So it's official: school is now back in session... (sigh)... And like everyone else, it'll most likely delay my fics for long[er] periods of time. Nevertheless, I will do my very and absolute best to keep up with the fanfiction! That is a promise!
Anyways...Chapter 13! To be very honest, this chapter was planned to be even longer than it is now! However, I've decided to include the next portion in a new chapter, which means I can add more to that one. If I tried to fit everything into this one chapter, I'd probably end up over 7000 words long! I've also started work on the first 1000 or so words for the next chapter, so expect it to be released VERY soon!
James Newton Howard - What Are You Asking of Me? (from 'The Village' soundtrack)
Chapter 13
What Are You Asking Of Me?
Time could not have progressed any slower for Starscream than right now. It was as if the fabrics of space and time were dying down and coming to a halt. Thankfully, his wound was doing a bit better than it was about several kliks ago. He no longer needed to apply rigid pressure to keep his leg from losing much energon fuel. It was still leaking, though it wasn't too terrible.
He was beginning to question whether or not he should have transmitted his SOS.
Another tiny stream of fluid erupted from his wound, dripping down his leg and into the large puddle that had already formed earlier.
Okay, perhaps it was wise after all.
The only cost of it being the Seeker's own pride and self-reliance: two of his own most esteemed qualities.
Starscream was beginning to feel very dehydrated. He realized that he hadn't had anything to consume since the storm struck just a couple cycles ago. Odd… he felt perfectly As an act of desperation, he carefully put a digit in the energon puddle, held it up in front of his mouth, and touched it with his glossa. It was still fresh, but a bit stale, possibly due to most of its nutritive properties already been consumed. Still, recycling the liquid and re-consuming was his only choice for now.
He leaned over slightly and dipped his servos into the puddle. It was still very warm: a good sign regarding the Seeker's condition. Without hesitation, he grabbed as much of the liquid as his servos could hold, brought up both the servos and his helm, and guzzled it all down in one take. He felt its warm contents slide down the inside of his neck all the way down near the spark chamber. It was refreshing, to say the least.
Starscream took another scoop and gulped it down as well. A nano-klik later, he coughed up a substance quite distinct to the energon. Soil: the layer of Earth where he was resting upon. Apparently, it doesn't go well with Cybertronian internal processors.
Duly noted.
The Seeker's rapacious appetite caused him to scoop up and gulp one more swill. Unfortunately, there was no more left for him to re-consume. All he could do was feel the reprocessed liquids slowly glide down and recycle in his spark. It wouldn't bring in anymore more nutrients into his famished workings, but it would keep them busy, nonetheless.
More liquid spurred out thinly from the gash. Starscream began to wonder if repeating the process would help, since it would just spew back out. He covered it
The Seeker needed a way to stop the flow of the injury right now.
He needed some help right now.
Right now…
…
…
Nothing.
Starscream huffed solemnly. He half expected something in the slightest form of assistance to suddenly pop out of nowhere. Sadly, nothing came.
No creatures. No resources. Nothing.
He might as well prayed for an apocalyptic massacre and see merely a scratch on a scraplet, and it would've made a more stimulating impact.
Calm yourself, Starscream, the Seeker told himself. It's only been not even a joor yet. This is no time to be so skeptical.
All of a sudden, something flashed right in front of the Seeker. It was a very familiar sight to no end. A fluorescent green and white spectrum engulfed his wandering optics.
Starscream's spark began to beat harder at the unexpected flash that stood before him. He was unsure of whether or not it was sent from the Autobot base or the Decepticon warship. He wanted to doubt that it came from the Cons, but they could have very well intercepted the Seeker's signal and tracked his whereabouts. However, he specifically sent the message to the opposing team, as the chances of them coming to aid the helpless, factionless Seeker, while still very slim, were undoubtedly higher than the team that he had so blatantly stole from.
The odds of a faction that seldom killed purposefully applying their morals to an enemy threat were also very promising. Starscream might still be detained and kept under constant watch by them, but, honestly, it was more merciful than falling in the servos of a former master who wanted nothing more than to watch the slowly fading light from the optics of a 'traitor'.
Starscream saw a figure beginning to emerge from the other end of the ground bridge. He had very high hopes that it would be the one familiar being that would commit even the smallest act of kindness for him.
