CHAPTER 3

The Autobots


Some twenty or so cycles later, Starscream heard footsteps approaching his cell, though this time he could hear more than one pair of heavy footsteps. It sounded like three...no, four bots coming his way, one smaller than the others, his pedesteps were slightly lighter than the three others. He wasn't sure how he knew this, but it felt natural somehow.

He saw a group of shadows appear on the wall outside his cell, and seconds later a group of bots, accompanied by the human Leon, appeared in front of his cell. He silently counted them. Two big bots of approximately the same size, one of them being Ironhide, the other being black and white with winglets and red horns on his forehead; one large bot, bigger than the other two, with red and blue armor as well as silver thighs; and a small bot, yellow with black stripes and a pair of yellow horns on his head as well. Four bots in total, just as he had predicted. Interesting.

Starscream heard them talking, but was unsure which voices belonged to whom.

"Can he really not remember anything?" a light-toned voice asked.

"Not sure if he can't remember nothin'," Ironhide's deep voice replied, "but he didn't remember his name."

"Perhaps he's brain-damaged," a voice with a rather blank tone suggested. "That could work fine for us."

"Whatever may be wrong with him," a deep, dark yet soothing voice sounded, "we best be careful. We will have Ratchet take a look at him."

Starscream frowned as he gazed at the four bots. It sounded like they were insulting him, though he wasn't sure how. This fact annoyed him more, making him feel dumb.

"I may not remember much," Starscream said, gaining the bots' attention, "but I do know that it's rather rude to talk about someone while he's right in front of you."

The bots looked at each other before the biggest of them, the red and blue one, spoke, being the one with the soothing voice.

"You are right," he said. "I apologize. Starscream, do you know who we are?"

"I know the red one there is called Ironhide," Starscream replied and studied the other bots. "I don't know the rest of you."

"My name is Optimus Prime," the soothing bot replied. "Leader of the Autobots."

"Autobots?" Starscream repeated in confusion. "I thought we were Transformers."

"We are," Optimus replied patiently. "But we are part of a faction of Transformers called Autobots. You know Ironhide," he added and pointed at Ironhide. "This is Prowl," he said and pointed to the black and white bot with winglets, who nodded with a blank face. "And this is Bumblebee," Optimus added and laid a servo on the small yellow bot's shoulder.

Starscream followed Optimus' servo gestures to each Autobot, taking in their names. "Prowl and Bumblebee," he repeated. "And Optimus Prime. Is that right?"

"Yes," Optimus replied and paused for a moment. "Do you know why you are being held captive here?"

"No," Starscream replied. "I was just minding my own business when I was suddenly attacked by those little screamers, then suddenly I find myself here. Do you know me?"

"We do know you," Optimus replied. "You are Starscream."

"That's my name, I know my name," Starscream replied, starting to get irritated. "I want to know who I am. I want to know who I was before I lost my memories. Because I'm sure I didn't just pop out of nowhere in existence, given the fact you all know my name and seem to know me. So I ask again. Who am I?"

The Autobots exchanged glances, unsure if they should tell him.

"We...did not know you very well before," Optimus said, perhaps not entirely true. "We do know your name and that you are a warrior."

"A warrior?" Starscream repeated intrigued. "What's a warrior?"

"Someone who fights," Ironhide replied instead of Optimus. "But perhaps we should get Ratchet to take a look at you. Right, Prime?"

"Right," Optimus replied. "Prowl, go inside and release him."

The Autobots exchanged concerned glances for some reason. "Are you sure it's a good idea to release him, just like that, Prime?" Bumblebee asked concerned.

"We will see," Prime replied. "Do it."

With a blank facial expression, Prowl unlocked the door to Starscream's cell and stepped inside. He went over to Starscream and grabbed one of the chains holding his legs and released it. Starscream watched intently as the Autobot released the other chains holding the other leg and rose to grab the chains holding his left arm.

"I am going to release your arms now," Prowl informed Starscream calmly. "Do not try to attack or escape, understand?"

