helm, then drove his knee directly into the Eradicon's facial plating. The Eradicon twitched violently, before going limp.

With a grunt, the silver mech than yanked his pointed knee joint out of the Eradicon's helm, allowing it's frame to drop to the ground with a thud. Before the mech could leave, another mech entered the room. This one had a dark purple color scheme, was short, with thin arms, digitigrade legs, clawed feet, and a triangle shaped helm with multiple crests protruding from his helm. His face however, was what stood out the most. It was a screen, with numerous images and texts upon its surface.

"What is it, Soundwave?" Spoke the mech. The purple mech said nothing, just cleared his screen-visor, before playing a recording.

"I don't know what to tell you, Cliff. We're all alone down here."

"Not really. I got you."

The silver mech raised his hand, and Soundwave paused the recording.

"I knew they would turn up eventually." Said the mech with a smirk. "I think it's time Cliffjumper and I settled an old score." Soundwave did nothing but stare at the silver mech, whose smirk turned into a malicious grin.

"Find them."

Two Eradicons dragged an unconscious mech through the hallways of the Decepticon Warship, The Nemesis. The mech had a red color scheme, with two horns protruding from the sides of his helm.

"So what do we tell the Commander?" spoke one of the Eradicons.

"That we could only get this one." Said the other. "The other one, Arcee, was nowhere to be found."

"I guess the Commander will just have to make due with this mech." Said the first. "What's his name again?"

"Cliffjumper." Replied the second. "He's one of Prime's toughest soldiers."

"I'll say." Quipped the first. "It took damn near a dozen of us to just knock him out. What's the Commander want with him anyways?"

"You don't know?" Asked the second. The first Eradicon shook his helm. "Well a several Deca-Cycles ago, the Commander and Cliffjumper battled one another, it was when the commander first arrived on earth. Anyways, the two engaged in one nasty bout, with no clear winner, that is, until the Autobot, Arcee, showed up. The Commander was outnumbered, but he still managed to rip off Arcee's arm and just began beating the living scrap out of the two, before the Autobot scout, Bumblebee, joined the fray. While the Commander was distracted by Bumblebee, Cliffjumper blasted one of the Commander's arms, causing tow of his rockets to explode, and sever his forearm off. The Commander, was severely outnumbered, and was forced to retreat. Ever since, he has vowed to finish what he and Cliffjumper started."

"Wow." Replied the first.

"It was an impressive display of combat prowess by the Commander." Quipped the second.

"I'll say." Replied the first as the duo came upon a large door, which slid open, reveling the Nemesis' control center, and a large monitor broadcasting the earth from space.

As the duo dragged Cliffjumper along the walkway, he began to stir.

"Huh?" he groaned, gazing around. "I'm on the Nemesis?"

"Right you are." Rasped a voice from the shadows. "I believe it to be a fine place to finish what we started, don't you?"

"Who-wait…" spoke Cliffjumper as a light switched on, revealing the silver mech standing before the central console. He had his back to the Autobot, but Cliffjumper would know that mech from anywhere.

"Hello," growled Cliffjumper, "Starscream." The silver mech then turned to face the Autobot.

"Hello, Cliffjumper."

Well, what did you guys think? I like it, and i hope you do too. Until next time,

Cheers,
Chayse-man.