A few days later and Starscream's room was starting to look like a room again. He was having to wait for a new recharge berth but he now had new basic furniture. There had been nothing worth saving from the blitz inflicted on his quarters. Starscream had lost a lot of things he treasured and some of the older pieces of equipment were irreplaceable. It wasn't that he used them any longer though. This career rarely made use of his other skills but they did evoke some fond memories. No, the thing that really irritated him, literally, was his slagging arm. The sensation, steadily increasing as the days passed, was driving him beserk. He wondered where Widget was and that set off a fresh, stronger wave of aggravation. "ENOUGH ALREADY!" he screamed.
Everyone moved out of his way as he stormed through the maze. He burst open the double doors to the meeting room. It was still early but he knew he'd be there, setting things up for Megatron, as he always did - the creep.
Soundwave turned around.
"OK. OK. I get it. I understand now." He paced in front of the doors, rubbing his arm vigorously. "I do. I really do. Just please, give it a rest now. You've made your point - very clearly. I am sorry, very sorry. It'll never happen again. Can we move on now?"
"Good morning Megatron" droned Soundwave
Starscream spun round almost catching the Decepticon leader with his wing. "Megatron...I...I.."
"I heard, Starscream" he said "Give me your arm."
Starscream hesitated but the flash across the leader's optics suggested he'd better do as told.
His arm was going completely bananas now and he had to use his left hand to offer up the offending limb. Megatron pressed the indent and slipped Widget into the compartment. The incredible rush through his circuitry overwhelmed him. His senses just became a mass of static ... no, worse than static. Disorientated, he felt he was falling and reached out, the nearest support happening to be Megatron. The tyrant gave a curt laugh and brushed his feeble grip away. The seeker sunk to the floor. Other officers were arriving for the meeting now. "Get him outside", Megatron ordered and Starscream was dragged out into the corridor.
It had taken a long while to drag the practically incapacitated Starsceam back to his door but Thundercracker and Skywarp had managed to keep him propped up. They were trying to get the white seeker to stay upright, wedged against the wall, when Soundwave appeared round the corner at the end of their hallway. "Stand up straight Screamer!" urged TC . "Stand UP."
"No time for that." Skywarp grabbed Starscream's hand and passed it over the entry pad. All three sort of stumbled into the room just as Soundwave came by, his pace slowed almost to a halt as he passed the portal, head turned and stared directly at the white seeker. Starscream's vision had recovered enough for him to catch the meaning in the communications officer's small toss of the head. The flanking seekers suddenly found themselves with a very conscious and aggressively awake air commander wresting them aside to get at Soundwave. TC hit the door pad with his foot and they hung on tightly. "Cool it, Starscream", snapped Skywarp as the white seeker jerked an arm free and cuffed him round the back of the head before the blue could pull him clear. The trio collapsed in a short, frenetic and mostly friendly scuffle.
Starscream pushed away from his wingmates and sat up. "Thanks fellas", a lop sided grin plastered across his face. TC got up from the floor "Yeah, just don't you forget it next time I wanna miss my turn on the roster for lube and valet duty." Starscream grinned. "And the next time you hit my friend..." TC made to swipe the white seeker's head, but he ducked and slammed his forearm behind the blue's knee, knocking him back to the floor. "You'll what?" snickered Starscream. Skywarp just sat back and guffawed, which set them all laughing.
Starscream found it easy to get outside. Megatron was too busy to notice, obviously deeply absorbed in planning his next assault on the Autobots or some part of the planet. Lately Soundwave was like his shadow, very definitely in the boss' favour and loving it. The planning meant extra work, so no-one had paid him much attention.
Launching from the docking tower and transforming into a jet, it was like flicking a switch. It felt so incredibly good to be in his element - the air. Simply enjoying the feel of the currents rushing, eddying over and around his wings and body, buffeting, resisting, lifting. It strengthened his spark. Made him feel invincible.
More speed, more height, just pitching and rolling, practising manoeuvres. Playing with the air. He soared... exhilarated. He was happy up here.
