Note: I don't do trigger warnings, but this is just a heads up that this chapter gets pretty dark. If you don't like the super morbid stuff that comes with yandere stories, then you may want to avoid this chapter… and also you probably shouldn't be reading yandere stories. Just sayin'. Common sense. Also, while writing this I, for some reason, kept trying to write Skyfire's name as "Starfire". So, if you come across "Starfire" anywhere in this chapter just know that I meant "Skyfire." XD
You gave up struggling against your silky prison hours ago. The threads were too thick and sticky to break and even your blades did nothing against them. The threads had begun to harden anyway, making them nearly impossible to even move in. You weren't getting out any time soon. You could feel yourself being jostled around by your captors and you weren't sure but at some point, you felt like you may have been in the air. As worried as you were about Brawn and the others you had to concentrate on escape. That came first. You knew at some point you would be removed from your cocoon and most likely placed in a cell… or "interrogation" room. Your tanks churned at that idea. Still, you could manage to escape in between the time you were removed from the cocoon and the time they took you… wherever they planned to take you. The problem was that you didn't know where the Insecticons were taking you. The Decepticon base? It wasn't likely. The Insecticons and Megatron hadn't been on the best of terms as of late. Most of their dealings with each other ended in betrayal. Yet, Shrapnel had mentioned Starscream. Did that mean that Starscream had left the Decepticons and joined up with the Insecticons? Was the team-up yet another doomed-to-fail plan to usurp Megatron and take control of the Decepticons? That seemed the most likely scenario.
Though you still didn't know what to expect once you got to wherever you were being taken. Even if you managed to get away from the Insecticons, who knew what traps Starscream had set up? And if you managed to evade whatever he had in store for you, would you even be able to escape their base or hideout? What if they took you somewhere that your alt-mode would be rendered useless? What if their hideout was in space? You'd have to steal a space-worthy vehicle or find a space bridge to get back to Earth. And you didn't know how to fly a space craft nor use a space bridge. You also had to consider if there were other captives besides yourself. You would have to help them escape, which meant even more sneaking around. Or perhaps you'd get lucky and being inside of a cocoon would have turned you into a magnificent mechanical butterfly with glowing laser wings and when they opened the cocoon you would flutter away to safety leaving pixie dust and mocking laughter behind you.
Okay that last one was surely the result of your processor being strained with stress, fear, and the pain of your injuries. Still it was pretty funny, and you'd have to tell it to Brawn. You knew just how he'd react, too. His face would scrunch up in disgust and he would say, "What the frag is wrong with you!?" and then you'd both laugh. Brawn. You'd been trying not to think of him, but no matter what your thoughts kept going back to him. He's a tough bot, you thought to yourself. He's survived much worse without a scratch. He's fine. He has to be.
"Here we are, little morsel morsel." Shrapnel's voice whispered near your audial. You grimaced at how close he sounded.
"Welcome to the hive hive!" he said with a chuckle.
Hive? Did he just say hive!? This was worse than you thought. If the Insecticons had established a base large enough to be considered a hive, then that meant Earth and the Autobots were well and fully screwed. Although, that would explain the overwhelming number of Insecticons you and your teammates encountered at the power plant. How had they made so many clones in so little time? And what about the Caterpillar guy that put you in the cocoon? Where did he come from? Was this the result of their team up with Starscream? The Insecticon carrying you suddenly dropped you onto a hard surface. You landed on your bad arm; your cries of pain muffled by the hardened fibers covering your face.
"Be careful you incompetent brute!"
You froze in place. There was no mistaking it. That screechy voice belonged to Starscream. Panic worked its way into your spark, and you did you level best to quell it. Freaking out wouldn't help you. It was times like this that Brawn told you to just let your programming take over. Right now, your Autobot programming was saying to keep still and quiet and listen to what was being said. If there was any bright side to being taken captive, it was the opportunity to gain information. If you were lucky, you could find out exactly what Starscream and the Insecticons were up to.
There was a grunt and some garbled buzzing and clicking. Those sounds most likely came from Caterpillar guy.
"It isn't Cater-Killer's fault, Starscream Starscream. "Shrapnel said in his comrade's defense.
"What's not his fault, Shrapnel?" Starscream said, sounding angrier by the minute.
"Well, it turns out the target was inside of the big flying Autobot Autobot." Shrapnel explained. He sounded uncharacteristically nervous.
"And?" Starscream pressed impatiently.
"And he crashed during the attack attack. The target was injured injured."
"WHAT!?" Starscream screeched.
There was a great clattering and the sound of metal hitting metal that made you think that Starscream had just thrown something at the wall.
"I TOLD YOU FOOLS TO BE CAREFUL!" He said, his shrill voice becoming shriller by the moment.
"The t-target is only s-slightly damaged damaged." Shrapnel said in a wincing voice. "We could always get another, m-more resilient Autobot for you—"
"NO!" Starscream shouted. "I'll let it slide, Shrapnel. Just this once. I'm sure I can repair any damage caused by you and your clumsy clones, but let it be known that if anything happens to this Autobot then the deal's off!"
Deal? You wondered. What deal?
"No! I-it won't happen again again!" Shrapnel stammered.