He began to have doubts when the figure approaching him grew larger in scale. It had a white color with shades of orange. It was also being followed by another figure emerging from behind, with a hulking form and a dark green color.
This can't possibly lead to anywhere good…
Starscream slid up the rock he was laying on in order to straighten himself up. The two Autobots stopped at a certain distance from the Seeker, obviously acting skeptical and uncertain about any tricks that the ex-Con might pull off. The white-orange medic took one more step closer to the Seeker and stared down at the leaking gash on the Seeker's leg. Starscream decided that he would be the one to speak first.
"Oh, thank Primus! I was beginning to think my distress signal hadn't dispatched to anyone!"
Both Ratchet and Bulkhead still looked at the Seeker with rather angry optics. They clearly weren't buying his routine.
"What do you want, Starscream?" Ratchet asked in a tone that matched his expression.
Starscream let out a single nervous laugh and answered, "I presumed you might ask. As you can both see… I'm in a bit of a rut at the moment. I, uh… made a slight fault in sneaking aboard the Nemesis, and…er…w–well, you can see that my former brethren did not take kindly to my untimely arrival."
"No slag, Screamer," Bulkhead interjected.
The Seeker sneered at the cynical remark and the derisive nickname. Then he swallowed his dignity and spoke in the most kindly manner that he could produce. "I suppose so. And will you please not call me that?" He added an involuntary and uncomfortable smile to go along.
"Now, I should I do that?...Screamer?" The Wrecker shifted his servo into the familiar wrecking ball and inched a step toward Starscream. "On second thought… Why should we believe you in general?"
Ratchet held a servo in front of the avid Wrecker. Surely, he wasn't about to act impulsive. After all, the Seeker couldn't do any considerable amount of damage due to his injury. He spoke again, "Bulkhead… I believe I should be the one interrogating our client. For now, you are making sure Starscream here doesn't do anything irrational himself."
Bulkhead looked into the medic's optics for a moment. He sighed and reluctantly put his weapon away. At least the good news was that the Autobots weren't keen on capturing Starscream and bringing him to their base. No imprisonment today, it seems.
A plus.
"If you patch me up, I might be willing to tell you what I know," Starscream bargained. He wasn't going to let them have an easy trade.
Ratchet folded his arms in disbelief. "Now why would we want to do that? After all, you could just flee the moment your wound is completely fixed."
Apparently, the Autobots weren't going to let him off so easily either.
"Have you seen my condition here? I'm leaking energon like an unstable isotope here!"
"And you can continue to leak for all I care! But still…I'll be willing to help if you cooperate with us."
Starscream gave a disgruntled groan and an expression to match it. He sighed and obliged. "Fine. What is it that you want, Bots?"
Ratchet's optics adjusted the moment the Seeker asked his question, changing to a more calm expression, though still firm. "You clarified in your distress signal that you had information regarding the current status of our leader. Is this true?"
Starscream winced slightly when a small shock of pain reverberated through his wound. He opened his optics back up and stared up at the medic. "Fortunately, for you, yes." He gave a nervous but assertive smile with his answer. "I think you might find it to be of greater worth."
Bulkhead took a step forward and raised his fist. "We'll be the judge of that."
"Eyup-bup-bup!" Ratchet interjected, blocking the Wrecker with a servo. "What did I just say, Bulkhead?!"
The giant green mech sighed and put his clenched fist back down. Ratchet turned back to the battered Seeker and continued. "Before you enlighten us with your findings, Starscream might I ask why you were snooping around Decepticon territory in the first place?"
The ex-Decepticon sunk lower at the inquiry. "After our… er …unfortunate encounter… I decided to go solo in terms of factions. The Decepticons haven't exactly been the best aides in my most recent endeavors."
"Megatron hasn't been very sympathetic of you ever since you filled in his position of leadership during his absence." This time, Ratchet was the one to interrupt.
"I, uh… I would rather not discuss that matter right now," Starscream said dejectedly.
Normally, the Autobots wouldn't turn down an offer to pester a rival Con into oblivion, but apparently, they don't exactly have much time to waste, either. Ratchet replied, "Continue on, then."
