A/N: It's been a LONG time. Too long I imagine. But finally I have a new chapter for you all! I hope it is enjoyable!
Trying to be an Autobot
"Chapter 9: Prove Yourself"
By Leah King
Centuries ago on Cybertron…
The day had been fairly pleasant for Starscream. Practice with Thundercracker and Skywarp had been satisfactory; they were actually listening to his orders and behaving more like a winning team. The Seeker Trials were only a couple days away and he was feeling very confident. As he swooped in for a landing he saw Rapida on the deck waving at him. Just for her he did a tail slide right in front of her, hovered, flipped over, transformed, and bowed before her elegantly.
"Wow! How do you do that?" she clapped with a bewildered look.
Her apparent awe of him boosted his confidence and his voice barely wavered as he spoke to her.
"I guess in comes naturally." Starscream admitted. "How are you today Rapida?" he briefly glanced around, "Where is Contrail?"
"I'm good. Contrail is still practicing. I'm just waiting for him to finish."
Starscream contained his disgust enough to withhold an optic roll. Instead he noticed the data pad in Rapida's arms. The screen showed something having to do with Energon.
"What are you researching?" Starscream inquired with a curious tip of his head.
Rapida looked at her data pad and smiled embarrassed, "Oh. Just some research I've been working on."
"What kind of research?"
"Oh you wouldn't want to hear all of this scientific junk." She assured.
Starscream smirked, "No…perhaps not. But I'd love to see your work on the different forms of Energon and their uses."
She glanced at the pad and then at him, "How did you…?"
"I too am interested in Energon. With any luck I'll be an Energon Seeker by week's end. It is…a fascination of mine." Other than flying, Starscream was an expert in seeing an opening. He held out a hand, "Contrail will no doubt be practicing for a while and the labs are just a building away. Why don't you show me what you've discovered?"
Rapida smiled again, ducking her head a bit, ""I'm not really supposed to let anyone outside the department in there…"
"You do not have to risk yourself just for my curiosity, Rapida." Starscream said gently. "But I would be delighted to accompany you if you would have me?"
She mulled the idea over a moment then took his hand, "Ok. We won't be long."
…
Later in the lab…
Rapida entered the sealed lab with her access code, "We'll be quick. No one will ever know."
Secrets…secrets between friends. Starscream liked the sound of that.
Amid the amalgam of high tech machinery and vials Starscream was immediately drawn to the secured access panel that housed the samples of different types of Energon. Rapida made her way to the secured doors and opened them with a special key. The doors chirped and opened to reveal rows of Energon samples. Most were a plethora of blues; the most common color of Energon; but a few were red and pink.
"Red Energon!" Starscream exclaimed leaning in closer. "I've heard of only a few small pockets have ever been discovered."
Rapida nodded her teal helm, "It's an accelerator. Longer to process than common Energon, but it can accelerate a Cybertronian to unbelievable speeds."
Starscream raised a brow, "Indefinitely?"
"No. It's temporary. But it's so rare we haven't been able to test it but once." Rapida explained. "Our test subject moved so fast we couldn't even see him with our optics!"
"Amazing. What I wouldn't give to have a bin full of that Energon!"
"I've been testing ways to replicate it into a synthetic form." Rapida explained.
"Any success?"
"No. It's so rare they've only given me two slivers for testing, and then it takes so long to process...anyway…the Department would rather find a way to synthesize regular Energon since it would be more practical."
Starscream nodded but then said, "Well when I am an Energon Seeker I'll keep and extra special optic out for the red Energon so you can have more to study."
Rapida smiled at that.
Then a container caught his attention. It was not very big but it was a heavily constructed cube with a plethora of warning labels stamped onto it. Starscream veered over to it curiously.
"And what is in this?"
Rapida seemed hesitant for a moment. Starscream raised a brow at her.
"What is it?"
The teal and silver femme said quietly, "That…is one of the two Dark Energon samples on Cybertron."
Starscream couldn't hide his surprise at hearing that, "Dark Energon? You mean the Blood of Unicron?"
"That's only a story." Rapida stated, "But…it's supposed to be a very strange and dangerous form of Energon. No one except the heads of the Department are allowed to study it."
That intrigued Starscream and yet sent a shiver down his spinal conduit. The properties of Dark Energon were mere speculation; a fragment of a much larger horror story passed down through the generations of Cybertronians. Some said it could revive dead Cybertronians. Others claimed it was the Blood of Unicron and any who came into contact with it would become the Destroyer's dark servants. Starscream didn't like to think of himself as superstitious but the thought of it made him ponder the possibilities of such stories.
"Well...we'd better leave." Rapida concluded, gently closing the Energon sample storage unit.
