Thundercracker's dented and beaten body crumpled to the floor in a pile of navy and black metal. His neon green optics were wide as bodily energon dripped through the cracks in the glass and pooled on the floor beneath his cheek.
Skywarp screamed again.
"What have you done?" Starscream shrieked. He gripped at his spark chambers as two bonds began severing. "Thundercracker!" he cried out, the Trine bond giving way first. The shards of the bond scattered in pink, luminescent pieces only he could see in his spark chamber, taunting him as if to say the sibling bond was next.
Skywarp screamed again.
Starscream roared in agony as the brother bond ripped more dramatically as Thundercracker convulsed, purging his tanks and coating himself with his own processed energon. The sibling bond's shards, blue in his case, fluttered down to meet the Trine bond's.
Skywarp screamed again.
"Raf, what exactly are you doing in that notebook?" The twelve year old looked up at Jack, who was smiling at him questioningly. Raf smiled back bashfully, and showed him. Jack blinked. "Are these..."
"Notes about Starscream!" Raf nodded slowly. "It thought... well, I'd heard Ratchet say how little was known about seekers, so I thought I'd take notes on Starscream's behaviour. To help out a little." Jack carefully took the book and flipped through the few pages Raf had already filled. He'd noted how the seeker's wings moved to reflect his emotion, how they twitched twice when he was nervous, and thrice when he was annoyed. He'd written down everything Ratchet and Starscream had said about Trines, and had even drawn an incredibly detailed diagram of the silver seeker.
"Kinda creepy..." Jack muttered. Raf rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "But... you're a pretty good artist!" The diagram was exceptionally brilliant, for a twelve year old. Miko would definitely be jealous.
"Thanks!" Raf smiled, taking the book back. They glanced over at the snoozing seeker in the corner.
"That's the third nap he's taken today!" Jack chuckled.
"I think seekers like to sleep, when they're not flying." Raf replied, writing that down in his book. "Y'know, like cats!"
"Cats don't fly..."
"You know what I mean... to conserve energy, maybe!" Starscream wings twitched and tried to spread, but they were still numb and didn't get very far. "I think he's dreaming about flying."
"Don't tell anyone... but I kinda feel sorry for him."
"Me too..." Raf shuffled back on the couch as Jack sat beside him.
"Wonder what happened to his Trine."
"You monster!" Skywarp screamed, yanking against Starscream's restraint. Megatron gave the little seeker a toothy grin, reaching down to pick up Thundercracker's empty shell. "Leave him alone!" He cried. His older brother pulled him back and buried his silver face into Skywarp's neck, tears dripping down his cheeks and over the purple seeker's neck.
"What do you think boys;" Megatron shoved Thundercracker into a light-case, used for displaying trophies. "A good ornament?" he laughed mercilessly. Skywarp screamed and thrashed but Starscream just held him tighter.
"I'll kill you, you sick freak!" Skywarp screeched. Starscream dragged Skywarp away.
"I'm not losing you too, idiot."
Starscream jolted awake to the soft sound of music. His brow furrowed, trying to determine what kind, but the answer escaped him. He looked up; the boys were gone, and so was Ratchet. On all fours, he crawled forward to get a look around the corner of the platform.
Miko stood in a yellow spot light, an odd looking instrument around her neck, strumming the strings gently. He listened, not realising he was swaying to the sound of the quiet, lullaby like tune. Miko was also rocking from side to side, hazel eyes in a daze as she hummed the words to the song.
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends
like my father's come to pass
seven years has gone so fast
wake me up when September ends
"Rather nice..." Miko spun around, not realising the seeker had woken up. Starscream was now flat on his stomach, leaning up on his forearms around the side of the platform.
"W-what do you care?" She spat, turning away.
"I have a taste for music, believe it or not." She scoffed and refused to look at him. "You do not look the type to like soft rock, though."
"Neither do you."
"Touché." Starscream thought for a minute. "Who sings that song?"
"Green Day... my favourite beside Slash Monkey."
"Never heard of 'Green Day'. Slash Monkey, on the other hand..." She looked up at him, eyes wide.
"You've heard of them? Do you like them?"
"They are... alright. I've certainly heard worse on this planet." He shrugged. She raised an eyebrow.
"So, what? The Decepticons get so bored they go surfing the internet for music sensations?" He laughed, making her jump.
"Not really. Soundwave tunes into Earth radio transmission to listen for information. Sometimes he finds musical radio stations and likes what he hears, so he copies the songs."
"And you listen those?"
"I do not really have a choice. He plays music while he works." He shrugged again. Miko's lips perked up in an ever so slight smile.
"Lemme guess; Soundwave's into Miley Cyrus!" She proclaimed. Starscream snorted with laughter again, burying his face in his forearms.
"I would have to kill him if he did!"
"Well, at least you have taste!" They paused and stared at each other, Miko's expression indifferent again.
Silently, they reached a mutual agreement.
The power of music, desu!