"Anyways, during my independent… …affairs, I foolishly thought that I could snoop around the Nemesis and see if Lord M– er, Megatron…had planned anything ever since my absenteeism."
"Did you find what you were looking?" Bulkhead asked uninterestingly.
"Unfortunately… …no…" Starscream lied. He decided that it was best for anyone not to find out about the contraption he retrieved from the warship. This was a mystery that he wanted to try and solve for himself, no matter how problematical it may become.
The Seeker then realized his error, considering that the contraption wasn't the only thing he discovered. "Er, well… except for your seemingly brain-dead Prime."
Both pairs of optics widened all of a sudden. If he didn't have their attention already, he did now. Ratchet then spoke up. "Tell us exactly what you know."
Starscream straightened himself back up and recovered his composure. "Your leader seems to have lost all of his senses. Apparently, he has now reverted back to his old designation, Orion Pax."
The two Autobots did nothing but stare down at him, though it wasn't out of shock, or even concern. They looked as if they were waiting for more. Like they knew he wasn't finished yet. The Seeker continued. "Because of this rather…unfortunate incident, Megatron seized the opportunity to convince him to join the Decepticon cause, giving him a measly task of decoding encryptions most recently found from our time here on Earth."
A pause.
Starscream didn't understand why they looked so unconvinced. Did they not care that much for their own fragging leader?!
Finally, Ratchet responded. "…And?..."
Starscream paused, then a frown spread across his face. "…You already know that, didn't you?"
"More than you should know," Bulkhead answered.
What?!
"I–I–I…I don't understand," Starscream said with confusion galore. "Uh, I–"
"We were there when he left," the Wrecker said. However, the medic turned his helm to him and gave him a small, lukewarm glare. Bulkhead then realized his err. "Er…at least I was."
Ratchet looked at Starscream again. "Nevertheless, the information you have given us is of no use to us. Therefore, I believe it best that your wound will not be repaired."
"What!?" Starscream angrily responded, the reflective lights of the ground bridge beaming off of his face. "B–B–But I summoned you here respectfully! You came, and I said all that can be said! Is that not enough!?"
"It doesn't help us narrow down the current whereabouts of our leader!" Ratchet began to raise his voice. Only slightly…but that was all he needed. It startled the Seeker to no end. The medic went on. "If you are able to tell us where the location of the Nemesis, then we might consider your request."
The Seeker grew even more mad, furiously digging his talons into the dirt underneath him. "How am I supposed to know where the ship is?! I mean…It's a ship! It moves! How am I going to locate it so easily!? The only method I can think of is for me to fly within its proximities and dispatch the coordinates to your base, but given my current condition, flight is completely out of the question!" He paused to catch his breath, then looked back up with a wicked smirk and deceptive optics. "…Unless…"
The Autobots exchanged looks, obviously thinking the exact same thing. Ratchet glanced once more at Starscream, then again at the Wrecker, giving a giant huff and spoke.
"Let's get out of here."
With that said, the duo turned around and started walking back towards the ground bridge.
Pit-slag.
Un-fragging-believable!
He took way more damage from Megatron than any Cybertronian should have to endure, and now he was being given nearly the same treatment from the supposedly 'good' side?
No, not under these circumstances. Nobody was going to walk out on him like this! Not to the great ex-SIC of the Decepticon faction!
Starscream adamantly clenched his servos into the ground and pushed himself from the ground. Every fiber in his body ached overwhelmingly, but he didn't given a scrap: it was better than the communicative cruelty he was being given at the moment. He at least hoped that he was getting the leaving Bots' attention.
Fortunately, he was. As the Autobots were right at the pede of the bridge, they immediately stopped at the sound of grunts from the determined Seeker behind them. They turned around to look and managed to give the most shocked expressions that Starscream had even seen from either Bot. He was completely standing straight up, arms at sides, giving the most unwavering look he had ever produced.
The Seeker lost a small combination of both balance and strength due to his rash but firm action, and stumbled backwards onto the rock behind him. He clung onto it with both servos behind his back, heels dug into the dirt, and aft grinding harshly against the solid earth material as a result of his falling back.
"Starscream!" Ratchet suddenly yelled. "What do you think you're doing?! It's dangerous to even stand up with such a condition li–"
"You rejected my plea to fix me up, and now you actually have the audacity to tell me to stay put?!" The Seeker yelled back.