Something wasn't right. Why was Shrapnel acting so nervous around Starscream? From what you heard most people didn't take the Decepticon SIC's slag for long before they retaliated. Bumblebee had told you that Starscream was a bully that liked to pick on people that he thought were weak and scared but the moment they fought back he would cower and beg for his life. This didn't fit what you were hearing at all.
"What's so special about this little Autobot anyway anyway?" Shrapnel asked.
"Not that it's any of your business, but this Autobot is integral to my plan. Now get out of here, both of you! Leave me to my work." Starscream said, his anger seemingly lowered to a slow simmer. You heard the scrabbling of metal feet leaving the room and a door sliding closed. Starscream huffed.
"Now then, let's see how badly those savages damaged you." He said in a voice so calm and quiet it seemed almost incapable of reaching the decibels it had earlier.
You felt hands gently and delicately moving you around and heard the low hum of some kind of device. Slowly but surely the cocoon was cut open and you were freed. You made to spring up and make a break for it, but strong hands held you firmly in place.
"Why in such a hurry, my pet?" Starscream crooned as he leaned over you with a wry smile. "You just got here after all. I understand that we haven't exactly got off on the right foot, but I think it's time we got reacquainted."
"Not interested." You said, trying to keep the nervous stammer out of you voice.
Starscream merely chuckled. His smile slowly turned into a scowl as he looked you over.
"Only slight damage, he says." Starscream muttered. "Blundering, cloddish, dim-sparked fool…"
Starscream's insults toward Shrapnel faded to absent minded muttering as he set about strapping you to the gurney you were lying on. You struggled as much as you could against his hold, but your injuries made it difficult.
"Stop that squirming!" Starscream shouted. "You're acting like a sparkling!"
In spite of all your struggling he finally managed to get you fully immobilized. Your fear doubled.
"Let me out of this you filthy 'Con!' You snarled. Starscream scoffed and gave you a look of disdain.
"I wouldn't have to strap you down if you weren't acting like Ravage trying to escape a bath!" he said with a smirk. "But if you're going to insult me, I may just disable your vocalizer so I can work in peace."
His threat caused you to quiet down a bit, but you still struggled against your restraint.
"What are you going to do to me?" You demanded; your voice hitched with terror.
"Return the favor." He said simply.
"What?"
"You repaired me. Now I'm going to repair you." He said with a strange, faraway look in his optics. "It's a fair exchange, wouldn't you say?"
"'And after that?" you asked.
He stared at you a moment as if thinking, his features blank.
"That all depends on you." He said darkly.
"What does that mean?" you asked. He didn't reply right away.
"Let's not worry about that right now, my pet. Let's get you fixed up."
You watched as Starscream roamed about the room, gathering tools and moving machines. You stopped struggling, finally accepting that you weren't going to get out of there… at least not while Starscream was in there with you. You would just have to be patient. Besides, you did need to be repaired. You had a much better chance of getting away once you were back in working order. So, you lay there and tried not to recoil from Starscream's disturbingly gentle touch.
He snickered at your seemingly complacent demeanor.
"Finally tired yourself out, I see." He mocked.
You didn't respond, but pointedly looked away from him.
"Don't be like that." He said and gripped your face plate in his hand, forcing you to look at him. The look in his optics made your tank do uncomfortable things.
"We don't have to be enemies, you know." He said, letting his voice go low and sultry. You never imagined a voice like Starscream's could even be sultry. You grit your dental plate at the unwanted feelings it stirred up.
"But we are." You countered, not about to let him manipulate you the way he'd done so many others.
"But we don't have to be." He repeated in a firmer tone. He leaned over you, his face coming far too close to yours for comfort. You pulled away as far as you could, which wasn't very far considering your situation. He rested his head in one hand as he leaned on the gurney and stared at you in a way that made you want to squirm away even further but you were as pressed as far into the gurney as you could possibly go.
"Tell me, why did you help me that day?" he asked.
You were caught of guard by the question. "Be… because it was the right thing to do. Enemy or not, you needed help and I couldn't just walk away."
That, and the fact that you had a null ray aimed at my face the whole time, you thought.
"That's what I like about you," he said in tone so wistful you would have giggled at it if not for the overall creepy vibe he was giving off. "You're nothing like those other Autobot twits."
"Those Autobot twits are my friends!" You said, antagonized by his insult to your comrades.
Starscream made a noise of disgust.
"Your friends would have left me to rust!" he said, voice getting screechy again.
"That's not true!" You shouted back.
Well, it wasn't entirely true. Most of the Autobots would have helped Starscream that day because it was a part of the Autobot Code: Help those in need, regardless of faction, but they would also have taken him prisoner. Brawn would have called Ratchet to do it, however. There was no way that he would have lifted a finger digit to help a dirty 'Con. Cliffjumper would have tried to finish him off if there was no one around to stop him. Sunstreaker would've tried to finish him off regardless. You weren't about to explain all that to Starscream, though.
Starscream sneered at your outburst.
"Such loyalty." He mocked. "You're very attached to your friends, aren't you? Especially that mini-bot brute Brawn."
Starscream's expression grew dark at the mention of your partner.
"You seem very attached to him, in fact, he seems rather attached to you, too. What exactly is your relationship with him anyway? Is he just your partner, a close friend, or… something a little more intimate?"
