When I first started writing this, way back before cleaning it up and doing some massive rewrites, the female Starscream was named Dirge. I've chosen to keep it that way.
(Of denial, panic, clones and uh... harems?)
In retrospect, he should have known Tailgate and Lugnut showing up outside his lab was bad news, and not because of some now-scrapped hypothetical reason like the Nemesis's cloaks failing or prisoner stasis losing power. Neither would; solar power was so very, very useful. He wished it had been though, as then he could have gotten out of it, or sent one of his scientists to deal with it. He should have known better.
Megatron knew everything it seemed.
He'd have to find a way to kill Tailgate and avoid Cyclonus's wrath. Well, provided the strange mech knew, but – Endura always knew. Always. And anyway Cyclonus was not someone to be trifled with, and maybe the plan was a-
He sounded like Skywarp. Why did he sound like the clone? Uggg.
None of it should have mattered. Most of the clones were failures after a fashion, even with other Leitandi scientists aiding him.
The pair he'd sent to Earth about two megacycles ago had proved as such.
But these five were not. Only a few lines of coding, and Allspark shards, separated them from the rest of the drones, but they were useful and would be his key to revenge.
He just wished they'd chosen other names when he'd woken them up properly.
The sycophant was Sunstorm. At least it wasn't like the insane priest who'd gotten himself blown up. Ironic, given what happened to the last clone coloured like him.
The female had smirked; barrel rolled then named herself Dirge. If she'd been attractive -and pinging coding he ignored- before, she wasn't now.
The white one had called himself Ramjet, then denied it.
The coward was Skywarp. It flinched away from even a smile. The one with an ego that rivalled his was Thundercracker.
They were nothing like the mechs he'd Trined with and the mere idea that clones would dare assume those names -glyphs and all- was blasphemy yet they dared. He knew he was being ridiculous, but he still had the right to be- because he said so!
They even went so far as to fly as a Trine – as a Harem, but he'd quickly debased Dirge of that idea.
He had no Trine, and he answered to no Harem leader. No matter how she looked, she wasn't worthy of sparking any Harem up because she was a clone.
He ignored the tiny Skyfire-like voice that called him out. He wasn't jealous. Why would he be jealous? Being a Matria meant riding herd on-
Nope, nope, nope not going there. Ever.
Following Lugnut to Earth, clones in tow, had been an even bigger mistake.
Trapped -bound to the ground- as he was in Mixmaster's cement, Starscream, Prince of Vos and Lord of the Skies, could only stare in horror at the situation he'd gotten himself into, where Megatron's cannon was pointing and just what the tyrant was asking. Which would not have been asked, if it wasn't for Thundercracker running his mouth off about how Dirge's Trine wasn't worthy to fly in the slipstream of his Trine.
Yes, Starscream would kill the blue clone painfully once he was free from this mess. He might even beat him over the head with Zeta's mangled limb. Now he thought about it, Zeta's reaction to all of this had been hilarious. Up to and including Megatron's sword through a leg. Mercifully, Zeta was out cold, the tyrant having grown bored of the Autobot's protests.
Annnd Megatron's voice jerked him out of his thoughts. "What-"
"Tell me, are they active?"
Megatron nudged Skywarp and the coward clone squealed in fear. Starscream glared daggers at him - it -and the clone quailed under the Prince's glare. Forget beating any of them with a limb, no, he was going to tear wings off them himself-
"YES!" His intakes hitched as Megatron seemed to consider his answer, nudged the cannon against Thundercracker this time. Starscream struggled, optics wide as unbridled fear coursed through him - NOT AGAIN –
No! They were just clones. They were not his long gone Trinemates, not an incomplete part of a Harem. They meant nothing to him. Megatron's knowing, smug smile was about nothing because he was wrong. There was no possible way. He'd felt them die - he'd suffered the white hot agony of losing his Trinemates - the Sky-Lord clamped down on his errant thoughts and emotions, glaring up at the tyrant who seemed to be taking cruel amusement from the display. Starscream lifted his head, jaw set for the loss he thought he knew would come. After all, it was only a matter of time before the one that dared to chain a Sky-Lord exterminated the clones. Clones that Starscream had created in the vain hope of killing Megatron and then assuming the mantle of Decepticon ruler, all because he could. Instead he'd walked right into a trap and now this had happened and the world HATED HIM.
Maybe he was really was a big as glitch as the blue clone-
NO. He was Starscream, Lord of the Skies. The world just hated him right now, that was all. No, really, it did if it had planned such an elegant trap and oh Primus, he sounded like his Sunstorm clone. Ugh. "Yes. Yes, they are active."
"I don't believe you."
"What?" That was not his world falling out from under him, not at all. No way. Never. Only it was and he knew it as the cannon nudged Skywarp again and the clone screamed this time, trying to hide inside Thundercracker, only to be dragged off by Megatron. Thundercracker bristled and Megatron shot the ground in front of the blue clone. At least the Egomaniac had the sense to back down, even if Starscream swore his Spark skipped several thrums. "I don't know how to prove it!"