Though Starscream would've dearly loved to stay longer he nodded anyway. As they exited the lab and Rapida secured the door behind her, she turned to Starscream.
"Well? What did you think?" she asked.
Starscream lifted his wings, "Very fascinating. Thank you for sharing this with me, Rapida."
"Contrail is never really interested in this sort of thing…" she admitted.
Starscream's eyes flashed at the juicy comment, "Then it is his loss." He felt his vocalizer tighten at his next sentence, but it rolled out before his processor could stifle it, "I would…I would be interested in anything you had to show me."
She smiled again, her blue optics shining brightly as she took his hand. "Thank you Starscream."
"Oh dear sweet Primus… she's holding your hand!" Starscream's mind was screaming. He blinked dumbly. "Don't just stand there you imbicile! Do something!" his mind screamed again.
He gripped her hand gently, and involuntarily brought it to his mouth to give it a gentle shock. The white spark danced over her finger plates and entered her delicate knuckle caps. She seemed almost as surprised as Starscream felt.
Had he REALLY just done that?!
He pulled away and straightened himself awkwardly as if unsure about what had just come over him, "Uhm…well…yes…thank you again Rapida. We must do this again sometime."
And with that he walked away, a hint of a skip in his step.
…
Later…
Ah yes, the day had been good. So good Starscream didn't think anything could dampen his mood… That is until a pair of large hands grabbed the ends of his wings, spun him around, and slammed him into the wall. Starscream yelped with panic when he was confronted by Contrail and his ground rolling friend Bolster.
Starscream's optics darted with panic, "What? What do you want?"
Contrail had an expression of suppressed anger but said calmly, "It's not what I want Starscream…it's what you want."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" He tried to move forward but Bolster's strong hand shoved him back against the wall.
Contrail leaned in close to Starscream, "Rapida."
Starscream blinked.
"Stay away from her." He stated quietly but with a menacing air.
Starscream narrowed his optics, "And if I don't?"
Quite abruptly Bolster's large fist jabbed into the spot just below Starscream's chest plate. Starscream squeaked as his fuel lines kinked painfully. He sank to his knees.
Contrail bent over slightly, "Something like that."
Starscream winced as his fuel lines popped back into their original shape. He hissed and stood up again, "As I see it Contrail, Rapida can do as she pleases."
"Of course she can." Contrail jabbed a finger into Starscream's chest plate, "But if you keep up this scrap of flirting with her, you WILL regret it."
Starscream sneered, "The only thing I regret is seeing dear Rapida stuck with a second class flier like you."
Contrail snarled and began punching Starscream in an instant. Starscream ducked back and dodged agilely to avoid most of Contrail's punches. Starscream was built to out maneuver and out run his opponents in the air, not face them in hand to hand combat on the ground; dodging his opponent was his best option. But as he was dodging Bolster shoved him which forced him right into Contrail's assault. Contrail slammed his face and chest, easily putting Starscream against the wall. Starscream could feel the dents forming, stinging and biting sharply. Starscream kept his wings folded back, keeping them as far away from Contrail as possible as he was undoubtedly trying to place punches there as well. But while he was paying attention to Contrail, Bolster moved in behind Starscream and gripped the struts of his wings. Starscream cried out feeling immediately immobilized by the hold.
Just when Starscream braced for the worst he suddenly saw a flash of pink light next to Contrail and suddenly there was a fist slamming into the red flier's face. A loud bang sounded behind him and Starscream winced as Bolster abruptly let go of his wings. Starscream blinked in surprise, seeing Skywarp next to him swaying on his feet in a fighting stance.
"Why didn't you invite us to this party, Starscream?" he asked.
Starscream wasn't in the mood for Skywarp's nonchalance but inwardly he was so glad to see his trine mate coming to his defense. Thundercracker jumped in beside Skywarp, fists up.
"What did you do THIS time Starscream?" Thundercracker mumbled over his shoulder.
The silver flier scowled but said nothing as he tried to recover from the attack. There seemed to be a standstill in the fight as the two groups postured. Contrail and Starscream gave each other death glares.
Finally Contrail pointed at Starscream, "STAY away from her."
With a gesture of his head he and Bolster walked away.
Starscream straightened himself and wiped a line of Energon from his mouth, "We'll just see if SHE can stay away from me once I'm Top Wing."
Once the threat was over Skywarp and Thundercracker both turned to look at Starscream.
"Scrap Screamer! You made the move on Rapida?" Skywarp shoved his shoulder.
Starscream merely smirked, "Something like that."
Thundercracker crossed his arms, "So that whole scene was over a femme?"
