Ch. 16
Starscream felt a nudge to his arm and he whined. He must have passed out for a few moments. It was understandable. The seeker had just moved many tons of rock, dirt and debris off himself and two others. But despite all that, he didn't care. He just wanted to rest for a few minutes more before he was forced to dig Megatron out from all that dirt and rock.
"Starscream," Arcee ordered, "you're going to come with me."
The seeker pouted, not moving, "Really? I'm not going anywhere with you. On top of that, you don't have Bulkhead to back you up and drag me away."
"How do you know Bulkhead is here?"
Starscream scoffed, "His tracks were the easiest to discern when we came through. But why bother letting Megatron know when he's so preoccupied with getting me in here? The big lummox."
"Another reason you should come with me," Arcee nodded as she set Jack down to stand, "it doesn't seem you'll be welcomed back to the Decepticons."
Starscream laughed, "You'd be surprised..." he finally sat up, "Wait, what was the other reason?"
"Optimus's orders," Jack replied, "Any of the 'Bots spot you, they have to bring you in."
The seeker grumbled, "Well that isn't entirely fair, is it? Why not Soundwave? He's the fragging communications specialist! Plus he's a little creepy. I'd be glad to donate him."
"Soundwave hasn't been on our radar," Arcee murmured, taking out a pair of stasis cuffs, "You have. Now we can do this easy or we can do this hard."
Starscream growled as he curled his claws into fists, "I'll bet you're just begging for me to choose the hard way."
The femme smirked, "Something like that."
The mech stood, towering over her, "I have a far more interesting proposition. Let me go so that I may find my idiot leader. And you go to find Bulkhead. Then we can go back to pretending that we were never trapped together."
Arcee glared as Starscream smirked back but his smugness faded when he heard two 'clicks' and watched the femme cross her arms. Curse her smaller stature. The seeker held up his cuffed wrists and growled, struggling with them.
"This is hardly the way to treat a mech who has been on the 'Autobots' radar'!" he scowled.
Arcee pushed him to the ground to sit and turned to leave with Jack, "Stay put. You can't transform with those on anyway."
Starscream snarled at her as she walked through the cave's new, crumbling layout, "This won't hold me! You'll see! ... Stupid cuffs!" he hissed, twisting his wrists hard in an attempt to loosen them.
He stopped after a moment, grumbling, and looked down into the area he was sure Megatron had fallen into. Starscream may not have been able to transform with his servos locked together, but he could still dig. The seeker carefully slipped over rocks and dirt into the gaping hole that used to be the cave floor. He could feel little tremors of movement underneath his peds that told him Megatron was still alive. There was also a lot more soil here, making any pocketing around the larger mech more constricted and compact. Little movements were what the warlord needed to make enough room so he could claw his way out. But if Starscream got there first...
The seeker tapped on a few stones and listened, trying to discern the best way to begin the excavation. Once he found some looser soil and stones he began to remove them carefully with his long claws, tossing them aside and using the sharp angles of his cuffs to move piles of dirt. Quite a bit of the ceiling had come down onto Megatron, but if the warlord was working as hard as Starscream was, the seeker had little doubt that they would be leaving shortly.
"And once I find him," Starscream murmured, "we'll leave and the next event will take place in a few days anyway. Simple..."
He struggled and heaved a large boulder off to the side, almost yelling in surprise when he saw two fiery red optics glaring at him from a small hole.
Starscream's optics cycled in blinks, then he sneered, "Well, well. There you are," he purred.
Megatron glared harder, scowling, "Well indeed, Starscream. You may as well end me now. You'll never have a better chance again, I guarantee it."
The seeker tapped his chin in thought, silently wishing Arcee hadn't been so cruel as to cuff him before this moment, "Hm, end you now, end you now. It would be a sweet revenge for all your scrap..." he leaned over and pulled more dirt away, "but I could have left you buried if that's what I had wanted."
The warlord watched carefully as his second pulled more soil and rock from around him, making it easier to move, and when Starscream was sure Megatron had enough room to escape, he offered a servo to help pull him out.
"You know, that's not even the worst fight we've had," the seeker sighed, trying to make light of earlier incidences, "It's just the first we've had like that in a long time."
Megatron still watched his second carefully and reached out slowly, ignoring Starscream's servo of help and grabbing his forearm roughly to pull him to the ground as he rose up above him, "This may be true, Starscream, but it still does not change what you have done."
The seeker hissed in pain as the warlord gripped harder, "It doesn't change what you did, either. Call it quits."
Megatron's dark expression slowly softened, if that could even be described for the larger bot, and he chuckled darkly, "This new defiance in you is refreshing, Starscream, I can allow you that much..." the mech's gladiatorial sword emerged from under his cannon, "But I believe I need to make myself clear."
The seeker shrunk back and had to bite his glossa when the sword came down hard, shattering the cuffs binding him. Megatron watched the broken metal pieces fall off Starscream's wrists then wrenched him forward roughly, growling into his faceplates.
"If you ever so much as look at my leadership the wrong way again, I will be very sure to end this in full view of whomever is within range to see it instead of the privacy this cave would have awarded you."
The seeker only glared back, pulling his arm close when the warlord finally let go to begin climbing out of the large hole they were stuck in. And Starscream was right behind him, reprising his role as 'second in command'. At least, for the next few days.
Arcee patted Bulkhead on the arm as they started walking out of the tight cavern together, "If you and Miko hadn't been making that much noise, we would never have found you."
The green mech sighed heavily, "I hear that. Too bad you had to get trapped, too. So where is tall and screechy?"
Arcee pointed back down into a wider part of the cavern, "I had to leave him near where we fell or I would never have been able to rescue you. I think it would be best if we secured him, then called for a bridge for the kids to get to base first. We can have Optimus decide what to do with him then."
"Aww!" Miko whined, "But I want to see Starscream! You have him all cuffed up, he can't hurt anybody!"
Jack shook his head, "No way, Miko. Let the 'Bots handle this one."
"Besides," Arcee replied, holding the humans back a bit, "Starscream is a lot more resourceful than he looks. It doesn't take much for him to gain the upper hand-"
The femme suddenly stopped and pulled Jack and Miko against her, throwing herself against a cave wall for cover as large and heavy peds began to walk by. Bulkhead followed her cue and the four of them watched Megatron rumble passed them slowly, Starscream walking just behind him.
"Tell me, Starscream," the warlord growled, "how did you come to find yourself captured by the Autobot femme?"
The seeker shrugged, his optics just glancing slightly to look behind him. He saw Arcee and the two children. He saw Bulkhead. He was surprised to say the least, but he didn't let it falter in his ability to answer.
"Honestly, my lord," the seeker turned back to look at his leader, "I am uncertain. I was knocked unconscious during the cave in and only came to find myself apprehended when I was roused some time later. She must have taken the opportunity to cuff me before leaving to find back up."
Megatron exited the cave first, "I will expect a full work up done by Knockout. I need you in pristine health."
"That will be my first priority, my lord."
The warlord didn't respond as he transformed and took off first, flying fast back to the Nemesis. But the seeker needed a moment. He played with his claws and felt over the new dents on his forearm, wincing a little.
A small noise behind him, distinct, human footfalls, caught his attention and he sighed loudly, "I admit it," he grumbled.
Jack frowned at the seeker, waiting for more.
"I admit it," Starscream hissed, turning to face him; he backed away as Miko, Arcee and Bulkhead joined him, pointing, "But don't ever mention it!"
The seeker kicked back and transformed, following after Megatron.
Jack watched him, then turned to Arcee, "What is going on with him?"
The femme shook her helm, "I... really don't know."