Starscream didn't think this was going to end well for him.
The Combaticons were rough in pushing him forward; all cruel laughs and jokes at his expense as they moved down the corridor. Starscream was trying not to let his panic show too much to these mechs who obviously didn't care about how he felt except to make him suffer.
Yet again, he really wished his old self would have just toned it down a little.
He had some small daydreams of that conversation, of how it would go. His old self, all malicious smirks and shrieking obscenities (he guessed), and him, calm, collected, observing, having a conversation about why the frag had he wasted his life pissing off every single mech around him?
Or maybe… Actually. He should be asking what caused him to be like that.
Again, he tried to comm Skywarp, Thundercracker, Ramjet, even Rumble. It seemed either something was jamming comms or they were too busy to answer.
They encountered some Autobots in the hallway who at first would try to engage them, but then would see it was the Combaticons and then fall back. A few gave Starscream a strange look, but it seemed like they couldn't stay long enough to decide how they wanted to respond.
Starscream was impressed with the ferocity of the Combaticons. They fought well as a unit and had very little qualms about just diving into a fight, but always seemed to have some kind of strategy that they were all playing off of and coordinated their movements.
"You keep staring," Vortex said in an irritated voice.
Starscream sighed as Onslaught held tight to his shoulder and pushed him down the hallway. "Just observing."
"And what have you observed?" Blast Off said. "What has the great Starscream noticed about how we are fighting?"
"That's enough talking," Onslaught said. "Starscream is the most dangerous when his mouth is moving."
Starscream scowled. He wished he could live up to the version of himself that Onslaught thought he was. He might have been able to figure out how to get out of this mess.
They came across another set of Autobots who immediately began firing on them. Starscream tried to move into a nearby door frame to escape the crossfire, but Onslaught held him still and used Starscream's shoulder to brace his gun as he stood behind the seeker. Starscream found he could not budge, but just stare down helplessly at the Autobots who were firing at him.
"Now would be the time to fire back, Commander," Onslaught growled behind him. Starscream opened his mouth to respond that he couldn't, but then-
He got hit in the wing and his upper thigh before the firing stopped. He flinched and then grimaced in pain as the shots stung horribly.
The Autobots gave him a look of recognition that turned to confusion and then finally, fury.
Great. They understood what was happening. Now they would be even more convinced of their righteousness and… Starscream couldn't blame them.
"WHAT THE FRAG, CONS?!" said one of them: a short, red one with horns on his helm. There was a derisive chuckle from the Combaticons behind Starscream that made his plating crawl.
"What? Can't help that you all are suckers," Swindle called.
Their laughter was cut off when more Autobots appeared and started to engage them in hand-to-hand combat, throwing punches and trying to tackle them. Onslaught roughly threw Starscream into the door frame and started to fight back.
Starscream watched the fighting with panic. He pushed his back up against the door and was trying to key in to open it, but it wasn't working. Vortex was roughly thrown up against the wall beside him, and a big red Autobot was coming after him with a dark look. Starscream winced as the Autobot punched Vortex in the face then kneed him in the stomach, making him double over. Seeming to remember himself, Vortex then launched himself around the Autobot's waist. They fell backward into a heap into the corridor again.
Someone then grabbed Starscream's elbow and was pulling him away toward the Autobots side of the hallway. Starscream tripped trying to keep pace but was surprised when he saw who it was. "Jazz?!"
"Are you alright?" Jazz asked over his shoulder, still pulling, his grip firm on him.
Starscream knew he was limping and knew his wing was in searing pain, but he knew where this was going before Jazz even went there. "I know what It must look like but-"
"Starscream. What the frag," Jazz said, pulling him closer as they turned the corner. Starscream heard the sound of yells, snarls, fighting, and groans behind him as the Combaticons were still engaged with the Autobots. "You said they were treating you well. Did you lie to me?"
"Jazz-" Starscream said, plaintively. He glanced back at the Combaticons, and then down at the servo holding his elbow, then back into Jazz's blue visor. "Jazz, let me go."
Jazz ignored him. "Starscream, are they… using you as a shield against us?"
