After what happened with the scraplets, things went back to how they normally were.
Except Starscream decided to spend more time with the kids.
He doesn't do much, just gets out of his room more to watch them have fun and making sure nothing bad happens to them.
But he's not doing to this cause he cares about them.
Starscream is just making sure the children don't get killed, cause if these clumsy autobots step on them, they'll probably be too sad to do their work.
Recently, there have been missions that have been things other than collecting energon in caves.
Starscream refused to do them, cause it was easier for him to hide in the dark caves or even in a snow storm.
He could handle vehicons, but he just wasn't ready to possibly face the other decepticons...
Especially Dreadwing.
Optimus was very understanding and lets Starscream stay at the base during those missions.
Ratchet protested being alone with the former con, but the medic did what Optimus wanted.
However, Ratchet made sure that Starscream was always in the same room as him during those times.
From what Starscream heard, the Air Commander named Dreadwing that took his place is demanding for him and his spark.
Then the autobots encountered... them.
MECH.
And Silas was still alive.
He somehow survived Meagtron's attack.
Staying at the base during those times was probably the smartest choice Starscream ever made.
However, Optimus was worried about him.
The prime knew that Starscream spending most of his time in cramped places was bad for the seeker.
So Optimus asked Starscream to join Arcee and Jack on patrol in a forest area, so the seeker would get fresh air and sun.
Starscream had refused at first, but he reluctantly agreed so he would stop hearing Optimus' constant worry.
1010101010
Dreadwing can't believe he's doing this, even as he makes a call to her ship.
He glared at the sadistic and amused purple optics that greeted him.
"Hello Dreadwing, it's been a long time."
"Airachnid... you used to be the decepticons' greatest assassin. I usually don't request the help of traitors, but there's a bigger traitor I want dead. It's Starscream, he's joined the autobots and he nearly killed Megatron. If you bring me his head, we will give you lots of energon and weapons made by Shockwave. Do we have a deal?"
"Yes we do. Though honestly, I would've done it for free, but I won't say no to new weapons. So... which planet is he on again?"
1010101010
The forest was... peaceful.
Despite the chatter from Arcee and Jack.
Starscream felt uncomfortable being so close to the partner of the fallen Cliffjumper.
Even though Starscream didn't mean to kill the red autobot, Arcee most likely wouldn't believe it was an accident.
And if any of the autobots found out that Cliffjumper's killer was with them...
Hopefully, they'll never know the truth.
They can't know.
1010101010
Starscream's body felt colder than when he was in that snowstorm.
Airachnid's ship was on Earth.
This means the sparkless spider assassin was here as well and she found a way to prevent communication, which means Arcee can't ask for a groundbridge.
Starscream didn't know what to do.
Arcee stayed stubborn in her desire to hunt down Airachnid, cause of what the spider did to her best friend, Tailgate and the rest of her old team.
While Starscream wanted to take Jack and go back to the base where it's safe.
But Starscream couldn't let Arcee face Airachnid alone.
So he forced himself to follow her.
When they found Airachnid sneaking around and seeming to be looking for something.
Arcee turned and looked Starscream in the eyes. "If anything happens to me, bring Jack back to the base safe."
Then Arcee ran to her enemy and striked.
Starscream stays hidden by the trees during the battle and made sure Jack did the same.
The fight between the two powerful female bots is quite a sight to behold.
Until Airachnid captured Arcee by webbing her to a rock.
"No!" Jack yelled, running to his friend, to both Arcee's and Starscream's horror.
"Jack, wait!" Starscream shouted, but quickly covered his mouth.
But it was too late.
Airchnid turned her head to his voice and saw him.
She grinned in victory as she shot a web that trapped Jack next to Arcee.
Airachnid then entered her spider mode and slowly crawled to her new prey.
"Well, hello Starscream." Airachnid purred. "It's been such a long time. A lot has changed about you. And I don't just mean those lovely new purple optics. Someone told me your an autobot now, which is surprising considering what they did to Vos."
Starscream growled angerily at this and aimed his missiles at the spider bot. "That was Shockwave's bomb that destroyed Vos!"
Airachnid stopped walking and laughed. "Oh, that's right. And you were stupid enough to believe Megatron, despite all the other lies he told you and everyone else."
Starscream bared his sharp teeth, resisting the secret desire to bite off Airachnid's smug face. "Why are you here, bug?"
Airachnid chuckled at his pathetic insult. "Well you see, the decepticons aren't really happy that you somehow put Megatron in a coma and one of them wanted me to bring your head to them. Which is too bad, cause you have such a beautiful and terrifed face, I would've loved to look at it every day on my ship."
