Is he dead? Is he alive? Not cheerful enough to make a real author's note.

§ Just noises in my head
If I could I'd drown them right out
I'd bury all of these noises
From your tyrant mouth §

The Autobots and the Decepticons stood lined up, facing each other. Several on both side were nervous, and fewer were visibly shaking. These shaking bots were limited to Bumblebee, the borderline Thundercrcker, and, of course, Starscream, who was trying to hide in the back. Optimus and Megatron approached each other, to discuss the terms and conditions.

"Don't think I haven't noticed Starscream standing the in back of your rank, shaking like a coward. Do you really plan on using my own warrior against me?" Megatron sneered, a smug look having settled on his face.

"He isn't yours any more, Megatron. I'm not going to let you keep abusing him," Optimus answered, trying to keep his anger for when the battle actually broke out. Megatron laughed.

"Why do you even care, Prime? You think he's turned a new leaf? He's a conniving sparkless traitor, and he'll always be a disappointment!" Megatron took aim at Starscream, who froze. Optimus shoved Megatron to the ground. Both leaders called their men to attack, and a full battle broke out. Starscream took to the skies, firing at the Decepticons who were backing up Megatron, to give the other Autobots a fair chance to take out the hateful leader. Soundwave spotted him and sent Laserbeak up to take him out. Starscream fought valiantly and destroyed Laserbeak, but not without sustaining rather massive damage to one wing. He crashed to the earth, only a few feet behind Bumblebee, who turned to help him to his feet. Starscream accepted the help without a second thought and started shooting from the ground, more than a little irritated that aerial strikes were no longer part of his abilities. Starscream suddenly felt a blast from behind, striking him in the back and causing him to fly forward into the dirt.

"You were supposed to die! I'll make sure you do so this time!" Bonecrusher growled at Starscream. Starscream started shooting, first using his null ray then firing much more damaging shots until the larger Decepticon fell, defeated. Starscream scrambled away, hiding in a thick pocket of Autobots that were simultaneously firing on Soundwave. As the mighty spy unit started a retreat, both sides were ordered to hold fire.

"What are you doing?" Starscream yelled at Optimus.

"It's just a time out. Ratchet, Red Alert, and Millie will be coming around to repair damages, the other side has their own medic team to do repairs as well. It's only for a few minutes and only the most seriously damaged will be tended to," Optimus explained to the group. Starscream looked towards the entrance of the Autobots base and watched the three medics emerge, and made his way to Millie. She smiled broadly at him.

"Need any repairs? I'm only supposed to help the most damaged, but I'll make a case for you " she said, trying to hide her enthusiasm that he was still alive. Starscream sat on the ground in front of her.

"I can't fly. I'm no good if I can't fly," he said bitterly. Millie looked at his damaged wing. He transformed, thinking it'd speed the process. Millie rummaged through her tools and repaired him quickly and efficiently, stepping back so he could transform again, into his robot mode. He checked his wings out, and looked back at her.

"They're repaired to the best of your abilities. There's little time left, go help someone else," he said, sounding unusually kind.

"Just, be careful, please?" Millie repeated her earlier request. Starscream nodded.

"I'm a great warrior. You don't need to worry about me," he said proudly. Millie smiled at him and rushed off to aid another injured bot.

"Millie, Red Alert, Ratchet, get out of here! Autobots, prepare for battle!" Optimus yelled. Starscream took a deep breath. When Optimus and Megatron gave simultaneous orders to fire, Starscream leaped into the air and transformed, commencing another strike from the air, trying to keep Megatron unprotected. Skywarp and Thundercracker were flying towards him, and he panicked, flying over them and circling back towards Autobot ground, hoping they'd lose him.

"Hey, Starscream, we thought you were dead!" Thundercracker called to him. "Come on, let's turn these Autobots to slag!" Starscream grunted, irritated.

"Kill them yourself," he said sharply. "I'm only trying to save my own circuitry." He dove down, aiming himself, then transformed and hit the ground, turning at firing at a Decepticon. He didn't know who it was, just that, if it meant he'd get to Megatron, the mecha with the purple insignia was going down. He helped bring the beast down, recognising him as Dirge. After much darting and shooting, he was finally spotted by Megatron who then tried to make his way to Starscream.

