Author's Notes: I honestly thought I had posted the first part of this chapter sooner. I know I waited too long to update this fic, and to be honest I considered waiting longer to get in another subplot, but I decided to save it for the next chapter so you guys can read this sooner. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy the story :)
Chapter 18
Barriers
The next morning came rather swiftly, at least for Optimus and Starscream. Starscream didn't bother going back into recharge that night. He figured it wouldn't be very long before night happened again. The orbit of planet earth was surprisingly fast, which was a fact that most Decepticons never really got used to.
Starscream stopped his train of thought and tried to regroup. Even now, he was still thinking of himself as a Decepticon. If he was going to make this work then he had to think Autobot. Autobot, Autobot, Autobot, Autobot! It was going to take some repetition for this new identity to stick.
When Starscream decided to leave his room he surmised that it was probably too early for lab work, but he was going to try anyway. He couldn't remember every scientist or medic the Autobots had, since they seemed to have so many. Really, that was another thing Starscream thought Megatron got wrong. Megatron hated the scientific caste because most of them were affluent, so he had most of them killed. That was why so many intellectuals gravitated toward the Autobots. If it weren't for the Constructicons' background of menial labor, then they might've been on the chopping block as well. So irresponsible...
Other Autobots were starting to emerge from their rooms and mill around as well. Starscream had to walk right past Bumblebee, who seemed to be trying to avoid optic contact. That wasn't too surprising. Bumblebee was a child compared to the others, and was probably just a little afraid of the new Autobot seekers...even if he wouldn't admit it.
There was already a line for the wash racks, which Skywarp and Thundercracker were already standing in. Skywarp kept trying to poke the back of Tracks' neck, but Thundercracker kept grabbing his brother's arm to keep him from doing so. Skywarp pouted, Thundercracker sighed, and Starscream snickered as he walked past them. He didn't have time for washing himself. He wanted to get straight to work.
"You can't do this, Prime!" A voice yelled in the control room.
Well, this sounded interesting. Starscream quietly walked toward the doorway, and then flattened himself against the wall to listen in. If there was unrest among the ranks, Starscream was always there to learn about it...and exploit it.
"Red Alert, please get out of the way," Optimus ordered.
Starscream took a peek around the corner, and saw that Red Alert was physically blocking a doorway. The sign above it read in Cybertronian glyphs 'Laboratory'.
"I am still chief of security, and that nuisance poses a grave security risk!" Red Alert shouted at his leader.
Well, no bets on who he's talking about... Starscream thought wryly.
"Starscream and his trine came to us in good faith. If we are ever going to integrate them into the Autobots then we need to assign them positions. Starscream was once a scientist for the Cybertronian High Council. I believe this is an area where we can use his unique talents."
"The only thing he's talented in is sabotage!" Red Alert declared furiously.
"Because you wouldn't know anything about that, would you Red?" Starscream suddenly spoke up as he entered the room; his smirk as smug as ever, "If you want, we could take over the Autobots together. Just like old times."
"AAAHH! You see the way he mocks us!?" Red Alert shrieked, "He's a monster, Prime! If we let him see our technology he will tamper with it and destroy us all! Please, let me put him back in a cell!"
"Since when is a dark sense of humor grounds for arrest?" Starscream asked Prime rather than the panicking security chief, "I arrive for duty ahead of schedule and this is the greeting I get?"
"You arrived early to steal our secrets, no doubt!" Red Alert accused, "You might as well admit why you're really here! I won't stop until I get to the truth anyway!"
'Fine Red Alert, I confess!" Starscream replied overdramatically, "I'm here because I missed our friendship! You were such a good partner in crime. How could I ever go on without you? Satisfied?"
Red Alert growled and clenched his fists, and Starscream started laughing at the irate Autobot. Red Alert stormed out, not giving a backward glance to either his commanding officer or the troublesome seeker. Starscream just laughed even harder once he was gone, and Optimus looked at him sorrowfully.
"I know this is difficult," Optimus said solemnly, "But you should at least try to get along with the other Autobots."
"I will try, but you have to admit that was funny," Starscream replied unapologetically, "Red Alert thinks he's the best cop on the force since Prowl, but the truth is he's gullible, anxious, and has all the detective instinct of a lemming. Do you really think Prowl would have betrayed you if I had offered him my friendship? No! Seriously Prime, you need to fire that guy."
