My life over the last few months has been insanity. Do I really have time to partake in a writing challenge? No. Am I going to do it anyway? The answer is right in front of you. ;) So here's the first installment of a four (or more) part miniseries staring Shockwave, written for the Transformer Flash Fiction challenge on Archive Of Our Own, and using the prompt "a cold room". This is set during the episode "The Revenge of Bruticus". Enjoy!
"Those ungrateful scrapheaps! How dare they do this to me?"
A reverberating clang punctuated Starscream's words, drawing Shockwave from his study of the small cell the Combaticons had locked them in. Though not a mech to succumb to such trivialities as frustration, Shockwave could feel his patience dwindling as he turned to the Seeker.
"Your time and energy would be better served getting out of here," he stated. Starscream rounded on him, exhaustion-dimmed optics narrowing.
"It's your fault I'm in here at all! If you hadn't attacked me, the Combaticons wouldn't have caught us unawares!"
"I was doing my duty to Cybertron and the Decepticons," Shockwave said, pinning Starscream with a hard stare. "Which is more than can be said for you."
Starscream laughed and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "A little behind on events, aren't you?" he sneered. "I'm not with the Decepticons anymore. Megatron exiled me."
"A pity he didn't kill you, if this is how you choose to conduct yourself," Shockwave stated, advancing on Starscream. The Seeker tensed and dropped his arms, but not fast enough. Another step brought Shockwave within arms reach, where Starscream's rifles were useless. The Seeker snarled, meeting Shockwave's gaze defiantly.
"What? Going to terminate me yourself?"
"No," Shockwave replied simply. "I will leave your fate to Megatron."
"In a few hours, Megatron will be melted down!" Starscream hissed.
"Thanks to your opportunistic ways, Megatron now knows the nature and origin of the threat," Shockwave countered. "He will come here to handle it, and you."
Starscream snorted, snarl shifting into a sardonic smile. "Counting on your precious leader to save you?"
"It's a possible outcome," Shockwave agreed, "but I will free myself if I can. And you're going to help me."
"I will not-"
"You're in no state to fight me," Shockwave interrupted. "Your energy levels are obviously low, and the flight to Cybertron wasn't easy for you. I could feel your engines struggling." He paused, letting the words sink in, then added, "You're as trapped as I am. You gain nothing by refusing assistance out of spite."
"I get nothing from granting it either," Starscream spat. But his gaze darted to the door, and Shockwave knew bringing up his captivity had been the right move.
"Would you rather wait for Megatron to find you here?" he asked pointedly.
Starscream growled, optics dimming still further, then looked back at Shockwave. "What did you have in mind?"
Shockwave stepped back, motioning to the wall by the door. "The door controls are built into that wall. We need to access the circuitry, and your lasers are best suited for the task."
"Yes," Starscream agreed snidely, stalking past. "You'd probably destroy the controls and leave us stuck here."
It was true, unfortunately, so Shockwave opted to remain silent as Starscream began cutting away the outer layer of the wall with short, controlled blasts from his weapon. But he did allow himself a moment of relief, glad that the Seeker wasn't completely incapable of reason.
If you pay attention to the episode, Shockwave and Starscream's cell is initially sealed by a energy bars and a door. When they are rescued, however, there are only bars. Guess they made some progress!