"Starsc–"
He let out a loud, frustrated roar and proceeded. "Look, I wouldn't normally cooperate with you Autobots, even in the most dire situations such as this! But you know what? I sacrificed my own pride and self-esteem to respectfully call you over and settle an exchange in a mature matter! But now I see that you can't even stay mature enough yourselves!"
"You've stabbed us in back countless times before," Bulkhead interjected. Ratchet didn't even bother turning his head to the Wrecker. He just stay with an expression of dumbstruck "So why should we have to be the ones to trust you? Why should anyone have to trust you?!"
Starscream's face grew more and more furious and despondent. No. I refused to be treated this way any longer! I've been broken, beaten, battered, bruised, and scarred for the past deca-cycle alone! And I wasn't even in the fragging wake of battle!
The Seeker struggled to find the right words as he pulled himself higher onto the rock until he was flat up against it in a comfortable stance. The right words would help dispute his plea to the Autobots; the wrong ones could result in further injuries.
One string of words ran through Starscream's mind. They were true, yes, and they would help in this case… but he hated to admit it. Doing so would result in even more loss of dignity.
Oh Pit, even that would be a pitiful excuse to decline the statement.
Before he even knew it, the words slipped right off of Starscream's glossa.
"You know why I trusted you, Autobots!? You know why I confidently called you specifically over!?" Slag, this was going to hurt his ego. "…Because of your fellow Autobot soldier… Arcee."
Both mechs stopped with wide, concerning expressions. Good. Now it seemed that the Seeker got their full attention. He continued on.
"Yes… in the wake of my isolation, she actually managed to save my hide… …twice, to be exact. The second time she probably isn't even aware of yet. To be completely and brutally honest towards you, Autobots…" He spat out the last word so dejectedly. "…She's the only one of your team to actually show some mercy on me for a change!…Okay sure, she nearly snuffed my spark the moment I let slip the fact that I was the murderer of her most recent partner, but… …you know what?…"
He paused to prepare himself for the grim truth next.
"…Who can blame her? Who wouldn't avenge the spark of a close comrade? If I was told the fact that someone so dear to me was struck down in cold blood, I'd have lay my bursting fury and vengeance down upon them as well! It's a matter of instinct and morality, if you asked me.
"But, nevertheless, I must continue," Starscream went on, clutching the armor over his spark chamber due to his standing up and talking for an extensive amount of time. "I don't know if she ever revealed to you all of what I'm about to say next, but if not, allow me to expose the facts. When she went on what I can assume was an energon expedition with your other fellow bot, Bumblebee, she ran across me again and, just like the previous encounter, demanded bloodlust and revenge. Because of this, an accident occurred in the cave chamber that we were in, and I was hopelessly trapped under a fallen boulder. I don't know what sort of thoughts ran through her mind afterwards, but in a sudden change of spark… she… …she saved me from my doom."
Starscream brought the conversation to a halt and decided to watch the expressions of the witnesses. Sure enough, they were no less than dumbstruck by everything that the Seeker had just said. They just stood there for the longest time, waiting for him to continue. Finally, when they realized that he had finished, Ratchet spoke.
"She… …s–she did that?"
Starscream smirked, though it was more out of content than deception. "Believe it, or simply don't. Perhaps you should be proud of their teammate's sudden conversion in her principles."
Though he did get through to the Autobots, they both still contemplated their own thoughts. Perhaps they were considering his exchange now.
"Look…" Bulkhead finally said. "…we understand your concern about us wanting to patch you up. Heck, we even believe your story, however rehearsed it may seem. But unless you provide us with a way to help get our own leader back, we'd be more than skeptical to help you out."
The Seeker's smile slowly faded away. Primus, these mechs were quite stubborn.
"I told you all that I know. What more could you possibly want from me!?"
The two Autobots exchanged more glances and came to a conclusion, to which Bulkhead offered. "Tell us the location of Megatron's space bridge. We need to get to Cybertron in order to begin our plan."
…
…
…
"WHAT!?"
That simple word frightened both the mechs entirely.
