Starscream gasped, pushing himself as far into the wall as he could get, his arms wrapped tightly around his drawn up legs, hugging them to his chest. "P-p-please d-doon't h-hurt me an-anymore!" he sobbed, wings trembling so violently, Optimus Prime was afraid they'd rattle loose.
"Starscream, I haven't hurt you, and I won't. Calm down." Optimus tried to sooth the panicked seeker, but to no avail.
The Ark's occupants had been enjoying a quiet breakfast when Teletran began binging off the intruder alarm.
All the Autobots had leaped to their feet, only to throw themselves back down as an all-too-familiar red, blue, and white jet had hurtled inside.
But he hadn't stopped.
Most of the Ark stared in shock as he piled up against the wall in a shower of sparks and transformed-only to lay there, emitting the most pitiful wails any of them had ever heard.
At first, they all rushed over, guns primed and ready, but as the jet turned around, Prime stopped them from firing.
The usually angry, screeching, proud seeker was crying, there was energon trickling from the corners of his mouth, and his burning red eyes were pale, and unfocused.
He spotted them, but did not seem to recognize them for who they were.
A high keening erupted from within him, and most of the base lowered their weapons.
That's when he had started the endless pleas of "Don't hurt me anymore!"
Optimus Prime sent the rest of the Autobots away so he could try to work with him in private, but so far, Starscream still wouldn't calm down.
Prime had slowly inched forward, still cautious about the formidable jet's firepower, when the seeker's engines gave a hiccup and his optics cleared for just a moment.
Starscream paused in his begging, and recognition lit up.
"You're-you're no-not-" was all he got out before his fans whirred loudly with fear again, and he cowered.
Long moments passed with the seeker harshly sobbing on the floor in front of the Prime, who knelt down so as not to loom over the terrified jet.
Optimus was hesitant to touch him, fearing an adverse reaction, when Starscream looked up again.
"Optimus." He whispered. "Are you, are you going to send me back?"
Optimus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That would depend on why you are here."
Starscream's optics widened, and he pushed further back into the wall.
He began shaking his head violently, stopping as the motion wrenched a cry of pain from him.
"Don't sen-send me back! Don't! He'll-he'll only hurt me again!" Starscream wailed, hugging his legs tighter.
"Isn't that what you two always do? Fight and you get punished for it?" Prime asked sternly.
"N-no, n-not always." Starscream peered up at the Autobot leader, tears still streaming down his face.
Optimus suddenly found himself at the receiving end of the most adorable, irresistible pair of ruby red optics he had ever seen.
"I can't keep you here. You are a Decepticon, and you belong with Megatron. If you have torqued him off and got punished, there is nothing I can do." Prime resisted adding that he probably deserved it anyhow.
But he was wavering, staring into Starscream's pleading optics.
"I didn't want to come here." Starscream admitted quietly. "But here I am and now I am asking, begging, for your protection. Where are your Autobot morals? Please don't send me back."
"What does morals have to do with anything?" Optimus asked, feeling a creeping sense of dread rise in his core.
"It has nothing to do with anything." Megatron's laugh filled the large room.
Starscream froze, then began sobbing once more. "No, noooooo!" he screamed, pushing himself off the wall and crawling desperately away.
Prime caught a glimpse of energon and interface fluids leaking from a sparking port right before Megatron swooped over and snatched up the howling seeker.
Starscream dangled limply in his grasp, his body heaving with his crying.
Megatron fixed his enemy with a nasty grin. "Thank you, Prime, for keeping my toy safe for me." He laughed again, and flew out, Starscream staring back at Optimus with a haunted look in his streaming optics.
Gears turned in Prime's mind.
"Toy?" he whispered to himself. "No. No!"
Prime crept along the halls of the Nemesis, feeling way out of his league.
Infiltration was not one of his strongest points, and as he slunk through the shadows, he kept expecting at any moment to see Thundercracker, Skywarp, or Soundwave leapt out at him, guns blazing.
