CHAPTER 9
Swords and Guns
If the Autobots thought Starscream had been fast with his fists, they learned it was nothing compared to him fighting with swords. Sure, they'd seen him fighting with swords before. Pit, some of them had even felt the blades cutting or brushing their armor. But like with hand-to-hand combat, Starscream still fought more often with ranged weapons than with melee weapons. And the experience of Starscream fighting with swords was different when you're watching him and not the one he's fighting.
Starscream was given over a dozen drones, each ready to create a new simulation when the last was defeated. He sliced through each with ease. Sometimes two or three drones attacked him at once, and still he cut them down like nothing. His movements were swift and deadly, slicing off the drones' heads or cutting them clean in half in split-seconds.
The bots kept their optics open without blinking. Starscream's movements were so fast, if you blinked, you'd miss the destruction of a drone. The swords were solid and of high quality, and the lightness made them fast weapons indeed. Some of the bots watching became thoughtful.
"To think that he chose specifically those swords," Prowl commented quietly, as half of the drones had been eliminated, and Starscream started to slow down, apparently finding it too easy and began playing around with the drones, poking and prodding them with the tips of his blades.
"Who'd have thought?" Ironhide replied in agreement. "Guess he remembers more than we thought."
"Is this one a' the things we have ta talk to him about?" Wheeljack asked in barely a whisper. "Come up with somethin'?"
"Perhaps not," Ironhide replied. "It's nothing major, you can tell 'em if ya want. As long as you remember to avoid telling him you-know-what."
"Would never even dream of it," Wheeljack replied.
They returned their gazes to Starscream, who just finished off the last drone in that moment. He looked up and around, checking if there were more drones. Finding none, his gaze fell on the floor to the perhaps twenty destroyed drones, not including the one he had destroyed with his servos only. He smirked and stood up straight, swinging the swords one last, swift time to each side, like those human samurais in some of the movies the bots sometimes watched did. He definitely did not seem like the bot they used to know.
Starscream glanced down at the spectating Autobots, his smirk growing wider. "I like these swords," he announced. "Can I keep them?"
Ironhide and Prowl side-glanced at each other. "Suppose you could make them your main melee weapons," Ironhide said. "You're pretty good with them. Though before we decide on anything, let's see how good ye are at ranged combat. Prowl."
Prowl pressed the button on the ring, and the forcefield surrounding it disappeared, allowing Starscream to come down on the floor again. As he descended, he reluctantly handed over the red swords to Prowl, who returned them to the rack he had taken them from. As he returned, he and Ironhide gestured Starscream to follow them to the end of the room. The remaining Autobots followed, though tried to keep their distance, trying not to make a big deal out of Starscream's combat training, and failing. Starscream glanced back at the crowd with a confused look, but decided not to ask.
"Here we are," Ironhide announced and stopped by the shooting range at the end of the room. "As you can see, we have several ranges you can stand in during target practice. There are still targets and moving targets, just to make it a bit more challenging. You should probably start with the still target at the end of the range. But first, you need a weapon."
"Can I use my null-rays?" Starscream asked hopeful, wanting to try out his build-in weapons.
"No," Ironhide and practically everyone else in the room said, perhaps a bit too fast and a bit too loud. Starscream flinched and looked around at the sudden loud noise everyone made. They realized their reaction had been a bit exaggerated and resumed more 'normal' positions, or at least attempted to.
"Sorry," Ironhide apologized on everyone's behalf, and Starscream looked back at him. "It's just, those null-rays of yours aren't something to test out in a small enclosed space like this one."
"Why not?" Starscream asked. "What's the problem?"
"Null-rays can be used to stun targets at low power," Prowl replied instead. "But at high power they can also cause quite a lot of damage. If handled incorrectly, this entire room could collapse."
Starscream hummed at the information and gazed thoughtfully at his arms. "So my null-rays are too dangerous to use indoors," he concluded. "Got it. Can I at least try them later? Outside?"
"Sure," Ironhide replied, maybe a bit too fast. "But we'll have to make the right preparations in case you've forgotten how to control the power level of them. For now, though, keep them in your arms and choose one of our guns on the rack over there."