"You think of those around you simply in terms of use and benefit," Optimus noted, "I do not. We Autobots are more than a military unit. We are a family, and sometimes we have to look out for those in our family who need a little extra help. Red Alert needs to feel needed, and he sees moving shadows and spark eaters everywhere. So, we put him in the one position where his paranoia would serve him rather than hurt him."
"Decepticons don't take on charity cases," Starscream countered, "If Red Alert had worked for Megatron, he would have been reassembled as a janitorial drone. He's not really good for anything more."
Optimus sighed and said, "Oh, Starscream. I hope someday you will understand what I am saying to you. Mechs are more important than personal power. I know you will find your place, but you need to show respect for the rest of your team as well."
"My team..." Starscream muttered, losing himself in thought, "...Right. My team. I'll do what I can."
Starscream then walked past Optimus Prime and into the lab. Optimus looked back at him but didn't follow. He was concerned about Starscream starting trouble with his sarcastic attitude and lack of remorse for his murderous past. Optimus wanted to pretend that Starscream being his son didn't affect his judgment on the situation, but he couldn't fool himself. He knew he was giving Starscream more slack than he should.
Starscream entered the laboratory, his smug smirk firmly back in place, and looked around to see which workstation he should claim as his own. He was still feeling a little flustered at the idea of trying to fit in with his former enemies, but he would show this side of himself to no one.
Looking around, it seemed that almost every spot was taken. Wheeljack and Perceptor were working on some sort of bazooka looking device, a blue minibot Starscream had forgotten the name of was cataloguing rocks on another table, and in the corner stood Skyfire watering some plants. There was only one countertop left, but it seemed to already have a project on it. There was no empty space for Starscream, so he would have to assist with someone else's project. Not exactly a perfect start to his day.
Deciding he wasn't ready to talk to Skyfire, Starscream instead went over to the weapons table. At least that was an area in which he had expertise.
"Do you gentlemechs need any help with that?" Starscream asked, his tone haughty despite the circumstances.
"Nah, we're doing okay," Wheeljack replied in a friendly manner, "Perceptor, are you sure a dual matrix is strong enough for this thing? I still think a quadrilateral matrix would produce more power."
"And cause the gun to explode," Perceptor reminded him, "I don't think Cliffjumper is in much of a mood to test an unusable weapon today."
Wheeljack just laughed goodnaturedly. Starscream put his servos on his hips and harrumphed. How was he supposed to be of use if no one wanted his help? Perhaps laboratory duty was too crowded for Starscream. He would have to ask Prime to send him somewhere else. Maybe aerial combat training or something.
Just as Starscream was about to exit the lab, the door whooshed open and two more mechs entered. He recognized them as Grapple and Hoist, though he mostly just knew them by reputation.
"That line to the wash racks is longer than a train-based combiner unit!" Grapple groused, "If I wanted to get clean today I should have started waiting in line a week ago!"
"Hiya, Grapple! How's it going?" Wheeljack greeted him.
"Wheeljack. What are you doing here?" Grapple asked, his tone less than pleased, "Don't you have your own lab to work in?"
"I needed his help with the shatter cannon," Perceptor explained, "I would have asked you of course, but I know weapons aren't your specialty. Don't worry, your fuel recycler is right on the counter where you left it."
Grapple just gave Perceptor a nasty glare, and Hoist gently led him to their work station. Well now, this was interesting. Starscream was so used to the Autobots being a cohesive and peaceful unit that it never occurred to him that there might be infighting. Then again, these two jokers did once agree to work with the Constructicons. Perhaps this was something Starscream should look into.
Putting on his best winning smile, Starscream walked over to the counter where Grapple and Hoist were working, tucked away in a corner away from the other scientists.
"Hello gentlemechs," Starscream greeted them cordially, "Prime ordered me to work in the laboratory, but none of the other projects have caught my optic. What are you two working on?"
"We don't need your help!" Grapple snapped, "I am perfectly capable of building an energon recycler!"
"Energon recycler? Sounds beneath you, to be honest," Starscream commented, "I heard you were the lead architect behind the golden towers of Iacon, one of the great wonders of our world before the war. Why would you waste your time in energy management?"
"Because Wheeljack gets all the good jobs!" Grapple complained, "He and Perceptor. Or Ratchet. Optimus thinks my ideas are too grand, too intrusive on the natives, and too obvious to the Decepticons. We don't have the infrastructure to protect our building projects, so I'm stuck here acting as just another resident grease monkey!"