After Megatron had disappeared with Starscream draped over his shoulder, Optimus had leapt into action.
Figuring out quickly what Megatron had done to the attractive seeker was not hard to do, but the question was how long and how often had he been doing it?
And would Starscream actually accept Autobot help, once he was out of his traumatized state?
Or would he turn on them like was his nature and return to his abuser, as he had so many times in the past even when given another option?
Optimus Prime had attempted to leave the Autobot base by himself, but Skyfire somehow got wind of what was going down and insisted he transport Prime there instead.
After some time spent arguing, Prime realized that time was getting away, and had reluctantly agreed to allow Skyfire to act as his taxi once more.
Only after Skyfire was high in the air and far from the Ark, did the other passengers reveal themselves: Ironhide, Bumblebee, and Jazz.
Optimus had face palmed in exasperation, but there was nothing he could do.
Now he was thankful for the extra help.
Skyfire was waiting on shore, ready to whisk them back safely to the Ark when they emerged, Jazz assured Prime he would keep the Decepticons from discovering them, Bumblebee was helping in the search, and Ironhide waited just outside, ready to come to the rescue and blast any 'con trying to harm his beloved Prime.
He had made it clear Jazz was on his own, as was Bumblebee.
"They'ah used to it." He had informed Optimus. " They can take cah of themselves."
When Optimus asked why he couldn't take care of himself, Ironhide had snorted.
"Megertron has it in fer ya." He had frowned up at Prime. "And yer more of bunglah in these kinds of things, pahdon mah bluntness."
Optimus was forced to agree.
He was simply too big and loud to be sneaking around like he was, and it was more likely he would be found by the Decepticon leader then anyone else.
It was almost like the warlord had a sixth sense on where the matrix carrier was at any given time, and Optimus wondered faintly if Megatron already knew he was here.
Prime carefully edged around a corner and stopped dead.
Bumblebee stared back at him.
"What are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time.
The yellow and black bot blinked his baby blue optics.
He was now tall enough to look most seekers in the eye, but he still adored the older mech, treating him like his sparker.
" I was searching my half of the Nemesis like you wanted, Optimus." He replied respectfully. "Did you finish your side already?"
Optimus Prime looked sheepishly at his best scout. "I think I may have gotten a little bit lost." He admitted.
Bumblebee smiled. " That's okay, Optimus. The first few times I snuck in here I got lost too. Jazz beat it out of me though."
Optimus raised an optical ridge in alarm, and Bumblebee hastened to assure him.
"I didn't mean that, all I meant was he really trained me out of it, that's all."
Prime sighed in relief.
That wasn't the first alarming report of Jazz's brutality he had heard, though it was not usually on an Autobot.
Normally the cool-headed assassin saved it for Decepticons he captured and extracted information from.
Prime never approved of torture, but some of the Autobots did it anyway.
Optimus rubbed his temples, and Bumblebee looked concerned.
"Look Prime, I know you're worried about the flying creep, but it's not like it hasn't happened before." He tried to console his leader, instead having the opposite effect.
"How much do you and the other spies know of this?" Prime demanded, almost harshly.
Bumblebee's optics widened, and he took a step back. "When you are slipping through 'con headquarters on a near-daily or weekly basis, you get to hear and see a lot of things you wish you never had." He said quietly. "Starscream's 'punishments' are one of them."
"Is it always just Megatron?" Optimus asked quietly.
Bumblebee nodded.
"So it's a secret?"
Bumblebee nodded again.
Prime stood still, deep in thought.
"So." He finally said. "If we can get video proof of Starscream's abuse, maybe we can get the other Decepticons on our side?"
"Maybe." Bumblebee said. "Though I doubt Starscream would appreciate that information spread around."
"But if it saved him from his abuse-" Optimus started, but Bumblebee shook his head firmly.
"Seeker culture, Prime. It's too complicated to explain here and now. Just know that it would forfeit his position and eventually his life, as well that of his trine."