"THEY FINISHED CONSTRUCTION ON THE SPACE BRIDGE WITHOUT MY SUPERVISION!?"
The bots didn't know what to do in this situation. All they could do was stare and listen.
"EVEN UNDER MY ASSISTANCE, THAT KIND OF TECHNOLOGY WOULD TAKE ANOTHER DECA-CYCLE TO COMPLETE! HOW DID MEGATRON FINISH THE TASK SO FRAGGING FAST!?"
Starscream smashed his servos brutally against the hard rock. He expected his former master to try and continue where he had left off since his absence…but how? It'd be virtually impossible to finish without the scientific knowledge of the ex-Second-In-Command. Such technology is never easy to comprehend. Perhaps one of the Vehicons 'stumbled' into his private quarters and came across the Seeker's scientific video logs. Impossible: he previously lost those records eons ago when they fell into the flames of Vos. At that point, though, he didn't need them, as he had memorized their descriptions entirely by memory.
Perhaps the Third-In-Command had secretly documented the Seeker's logs himself and kept them hidden in case any of the evidence was completely lost in war, including Starscream. Possible: Soundwave was a particularly sneaking spawn of a glitch, and he was Megatron's most trusted specialist and coworker. Back-stabbing fragger.
"Starscream?"
The Seeker snapped back into reality when Ratchet finally spoke. The two opposing mechs stared at each other in a short battle of perception. Starscream came to the conclusion now…
…He has them right where he wanted.
All he needed to do now was to slowly reel them in.
The Seeker gestured his servo down to the gradually seeping gash in his legs.
"Now…I'd like my end of the deal met… …doctor."
The next several kliks were no doubt the most complicated exchange of negotiations that both Starscream and the Autobots had ever made. The bots were very cautious and strict about how much they could trust the ex-Con, and that meant every little solitary detail. For each piece of information regarding the space bridge's construction, controls, and location that was unveiled, the Seeker was rewarded with a small perk at certain points.
Firstly: the medic helped to slow down the blood flow of the Seeker's wound and avoid slipping into unconsciousness.
Secondly: the medic sent away the Wrecker so that the Seeker wouldn't fear being pounded into scrap metal.
Thirdly: the medic called back the Wrecker to send up the medical kit. (The Autobots wouldn't trust him, yet they lied about one aspect of an agreement themselves?)
And lastly, the blessing of it all: medical treatment.
Oh, sweet Primus.
As Ratchet opened his kit and began to search for the right tools, he reluctantly sent Bulkhead a request to go back to base and wait until he was finished. He had skeptical feelings about doing it, since Starscream could be fake most of his misery in an attempt to strike him down while they were alone. However, he also knew that the Seeker was very jittery when it came to the Wrecker's presence, and he wanted no fatal accidents occurring during the procedure.
Although… he could very well make it look like an accident…
No. Such an idea would abandon all Autobot protocols. They've killed before, sure, but only whenever other lives were in jeopardy. Doing so in a situation like this is out of the query.
Starscream watched the Autobot medic fumbling inside the kit, unaware of the mixed feelings running through his mind. Observing the other's expressions didn't help much deduce his feelings either; all it showed was frustration of trying to locate his apparatuses. During the process, he did turn his head up at the Seeker. No response. All he did was look for a nano-klik, probably only watching out for any suspicious actions, and went straight back to the kit.
Starscream decided to break the silence, using possibly the most unexpected of inquiries.
"A-A… …Arcee doesn't happen to be back at the base, is she?"
Ratchet had just found the right primary implement- a slab of pewter- as the question was asked. He immediately stopped while holding the piece and began to grip it tight. He looked back at Starscream and answered.
"I'm surprised that it took you this long to finally ask…"
Starscream couldn't help but feel quite embarrassed, ridden with guilt of his earlier outburst concerning the Autobot femme.
"…but nonetheless, she is currently occupied with escorting duties, and I doubt that she'll be back until the morning. Sorry to disappoint you, Starscream."
All the Seeker did was look off to the side, trying to avoid further optic contact and shame. While the medic went back into the kit to find his next tool, the injured mech decided to break the tension again. "Huh…pity…"
No response. Just the further sounds of metal instruments clanging against each other in the rather disorganized case. The loss of their Prime must have taken a larger toll the team than the Seeker thought.