"Partly."
The blue flier snorted, "Figures. So I suppose you want to beat him in the Seeker Trials more than ever?"
Starscream's optics flashed as he stormed away, "Oh…you have no idea."
"And neither will Contrail after I'm done with him." Starscream thought venomously to himself.
….
Present day in Australia…
A couple minutes later Bumblebee ascended the rock mountain only to be greeted by…no one. He buzzed with confusion.
"Starscream?" he called, scanning the area.
Though his scan didn't reveal Starscream it did reveal something else. Energon; a whole crevice filled with the large blue crystals. Bumblebee whirred with excitement and knelt next to the deposit. Starscream's reputation for finding Energon was well founded. But there was another side to the Seeker's reputation that made Bumblebee fear the worst when he wasn't to be found atop the mountain.
Suddenly a roar of flying engines screamed from above and Bumblebee leaped to his feet, arm weapons brandished. Before he could shoot, red laser fire hailed down around him from five Eradicons swooping from the sky! Two of the beams struck Bumblebee in his wide shoulders, causing him to fall to the rocky ground. Before he could stand the five Eradicons had already landed all around him, weapons brandished. He attempted to point his arm cannon but one of them stomped it to the ground, pointing a weapon point blank to his head.
"Surrender Autobot, or face extermination." The Con's harsh voice commanded.
Bumblebee knew he was doomed, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. With a blazing fast swipe kick, he sent the Con standing on his arm stumbling into a pair of Cons to his right. The two on his left opened fire. But, true to his speed, Bumblebee performed a combative roll, righted himself, and shot the two off the edge of the mountain. He turned to shoot the other three but in a quick maneuver they jumped over the edge, transformed, and flew into the air. The yellow scout shot after them but they disappeared into a cloud bank.
Were they retreating?
The fading and then returning sound of the jet engines told him otherwise. They were coming back around for a second strafing run. Bumblebee aimed his weapons uncertainly. He couldn't jump off the side of the mountain, it was much too high. If he tried to climb down he'd make a much easier target and he couldn't return fire. He'd have to stand his ground and pray his aim was true.
Suddenly, Starscream's voice came over his radio, "If you want assistance I suggest you tell Rachet to activate my weapons…NOW."
"Starscream? Where the heck are you?" Bumblebee squealed.
"Tick tock Autobot! They're coming in!" Starscream warned snappishly.
The sound of the incoming jets hissed warningly. No time to argue.
"Ratchet, I need to you activate Starscream's weapons NOW!"
The Eradicons suddenly burst from the clouds above, firing down on Bumblebee. He jumped and rolled to dodge as the ground exploded around him.
"NOW RATCHET! NOW!" he squealed loudly.
Suddenly his audio sensors were filled with the distinct screaming roar of a jet engine cutting the air. Red laser bursts filled the air and one of the Eradicons burst into explosive debris. The other two broke ranks, swooping upward again. Bumblebee watched as Starscream's lithe silver jet form gracefully arced upward in pursuit.
..
Starscream had been milliseconds from breaking away in retreat. But when he felt his primary weapons crackle with life a surge of deadly confidence filled him. He was once again the terror of the skies…and he liked it.
…
The day of the Seeker Trials, during the final trine competition…
The competition was close…too close. As Starscream predicted, Contrail was his lead competitor for Top Wing. The final trine competition would determine the team advancing immediately to the Seeker Academy and also decide which flier would be named Top Wing.
Presently they had completed the first leg of the course with little complication. Skywarp's warping capability was coming in extremely handy as was Thundercracker's precise maneuvering through the course. The obstacles didn't even feel like obstacles.
The last leg was going to be more challenging: complete the course as a team whilst taking out the three colored target clusters that were strategically placed for each team member to strike. Starscream's team had to hit the yellow targets. Any missed targets would count against their team as would failure to finish the course as a trine. Time and precision were also factored in.
As Skywarp and Thundercracker lined up with Starscream for the low "deck" run, he noticed Contrail and his trine doing the same.
Starscream scowled internally. "You will NOT win Contrail."
With a loud roar the two teams screamed low and fast across the surface of Cybertron toward their targets.
"Targets in sight…." Thundercracker called out.
"Locked on." Skywarp confirmed.
"Fire!" Starscream barked.
He sighed with relief when all three yellow targets disappeared into wisps of color. Only two more sets to go. But he also noticed Contrail's team had also hit their marks as well. There was no leader.
The final stretch was in sight. A complicated, crooked, tunnel run through the lower channels of Cybertron's metallic surface. It was considered a risky maneuver for any flier, much less a trine of fliers, to fly so fast through such tight, winding quarters. But nothing would stop them.