"Starscream! You traitor! Don't think I haven't seen you shooting down my men!" Megatron roared at him. Starscream, spooked, tried to flee, but there was too much going on and nowhere for him to go. He looked towards Optimus who was busy battling it out with Soundwave's persistent minions (sans Laserbeak). Megatron smiled evilly. "Who's going to save you this time, Starscream?"

"If you kill me you realise you'll be killing your only real link to the Autobots? Don't you see, I could do inside work because they trust me, I-" Starscream cried out loudly in pain as Megatron blasted a ragged hole into his left wing. He started to grovel and beg, knowing it wouldn't do much good.

Bumblebee, who had heard Starscream's cry, started trying to get to where the sound had come from. He leaped over fallen bots, shooting at anything that shot at him or got in his path. He took a shot from behind and he lost his balance, falling, cursing at the time he had lost. He struggled back up, wobbled, but managed to get to Starscream. Starscream looked at Bumblebee with a very serious 'stay back' look, then turned to look behind him as he struggled to back step into some kind of safety. Megatron struck him across the face.

"You're nothing, Starscream. You ruin missions. You cause others to be damaged in the process. You're worthless," Megatron spat.

"I'm the fastest flyer you've got, my null ray, my cluster bombs-"

"Nothing I can't have the others modified to perform. I don't need you. You're slag to me, Starscream."

"You could let me go then, and it wouldn't matter. Please, Megatron..."

"As if you thought I was going to let this go with a warning," he growled.

"Please Megatron, consider my offer-"

"You'd find some way to ruin it, and get us all killed. I wouldn't trust you on a mission, ever, not after you've messed up so many simple orders!" Megatron kicked Starscream's legs out from under him. Starscream let out another strangled cry as he fell. He kept trying to back up, stopping only as he bumped the base of a cliff. He was whimpering, pleading. Megatron shot into his side. Starscream looked up at him, all his uncertainty turning into hate. He had snapped, and could only hope it wasn't too late. He started to shake, and raised his arm at Megatron.

"I'll kill you... I'll kill you..." he repeated, over and over, the words coming out in gasps. He was far more damaged than he had originally calculated. Megatron just aimed his gun at Starscream again. Bumblebee was running probabilities through his head as he watched the scene unfold, but didn't think he could take Megatron alone, regardless of his arm's cannon. "You wouldn't kill me. You sicken me," Megatron sneered at Starscream. "Whimpering pest. I will eliminate you like I should have done a long time ago!"

As he fired at Starscream's chest, Bumblebee took the chance and tackled Megatron. He heard Starscream's voice, loud, pained, but couldn't look to see if he'd been hit. Bumblebee was greatly over matched and he knew it. He was very fortunate that there were several Autobots who responded to his distress signal, used in battle only when the one emitting the signal had made a significant breakthrough in the battle and needed backup, and as they saw the situation and sent out their own signals, the mob on Megatron was growing at such a rate he couldn't fight them off. His army had been too wiped out for the remaining survivors to be of any help defending him. He was shot apart, into pieces, limbs being blasted off his body. Too many Autobots had wanted to do this for millions of years, for their own personal vendettas. It was Optimus Prime who, showing up at just the right time, was given the honours of terminating his foe.

"I'm sorry it came to this, Megatron. I wish it could have ended differently," Optimus said quietly.

"You're too weak..." Megatron's still functioning head wheezed. Optimus shut his optics as he permanently extinguished Megatron's spark. The few remaining Decepticons fled, and no Autobot cared enough to follow. As many of them went back for fallen comrades, Bumblebee looked frantically for Starscream.

"Optimus, he was right here, he couldn't have taken off," Bumblebee said, panicking. "His wing was too badly damaged." He needed to find Starscream, if only for Millie's well being. Optimus looked around, surveying the area.

"We'll have to look for him later, right now there are Autobots who need our immediate attention. How bad was he damaged?" Optimus asked. Bumblebee shook his head.

"I know for certain his wing was damaged but I can't confirm anything else," he answered honestly. Optimus put his hand on Bumblebee's shoulder.

"We will find him, I promise." Bumblebee followed his leader, hoping there was nothing but truth in his words.