Author's Notes- Hello again here is the seventh chapter. Special thanks to Jessie07, Iwanita, Angel's Anthem and poisonouswaffle'n-stuffs for their reviews, to everyone who favourited and alerted this story and Kibble Beast for betaing :-).
Italics- Flashbacks/thoughts/memories.
Bold- Comm speak.
Warnings- Transformer swearing and energy draining (there are videos on youtube if you are unfamiliar with this- search: Transformers 3 Dark Of The Moon Game PS3 CH 6 Part 1/5. HD. It's uploaded by zachinger. About 1 minute 35 seconds in you see Megatron do this to Starscream- poor Seeker :-( he was only trying to help. Ah well he gets a little bit of revenge later in the chapter).
Disclaimer- I do not own Transformers or its characters.
Beta- The lovely Kibble Beast.
All mistakes are my own.
I hope you all enjoy it.
Chapter Seven- Ice
Starscream shivered.
When Megatron had asked if he wanted to go on a mission with him he'd tentatively accepted, and they'd flown out together before the rest of the base had woken from recharge.
Soundwave had claimed there were large energy signals coming from these coordinates and so that may be.
But someone could have told the flier how slagging cold it was going to be.
The two mechs sat in a cave surrounded by ice and, outside, snow. The larger mech now seemed in a foul temper and, for once, the Seeker couldn't blame him. Their TIC should have known better than to send them somewhere like this.
At least, the flier reasoned, it wouldn't be him getting the beating this time.
'We'll rest a while then go back to the Nemesis.' Megatron muttered darkly and succinctly. Starscream nodded silently. It didn't seem wise to speak at the moment.
What was that idiot thinking? Megatron's going to be in a temper for decacycles.
It was an unspoken rule in the base that their mighty leader did not go on missions in icy cold places. The Decepticon Lord dropped down to rest beside Starscream and ordered him softly to recharge for half a cycle.
The Seeker went to obey and was about to offline his optics when he saw subtle trembling (fear or cold?) in Megatron's frame and, after a moment's indecision, rolled on his front, extended a wing, and blanketed his leader with it.
He froze for a second when the larger mech shifted and made a small sound, but relaxed as the Commander did.
Fifteen kliks later, the Seeker woke as Megatron's claws ran down the inside of his wing. Optics bleary, he looked over at his still recharging Commander and realised that Megatron had simply pulled the wing closer to him.
Mentally shrugging, the flier went to settle back into recharge. He curled a bit closer to the larger mech, shaking with cold, and offlined his optics.
Barely five kliks later, the Seeker found himself against the cave wall by his throat, and he quickly tried to withdraw his wing from around Megatron.
'Don't!' The older mech growled.
Reluctantly the flier left his wing where it was so that he was almost embracing the Warlord, and began to panic when Megatron raised his arm.
Starscream knew what it meant; he'd seen this position before. Megatron had the innate ability to drain energy through his palm somehow, and despite having seen it cruelly performed many a time, it was not an experience the Seeker had ever personally wanted to suffer.
'Megatron! No, please!'
'Relax Starscream I won't take much, just a little.' The Seeker shut his optics, terrified, as his leader began to drain his life energy.
After a while of his superior's slow sapping in the silent and painfully bright white cave the SIC peered weakly up and began to scramble feebly at Megatron's chassis.
'Please, Master, please.' Starscream whimpered, staring pleadingly into Megatron's optics.
The Commander held the gaze for a moment before lowering his arm and the blue purple energy that had been passing into his frame from his subordinate cut off.
The Seeker shuddered in relief then slumped shakily into Megatron's arms. 'Thank you Sir.' Starscream whispered, absurdly grateful that his Commander had stopped.
He gasped as he was dropped to the ground and watched with increasing dismay as his leader walked to the cave's opening. Please don't leave me. The Seeker began to crawl, his sight swimming, after his Commander.
Starscream got as far as Megatron's pedes before collapsing and was filled with the distressing knowledge that if his leader decided to leave him here he wouldn't be able to get anywhere under his own power.
He wouldn't be able to fly.
Megatron's optics were drawn to the flier's barely conscious body when he heard a distressed keen.
After a moment he murmured impassively, 'I should leave you here. Then at least one of you would learn what it's like. I'd come and get you in a few millennia. Don't worry- you wouldn't be completely abandoned, I would come for you as you did for me... eventually.'
Starscream raised his optics to meet his Commander's and waited, wondering if this was really it this time, if he'd never see his brothers again. If he didn't receive help he'd deactivate here within the orn, let alone a 'few millennia'.
