AN: This is a song fic which contains the song "Dance with the Devil" by Breaking Benjamin. Starscream felt like the perfect bot that this describes so this is him going against the infamous warlord.
Here I stand, helpless and left for dead.
Stranded for several days, no Energon, no flight, nothing. He was living in fear, on fear, that it would only be a matter of time before everything went dark forever. All he could do is wait; wait to live, wait to die. He was surrounded; nobody was among him. Lost, weak, dead.
Close your eyes, so many days go by.
Starscream wandered the forest, peering up at the sky every once in a while to see if the Nemesis was creeping above, holding a battle fleet ready to kill. He had lost his T-Cog to Silas and his abominable human organization, thus losing his ability to fly and on top of that, Megatron was out to kill him too. How long could he run? The answer was he couldn't anymore.
Easy to find what's wrong, harder to find what's right.
For years, he had lived by his own morals. It was simple to follow but had consequences when caught doing so. It wasn't entirely his fault though; trailing behind a tyrant only increased his dire need to use them to survive. Was it right? He did not know, but it kept him alive for so long, so it must have meant something. Then again, how does one find the right path?
I believe in you, I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies.
He, at first, did trust his former master; the warlord seemed reasonable. Too bad time runs ragged through all lies and corruptions. He had seen it before with Sentinel, though the Prime meant well, he was just as mistaken as Megatron. The esteemed warship the tyrant commanded saw only the pros to his argument of the war; they were blind to the reality of the warlord's festering deceits he masked so greatly, even a powerful mind like Soundwave couldn't decipher them as falsehood. He knew better.
I won't stay long, in this world so wrong.
If the seeker could escape, he would, but even with the ability of flight, Megatron would find him and probably torture him to death. What if the warlord did take over this dirt ball, what then? It would most likely fall the same way Cybertron did, their home now barren and molded to absolute ruins. To be honest, he was unsure if he could stand to watch this world succumb to the same fate. Despite his hatred for the insect-infested planet, did it deserve what the Demon of Cybertron wrought upon it?
Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight.
No. He couldn't bear the death of his home world; he wouldn't stand the fate of this one either. The Autobots would succeed in stopping him, for they have survived this long. But what about him? What would he do, run, fight? He may have been born a coward at spark but he would fight Megatron, but not for the Earth, for his long, lost seeker brethren whom he now knew who their killer really was.
Don't you dare look at him in the eye, as we dance with the devil tonight?
He swore he could hear Megatron's malicious laugh, taunting him about going against the one being that has desecrated his own world with no mercy. He could already feel the painful swipes of the warlord's blade severing precious cables and Energon lines within him. He knew he didn't stand a chance, but there was always something worth dying for.
Trembling, crawling across my skin.
Was he scared? Quite frankly, who wouldn't be? Imagining the horror that awaited his return only made his mind crumple into a ball in pure terror. Imagining the blade, the claws, of the enemy run across his frame at such a high velocity, determined to tear him open until the core of his life was within reach was all it took to make him consider otherwise on the plan.
Feeling your cold dead eyes, stealing the life of mine.
He remembered when he was back on Cybertron, free from the chains of democracy, war, an impounded life among monsters. His life went downhill all because of a mistake that cost the other lives of his Trine and his fellow seekers. All of these events, under the watchful optics of Cybertron's destroyer, happened for a reason and this time, the Autobots, for once, weren't to blame. He had no one to blame except himself.
I believe in you, I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies.
The lies he was fed, he believed. The deaths of citizens who wanted nothing but their family, their home, he created. The belief that Megatron would be their savior, he followed. The results ended in the same tragic outcome, and for what? For a world smaller and insignificant than their own; for a rule that couldn't even manage to defend Cybertron when it had the chance to do so?
I won't last long, in this world so wrong.
In a new world, alone, against an army of traitors to their race, survival would have to be earned. If this planet falls like the one before it, he would do nothing to stop it. He had to face reality, the truth of the inevitable.
Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight.
There will be a time where he'll face Megatron, Soundwave, and the others again, not as a friend or an ally, but as a traitor himself. It wasn't shameful to be a traitor of a cause that kills for pleasure, but it didn't feel right either. Ironically, he was the one that extinguished the red mech known as Cliffjumper for his own satisfaction. He even bragged about the whole damn thing multiple times like a true arrogant Con. He didn't seem so much like a traitor now. The only thing Megatron really cares about in his death is that he won't cause a distraction anymore.
Don't you dare look at him in the eye, as we dance with the devil tonight?
His decision was made. He would wait out the chaos that was coming and make one final stand when the skyscrapers of this world no longer tower over the cities but to be replaced by the unholy Nemesis hovering above.
Hold on. Hold on.
Starscream stopped when he finally spotted the enemy warship. It was a giant commanded by a devil and was all but abandoned. Now wasn't the time for a reunion just yet. He turned away silently, slipping back into the shadows of the forest that was his only cover from the eyes of Trypticon's crew.
Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight.
He just needed more time before he would greet Megatron one last instance. He would be prepared if any of the two possible outcomes were to be his fate.
Don't you dare look at him in the eye, as we dance with the devil tonight?
One shall stand, one shall fall. He never got why Optimus used that phrase until now. Optimus accepted both outcomes knowing he would either end the war or perish defending the ill-fated Earth. So like the Prime, both he and Megatron will see who stands and who falls.
Hold on. Hold on.
It sounded foolish to hold onto what little hope there was left; it was the only thing keeping him up and running. It was better than living with nothing at all.
Goodbye.
For his last words, he only had two and these were meant for both outcomes. Whichever ended up happening, both would receive the same response: "Goodbye, Megatron."