Starscream was close enough to Jazz's face to see the fiery blue optics behind the visor, and he… he actually felt fear bloom in his tanks. "It's not-"
"Oh SLAG THIS," Jazz growled, and Starscream flinched. Jazz didn't seem to notice. "Starscream, I was wrong, and I should have just taken you with me."
"No, please, Jazz, it's not everyone. It's just them. They don't believe me; they think I'm lying about all of it. Jazz. Please. I don't-"
"Starscream," Jazz said, a touch softer this time. "Even if most of the base is kind to you, it's obvious they can't protect you-"
Starscream's face erupted in frustration. "Protect me from WHO? You?" Starscream cried. "You are the ones who are attacking the base. This wouldn't even have happened if you weren't attacking- why are you even here?" Starscream wanted to pull back his arm from Jazz's grip, but he couldn't find the will to do so. He just stared at it with growing distress, then looked up at Jazz in pain.
Jazz cursed under his vents. "Listen: I messed up. We messed up in the worst way possible and it's… tearing us apart on our side. We need to make this right or else we can't call ourselves Autobots."
Starscream was shaking his helm. "Your version of making things right is attacking my home? Just let me live my life. Do I at least get choose that? Primus knows you took everything else away from me," he said bitterly. But the stricken look on Jazz's faceplates made him feel… oddly prickly. Like talons or claws gliding across his frame, and he felt a little dizzy.
The sounds of fighting sounded distant even though he was pretty sure things were the same out there. It was just him and Jazz looking at each other, Jazz clenching his jaw and Starscream trying to stop a tremor from breaking through into his servos. "Just let me figure it out," Starscream said quietly. "You literally can force me to do anything but I'm hoping you are better than that, like you claim to be. I understand you are trying to help but I can figure it out."
Jazz was shaking his helm. "They are using you, Starscream, can't you see that? This isn't the right place for you! I can't let this-" Jazz then stopped and just stared at Starscream for a few precious moments. Then Jazz finally dropped his elbow. He looked at Starscream with concern and care, and Starscream actually felt a little surprised. Why did Jazz care so much? Was it actually about him, or was it about something else?
Another black and white Autobot with a red chevron on his forehead jogged up to them. "Is he coming? We have to move."
Starscream looked back and forth between the two of them, settling on Jazz. "I can't leave Skywarp and Thundercracker," he said quietly. "Please don't do this."
Jazz looked torn, which Starscream thought was a good sign. Better that he was debating it.
"Jazz," the new Autobots rebuked.
Jazz helm snapped out of his confusion, looking to the other bot and then back to Starscream. "I'm sorry, Starscream-"
Starscream stepped back with a sharp intake of breath, and Jazz looked incredibly sad. He reached out a servo, intending to grab him. Starscream watched the servo in slow-motion, incredulous that no one believed him, that no one was listening to him, and that this was his life now. Constantly told what his limits were and forced to follow the whims of those that claimed they knew better.
Then Blast Off and Brawl appeared in a flying tackle, taking down Jazz and the other Autobot with them.
Starscream looked at the fighting happening in front of him with wide optics. The violence seared itself on a part of his processor and paralyzed him with fear. He desperately looked down the corridor beside him and then decided that he could make a run for it, if his frame would cooperate.
Slowly, he willed his pedes to move. He watched the engaged fighters carefully, hoping that they would miss where he went. He coiled up all of his tension, all of his fear, and threw it into his legs to try and spurn his escape as he began running as quickly as he could.
He was running down a series of corridors, not sure where he should go. Clearly, he had to avoid the Autobots as best that he could, but now… he was worried about running into Decepticons as well. Thundercracker had told him that everyone on the base had pledged to protect him, but either that had been another lie or that some pledges had been lies.
And… speaking of lies. His memory loss had not been a result of his accident. Or, more accurately, they had been intentionally stolen from him. Hook had implied it was for the best, but yet again… the fact that everyone had lied about it made him suspicious.
Megatron's odd behavior around him made him wonder if there was a connection there.