Excuse you? Where had this line of questioning come from.
"What's it to you?" you said defiantly. "My personal relationships are none of your slaggin' business!"
"I'M MAKING IT MY BUISINESS!" Starscream suddenly roared and slammed his fist into the nearby table, sending the medical tools resting there jumping into the air. They clattered back onto the table in a haphazard display. You stared at Starscream in frozen horror, your frame trembling. You said nothing as Starscream tried to regain control of his temper. He stared down at the floor, optics wide and dental plate gritted so hard you thought his jaw would crack. What was wrong with this guy? One minute he's acting all calm and creepy the next minute he's raging like a Junkion who just found out their favorite show got cancelled. People told you that Starscream had a screw loose somewhere, but they were wrong. Starscream's processor was completely glitched!
After a moment, the seeker seemed to have calmed back down. He dragged a hand down his face before standing up and reorganizing the medical tools.
"Primus…" you said in a dismayed whisper.
Starscream's optics flicked back to you. His lips turned up in a demented grinned and he chuckled lowly. You didn't like that look. You liked that sinister chuckling even less.
"Look how docile you are now. I think it's cute how you try to act tough and hide your fear from me. You poor shivering thing." He taunted you. "Is a raised voice all it takes to keep you in line? Is that how he keeps you by his side? He seems like the type."
Well now your energon was boiling. Was this guy seriously trying to accuse Brawn of abuse? And after that gigantic tantrum he just had?
"Brawn is nothing like what you think." You said. You kept your voice even and untainted by your anger. You didn't want to risk driving Starscream to another outburst. Next time, he might smash something other than the table. Like you, for example.
"Sure, he's rough around the edges but he's a good bot. Nobody's gonna change my mind about that." You gave Starscream a pointed glare, daring him to argue.
"Hmph. Is that so?" He said, narrowing his optics to red slits. He moved around to the other side of the gurney and leaned over your undamaged arm.
"He's still a brute, but we will discuss your mini-bot companion later."
Starscream began removing a panel on your undamaged arm.
"What are you doing?" You demanded.
"Sedating you." Starscream said flatly.
"That's not necessary!" you cried. "I'm a soldier! I can take a little pain!"
You did not want to be unconscious in Starscream's presence. The seeker gave you a blank look. After a moment he said, "Is that the kind of thing Brawn wants you to do? Does he demand that you act tough when you're in pain? Does he want you to run head long into danger when you're scared to death? Does he want you to deny what you're really feeling just to appeal to his own sense of pride?"
You stared at him. What in blazes was he prattling on about? Then it clicked. It finally clicked. Starscream was jealous of Brawn. You wanted to laugh at the absurdity of such a thing, but the grim look on the Seeker's face was enough to sap all the humor out of you. For reasons you didn't want to think about, Starscream had developed some sick infatuation with you and now he was envious of the relationship you had with Brawn. That's when you came to another realization.
"The Insecticon attack was your doing, wasn't it?" You said.
Starscream grinned and puffed up slightly, clearly proud that something he did got noticed.
"Clever little Autobot, aren't you?" he said. "Yes, I sent the Insecticons to help Megatron fend off the Autobots, but their main goal was capturing you."
You stared at him in horror. This was far worse than you can imagine. You watched as Starscream took a syringe and filled it with a slightly glowing blue liquid. You recognized it as a painkiller. Ratchet had used it many times when one of the others was badly injured and in extreme pain. He leaned over the panel in your arm and held the needle to one of your fuel lines.
"Starscream!" You cried.
He paused and looked at you.
"I don't want it. The sedative. I don't need it." You pleaded with both your words and your optics, hoping that you could appeal to his weird infatuation with you. It was manipulative and it made you sick to act that way, but you did not want to risk being completely at his mercy. Starscream gave you a tender look.
"Don't worry, my pet. That ruffian you call a friend may expect you to suffer through your pain, but I have no such expectations. I will make sure that you never have to endure pain again." He said that last part so sincerely that you almost believed him. The needle pierced your fuel line and you winced. So much for never letting you feel pain again.
"It's alright, darling. It will all be over in a moment." Starscream said as he injected the sedative into your energon stream. The effect was almost instant. The pain in your damaged arm dulled and your body began to feel heavy with the need for recharge. Your HUD was going blurry and you were vaguely aware of the "sleep mode" message popping up in the corner of your vision. You could feel a hand gently stroking the side of your face. The action was soothing and was helping you to slowly fall into recharge. Your mind was so hazy that you couldn't think about who's hand was touching you, otherwise you would've been repulsed. Just as your system entered sleep mode, you felt a pair of lips place a gentle kiss on your own.
"I'll be a much better suitor to you than that brute could ever hope to be." Starscream whispered into your right audial. You couldn't hear him, however. You were out cold.