"There, there, old chap," Hoist comforted Grapple, "The war can't last forever, and then someday you'll build structures that are grander and more magnificent than anything you ever built before."
"Believe it or not, I know how it feels to be underappreciated," Starscream consoled, "I have a degree from the Iacon Science Academy, but Megatron didn't care about that. All he wanted was another soldier. 'Shoot this, shoot that, show no mercy'. To be honest I'm probably rusty at this point. I should have been the one to kill Megatron. He not only took my career from me, but the best vorns of my life."
"Sounds rough," Hoist replied, "I don't believe Optimus devalues us however. I just think he needs more weapons than he does buildings, and Grapple is an architect."
"I designed the Ark from nothing, and I oversaw its construction!" Grapple shouted, "I'm not asking for much, just some appreciation! I just want to build! Why is that so difficult?"
"Why not build onto the Ark?" Starscream suggested, "I mean, not everything is buried in the mountain. Your ranks keep growing, and you could use some more space. For one thing Thundercracker and Skywarp might kill each other if they keep having to share a room."
Grapple laughed at that thought, and Hoist couldn't help but join in.
"Of course. You're trying to trick me into building extra quarters," Grapple deduced, still laughing.
"Not really. I just hate seeing talent atrophy," Starscream replied indifferently, "Besides, I need a team to work with, and I don't feel like building a fuel recycler anymore than you do."
"You assume I want you on my team?" Grapple sniffed.
"Yes," Starscream replied shamelessly, "And I assume you're wasting your time here. I also assume that three mechs shouting at Prime are more effective than two."
Grapple smiled then, thinking over what Starscream had just said. A chance to expand the Ark...that could be something special. After all, there was no way to dig the Ark out of the ground at this point. It would never fly again. Why not make it a permanent and beautiful fixture on this planet? A monument to how the Autobots survived the war, made peace with the humans, and defeated Megatron. Yes, that would indeed be a worthy project.
"Starscream, I'm in."
Later that day, Starscream decided to take a break from work. Optimus had agreed to their request, though he seemed distracted as he did so. Only after being prodded by Starscream, Grapple, and Hoist did Prime tell them what he had already told the senior staff; Elita One and the other femmes would soon be on earth, and he had been busy making plans for their safe return. This conversation led to Grapple suggesting his first building project should be new quarters for the femmes, to which Optimus agreed.
Starscream didn't exactly want to become a construction mech, but this project was a start. At least if he did a good job here he could prove his sincerity to the other Autobots. Besides, given the other choices of scientists to work with, Starscream at least found Grapple and Hoist to be tolerable. Sure, Grapple was self-absorbed, but he was pliable. Hoist was also pleasant, even if he was a bit boring.
After grabbing a drink from the rec room Starscream was going to head straight to his room, but stopped halfway there when he heard a commotion from the control room. Everyone was laughing and someone was shouting angrily. Well, Starscream wouldn't be a good turncoat if he didn't seek out every bit of information he could get, so he sauntered into the room to see what was going on. It seemed like he kept finding himself going to Teletraan 1.
When he got there, the display on the screen had to be the funniest thing Starscream had seen in vorns. It was a video of Sunstreaker in the wash racks, scrubbing himself and shaking his skid plate. The song playing in the video was clearly mismatched for what Sunstreaker was singing, so whoever cobbled this together had purposefully changed it. Starscream couldn't help but smirk.
I'm too sexy for my shirt
Too sexy for my shirt
So sexy it hurts...
Several Autobots were laughing, or trying not to laugh. One thing Starscream couldn't help but notice however was that the subject of the video happened to be in the room with them at that very moment.
"It's not funny!" Sunstreaker shouted irately, "Who did this!? I'll rip their arms off!"
Starscream, seeing that he could easily be blamed for this, slowly backed out of the room. Apparently he wasn't quick enough, because Sunstreaker saw him and grabbed his arm.
"It was you, wasn't it Decepticon?" Sunstreaker accused.
"Not at all," Starscream replied in a voice that almost sounded sarcastic, "I've been in the lab all day, you know, doing real work. Not all of us can afford the time to soak in the wash racks all day."
"You should. Maybe then it would get the stink off," Sunstreaker retorted, flashing a slag eating grin.
The other Autobots watched intently, secretly enjoying this exchange of verbal barbs between their most psychotic warrior and their new Decepticon refugee. Everyone wondered what would happen next.