"Yes, you do," Dirge said as she sauntered over to him. The Leitandi Lord glared at the female clone. She smiled, showing a hint of the double fangs Matria were known for. "Just open them up and show him."
"No." Just because she opened her chassis to the first mech that asked -it had been Ramjet of all clones- didn't mean he was like that. "I'm not a two-bit pleasure model."
Right?
Yes, of course. He was better than all of them-
... he was having an argument. In his head. Again.
"I am a Matria, not a pleasure model. I wouldn't want you for my Harem anyway." The teal femme made a face and Starscream glared. Like he'd ever submit to being part of a Harem again! The short megavorns with Twistwind didn't count; she'd gotten shot down in the Great Wars, and she'd been climbing for status. Eeechk.
Besides, he'd survived this long, so he did not need a Matria. Nope.
"Do I need to summon the D.J.D. here, Starscream?" Megatron's smirk was downright predatory. Starscream froze as memories of his time in Tarn's hands flooded his mind, along with the pain of the relentless attempts to extinguish his mutant Spark.
Ordered by Megatron because the D.J.D. had asked nicely and-
"No. You don't need to do that. I'll open them. Let me out." He knew that it wouldn't be for him they'd come, but his clones and he'd rather not risk them to painful deaths. He was the only one allowed to end their miserable lives if and when he wanted. That was all. Really.
Maybe he could nullray Megatron in the back and flee with his clones. Back to Vos and his Leitandi sounded like a good idea. Well, there was the whole issue of not shooting his Tri - his coward clone, but he would deal with that.
"Mixmaster."
Starscream twitched as the goop was melted way - just enough for the sparkplates to move and Megatron tapped Skywarp. The coward whimpered. Starscream ground his denta in fury, but opened the sparkplates. His spark pulsed and twisted, shining the soft green of all Trined mecha. "There, see? They are active and bound to clones."
Thundercracker wisely kept silent even as Skywarp was shoved at him, though Starscream didn't miss the flicker of concern. But that was simply because Trineprotocols dictated they care for a Trinemate. There was no way the Egomaniac would otherwise be concerned. He'd said so himself!
"So I see." The smile turned deadly as the cannon aimed at Thundercracker and Skywarp. "I don't need you sane to control the Seekers."
Any other time, and he'd have winced at the stupid, stupid name for his people used by outsiders because they couldn't say Leitandi correctly. Instead, Starscream's optics widened as pure terror crashed over him and for a moment, phantom agony threatened to devour him, Spark pulsing erratically as the plates snapped shut in a vain, futile attempt to protect what was mostly an empathic bond. He scrambled for the edge of sanity, mind pulling up a myriad of ways Megatron could kill his clones –
He gagged down the bile, unwilling to empty his tanks.
"Megatron - I - Please!" Slag slag slag, slag it all, he had not created them just to die and by the looks on their faces, they were both equally terrified. Actually, Skywarp looked like he'd sprung several oil leaks and had several sparkattacks.
"Yet I won't, as long as you obey me."
Anything to keep them alive, to keep his sanity from slipping further - "Of course, Mighty Megatron."
Megatron's smile was chilling. Starscream grit his denta then bowed his head, affirming his loyalty, for now, to the tyrant. The Decepticons might love Megatron, flock and rally to him, but he was a Sky-Lord. He was neither Autobot nor Decepticon, even if he wore the brand.
He hated Megatron, hated him so much, yet his people didn't have a chance without the Decepticons and that was a proven fact -
"Free him."
Once he was free from the cement, Starscream bowed, keeping optics locked on Megatron, though there was a tenseness in his frame that belied his fear. "My wing and I shall overse-"
"No. Your wing shall remain on Earth and assist Blitzwing and Lugnut in collecting the required metal to finish the Nemesis's repairs."
"Of course, Megatron." Starscream straightened, hiked his wings up, motioned to his two errant clones Trinemates- then stalked out. Hopefully, the Stunticons, Astrotrain, and Tankor would arrive soon, though he wasn't looking forward to Astrotrain and Blitzwing in the same place, even with Tankor acting as grounding anchor for the triplechangers.
No matter.
Megatron might think he cared for mere clones -they weren't his Trinemates, no matter what was said - but he was just... just biding his time.
That was all.
Megatron watched him go with an unreadable look, before gesturing to Zeta. "Take it to my chambers. I'll be along shortly."
"A wonderful idea, Mighty Megatron," Sunstorm quipped as he watched Dirge and Ramjet struggle to drag the once proud Prime. "I'm sure you have-"
"Sunstorm, help!" Dirge snapped, voice dripping in disdain. Sunstorm scrambled to obey her.
Megatron's mouth quirked as he followed them sedately. He'd always wanted to watch a Seeker Harem form. It seemed he'd get his wish.
I hope you're all enjoying the ride, and thanks for the reviews and feedback.