When you came back online it took you a bit to get over the grogginess. You looked around to find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings. This was not the med bay at the Ark. Why were you strapped down? Slowly, the haziness in your brain cleared up and your memory files became more accessible. You remembered where you were and how you got there. Now the only thing on your mind was escape. You did a quick system scan to make sure Starscream hadn't…. tampered with you in some way. The scan was negative. All he did was repair your arm as well as all of your other injuries. You sighed in relief. Though, your scan revealed that he'd left your wrist blades intact. Why? Whatever. You unsheathed your blades and slowly began to cut through your restraints. You cast furtive glances towards the door, knowing that Starscream or one of the Insecticons could walk through it at any moment. You had to act fast. You cut though the last of your restraints and hopped off the gurney. You took a moment to examine your arm. It seemed good as new. Good. Now to get out of this horrible room.
You crept toward the door and pressed the panel on the wall beside it. The door slid open. Cautiously you peered out into the dimly lit corridor. Briefly you wondered if it was just a bad guy thing to have all the lights in their hideouts to be set on the lowest brightness possible. You didn't see anyone, so you slunk out into the corridor, keeping up against the wall. You followed the left side of the corridor until it led into an enormous room that looked like the inside of a metal beehive. There was a faint humming noise coming from the room. You peeked into the room and instantly pulled back into the corridor. The room was full of Insecticons! Not only that, but just before you pulled you head out of the doorway you spotted Starscream standing on a raised platform along with Shrapnel, Bombshell, and Kickback. They seemed to be in a deep discussion of some kind. You also spotted an extremely large stack of energon cubes to the far end of the room. Where were they getting so much energon? You had no time to think about that. As soon as you were back at the Ark you were going to let Optimus know about this. He would figure something out. He always did.
You backtracked down the corridor and passed by the med bay. The end of the corridor forked off into two other corridors. You chose the one on the right and continued on until you saw two familiar figures ahead of you. Skyfire and Gears! They appeared to be taking the grate off of a vent. Were they going to try to escape through there? Dummies. No way was Skyfire going to fit in there. And what were they doing milling about in the middle of the hallway? You knew that neither of them were the stealthiest of bots but seriously, they weren't even trying! You ran to them, smiling.
"Guys!" You whisper yelled. Both bots turned to you with looks of surprise.
"I see I'm not the only one they captured. What are you guys trying to do anyway?" you said. Skyfire and Gears exchanged glances.
"Working." Gears stated grumpily as if it were the most obvious thing ever.
"What are you doing out here?" asked Skyfire.
You halted in your tracks. What? Why were they acting so casual? That's when you saw what you should have seen before. Red. Their optics were red! Not only that, but their Autobot symbols had been replaced with the Decepticon one. You started backing away as Skyfire loomed forward.
"What's going on?" You asked, terror and confusion filling your spark.
"You shouldn't be out here." Skyfire said in that same gentle tone he always had. "You're supposed to be recuperating."
"Better go back to the med bay before Starscream starts shrieking again." Gears grumbled. "That voice of his gives me a processor ache."
"What's Starscream done to you guys!?" You shouted against your better judgement.
Skyfire held his hands out to you.
"Come on. I'll take you back to the med bay. Then we'll let Starscream know you're awake." He offered you a comforting smile, but it did nothing to comfort you.
This wasn't right! None of this was right. They were the same Starfire and Gears you'd always known but… those optics and those symbols didn't belong. You ducked under Skyfire's arm as he reached for you.
"Wait, don't run away! No one's going to hurt you!" Skyfire called after you.
"Great." Gears groused. "I suppose we'll get blamed for this."
You tore down the corridor in a panic. What were you going to do? What could you even do? Starscream had done something to your friends and now even they were a danger to you! You spotted an open room to your right and ducked into it. It was a control room of some kind. There was a large electronic gate with a panel on the wall beside it. You ran to it and yanked the panel open only to be greeted with big red glyphs spelling out the word "LOCKED." You slammed your hand on the wall in frustration. A harsh but familiar voice called your name. You whipped your head around and came optic to optic with Prowl. Just like with Gears and Skyfire, his optics were now a deep red and his Autobot symbol had been replaced with the Decepticon one. You hadn't seen him when you ran into the room. He was sitting behind a desk behind thick glass and was surrounded by computers. This wasn't a control room. It was a security check point, and most likely the only thing standing between you and freedom was that locked gate.
"Let me out, Prowl." You said, desperately hoping you could appeal to your ally.
"You know I can't do that. Return to the med bay." He said sternly.
You should have known Prowl couldn't be pleaded with. He was by-the-book even in this brainwashed state. He got up from behind the desk and came out of the room to confront you. As he closed in on you, your self defense programming kicked in and your blades were out and held out before you. Prowl stopped advancing. He didn't reach for a weapon and for that you were relieved, but the stiff way he hung his hands by his side had you on edge. He was head of security for a reason.
"Put the weapons down." He ordered.
"Stay away from me." You said, your voice trembling with fear.
Prowl said your name in a calm tone that had you backing up even further. He took a step forward and you raised your blades higher.
"I mean it, Prowl!" You cried.
"You aren't in any danger." He said. "There is no need to react this way."
"No!" You shouted. "This is wrong! Don't you get it! You're not a Decepticon, Prowl! You're an Autobot!"
"You're being irrational." Came Prowl's cold reply. "I've always been a Decepticon. So have you. You were captured by the Autobots during a raid. They reprogrammed you to follow their Code. Starscream rescued you from them. That's why you were in the med bay. Don't you remember? He's trying to repair the damage they did."