Starscream tripped and his wound on his thigh opened up more in burning pain. Some energon now was welling out, and he realized he wasn't going to be able to run much more. He figured he needed to hide but this part of the base was somewhat unfamiliar to him. He pulled himself off the ground and moved into another doorframe and sat down on the ground.
This was a nightmare. He thunked his helm back against the metal wall behind him, feeling incredibly tired.
"There you are!" Swindle said.
Starscream closed his optics in irritation.
"Didn't get very far, didya?" Swindle walked up and crouched down looking at him at optic-level. "Oh that looks like it hurt, hmm?"
Starscream just watched him with a frown.
"…You're uh, bleeding quite a bit there, 'Screamer." Swindle's smile faded. "Saw you arguing with Jazz back there. Seems like he wanted to take you with him."
"Yes. He wants to save me from the Decepticons, Swindle. Because I'm not competent to make my own decisions."
Swindle frowned. He looked at Starscream's face for a long time, then clenched his jaw. "You're not faking it are you?"
"I'm not," Starscream said wearily. "I don't even know what I did to you to make you hate me so much but for some reason, it doesn't surprise me."
Swindle watched him for a few moments longer, his optics dancing as if weighing everything. "Well, that's no fun." He slapped his thighs and stood looking down at Starscream. "That's a raw deal though, huh."
Starscream attempted to stand and had to use the wall to brace himself. "What finally convinced you?"
"Hmm. Just the general package," he said. "Something about you now is… naïve. Less of a manipulator and more of a mark."
There were other pedefalls in the hallway and the other Combaticons arrived, surrounding the doorway. They looked a little worse for wear and regarded Starscream coldly.
"Surprised we didn't lose you," Onslaught said suspiciously.
Starscream gave a cold stare and then shrugged. "I'm not familiar with this part of the base."
Onslaught looked to Swindle who was still watching Starscream with an intent look. Swindle then sighed and turned to his gestalt leader. "He ain't faking it. We messed up."
Onslaught pulled back and then took a few menacing steps towards Starscream. "He has to be faking it," he said angrily, grabbing Starscream's wing. Starscream glared up at him, hardening his jaw into a grimace. Onslaught returned the glare. "It… has to be… fake."
"Why does it have to be fake?" Starscream asked quietly.
Onslaught kept staring. Then he dropped his servo off of his wing and his look lost its edge. For a split second, Starscream thought he registered sadness or fear on his face, but it was quickly hardened.
"We have to get him to Hook," Onslaught said with a growl. "I supposed there will be Pit to pay if the precious Prince of Vos is permanently damaged." He grabbed Starscream by the elbow this time, bracing him so that he could walk. "We aren't going to have any trouble, are we, Starscream?"
Starscream grimaced as he was pulled forward into the hallway. "What do you mean by trouble?"
"Well, you are going to tell them exactly what we want you to tell them, right? How we saved you from the Autobots?" Onslaught roughly jerked him so that he stumbled.
"Frag you," he said, coming off more irritated than angry. He could never quite get the right tone of anger that he wanted to add to his words; it always felt muted. "Why would I tell anything other than the truth?"
"Well, what is the truth Starscream? That you got hit by some Autobots? And that we rescued you, but unfortunately you got caught in the way?" Onslaught pulled Starscream closer to stare him down. "Or do I need to have a deep and painful conversation with Thundercracker and Skywarp?"
Starscream softened his features, surrendering in Onslaught's grip. He didn't doubt that Skywarp and Thundercracker could take care of themselves, and probably had been for a long time, but he didn't know the extent of the Combaticons' abilities. And they were clearly ferocious fighters. He gave Onslaught a sad look. "You should have just listened to me."
"You'll pardon me if I still find that hard to do after all this time."
Starscream's gaze fell and he sighed. Onslaught drew back, releasing Starscream with a push.
"It might be suspicious if Starscream is the only one with wounds on him," Swindle stated, eyeing Starscream's damaged frame.
"Yeah, you're right, come here," Brawl said, grabbing Swindle.
"Aw mech, really, what- ow! OW-" Swindle said, taking some hard punches from Brawl.
Starscream watched them as they punched each other, his face tight and his wings low.
Jazz might have been right. This might not be the right place for him, after all.