With fearless speed the two teams dove nosecones first into the tunnel. It was sparsely lit with only flashing lines of light directing their way. Starscream kept close tabs on his trine but even closer tabs on Contrail and his team. They wove and dove through the dim tunnel, twisting and turning through hair pin turns. Contrail was close to him and his trine. It was unavoidable unless one was going to crash into the walls.
"Crash…crash into the wall." Starscream's mind willed Contrail to no avail.
They screamed around another tight turn and a long way ahead they could see the bright light of the exit. Contrail and his team suddenly maneuvered ahead of Starscream and his team, effectively barring their way. Panic asserted itself. If they couldn't get ahead of them then they would be out of the tunnel first and the targets were just outside the tunnel. If they got out first they would beat them!
"No…NO…NO!" Starscream's mind screamed. "You will NOT beat me!"
Then a dark thought crawled into Starscream's mainframe. It was very dark…quarters were tight…Contrail's tail fin was mere feet away. He had to do it…there wasn't time.
"Roll! Roll now!" Starscream commanded his trine.
Without hesitation the three fliers rolled as one. But when Starscream rolled over with such violence, his sharp edged wing sliced through Contrail's tail rudder. The singular action trigged a chaos of events. Contrail cried out in pain. His damaged tail dipped downward and in an instant his nose cone struck the ceiling of the tunnel, sending him spinning uncontrollably into the wall. Little bits of red metal shrapnel flew throughout the tunnel. Starscream and his trine swerved wildly, rolling to avoid being hit. With quick moves they pulled ahead of Contrail's team. The light of the tunnel grew huge and bright.
"Lock on targets!" Starscream called out, knowing the targets would be in sight.
"Locked on." Both TC and Skywarp confirmed.
"Fire!"
In an instant all three of their targets disappeared and Starscream was filled with an intense rush of excitement. They'd done it…HE had done it! Soaring high they crossed over the finish line platform and transformed. But as the cheering of the assembled crowd rose, so did the wail of emergency fliers, hurrying to the scene of the crash. Contrail's crash.
"What the scrap happened?" Skywarp asked, looking on.
"I saw Contrail hit the ceiling as I was rolling back in the tunnel…then he crashed." Thundercracker explained.
"What an unfortunate accident." Starscream commented in the most sincere tone he could muster. He lifted his hands to the crowd, "Please! Everyone!"
The cheering crowd went silent as Starscream straightened himself, "Let us have a moment of silence for our fallen flier, Contrail."
…
Present day…
Starscream zeroed in on his last Eradicon target. The other two had gone down so easily. How odd to be chasing down his former soldiers like common enemies. But he knew if he were to win over the Autobots' trust he must put on a convincing performance; even if it meant dropping a few of his fellow Decepticons in the process. Try as the Eradicon might to outmaneuver him, Starscream knew without a shadow of a doubt he would triumph. The blasted flier had been modified from HIS design after all. No copy could outshine the original. Spinning and rolling to evade him, the Eradicon dove low under a cloud bank, only to be met by an even faster Starscream. Starscream opened fire straight into the unfortunate mech's cockpit. It exploded and careened toward the ground, smoking as it fell. With a quick about face, Starscream flew back to the rock formation where the Autobot stood waiting. He landed and transformed.
"Problem solved." He stated with finality, brushing his claws together.
"Where were you?" Bumblebee buzzed harshly.
Starscream looked around, "When I arrived I could detect the presence of those Deception fliers, so I did what any unarmed mech would do: get away out of the open area."
Bumblebee's blue optics narrowed as he took an irate step at Starscream, "Then why didn't you warn me?!"
The silver flier thought quickly but decided to tell half the truth, "Because…I was startled! I was unarmed and they were coming in fast…so I flew away. There wasn't time and I would've been shot on sight. Megatron has no doubt marked me for termination."
Bumblebee slackened his menacing posture a bit.
As much as he hated to Starscream said, "I…apologize for not informing you sooner. But…" he gestured to the smoking wrecks around them and to the Energon, "…we defeated them and now we are free to harvest this cache of Energon."
Though Bumblebee wasn't exactly thrilled with Starscream's explanation, he DID believe it. Starscream always flew away at the slightest hint of danger. Guess he couldn't have expected him to turn a brave new leaf and stand his ground with no weapons.
He called the base, "Ratchet. Threat is neutralized. Prepare the Ground Bridge for Energon extraction." He looked at Starscream, "Oh and you can disconnect Starscream's weapons now."
Starscream stiffened his wings with indignation but skulked over to the Energon deposit as he felt his weapons power down. What was it going to take to prove himself to these Autobots?