After an agonising couple of kliks, Megatron sighed and scooped his Air Commander into his arms and Starscream promptly passed out from the movement.
Megatron rose into the air and felt an increasingly familiar but still vile feeling in his circuits. It's his duty to serve me; I should not be feeling remorse over exerting my authority.
Still… this had not been his Seeker's doing.
He stared down at the mech in his arms as they approached the Nemesis. The Commander's life-force had needed replenishing and he had been, still was, enraged. Starscream had just been convenient.
As always.
Would he have left the Seeker? No. As much as he hated to admit it, Megatron would miss the younger mech if he lost him. His SIC kept what would otherwise be a tedious existence interesting and he was a never-ending source of entertainment.
When Starscream's wing had laid over him he had been surprised to say the least. The sensation in the biting chill had been pleasant, and it had briefly occurred to him that this was what the flier did to comfort his trinemates.
As the Commander had drifted into recharge, smugness had coursed through his energon. He had his flier to himself and Starscream was behaving and showing loyalty.
However, on waking, an intolerable weakness had set into his circuitry. He hadn't drank enough energon of late and his Air Commander's life energy had called to him.
Megatron had not been lying when he had said he only wanted a small amount to replenish himself, but had found that when he started it was harder than he thought it would be to stop.
His Seeker was unusually still in his grip but his spark was still pulsing. The Decepticon leader put on a burst of speed, keeping Starscream close to his chassis, leaving dents in the more fragile mech's arm armour.
Soundwave? He commed his TIC on reaching the base.
Proceed Lord Megatron.
If you could come to my quarters, now, I would be much obliged. Megatron commed back sweetly.
Affirmative Lord Megatron. There was a hint, a touch, of fear in Soundwave's reply. Perhaps he recognised his Commander's tone from when the large mech was about to beat the slag out of Starscream.
Megatron carried Starscream to the Seeker's own quarters, put Starscream's codes into the system to open the door, and slipped his SIC into his berth, on his front so the smaller mech wasn't lying on his wings.
He watched his flier for a few moments then sighed and commed the Air Commander's trinemates. Thundercracker. Skywarp. Starscream's quarters, now.
The tyrant received two affirmatives and five astroseconds later Skywarp teleported in with Thundercracker.
Their Commander was almost out of the door and threw orders over his shoulder to give Starscream plenty of energon when he woke up and then to send their brother to Megatron's quarters for a 'little chat'.
'TC?' Thundercracker had been staring, immobile, at his eldest brother since they'd entered the room. He looked across at Skywarp who was sitting on the berth stroking Starscream's faceplates, and met the scared and bewildered optics looking up at him.
Quickly, snapping out of his stupor, the middle brother surged forward and wrapped a wing and one arm around Skywarp.
'It's alright Sky, he'll be fine. He's just tired that's all. Why don't you go get some energon and then we'll all get some recharge?'
'Ok TC.' Skywarp forced himself to not look at the unconscious mech and vanished then, a klik later, reappeared with four cubes of standard energon. He and Thundercracker took one each but saved the two largest ones for their unconscious brother.
They sipped their drinks slowly, wings wrapped around each other, both trying not to comment on how still Starscream was and that, somehow, he didn't quite look right.
Thundercracker avoided Skywarp's gaze and attempted to hide his anxiety, going so far as to block part of the link off so his younger brother wouldn't realise how upset the middle mech actually was.
The two Seekers curled up together, resting one wing and one servo each on their eldest brother, and one each on each other, and tried to recharge.
Megatron watched his TIC crawl out of his quarters, satisfied that Soundwave had learnt his lesson. The Decepticon Commander dropped into a seat and attempted to relax.
He knew that Starscream would be fine but there was also the worrying thought nudging at his processor that any progress they had made would be gone from the moment his SIC onlined his optics.
He shuttered his own optics and reopened them hastily with a shudder when an image of impenetrable ice filled his processor. Engines groaning, he headed out to his throne-room to study a map of Earth he had left there.
Perhaps it would offer a sufficient distraction while he waited for Starscream.
Six cycles later, the SIC had still not woken, and Thundercracker was beginning to panic. He sat beside the berth and watched his two brothers.
Skywarp, every now and again, would make unhappy little noises in his recharge and the middle Seeker would stroke his wings to comfort him.
Suddenly, Starscream stirred and his optics flickered online dimly. His two red orbs fell on his brother and, registering the other mech's distress, sent a steady stream of comfort down the link to not just Thundercracker but Skywarp as well.