You felt like you were going crazy. What is this nightmare world you've found yourself in!?
"That's a lie! You're the one who's been brainwashed!" You shouted.
"Let me help you." Prowl said as he moved towards you.
You advanced, too, blades ready to slice out at your former ally should he get any closer. Prowl got the message and took a few steps back.
"Would you really hurt an alley?" he asked. "I haven't pulled a weapon on you, have I? I'm trying to help you! We all are! Think. Think about what you're doing. Do you really want to hurt me?"
No. No you didn't. But what could you do? You had to escape. You had to get back to the others and tell them what was happening here. Maybe Wheeljack or Perceptor could find a way to change the brainwashed bots back to their old selves. But you couldn't do that if you were still trapped in this horrible place! Still, at the thought of slicing up your friends didn't appeal to you at all. You lowered your blades… and that was all it took. Just a split second of hesitation on your part was all Prowl needed. He tackled you and had you in hand cuffs before you could even think about slashing at him.
"Prowl!" You screamed as you squirmed in his hold. "Let me go! You don't understand what's happening here! Starscream's done something to you! To all of you! This isn't how things are supposed to be!"
"Hush now." Was all Prowl had to say as he tried to hold you in place. "This is for your own good."
The doorway darkened and you looked up to see Skyfire enter the room. Prowl looked up at him and pointed to you.
"Switch places with me. I'm going to get a sedative." He said. You felt Skyfire hold onto you. His grip was much stronger than Prowl's and you couldn't even squirm in his arms.
"Skyfire! Skyfire you have to listen to me!" You shouted at him. "Starscream has done something to you guys! He's messed up your programming or something! Please listen to me!"
You frantically tried to get through to him, hoping beyond hope that something you said would snap either him or Prowl out of it. While you ranted Skyfire cast a confused glance at Prowl who just shook his head while he prepared a syringe.
"Starscream would never betray me like that." Skyfire tried to reason with you. "He's my friend. We've always been friends."
You hung your head and went limp in his arms. It was useless. You weren't going to get through to them. Optical cleanser poured down your face as you sobbed hopelessly. As Prowl approached with the needle you hoped that you would wake up and this nightmare would be over.
Megatron's mood had improved a great deal since the raid. He watched as the Constructicons hooked the artifact up to a machine. He couldn't stop staring at the artifact. It was a beautiful thing; a large glittering gem encased in gold. It glowed a bright shade of red that exactly matched the red of his own optics. The artifact wasn't very big, at least by Cybertronian standards. It fit neatly in the palm of his hand which would make it quite large by human standards. The humans called it "The Heart of Raijin", named after some mythological Earth thunder god. Megatron didn't care about the artifact's supposed history, for he knew what the artifact really was. It was an ancient power source once lost to Cybertronians many thousands of years before he started the war on Cybertron. With its power, he could re-energize Cybertron and finally, finally claim the planet for his own. To him, the artifact wasn't just a power source, it was the key to the final victory over the Autobots and an end to all the struggles and humiliations he was forced to endure ever since coming to the miserable planet called Earth.
In spite of his joy at having the artifact, there was still something gnawing at the back of his mind: Starscream and the Insecticons. It was painfully clear that his traitorous SIC was up to something. While that was nothing new, Starscream had developed some kind of mental malfunction during the time he'd been missing from the base. Now he seems to have the Insecticons at his beck and call. They'd made a surprise appearance at the decoy raid at the power plant and turned the tides in favor of the Decepticons. And yet, they didn't stick around to demand a reward. That was strange. Very strange. Usually the Insecticons were always looking for a way to get a quick meal and they never did anything for free.
To ensure that Starscream remained in the dark about the artifact, Megatron made sure to give him a heavy workload immediately after returning to the base. The excuse he gave the Seeker was that it was to make up for the time lost while he was doing Primus knows what off-base. Any other time Starscream would have had a fit and launch into a wild rant about how it was unfair to punish him for such a thing and how it was his genius leadership that won the battle earlier and he should be getting a reward instead. Starscream didn't do any of that. There were no complaints, no ranting, no demands for a reward, and no snide comments about Megatron's leadership. Starscream merely sauntered off to do as he was told. It had Megatron on edge and once the SIC was out of sight he had Soundwave send Laserbeak to keep an optic on him. He would not have Starscream ruin his plans yet again!
"It's ready!" Hook announced.
Megatron approached the control panel with a dark grin.
"Finally." He said to no on in particular. "With a single press of a button the Heart of Raijin will activate and we Decepticons will have an unlimited energy source!"
He turned to his third in command. "Soundwave, begin the test run!"
Silently, Soundwave activated the machines surrounding the pedestal where the artifact was hooked up. Electricity crackled in the air and a few of the Decepticons present took a few steps back from the display. The Constructicons begin setting up empty energon cubes in front of large tubes connected to the artifact's pedestal. Megatron waited until just the right moment and eagerly pressed the button to activate the artifact's power.
There was a harsh crackle of electricity and sparks flew from the artifact causing everyone to gasp. One of the machines exploded as its internal systems caught fire. Soundwave quickly began extinguishing the flames. The machines surrounding the artifact made a pitiful sound before powering down completely. The room went dark except for the emergency lights. Megatron cast a venomous glare towards Hook who looked like he was having some kind of personal crisis.