Airachnid looked at the trapped and struggling Arcee. "But I'll be okay with having Arcee's head in my collection instead. I'll put her with the rest of her team. Right next to Tailgate."
Arcee became more enraged hearing this and struggled harder in the web.
Airachnid started slowly walking towards Starscream again. "If only I had Cliffjumper's head, then she could be reunited with all her partners..."
She saw the way the seeker flinched at this and smirked at the flickers of guilt in his optics. "You wouldn't know what happened to him, would you Starscream?"
Starscream's spark began to hurt again, just like it did when Optimus almost died. "...I don't know what happened to him. I wasn't there."
Arcee and Jack were too busy fighting off the web to listen or see his guilt, but Airachnid's optics brightened and she grinned darkly at his lie.
Well, isn't this wonderfully ironic?
Arcee is working with Starscream, who killed her partner Cliffjumper and she has no idea about it.
Airachnid's next words were spoken softly. "You did something to him... I wonder how Arcee would feel if I told her this."
Starscream optics widened at this, but he said nothing.
"But don't worry, Starscream. I won't tell her. It will be more fun if she learns on her own. Now, let's make some fun." Airachnid showed off her claws and fangs. Starscream aimed his missiles again and kept his distance from his enemy.
Even though Starscream wasn't caught in a web, he still felt trapped.
...But he won't let Airachnid win.
1010101010
He managed to take the battle with the sadistic spider into the forest, where Arcee and Jack were safe from harm.
Starscream was surprised that he managed to dodge all of her webs.
Until just now.
The seeker yelped as the white goop got him stuck to a tree.
The spider hisses in delight as Starscream's optics widened. "Oh, I am going to enjoy this... You've always made the best terrified faces Starscream. I think I will put your head right in the center of my collection, so I can see your face everyday..."
Starscream glared. "You disgusting creature!"
"Like you're one to judge!" Airachnid laughed.
She aimed the bladed tip of her spider leg and Starscream closed his eyes to prepare for the pain.
He felt it pierce right over his spark, the energon gushing out of his chest.
He could feel his body becoming empty...
BOOM!
There was an explosion, somewhere deeper in the forest.
Airachnid snapped her head to the direction of the noise and fire. "What?!"
She didn't have time to say anything else, as seeker claws that have grown even longer ripped through her strong webs like it was nothing and grabbed her head.
She felt a tube latch onto her neck and refused to let go.
She screamed and desperately stabbed at the creature's optics to make it let go, but even blind, the beast did not loosen its grip.
Before she lost all her strength, Airachnid managed to cut off the creature's tube with her hand claws and she flees to where her ship is at.
1010101010
"I... I did it." Jack sighed in relief, watching the ship burn.
The human boy managed to escape the webbing with his multi-tool and though Arcee was still trapped and begged him to not go back into the forrest, he knew he had to do something to stop Airachnid from hurting anyone else.
"YOU!"
Jack gasped and turned around to get webbed to the ground, an angry and hissing Airachnid above him.
"You will pay for this!"
She raised her hand to strike him, but a pair of sharp teeth and a sickening crunch stopped her attack.
Jack's eyes widened as energon splashes on him.
Airachnid screamed when some monsters ripped her hand off and then slashed off one of her spider legs.
The spider pushes the thing off of her and then drills herself underground.
Jack wipes the blue liquid off of his face and gasps in horror when he realizes that the monster was looking right at him.
"S-Starscream?!"
Starscream sniffed Jack and growled in disgust before going to consume the leg he stole from Airachnid.
...Okay?
Whatever is happening to Starscream, it seems that he doesn't like to eat organics, similar to the scraplets.
That's good news.
Starscream suddenly jolted his head up and it seemed that the life returned to his once crazed optics.
The seeker turned to the boy and wiped his mouth. "...Jack?"
Jack nervously waved. "Uhh... hi?"
"...How much of that did you see?"
"...I saw you eat Airachnid's hand."
"Oh."
"You did save my life though, so I guess it's a good thing."
"..."
"But seriously Starscream, what happened?"
The seeker flinched at this question and awkwardly twidled his fingers. "I..."
A motorcycle's engine could be heard coming towards them and then Arcee appeared and transformed with her wrist blades ready.
She blinked at the sight before her. "...Looks like I missed the fight... so much for closure."
Starscream sighed. "Well... if it makes you feel better, she escaped before I could kill her, so you still have a chance."
"I see you still blew up her ship though. Impressive." Arcee smirked.
Starscream chuckled. "Actually, I think that was all Jack's doing."
Jack smiled. "Guess I'm officially your partner now, right?"
Arcee smiled back warmly. "Junior partner. Hey Ratchet, can you hear me now? We need a groundbridge."
Whiile she wasn't looking, Jack silently mouthed to Starscream that this isn't over.