Ironhide pointed at the ranged weapons rack and Starscream followed with his optics. The Seeker studied the weapons from a distance. None of them seemed particularly interesting or appealing to him. Not like the swords. He felt no connection with any of the guns. No spirit, no energy. Choosing a ranged weapon while already having a pair installed in his arms was, frankly, boring.
Eventually Starscream sighed and simply pointed at a pair of small blasters at random. "I'll have those," he said. "The small yellow ones."
Prowl once again went over to the rack and found the blasters pointed out by Starscream. He returned quickly with them and presented them to Starscream, who reluctantly took them.
Each blaster was yellow and black striped, with two openings instead of one. They seemed to be laser blasters. The handle was made in a way so that one could wear the guns on one's knuckles. Whether this made for better aim than a regular handheld blaster depended on the wielder's skill.
Starscream gripped the handles, situating the gunheads on top of his knuckles. It was weird, though for some reason strangely familiar. Not as familiar as the swords, granted, but still. He stepped into one of the booths of the shooting range and positioned himself ready.
"Now," Ironhide began, "you start with the still target, just to get an idea of how to shoot. You lift your arms and aim at the target."
Starscream did as instructed and lifted his arms, noting the null-rays didn't come out this time, and tried his best to aim at the target about 10 meters away at the back of the range. He closed one optic to get a 2D view of the target, to see if it made for a better aim. While aiming, Ironhide continued his explanation.
"On the side of the handles on the blasters you're holding, you'll feel a button by yer thumbs."
Starscream felt on the handles by his thumbs, noting the small bumps that made for buttons.
"Those are the triggers," Ironhide explained. "When you press them, the blasters will fire. There are three kinds of ammo in guns: laser, plasma and solid. The ones yer holding are laser blasters. Aim at the target and give the triggers a try."
Starscream decided to keep one optic open and aim with one arm to begin with. With his left optic open and aiming his left blaster at the target's head, his thumb pressed the button on the handle.
The blaster fired two yellow lasers from its openings. They missed the target just above the head.
Starscream lowered his arm and hummed in dissatisfaction. Behind him he heard just the faintest sounds of giggles. Damn Autobots. They were making fun of him. Mocking him.
"It can be hard to hit on your first try," Ironhide said, trying to stiffle the amused bots. "Try again. You'll get it eventually."
Starscream frowned but resumed his position and lifted his arms again. This time, rather than aiming one arm with one open optic, he aimed both arms at the target, with both optics open. He held the blasters in a horizontal angle, pointing to the middle, aiming at the chest. After a few seconds of mental preparation, he pressed the trigger on both blasters.
Four yellow lasers were fired from the two blasters. All four lasers hit the target straight in the head, making a black horizontal line on the target's blank face.
Before any of the bots could comment, Starscream turned the blasters in a vertical position. Barely hesitating, he pressed the buttons again, all four lasers hitting the target in the head yet again, this time making a black vertical line right in the center of the face of the target. Together, the two black burn marks formed a cross.
Starscream lowered his arms and looked behind him to see the bots' reactions. No one was laughing now. Everyone was silent. Perfect.
"How was that?" Starscream asked in a silky voice, perhaps not entirely intentional.
Ironhide was quick to shake off the surprised expression adorning everyone's faces.
"That was good," he said after resetting his vocalizer. "Pretty good. Yer a good shot. Didn't think you'd get it right so quickly."
Ironhide looked back at the other bots and silently signaled them to drop those dumb expressions, which they did, a bit embarrassed. He turned back to Starscream.
"But that was just a still target," Ironhide continued. "Few enemies will just stand still when you're shooting at them. That's why we have moving practice targets as well. Prowl."
Prowl pressed a button on the wall seperating Starscream's booth from the one right next to him, and suddenly a round target started moving back and forth on the ceiling, racing to just a meter in front of Starscream to the end of the range, right above the still target.
Starscream lifted his arms, both aimed at the target, both optics open. He moved his arms along with the target, until it reached a point in the middle. He pulled the triggers, and watched as the lasers hit the ceiling instead, the target moving along, unharmed. Starscream hummed again in dissatisfaction. Only one of the bots behind him sounded as if he was giggling, but was soon silenced by the one standing next to him, shushing him.
"You will find moving targets are much harder to hit than the still ones," Ironhide informed, ignoring the noise behind them. "This part takes not only good aim, but also prediction."
"Prediction?" Starscream repeated in confusion.