"What went wrong!?" Megatron bellowed.
"I- I don't know!" Hook cried as he ran about the room fiddling with the machines in a desperate attempt to get things back in working order. "My calculations were perfect! It should have worked!"
Megatron stomped down from the platform he was standing on and stalked over to Hook. The Constructicon was panicking, unable to grasp the reason for his failure.
"Megatron, believe me! This is no fault of my own!" Hook blurted in an attempt to reason with his furious leader.
"Then who do I blame, Hook?" Megatron said in a voice far too calm for the enraged growl that came out with it. It was clear Megatron was looking for a scapegoat and Hook did not want it to be him.
Hook managed to get one of the computers back online and began looking for answers. There had to be some reason they weren't getting any energy production from the artifact. Within moments Hook found the answer.
"There's no power output from the artifact…." He said.
"What!?" Megatron snarled. "How is that possible?"
Hook ran to the artifact's pedestal, nearly tripping over some cabling in his frantic state. He pulled the wires away from the glowing gemstone and picked it up to examine it. His mouth dropped open in shock.
"The artifact!" he shouted.
Megatron's already thin patience was reaching a state of non-existence.
"What about it!?" he demanded.
"It's a fake!"
Megatron rushed forward and yanked the artifact from Hook's trembling hands. He looked the artifact over. The gold encasement was real, but the glittering gem was merely a kind of heavily polished glass. Then something happened that no Decepticon would ever think possible. Megatron turned his glare on Soundwave.
"What is the meaning of this!?" He said, looking like a volcano about to erupt.
Soundwave didn't answer. His processor was reeling with all the possibilities as to how he could have made such a terrible mistake. How did he not notice the artifact wasn't real? How could he have messed up so badly? What happened to the real Heart of Raijin?
"Hook, you got a screw loose!" Shouted Frenzy.
"Yeah, Soundwave don't make mistakes!" Rumble piped up.
"Are you implying that this is my fault!?" Hook shouted back. "I'll have you know I—"
"SILENCE!" Megatron's thunderous roar ended the argument before it got started. The silver tyrant was gripping the false artifact so hard that it was beginning to crack. He turned back to the still frozen Soundwave.
"Call Laserbeak here, at once!" he ordered.
Soundwave snapped out of his shocked state.
"Laserbeak, return." He droned into his commlink.
They waited but no squawking robotic bird flew into the room.
"Laserbeak, reveal location." Soundwave ordered. After a moment Soundwave had his cassette's location and was tearing off down the darkened corridor's in search of him. Rumble, Frenzy, and Megatron were following close behind him. They found Laserbeak just outside of the energon vault. He'd been smashed up so badly that the sight of him caused Rumble and Frenzy to gasp. Soundwave silently knelt down next to his broken cassette. Laserbeak squawked weakly as he found himself being carefully lifted from the floor. Rumble took it upon himself to retrieve Laserbeak's severed wing.
Not far from the smashed-up cassette lay an equally damaged Ramjet. The conehead's chest sported a smoking hole that was only inches away from his spark chamber. His legs had been chewed down to stump and there were bite marks all over his wings.
"What in blazes happened here!?" Megatron callously demanded, not caring a lick about Ramjet's condition.
"S-Starscream… he… he snuck some Insecticons… into the vault… never seen 'em before…" Ramjet strained through the explanation before going into a coughing fit.
Megatron stepped over the fallen flyer and yanked open the door to the energon vault. In his rage he managed to tear the door completely off the wall. He stepped into the vault and roared in rage. Over half of their energon supply was gone, including that which they took from the power plant. Megatron stormed out of the vault, barely missing stepping on Ramjet's wing.
"M-Megatron!" Ramjet choked out. "Starscream…. he's crazy! Something h-happened to him!" Ramjet started coughing again.
Megatron didn't reply. He pressed his hand to the side of his audial.
"Hook! Get in here and make yourself useful for once!" he snarled into the commlink. He didn't wait for an answer.
"Soundwave get Laserbeak in working order! I want to see if he managed to record anything." He ordered his TIC. Soundwave was already working on his cassette himself with Rumble and Frenzy helping wherever they could.
Megatron stomped down the corridor to his own chambers. He glared down at the fake artifact in his hands. How? How had that lowly coward managed to do all of this? When had he taken the artifact? How long had the Insecticons been stealing their energon? With a growl he crushed the false artifact until the gold encasement bent inward and the glass gem shattered into fine red power.
"My triumph at hand, snatched away by that treacherous, backstabbing retro-rat!" the tyrant bellowed at the empty room. He slammed his fist into a communications console breaking it to pieces. He tromped over to his throne and yanked it from where it was bolted to the floor. He tossed into the wall, smashing it to bits. Megatron's rage still burned through him. Unable to take his ire out on the one responsible all he could do was shout the name of the traitor until his voice was heard by the entire Decepticon base.
"STARSCREAM!"
Your processor was struggling to let you think properly. Your optics couldn't focus, and everything was so blurry. There was a strange high-pitched drone in your audials. You felt numb all over. Slowly, as your mind became more focused and the fog began to lift from your thoughts, you became aware of another presence nearby. You moved your head around until your bleary optics trained on a figure sitting just to your right.