He saw land below and decided to take a rest, setting down right on the cliff edge. "Widget eject." The little bot obeyed. Starscream looked him over. "They painted you grey again then." Widget just shrugged. "What? No smile?" Widget shrugged again. "Well don't think that I care, it was an annoying habit." He sat down and placed the small mech beside him and then stared out to sea immediately lost in his thoughts. Widget decided to have a wander round. Not that there was much to see where they were. The chalky cliffs meant the soil was poor; short grasses, no trees; the only wildlife seemed to be the seabirds circling overhead and the occasional insect dipping in and out of the small white daisies scattered in the green of the cliff-top. Widget sat down next to Starscream with a handful of the daisies he had picked. The large bot looked down as Widget showed him the small bunch of flowers. Starscream abruptly knocked them from his hand and the wind carried them away. Widget dropped his head and they both sat in silence.
Starscream was so deep in thought he didn't notice Widget digging around under his chest carapace. The little thing had managed to get two fingers in and now he was twisting slightly as he fiddled. That caught Starscream's attention but he said nothing, just watched. The small mech teased out what he'd been reaching for. Slowly, carefully. Then placing the treasured piece of paper on his leg, he tried to flatten out the creases. It was the shred of photograph from his scrap book with Bumblebee on. Starscream reached down to take it but Widget possessively hugged it to his chest and looked at his host with as threatening a look as he could muster. Starscream didn't fancy having his systems sent offline so he asked, "May I see?" He saw the conflict battle across the little thing's face.
"Please?" he smiled as pleasantly as he could. Widget reluctantly handed over the precious piece of paper. Starscream took his time studying it before passing it back. Widget stared at it wistfully for a while before hiding it away again.
They both sat in silence again for a long time when finally Starscream sat up straight and released the catch on his cockpit, his fingers fishing and fiddling inside in a similar fashion to Widget's earlier fumbling, but less successfully. "I can't reach it, would you..?" Widget scrambled up his front and into the cockpit. A few seconds later he reappeared brandishing a small black square. Starscream held out his palm for the transformer and took the chip with his other hand. "It seems we both have secrets."
Widget nodded.
"You lost your voice as well as your smile?" he snickered.
Widget nodded.
"They disabled your voice?" the joking tone dropped from his voice as Widget nodded again sadly.
"I'm guessing they couldn't eliminate or even override some of Wheeljack's interfering then."
Widget shook his head.
"Rest assured that they will, you little demon. It's that or..." Starscream drew the side of his hand across his throat in a cutting motion, accompanied by a "Skwwiikkk!" Widget's optics widened in alarm. Starscream looked down at him. "Yeah." he said sardonically "How'd you like your life so far." and he lay back flat on the ground and stared up at the cold blue cloudless sky.
"What I don't get is why?" Ignoring the ticklish feeling as Widget scrambled back in to his cockpit, sitting in the seat and messing with the steering. "Well, why ... beyond an attempt to teach me a lesson over Soundwave? This doesn't feel like Megatron..."
He sat bolt upright as it hit him, hurling little Widget out the seat and onto the dash of the cockpit. "That's it! It's so not Megatron", he thought. "Dammit that blasted mech is gonna pay."
What exactly was Soundwave up to, that sneaky pile of obsolete transistors. He was clever, using Megatron's dislike for him to his own advantage. Creating Widget was a master stroke, he had to admit, and in Megatron's own image, it was pure genius. Unusually imaginative for Soundwave. He'd got his revenge and now the way was clear for him to belittle Starscream whenever and however he thought he could get away with it. Starscream growled as he remembered the casual way he'd been challenged earlier... hell yes, Soundwave was gonna pay dearly. "Game on!" he spat. "You up for some payback my little imp?" Widget looked over his shoulder and nodded vigorously, his grin making a reappearance.
He lay back down again slowly, Widget settled himself back in the seat and twiddled happily with the buttons and switches. Starscream switched them so he couldn't activate anything as he drifted away into a well practised scheming state...
He let Widget 'fly' them home. The tiny transformer could barely see over the systems array but he'd loved the trip, feeling Starscream's love of the air as they soared back to the Nemesis. He liked it too. He was beaming again as they landed. The pair's smiles faded as they went inside.