"You have to predict where the target will be next," Prowl explained. "Simply aiming at it and shoot will just have the shot miss the target. The faster the target, the harder it is to hit, and the better you will have to predict its next moves."
Starscream hummed, not out of dissatisfaction, but out of thought.
Without replying, Starscream lifted his arms again, aiming upwards. This time, he didn't follow the target, instead he kept his aim fixed on a point in the middle of the ceiling. He followed the target's movements with his optics, waiting for the right moment.
The target moved to the end of the range, then started moving back towards Starscream.
Starscream pressed the buttons.
The lasers hit the target and left four burn marks on it, though none of them in the middle.
Starscream didn't lower his arms right away. Instead he turned them vertically again and aimed. After the target had gone another round to the back of the range and was coming back, Starscream pressed the buttons again. All four lasers managed to hit the center of the target, making a big black dot on the circle.
Satisfied, Starscream lowered his arms and looked back at the others to see their reactions. Not as surprised as before, though they were still speechless. Just the way he liked it.
"This is too easy," Starscream commented and crossed his arms, still holding the blasters. "You do this every day?"
"It's important to keep your mind working and your skills at their best," Ironhide replied. "And watch where yer pointing those things, button-triggers go off pretty easily."
"It's fine," Starscream replied. Just then, his arm pressed against his chest, causing his thumb to press the button on one of the blasters, firing off two lasers to the right. The shot hit the rack, causing an ion cannon to fall off its rack and onto the floor, causing it to go off and fire a large plasma blast towards the Autobots, who just managed to duck in time to avoid a hole in their bodies. The blast hit an energy axe on the melee rack on the opposite wall, which fell to the floor with a loud clank, though thankfully the chain reaction stopped there.
Starscream's mouth had changed to a hard line, his optics wide and pupils narrow. The Autobots stared at him and the blasters, also with wide optics. Nobody said anything for a while.
Starscream sighed and let his arms fall to his sides, reaching forth. "...nevermind," he said quietly, barely a whisper.
Prowl, the least moved of the bunch by the accident, promptly took the blasters back from Starscream's servos and put them back onto the weapons rack. Afterwards, he picked up the ion cannon and put it back carefully in its spot again, followed by doing the same with the energy axe by the other wall.
Ironhide reset his vocalizer and turned his attention back to Starscream. "And that is why we practice every day," he concluded. "So we aren't outdone by the very weapons we're wielding. Yer a good shot, Starscream, but ye just lost yer memories. Can't expect ye to be in perfect condition even if yer fully recovered. Practice here every day, both with swords and with guns, and one day we'll let ye try out yer null-rays. And who knows, someday you may even return to the battlefield with us."
Starscream perked to attention. "You mean fight the Decepticons?" he said. "Fight Megatron?"
"Pretty much," Ironhide replied and crossed his arms. "But that's fer another day. I think you've had enough combat practice for one day. We'll continue tomorrow, with some more, if yer up to it."
"I will be," Starscream replied, a bit disappointed training was ending already. The bots started to leave the training room, Ironhide, Prowl and Starscream walking at the back of the crowd, through the hallway.
Starscream was silent for a while, until he asked: "Can I go outside and fly for a bit?"
Ironhide tapped his chin, thinking. "Nah, it's getting a bit late. The sun has probably already set by now. You spent quite a while knocking heads and blades with those simulation drones, not to mention target practice."
Starscream gave the red bot a surprised look. "It's already that late? Does this mean everyone's going to recharge soon?"
"Probably," Ironhide replied, as they passed several bots retreating into their quarters. "Though it's still early evening, and most of us don't turn in until about eleven in the evening, sometimes around midnight. There's always at least one bot on nightwatch duty though. Cliff was it last night. This night it's Wheeljack."
"The nerdy geek?" Starscream replied with a smirk, watching the nerdy geek walking a few meters ahead of them. "Can't imagine him as a good lookout."
"Wheeljack may be a bit... eccentric," Ironhide replied, lower now than before, "but he's stronger, faster, smarter and more attentive than he looks. His inventions have saved us from many a predicament."
"As well as causing us many a predicament," Prowl replied.
"Yeah, right," Ironhide replied as they reached the command center. "But that's beside the point. Wheeljack is a trustworthy mech, someone you can rely on, even if he's a bit quirky. Maybe you should try an' get to know him. Would be good for you to make some friends now that yer here anyway."