"Starscream…" you croaked out; voice riddled with static.
Starscream's head perked up in your direction. He smiled in a delighted way that had you wanting to squirm away, but you couldn't. You lifted your head to see what was keeping you in place. Nothing. You weren't strapped down. You were just lying on a medical berth unable to move.
"… can't move…" you slurred and Starscream's grin got wider.
"I took the liberty of disabling your motor functions." He said.
The information was sobering and the haze over your mind all but faded completely.
"W-why?" You stammered.
"Don't worry." He soothed. "It's only temporary. At least until you learn to behave."
He stood up and placed a hand on your forehead in a manner that would have been sweet under any other circumstances.
"I've been waiting for you to come out of recharge for several Earth hours now. I have so much to tell you!" Starscream's voice took on a giddy, childlike tone. He seemed excited about something and that worried you.
"I want to tell you all about the master plan that you helped to bring to life!"
"Me?" you said in surprise.
"Yes, you, my pet. Meeting you has changed everything for me. That day you repaired me, something happened to me. I felt things I've not felt for anyone ever before. I'm not used to kindness…"
He was pacing the room now, not really looking at you.
"All my life I've been denied everything! My ideal career, friendship, power, adoration…." He paused and looked at you. "Love... But meeting you made me realize that I've been going about things in the wrong way. I wanted to rule the Decepticons in Megatron's stead, but even when I get that old fool out of the way, the others won't show me the respect I deserve. They defy me, mock me, disrespect me! Nothing I did could ever earn their loyalty!"
"What do you know of loyalty?" You asked bitterly.
"Far more than anyone would expect." He said, giving you a sinister sideways glance.
"There was a time when I was loyal to Megatron, if you can believe it." He snickered. "Back when I first joined the Decepticons I was as eager to earn his favor as any of the others. I've always been the ambitious type. I earned my way up the ranks…"
"By stepping on everyone to get to the top." You added snidely.
Starscream gave you a scathing look for interrupting him but didn't bother to correct you. No point in denying what was true.
"I became Air Commander and Second in Command for the Decepticons. Megatron's right hand mech. Feh! What a joke! I was nothing more than Megatron's personal punching bag, a scapegoat for every failed attack and botched battle plan! And anytime I achieved anything Megatron would hold promotion over my head like he was dangling a treat in front of some beast he was trying to tame!" Starscream's clenched his fists as he growled out that last part.
"Outdated, overrated fool…" He mumbled lowly for a few moments before he went back to ranting. He told you about Skyfire and how his old friend had betrayed him in favor of joining the Autobots. He told you about his Trine and how they never got along. He told you about all the beatings and humiliations he endured under Megatron's tyrannical rule. You almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Finally, you'd had enough of his ranting. You wanted answers.
"Starscream, what is your plan with the Insecticons? What have you done to the other Autobots? What are you planning to do with me?" you demanded.
Starscream's grin returned.
"I thought you'd never ask." He said darkly. "The Insecticons are aiding me in building an army of my own. I'm sure you've been seeing a few new faces among them, haven't you? They are the results of my own scientific tweaking of their alt-modes. They do my bidding and I pay them in energon stolen right from under Megatron's nose! With their help I even managed to procure something even more valuable."
Starscream walked over to a set of machines and computers. In the middle of them was something covered with a large cloth. He pulled the cloth off to reveal a glowing red jewel of some kind. You didn't like the way the thing glowed. It was an eerie red light that came from the center of the jewel. It glimmered and shone like something alive. Even from where you lay immobile on the medical berth, you could feel an intense power coming from it.
"You can feel it can't you?" he asked. The glow from the gem gave Starscream a hellish aura. "The humans called it the Heart of Raijin. It's an ancient Cybertronian source of unlimited power. Only we Cybertronians can feel the power from it. The humans think it's merely an oversized gemstone. I discovered it through my connections with the Insecticons. I knew that something like this would be exactly the kind of thing Megatron would want to get his greedy hands on and I decided to swipe it before he ever even heard about it and replaced it with a cheap glass replica! I doubt that he or any of his loyal lackies bothered to check to see if it was real before they stole it from the museum where it was kept!" Starscream was beaming with pride as he told you all this.
"What does this have to do with my friends?" you asked impatiently.
"Patience, my pet, I'm getting there." Starscream cooed. "Bombshell has invented little devices he calls Cerebro-shells. They're meant to render others completely subjective to the user's will. They are unfortunately easy to deactivate, causing the victim to return to normal. With the Heart of Raijin, I can not only create an unlimited supply of energy, but I can enhance any devices' capabilities."
You put it all together rather quickly.
"That's how you brainwashed them!" you exclaimed.
"Indeed." Starscream said with a snicker. "Of course, the Insecticons were reluctant to let me have total control of something as powerful of the Heart of Raijin, not unless they were getting something out of it."
"What? Energon?" you asked.
"Earth." Starscream said with a gleaming smile. "Once my plans are complete, I will no longer have any use for this horrid world. I will return to Cybertron to claim it for myself. As for the Insecticons, I will leave them with a means to Cyberform the planet and turn it into a Hive World."