Optimus frowned.
Bumblebee sighed. "Interface is one of the most important things in Seeker culture, and abuse of it is taboo, including allowing yourself to be abused in this way. If he were lower in the trine rank, it would not be as bad, but being Air Commander, it is a death sentence. Even if he were just a trine leader, it would be bad."
Optimus stared at Bumblebee.
"And that's just scratching the surface." The yellow and black bot shook his head. "Ask Jazz or Prowl later, They know more about Seeker culture then the rest of us, save maybe Ratchet. I'll get there someday though."
"Okay." Prime took a deep breath. "We still have to find him. We better- mmmff!"
Bumblebee suddenly bundled his leader into a doorway, his servo clamped down firmly over the Prime's protective mouthplate.
Optimus didn't twitch so much as a back strut, just lay where Bumblebee had shoved him.
Bumblebee crouched by his head, staring into the passage outside, silent and still.
It was not two astroseconds when Prime heard two voices coming down the hall.
"But we promised Jazz!" Frenzy obviously.
"But this was not how it was supposed to go! If we could get Megatron to frag Jazz instead of Starscream?" Rumble, sounding distressed.
"We have to do this for Jazz. It is what he wanted." Frenzy again, trying to reassure his twin. "That, and you know Jazz will get out of it. He's smarter then even Boss, so ole Megs doesn't stand a chance."
"True." Rumble admitted.
Optimus was sitting up and glaring at Bumblebee by now, who looked away guiltily.
"Autobot signals!" Rumble suddenly whispered. "We found them."
Bumblebee launched from the passage, ready to down the two runts, when he stopped.
"Wha-What?!" Prime stepped out, his own optics widening when he saw what the two casseticons were clutching like a shield.
"Jazz's sigil, we know. He said it would stop you from shooting us." Frenzy explained nervously.
"He sent us to help you." Rumble clarified.
Bumblebee placed his gun against their heads menacingly. "How do we know you are not lying?" he demanded harshly.
Unafraid, Rumble tipped his head back and coolly informed Bumblebee, " Because we have a secret pass code from Jazz too, in case this happened."
"Well, what is it?" Optimus rumbled.
" You're looking in the wrong place, for my love. Don't think because you're with me this is real…" the two sang together.
Bumblebee blinked. "O-okay?" he looked to Prime in confusion.
But Optimus smiled down at the two cassettes kindly. "Alright, take us to where we need to go." He said gently.
Bumblebee gaped at his leader before snapping his mouth shut and scrambling after them.
"It's a code in lyrics Jazz and I set up a few years ago." Prime explained. " It means to trust whoever carries the pass code."
The two scampered silently ahead of them, confident until they reached an intersection.
"Oh no." Rumble muttered, glancing at his brother, who had a look of horror on his face.
As one, they turned and peered apologetically up at the huge Autobot leader.
"Something has come up." Frenzy said, fidgeting.
"Oh I knew it!" Bumblebee snapped out his weapons again, and Rumble held up his hands
"No, no! Nothing like that! It's just, well, can you two restrain yourselves and no heroics? Jazz'll kill us if we let you interfere with his game."
"Okay." Prime said hesitantly.
"Swear by Primus." Frenzy demanded.
Bumblebee started to protest, but Prime held up his hand, and silenced his scout.
"Alright, we swear it." Optimus said. "Now lead the way."
The two cassettes exchanged glances, then shrugged. "They're Autobots, they always keep their word." Rumble said, and Frenzy nodded.
The two stealthily crept down the hall, the two Autobots slinking behind them.
It was not long before a scream ripped through the air, and the two spies in front of them flinched.
"I can't believe Jazz couldn't get out of it!" Frenzy sounded shocked-and let down.
"I told you!" Rumble began scrambling faster.
"That was Jazz?" Prime asked, fear pricking his spark.
"No, it was Star. You'll see."
