Betas: mimi_sardinia and zelroid

All links and data on this fic is in my User Info.

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Freedom

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Magnus knew that he shouldn't be here at all, but it was all that he could do to thwart the one that so brazenly took him into his berth by force. Optimus was a monster, he knew that, and yet at the same time he knew that he didn't have the power to stand up to him, not yet, not like this, and it hurt. Hurt his ember to be the consort of the tyrant. Consort, not bonded. He knew that Prime could never bond. Not fully. He'd seen the damage to his port, and had shuddered...

Nonetheless, what Prime had done to the city not a few orns ago... had been horrific, and to keep that snowy flier confined... And all this because the mech had refused Prime's offer... He had to do something, yet... Yes, he would.

Silently, he slipped into the shadows, only half coming out when he was nearing the flier's cell. He knew that his dark grey and darkish white would give him away, as would his optics, but…

"Are you online..?"

A groan was Magnus's answer. A moment later blue optics flicked on, dull, faint, but there, a quiet rebellion in them as they settled upon the dim outline of a mech there, so near, just across the bars.

"Why?" Starscream murmured in a sullen voice, a voice that bespoke a great bitterness. His question could truly have meant many things.

Bitterness at the world, bitterness at himself. There had been nothing he could've done about it, and yet everything. Hatred burned in his ember. He had finally trusted, and he had been greatly betrayed. Violated even, only joors ago. His snowy white plating was badly marred with claw marks, especially on the front of his chassis, and all from a certain once-friend.

"What my consort did… Was uncalled for, yet it is done. I can get you out of here, should you be willing..." He said nothing about the fact that he was unwilling as the tyrant's consort. The other didn't need to know, at all. Magnus other only response was to toss a cardkey, sinking somewhat into the shadows. Shaking hands reached towards it, clutching it lightly once it had landed. Intakes hitched and he looked to Magnus with a petulant look.

"And you couldn't have come earlier?" he murmured before he started to rise. It was clearly a painful endeavour. It felt like a certain mech had completely ruined him from the pelvic joints down. Weakly did he make his way to the door, balancing himself on the bars, taking the card and slid it down. He ignored Magnus comment about being too busy screaming his helm off for Prime, and instead watched the others approach now that the door was open. Magnus had his hands spread, showing that he was unarmed. He might be branded an Autobot, but that didn't mean that he was one. Though he was well aware that the symbol was what he was judged upon now, despite his blue optics.

Quietly the snowy flier wondered what it was this mech was going to do for him and how he was going to get him out of Iacon. He was of the belief that he wouldn't make it, but maybe some dumb grunt would shoot him, would kill him and then Prime would be without his precious plans he wanted to extract from him. Of course, he could hardly stand right now, he maybe he'd be lucky enough to pass into stasis lock and then offline. He shied away however when he felt the other at his side, propping him up, though he didn't fight the needed help. Really, this mech seemed to be his only way out of here, yes? But...

"Trust me, I'm on your side..." It was little comfort to the other, the darker coloured knew, but it was all that he could offer. Slowly, he started them moving, sticking to the shadows. HE needed to get him out, and now.

"How do I know that?" For all Starscream knew, he could be tricking him, taking him to the tyrant himself. HE knew nothing any more, his naïveté stripped away, yet still, a large part of him clung to the hope that this was possible, and that this mech was telling the truth.

"You don't, and while there's nothing that I can say that will convince you, I hate Optimus as much as you do, more possibly. Yet I can do nothing, bar this tiny piece of rebellion." He spoke as he got them moving, up and out to the nearest hidden exit. The city was old, so old in fact that it was said that it had been old even when the Old One, whom Prime had slaughtered not a cycle ago, had been young.
As they walked, Magnus reflected. Why was he doing this? Why, because he needed allies, and one day, this mech, if he lived long enough, would owe him a favor. There was no two ways about that at all. And he'd make sure that he remembered it, whether he liked it or not. He'd call in the favor, and only when he was sure that he was going to win, to get his way. And when Prime was gone... He'd be free, and hopefully he'd be able to stop the war, right?

Of course, it all hinged on the Seeker's survival, and he hoped to the stars that it happened. He did not want to be stuck as Optimus' play toy forever.

It seemed like forever to Starscream, but eventually, they reached an exit, and Magnus pushed it open to reveal that they were at the outer most edges of Iacon. How had that happened? They had... oh, they'd been walking almost a joor an half... But that... He decided not to question the Luck of the Stars, least he make his meta hurt all the more than it was with the fact that Prime's consort was helping him.

"Go, be swift." Was all Magnus said as he backed away, fading into the shadows, like he was never there.

Starscream didn't have to be told twice, and he darted off, heading towards wherever the Stars would lead him, and he didn't look back, at all.

What would come from this, he didn't know, nor care right now.

He just wanted… Needed to get as far away from Iacon as he could.

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Small, but it leads into the next arc of Seeker oriented stuffs, plus Sunstorm finally makes his appearance, and we learn a little more about what a Genesis mech is exactly, if you haven't already peeked at my ongoing-notes for them over on my fic journal that is.

I am actually curious as to what you are all thinking of this fic, and how the characters come off as well, as I've had to tweak a few non SG ones' to get them to fit into the 'verse, while at the same time trying not mangle them to badly. Some major ones will stay more or less the same due to It Being Needed.