"You can't do that!" You shouted at him. "There are living creatures here! What about the humans!?"
Starscream sneered.
"What about the wretched humans?" he said with a hiss. "They're lowly, barely civilized primates who have no concept of how insignificant they are! Why you Autobots waste so much time and energy protecting them is a mystery. But don't worry, most of them won't die in the Cyberformation process. They'll be gathered up as a food source for the Insecticons."
"The Autobots won't allow that to happen!" You said giving him a glare.
"The Autobots won't have a choice in the matter." Starscream replied. His voice had taken on an eerie emotionless tone. He set about starting up machines and hooking wires up to the Heart of Raijin.
"You know, the day I met you was both a blessing and a curse. You opened my optics to many things. You allowed me to start thinking differently, but you also revealed harsh truths. For one, kindness is fleeting. You gave me a taste of something that I've never had but always wanted. Then you took it away. Your accursed loyalty to the Autobots make it impossible for you to see me as anything other than an enemy. But that leads to the other harsh truth you taught me: I never get what I want. Respect, power, anything that I want I'm denied. Always I get a taste of it then it's taken away. When you tried to escape today it only confirmed this." Starscream sounded like a different mech as he told you this. He continued to talk as he powered up a large computer and began typing things into it.
"I was a fool to think that I could earn the respect and adoration of my fellow Decepticons. I thought that all I had to do was overthrow Megatron and the others would see that I was the better leader. It never worked. I couldn't even earn their loyalty… and I couldn't keep Starfire's…" He trailed off but suddenly perked up.
"That's all in the past now, because I've learned. Thanks to you I now understand that if I want anything, I must take it by force!" He turned to face you and you could see he was holding something. Whatever it was it was extremely small, and he held it balanced on the tip of one of his fingers.
"With Bombshell's Cerebro-shells and the power of the Heart of Raijin, I have my best friend back! It's like no time was lost between us! Skyfire is just as I remembered him before he went missing and the Autobots steered him away from me. Now, even your sniveling friends are under my power! Their only thoughts are to do my bidding! With the aid of the Insecticons I will infiltrate both the Autobot and Decepticon bases and everyone there will be fitted with the enhanced Cerebro-shells. They will all be reduced to my loyal subjects! That includes your noble Optimus Prime and accursed Megatron!"
He was insane. You had your suspicions before, but he talked as if he were going to take over everything and everyone! Still, the entire time he monologued like a cartoon supervillain there was another question forming in the back of your mind. You dreaded asking because you were afraid of his response. You had to know.
"Where is Brawn?" you asked.
Starscream quieted. He approached you, still holding the tiny object on his fingertip. His expression was cold and full of disdain.
"Even now you can only think of him..." He said. You weren't sure if it was a question or a statement. You weren't even sure if he was talking to you.
"Tell me the truth, Starscream. Where is he? What did you do to him?" You bombarded him with question after question, all concerning Brawn.
Starscream was trembling with increasing rage.
"SILENCE! DON'T MENTION HIM AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME!?" He shrieked causing your audials to ache. You quieted and let him seethe. When he finally managed to calm down, he spoke again, "I'll tell you the truth, I have no idea what happened to your worthless mini-bot companion!" he said, his voice not quite as shrill but still painful to listen to.
"Did you think that I added him to my growing army?" he asked, a demented glow coming from his optics. "He was left behind, abandoned to his fate! With luck the Insecticons devoured him!"
"You don't know Brawn the way I do!" You said without thinking. You just couldn't stand the idea that he might be dead.
Starscream looked like he was going to blow a fuse for a moment before he calmed down.
"Your attachment to that little twerp would be cute if it weren't so disgusting." He muttered.
"In a few moments it won't matter anyway." He added darkly. "After today, I'll never have to hear you utter his wretched name again! My name will be the only one on your lips."
You glared at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" you demanded.
"Every king needs a consort, my pet. I've chosen you for mine."
"I'd rather die! I don't want anything to do with a monster like you!" you shouted in defiance, the horror of such a thing was too much for you to bear.
"I know." Starscream said quietly. "It's like I said before, I can't have what I want. And I can't earn it, so I have to take it."
He leaned over you and held up the object on his finger for you to see. It was a small mechanical device shaped like a tiny beetle. A Cerebro-shell. You went into a full-blown panic.
"No! Don't do this, Starscream! This isn't what you really want!" You pleaded, desperately trying to reason with him.
"Do think I don't know that?" he snapped. "Do you think I wouldn't rather you be by my side of your own free will? Of course, I do, but you won't have me. Even if we were on the same side, even if your beloved Brawn weren't around, you wouldn't want me. I couldn't earn your adoration for all the energon in the universe! So, I have to take it by force. I don't want to do this, my pet, believe me, but I have no choice… except to take away yours."
He grabbed your face to hold your head still. You screamed as he placed the Cerebro-shell onto your forehead.
Note: Well that's the end. I apologize if the last bit of this chapter seemed rushed because it kinda was. I'm leaving the ending open ended. It's up to you if Brawn's still alive or not and whether or not you get rescued (or if you even can be rescued). Thank you, predaqueenisarcee256 for sticking with me for this long. I hope this story met your expectations.