"Why would I attack you?" Starscream replied. Prowl couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or sincere.

Without further debate, Prowl unlocked the chains to Starscream's left arm and watched it fall to his side. Prowl went to his right side and did the same with the right arm chains. Soon Starscream was free from all chains and restraints and rose to his legs, a bit unstable due to the pain in his torso but soon found his footing. He gazed at Prowl with a raised optical ridge. Prowl laid a servo on the other's shoulder and lead him out of the cell. Starscream looked at the Autobots. They seemed tense somehow.

"Come with us," Optimus said and started walking, followed by Ironhide and Leon. Prowl and Bumblebee walked with Starscream behind the others, watching him from behind. Starscream looked from side to side as they walked through a tunnel of metal and rock, trying to ignore the soreness in his abdomen.

"Where are you taking me?" Starscream asked, a bit concerned.

"To the command center," Optimus replied. "We will find Ratchet there, and he will take a look at you."

Soon the small party arrived in a big room with several other Autobots and humans standing here and there. There were many computers and monitors as well as a higher level of railings for the humans to stand on, and doorways leading to other hallways and rooms. To the right was a large doorway with an advanced framing, lights situated at the top and bottom of the opening. Through it was a road of some sort, but it seemed to end by a wall after mere 15 meters distance. To the left of the room was another similar opening, but it seemed to curve 10 meters ahead, making it uncertain where it lead. Next to that opening was a pair of closed doors, seemingly an elevator of some sort.

As the Autobots in front stepped to the side and Starscream stepped into the command center, all the resident Autobots and humans turned their attention to him. Most had shock painted on their faces, others seemed angry or fearful. Starscream remembered last time he had been met by these reactions, and he lifted his arms as it apparently would signal he was not going to attack.

Instead, however, as Starscream lifted his arms, the same rods from before suddenly appeared from a section in his arms. He flinched by the action, and as he saw several Autobots and humans draw their own strange rods and pointed them at him, he covered his face and lowered his wings, afraid he would be attacked like before. It seemed the gesture he made was seen as a threat rather than a surrender.

But no one fired at him, for the one called Optimus Prime stepped in front of him with his arms spread out to shield Starscream.

"Do not fire," Optimus ordered calmly but sternly. "It is alright. He will not attack. Right, Starscream?" He added the last bit while glancing at the startled Starscream, who dared to peek out from his arms and lowered them, knowing the big Autobot did not want him to get hurt. Starscream nodded, though kept his wings lowered in uncertainty and gazed concerned at the Autobots in the room.

"Ratchet," Optimus said to the white bot with red markings and similar horns to Bumblebee and Prowl, "I want you to take a look at Starscream's processor. His memory chips may be damaged."

The one called Ratchet stepped forward, seemingly more startled by the others' reactions than Starscream's own unintentional threatening gesture. "Come here," he said with a calm voice similar to Prowl's.

Still with downcast wings and a concerned look around, Starscream cautiously stepped forward and followed Ratchet to a small corner in the command center where a pair of tables and a chair stood by a pair of large tubes, centered by a large machine with two monitors and several buttons.

"Sit down in the chair," Ratchet said, and Starscream oblieged silently. "I will induce stasis."

"Stasis?" Starscream repeated. "What's stasis?"

"You will fall asleep," Ratchet explained, unmoved by the other's lack of knowledge, "and I will examine you on the inside. It's a painless procedure."

"Alright," Starscream replied, a bit concerned as he felt the pain in his torso intensify. Some time without pain sounded nice.

Ratchet attached a cable to Starscream's neck from behind and pressed a button. Suddenly Starscream felt really sleepy. He tried to keep his optics open, but the force was too strong and he eventually had to give in. He closed his optics and fell unconscious, still sitting upright in the chair.


"Laser scalpel," Ratchet said as he stood in position looking at the back of Starscream's helm.

