Ch. 12
Starscream scowled and pointed, "No, not there!" he stopped himself from shouting and sat heavily on a pile of boxed energon, growling, "Take a break, the lot of you! I need a moment to think before I beat one of you senseless."
The Vehicons around the seeker stopped working, chanting in unison, "Yes, Commander Starscream," before wandering off to rest their joints and refuel.
Starscream set his faceplates in his servos and sighed heavily as Knockout sauntered into the energon store room, smirking, "What did you do now? Step on some peds?"
The seeker scoffed and glared at him, "It seems our esteemed leader thinks stock taking and cataloging is my prerogative. These drones don't seem to understand stacking the same number of cases in rows makes it easier to count them. Why are you here?"
The red mech didn't stop smirking, "Just checking on my resident psychic. Things were a bit frosty down there and I decided to make sure you were still functioning over here."
Starscream fidgeted then looked the medic carefully in the optic. Knockout winked and the seeker let out a sigh of relief. Knockout and Breakdown weren't scheduled for any drone repairs that day. The plan had been to bridge to the Antarctic, to a place that Starscream had held bad memories with the Prime, and retrieve a relic frozen in ice: the Apex Armor. The plan was nearly halted when Megatron suddenly turned up, ordering the seeker to oversee rounds in the energon stock room. Starscream had been nervous about leaving the armor out much longer, but Knockout had assured him that he and Breakdown could handle it. And they must have, from the way the red mech had used choice phrasing. It must have been tucked away safely in the Harbinger by now.
Starscream chuckled deeply and stood, "Well, Doctor, I can assure you that once I have a little... free time... I will handle the 'frosty' parts."
Knockout frowned and shook his helm, "Nope, that could've been better."
The seeker blinked in surprise then growled, "Fine. I'm SO sorry. Now why else are you down here? You could have simply COMMed me with the information."
The red mech waved him to follow, "Torture is over. You're being relieved by one of the drones. Megatron wanted me to tell you personally."
Starscream let out a large sigh and slumped as he walked after Knockout, "Finally! A double shift, a DOUBLE shift of this scrap! You'd think he was trying to kill me with menial tasks!"
The medic shrugged, "Maybe. I think we should discuss that at a later time. For now, I'd like to run a diagnostics check on your processor."
The seeker smirked as they walked into a lift, traveling to an upper level, "We'll need an extra datapad or two, won't we?"
Knockout nodded, "Oh, certainly. At least," he glanced over at the mech, "Have any you can spare?"
"Maybe a few," Starscream said with an air about him, "But we'll need Breakdown's help in moving them from my quarters."
The medic crossed his arms, "I assumed you'd ask for that. He's waiting there now."
The lift stopped on their intended level and the two walked out, going straight to Starscream's berth room. Breakdown was waiting at the door and he waved as they approached.
"Took you long enough. I thought you had died."
Starscream scowled, "Only nearly," he opened the door to let them in, "I swear, some days I can hardly tell."
The group walked in and the seeker was careful to close and lock his room door, "So?! Tell me everything!" he ushered the two further in and started grabbing up datapads, checking another relic off a list.
Knockout hummed and set a servo on his hip armor, "Well, when we got there we noticed little human activity. Yes, they had been scouting the area, yes, they were getting close, but it took us all of three minutes to smash the thing out."
"A minute and a half, if that," Breakdown growled, "Don't add minutes onto my time."
The red mech leered at him, "We stashed it and got a bridge back almost twenty minutes ago. When we realized you were still down in the lower storage areas, I went to Megatron to tell him I needed your assistance," he chuckled, "Apparently, he forgot you were still down there."
Starscream's wings flared up and he snarled, "That incompetent oaf! How dare he! I am his second in command, how could he 'forget' where he sends me?!"
Knockout waved him off, "Doesn't matter, he said I could come get you so I did," the red mech frowned, "And then you had horrible responses to my hints. You have to work on that."
The seeker snorted, "Oh, so sorry again. I'm usually thinking about the next step, not dancing around double meaning statements."
Knockout crossed his arms, "More like triple meaning."
Starscream growled and tossed a datapad at him, "Fine, moving on. This is the next event, or it was supposed to be until we retrieved the gauntlet. Since I damaged Airachnid and we know she's going to be in that area tomorrow, we can either leave her or lure her in."
Knockout looked the datapad over, optic ridges raised, "Ooo, letting us decide? What did we do, win the lottery?"
The seeker crossed his arms, "Hardly. But I've come to realize that... perhaps... my decision making over certain situations becomes clouded," he glared at the two of them, "and maybe I should let someone else oversee how this problem is handled."
"Admitting fault? How unlike you," Knockout teased, chuckling.
Starscream huffed, "I do nothing of the sort! I am merely suggesting that someone else's opinion may be more beneficial right now..." he glanced at Breakdown, "Especially since Airachnid only torments and humiliates me. She never actually sticks a blade into my chassis."
Breakdown frowned, but nodded, looking the datapad over, "... I have an idea. And if you hurt her as bad as we think you did, she won't be able to resist it."
Starscream allowed his wings to perk, "Go on."
The blue mech smirked, "Energon. All bots need it. And ones who are damaged need it more."
The seeker sneered excitedly.
Starscream was leaning nonchalantly outside the med bay doors. He watched a few drones wander pass, paying little mind to them, and pursed in amusement when Knockout finally emerged, the red mech smiling back.
"Evening, Commander," the medic purred as he approached, "Is there something you require?"
The seeker stood up straighter and walked beside Knockout, smirking, "As of the moment, I only need an update on the current endeavor. And perhaps some insight into your companion; how has dear Breakdown been since we last saw him?"
Knockout nodded, "Busy. He asked for mining duty today. Lots of raw energon needing transport."
Starscream sneered, "Ah, very grueling and tasking work."
"Very true," the medic chuckled, "I went to check on him to help transport some of the material a few hours ago. I dare say, energon moves faster with more servos, doesn't it?"
"Ever so much. And it reached its final destination safely?"
Knockout's optics flashed, "Like an egg into a nest."
"Excellent to hear! I can never doubt the pair of you when something needs to be accomplished, can I?"
Knockout paused in his steps, optics flickering, "... That means a lot, Commander."
Starscream frowned at him, "Don't read that far into it."
The red medic frowned back and continued to follow.
"Now all we need to worry about, my favorite doctor, are the final results," the seeker purred excitedly, rubbing his servos together; the two walked onto the command deck, "and it shouldn't be long before we hear of something tragic-"
"Lord Megatron, I live to serve you."
Starscream and Knockout stopped cold. A dark colored femme was kneeling before Megatron, her helm bowed low. The Decepticon leader looked up from her to the two mechs who had entered the room and growled deeply.
"Ah, expert timing," he huffed, "I was just about to call the pair of you here. Ready your assistant and the med bay for a patient in need of treatment, Knockout. Starscream, I need you to update the logs. We have a new recruit among our ranks. Don't we, Airachnid?"
Airachnid slowly looked back at the two with a smirk, a seared hole in the side of her helm where her right optic used to be.