The middle brother's arm shot out for the energon cube and looked down at his eldest brother who was clearly fighting to keep himself online.
'Drink,' Thundercracker encouraged, pushing the energon at Starscream. The message in the bond changed and a clear request for help was wrapped up together with the reassurance.
The middle sibling helped the older one into a sitting position and slowly tipped the energon down his throat.
'More,' Starscream whispered pleadingly when it was gone. The first word he had spoken since waking up.
Thundercracker picked up the second cube, trying to hide his worry from his older brother. The SIC was having none of that but didn't have the strength to do anything else but begin to whisper reassurances to accompany those in the link.
They were both glad that Skywarp was still recharging, hating the idea of him being hurt or upset. After the second large cube, Starscream was feeling a little stronger.
He wouldn't be able to do anything strenuous in the next few orns though, and Thundercracker was loath to tell him that Megatron wanted to meet with him.
To put it off he asked his oldest trinemate what had happened. Instead of words he got a bombardment of images across the link and, when it was over, slumped backwards in his seat to a tune of concern and apology in the bond.
'No Star,' Thundercracker murmured, 'you have nothing to be sorry for, it's ok.' He repeated himself when Starscream pushed at him in their trine-bond. 'It's ok, I promise. Screamer?'
'Yes?'
Thundercracker's worry increased by the moment as it became apparent that even speaking was an energy-drain to his brother and there had been no reaction to the nickname, not even a raising of optic ridges.
Taking a deep breath he muttered, 'he wants to see you.'
Starscream's optics fluttered shut for a moment before he nodded and began to pull himself slowly from the berth.
His middle brother watched incredulous, as the Air Commander tried to move. The eldest didn't get far though and, with Thundercracker's help, returned to the soft metal surface.
The middle brother watched as Starscream thought what to do when clear instructions came through the link to take Skywarp and go and get Megatron, or at least tell him of his SIC's status.
When Thundercracker stared at him, slightly annoyed at what he was being asked to do, Starscream pointedly sent images across their link of Megatron punishing Thundercracker and Skywarp and him being helpless to protect them.
The middle mech looked into the eldest's begging optics for a moment, then nodded, and stroked Starscream's wing to let him know he wasn't angry with him. The SIC allowed his systems to begin powering back down in relief and left Thundercracker to his task.
'Skywarp, come on baby brother wake up.' Skywarp stared up at his brother a moment in sleepy confusion before understanding flashed across his faceplates and the smallest Seeker sat up to stare at Starscream. 'It's ok little bro, he's had a drink and is just resting his optics. Come on, we have to get Megatron.'
The youngest looked like he was about to argue before the oldest Seeker suddenly chipped in, reversing his shut down so he could offer comfort, 'go on, I'm alright, go get him.'
This was followed by a strong feeling of reassurance in the link for Skywarp, and the youngest nodded, grabbed Thundercracker's servo and vanished.
Alone, Starscream began to sob.
Fifteen kliks later, Megatron came to the Seeker's quarters, large cube of low energon in servo.
At first he simply entered the code and walked inside, but then he heard his second's distress and in a rare moment of empathy slipped back outside without Starscream even noticing his entrance in the first place.
The large silver mech then rapped firmly on the door, gave his SIC a few moments to compose himself, and strode back into the room.
The Air Commander was sitting up on his berth, and seemed to be relaxed, bar an anxious look in his optics and a slight nervous twitching of his wings.
Megatron sat down beside the berth and handed his Seeker the cube of energon. 'Thank you Sir,' the younger mech murmured and began to drink.
The older mech waited for him to finish the cube before taking it from him and pulling the Seeker close so that the larger mech was looming over him.
Starscream looked at him in fear for an astrosecond before Megatron grinned. The Commander reopened the connection but, this time, gave some of his own life energy to his SIC.
The Seeker was shocked still and silent for a moment, before he began to writhe underneath the sheer energy flooding through him.
It only lasted a klik, but it was enough.
The Decepticon Lord wrapped an arm companionably around Starscream's shoulders, and the Seeker lowered his helm to rest on Megatron's chassis, recognising the unspoken apology for what it was.
For a while, all was content.
Author's Note- I don't think Megatron can give people their life energy back so I have cheated a little bit here.
For readers of Praise- I am a quarter of the way into the next chapter and it should be up soon.
The week after next is the beginning of my Easter holidays so I will have a lot more time to write :-).
Hope you all liked it and please review. Thanks and I'll see you all soon.