"Oh, it wouldn't," Starscream replied carelessly, "Because no matter how many times I clean myself, I'll always be in proximity of a grounder."
"That's it, fragger!"
Sunstreaker followed this exclamation by trying to punch Starscream in the jaw, but the seeker expertly dodged the blow. He was used to sparring with Megatron himself, so this golden colored Decepticon wannabe presented little threat. Well, on the ground anyway. Ironically Sunstreaker was very dangerous in the air despite being a grounder, and Starscream was a good fighter on the ground despite being a flier. Sometimes the war led to some strange skill sets.
Sunstreaker tried again and again to hit Starscream, and Starscream danced around the room to avoid him. Finally, realizing it would take too long to tire the Autobot out, Starscream aimed his null ray and fired straight at Sunstreaker! Sunstreaker fell like a sack of lugnuts, and everyone gasped. Well, almost everyone.
"Yer tryin' to kill Sunstreaker!" Ironhide shouted angrily.
"I most certainly am not!" Starscream defended himself, "He started the fight. I just wanted to de-escalate the situation before it got any worse. You can't blame me for defending myself, can you?"
"You should be in the brig!" Ironhide insisted.
"Um, I think we have a bigger problem," Red Alert interjected worriedly, "If Starscream didn't film in the wash racks, then that means we might still have a security breach!"
"Oh come on, it was probably just Sideswipe," Tracks theorized, "Those two are always pulling things like this."
"Yes, but not on each other!" Red Alert pointed out, "Oh, it's a conspiracy, I just know it! The Decepticons are planning to infiltrate us from the inside out!"
"May I go to my quarters now?" Starscream asked neutrally, trying to not lose his temper on his first day as an official Autobot.
"Fine, but we're watchin' you," Ironhide warned.
"Of course you are," Starscream smiled with sick amusement.
Ironhide growled loudly, but he didn't go after Starscream. He knew that punk wasn't worth his time at the moment, and for whatever reason Optimus Prime had turned those blasted seekers into his pet project. Before Starscream was completely out of sight however...
"Hey guys!" Bluestreak suddenly ran in the room, "Have you seen all the monitors? Sunstreaker is on every one, even in security!"
"NOOOO!" Red Alert screamed, "My beautiful monitors! Hacked! What kind of monster would do this!?"
Starscream was no longer interested in this mystery, so made his way back to the ship's hangar. His berth would look so good after the day he had, but before he even got there he heard obnoxious laughter in the aerial common room that he recognized as Skywarp. That was when he heard it...
"Frag, that lousy jet-judo jerk will never live this down! Hahaha!" Skywarp chortled, "I wish we could play this on the biggest TV on earth! Whoo...a perfect prank."
Starscream noted that Skywarp and Thundercracker were on the couch laughing it up, the Aerialbots and Powerglide nowhere in sight. Good. That meant no one would be there to see Starscream pound his brother into scrap metal.
"Skywarp!" Starscream screeched, "Did you just do what I think you did?"
"Uh...what do you think I did?" Skywarp asked obliviously.
"You're the one who humiliated that sociopathic sports car Sunstreaker!" Starscream spelled it out for him, "Admit it!"
"Okay," Skywarp replied nonchalantly, "I got bored, and Sunstreaker painted my wings the other cycle. I owed him payback. It was funny though, right?"
"You idiot!" Starscream yelled, "We're trying to make the Autobots like us, not prank our way into the scrap pile! If we get kicked out then we have no protection from Motormaster and his cronies! Why don't you ever think?"
"Uh..." Was all Skywarp could say.
"Hey, wait a breem..." Starscream suddenly realized something, "...Skywarp, you don't know how to use Autobot technology, or earth technology for that matter. How did you figure out how to film and edit a video of Sunstreaker?"
"He didn't," Thundercracker said gruffly.
Starscream waited for an explanation, but Thundercracker offered none. However, a moment later a ghost of a smile threatened to work its way up Thundercracker's faceplate.
"You..." Starscream hissed in disbelief, "You helped Skywarp pull a prank? You indulged his childish delusions and helped him sabotage our chances of fitting in here?"
"I was bored," Was Thundercracker's simple explanation.
The dumbfounded look on Starscream's face caused his trinemates to start laughing with renewed vigor. It made Starscream wonder if Thundercracker was starting to grow dumber the way Skywarp had, but then he decided they were probably both just going crazy because they had nothing to do yet. He would have to talk to Prime about finding jobs for these wingnuts.