Wheeljack handed over the laser scalpel and watched the doctor work his magic. Most of the other Autobots continued with their own businesses, but Optimus stood and watched with Wheeljack.

Ratchet started by cutting a line in Starscream's helm until the cut piece could be taken off.

"Tweezer," Ratchet ordered and received a tweezer from Wheeljack. He proceeded to grab the helm piece with the tweezer and pulled it off Starscream's head, revealing his brain module.

"Alright, let's see what we've got here..." Ratchet said to himself. "Durabillium drill."

Wheeljack handed over the drill and watched as Ratchet proceeded to turn the drill on, drilling into Starscream's brain module. He made sure not to drill too deep and destroy something. Some of the other Autobots felt a bit uneasy by the sound and images in their minds. As he got to the right place, he stopped the drill and put it down.

"Micro-cam," Ratchet ordered and was handed a rod with a tiny camera at the end of it. He stuck the rod carefully into the hole he had made in Starscream's brain module and began examining him.

After a few nano-cycles, Ratchet sighed. "Dear Primus," he commented. "His memory chips are completely fried. The only intact ones in here are those of communication, motor function and instincts. Everything else is for the scrap yard."

While not a loud comment, it did catch the attention of the other Autobots that weren't watching the operation. They gazed over to the medbay but didn't approach. It wasn't a pretty sight to see a bot sitting in a chair with his head open and a rod in his processor.

"Can they be repaired?" Optimus asked.

"Maybe, but the healing process could take years," Ratchet replied. "We may as well install new memory chips if we had any."

"Is his Spark stable?"

Wheeljack studied the monitors currently linked to Starscream, showing his status. "Spark seems healthy," the engineer answered. "Though the damage to his processor might be serious enough that it's affected his Spark as well. Could take a real long time for him to remember everythin'. Y'know, if we want him to remember. We don't, do we?"

Optimus was silent for a moment. "Having Starscream in our possession provides us a great advantage over Megatron," Prime said, "but I am unsure if it is a good idea to keep his former life a secret from him. He has the right to know."

"He'll just attack us and return to Buckethead at the first chance," Sideswipe commented from the sidelines, having listened to their conversation. "We can't have him return to the 'Cons when we have him like this!"

"I agree with Swipe," Sunstreaker said. "This is a big chance for us, big bot! We have to take it!"

"Just imagine if we could turn him to our side," Bumblebee said with eager. "More air support!"

"Starscream does seem important to Megatron in several ways," Prowl went in. "Without his second-in-command, Megatron is at a disadvantage. Keeping him with us makes sense."

Everyone seemed to agree, both Autobots and humans. The only ones not seeming keen on the idea were Optimus and Ironhide.

"I don't know," Ironhide said. "He could remember on his own if we keep him like this. But if we give him new memory chips..."

"We'd basically have to teach him everything about everything," Ratchet informed. "Something we don't have time for. It would prevent him from remembering his place with the Decepticons, yes, but it would also render him useless for a possibly long period of time."

"How about we keep the memory chips of his expertise for repairs," Wheeljack suggested, "and only take out the chips on his bein' a 'Con?"

"Good idea," Ratchet replied sarcastically, "if there was a way to know which memory chips contains what, that is. I can't just remove memory chips at random. But it doesn't matter either way, because we do not have any blank memory chips at the moment. I will have to close him up for now and get him out of stasis. We'll discuss what to do with it at a later date."

"Very well," Optimus replied. "While Ratchet closes him up, the rest of us should discuss what to do with him when he wakes up. He will start asking questions. We need to find out how much to tell him and what we should leave out."

"And which lies we have to tell him," Wheeljack added. "'Cause that's pretty much what we're doin' right now. We can't tell him the truth, so we'll have to come up with somethin'. Any ideas?"

Optimus and the rest of the Autobots aside from Ratchet and Wheeljack walked away from the medbay to discuss Starscream's situation, letting the medic close the former Decepticon up.

"Actually, Ratch," Wheeljack added before Ratchet began to close up, "I think I have an idea..."