Perhaps if they do find him, restore his memory, and bring him back from the Decepticon Pit-hole, courtesy of the Seeker, he could use his credited assistance to more advantages.
Ratchet found and pulled out his second and third implements- a blowtorch and a saw- and set it down on the ground, starting his third descent into the medical kit.
"Why have you become so concerned with one of our soldiers, Starscream?"
The unanticipated interrogation startled the injured jet as he heard it and looked straight back at the medic, who was now staring at him questioningly.
He huffed and confessed his case. "Not really keen on an ex-Con probing around the business of one of the faction's opponents, are you?" The comment received him an un-amused glare from the Autobot. "Nevertheless, if you must know, Arcee is now quite possibly the only being that can even remotely trust me. At least that I can think of."
"Every Decepticon has turned on you?" Ratchet asked, actually showing some concern this time.
"That tends to happen when you 'betray' them," Starscream said, motioning his digits in a quotation manner. "Megatron has allegorically put a bounty on my helm; Airachnid left me for scrap, so she no doubt despises me; Soundwave lives to serve Megatron: need I say more about the silent one; Breakdown is still technically under my oath since I saved his spark from the cursed humans, though he's probably not so welcoming about that."
"What about Knockout?"
Starscream raised an optic ridge at the enquiry. He had forgotten all about the medic.
"To tell you the truth…not too long ago, I was offered the same proposition by another Con… …the only problem is, you abandoned him just about deca-cycle ago. And, to tell you the truth, I would still very much take his offer over yours."
The Seeker let out a little smile at his short recurrence. He then realized that he hadn't answered the query after several nano-kliks.
"…Okay, he might still have high hopes for me. But even if he did trust me, he's situated in a territory of a faction that no doubt wants me terminated. Any means of contacting him with high chances of enemies intercepting the missive and tracking me down are strictly out of my own comfort zone."
Ratchet found his third and possibly final implement- a conduit of medicine- and set it down on the ground, continuing his non-threatening interrogation. "What made you change your view of her so quickly? Not too long ago, you nearly tore her spark out!"
"Er- that's merely an overstatement. But I understand your trepidation. She did tell you about the encounter straight after, right?"
"Optimus told me about it, actually," Ratchet corrected.
Damn, now the Prime knows about this? The Seeker thought. Figures.
He went on. "Well, as you now know, instead of leaving me for the Allspark to claim, she rescued me from my impending doom. It befuddled me, because she could've just struck me down right there while I was on the brink of hopelessness. And yet, she still saves me?"
Ratchet opened the medicine container and began applying some around Starscream's wound. "Sometimes, even the most vengeful of sparks can be redeemed in a single action… I learned that quote from Optimus eons ago. I figured he specifically meant the Decepticons. But apparently it applies to the Autobots, too."
"Don't tell Arcee I said this, but… …I do hold a considerable amount of respect for her now."
The medic finished coating the gash with the substance, grabbed his saw and thin, metal slab, and began measuring the gash to perceive the right amount to cut up and cover up the gash with. "I am quite surprised to see that an enemy isn't always biased towards his own opponents. Not everyone is who you think they are by most of their dispositions."
"Really?" Starscream queried. He put on a smug grin and looked at Ratchet. "And is this how you think of me as well?"
Ratchet let out a sort of sole, gruff chuckle (or something sounding like one) and started slicing away on the block. "I never said that about my views of you."
Starscream felt somewhat insulted by the answer, and crossed his arms in a putting manner.
The wedge was now completely sliced, and the medic hovered it over the Seeker's wound, reaching around and grabbing his torch from behind. "Now, hold very still: this isn't easy."
"I can't imagine otherwise," the Seeker added.
Hot but somehow soothing flames touched Starscream's leg as Ratchet was now in the process of fixing it. It felt relaxing to know now that he will continue to live on for at least another few cycles.
Still, he half-hoped to find Arcee coming out of the ground bridge first. Alas, that was not meant to be. Perhaps, however, they would cross path again. And when they do, Starscream would certainly be more welcoming of a trusting spark in his lifecycle.
He even half-hoped that the grumpy medic would tattle to the femme about the Seeker's opinion of her.
R&Rs are always welcome!