"Friends?" Starscream repeated. "What are friends?"
"They're those you hang out with, have a good time with," Ironhide replied. "Those you can trust."
Starscream hummed quietly. "I don't think I have those," he replied quietly. "The word sounds new to me, even if I've lost my memories."
Ironhide and Prowl shared glances, while Starscream was looking at the floor in his thoughts. He looked up at them.
"Did I have any friends before I lost my memories?" Starscream asked. "Like, back in the base where I was stationed originally?"
Again the two Autobots shared glances, uncertain what to say. They looked back at him.
"Unfortunately, we do not know," Prowl replied. "As we explained before, we didn't know you very well before, nor did we see you very often. Maybe you did have friends before, maybe you didn't."
Starscream silenced for a while, then seemed to realize something. "Could you contact the base I used to stay at?" he asked hopeful. "Ask them if I had any friends there?"
Yet again Ironhide and Prowl shared glances, slightly nervous, it seemed. When they looked back, Ironhide answered.
"We'll...see what we can do," he decided to say. "Maybe you should just turn in for the night. Oh, you can have the spare room we have in the hallway. Wheeljack, can you show Starscream to the spare quarters, please?"
Wheeljack, who had just returned to his workspace, removed himself from it, as it seemed he hadn't started on anything yet. "Sure thing," he replied. "This way."
As Wheeljack passed Starscream, the latter followed, though glanced back at Ironhide and Prowl, hoping they would do what he asked. He pulled his attention away from them and instead to Wheeljack, who was barely a head shorter than himself.
"So, you seem to have a reputation here," Starscream said and gave him a smirk. "How do you feel about that?"
"About bots calling me eccentric and quirky behind my back?" Wheeljack replied, only giving the Seeker a brief glance. "No problem with it. I don't care what anyone calls me, as long as they still think I'm competent enough to entrust their lives with. Which isn't really easy, by the way. It's a big responsibility, and I ain't always the most... well, responsible bot in the world, y'know."
They walked for a bit in silence before they reached the so-called spare quarters. Wheeljack opened it by pressing a single button beside the door, which slid to the side, allowing them entrance.
"Well, call me if ya need anythin'," Wheeljack asked and was about to leave.
"What's that thing you have on your face?" Starscream asked.
Wheeljack paused and felt his face. "My face? Whaddya mean?"
Starscream pat his own mouth and chin with a servo. "You know, the thing that's covering your face. Why's it doing that?"
Wheeljack realized what he meant and chuckled. "Oh, that's just a mouth mask, many bots wear them. Mouth masks protect large parts a' the face in battle. Some feel more vulnerable without 'em, others just wear them to look cool."
"What's your reason?"
"My reason? Uh..." Wheeljack scratched the back of his head shyly. "I don't want people to see my face, it's hideous."
"Please," Starscream replied and placed his servos on his hips. "I don't believe you're hideous, not if you look like the rest of the Autobots in here. You all practically have the same faces."
"Some of us wear visors to better protect our optics, or just to look cool as well," Wheeljack replied. "Jazz sports a visor. I think he can remove it though."
Starscream hummed. "Can you remove a mask too?" he asked thoughtfully.
"Yes, why?"
"I was just thinking..." Starscream fell silent and shook his head. "Nevermind. I suppose I'll turn in, try to get some sleep."
Wheeljack seemed eager to end the conversation right there. "Well, then, goodnight, Starscream," he said and left.
"Goodnight, Wheeljack," Starscream replied and closed the door, taking a look around his new room.
It was pretty simple decorated. A berth, a shelf with some datapads on it, and a desk with a chair. Nothing else really.
Except for some very familiar rods lying on the desk. Along with some other strange gimmicks Starscream hadn't seen before. A color cube, a shiny cylinder, colorful jigsaw puzzle pieces, small metal poles and planks in slightly different shapes or with holes in them, and a round soft looking ball thing. Apparently Wheeljack had taken the liberty of giving Starscream more puzzles to entertain himself with. He even noticed some new, additional metal rod and ring puzzles he hadn't tried before.
Starscream hummed and shrugged, sitting by the desk and decided to spend the evening looking over his new 'toys'.
