Ch. 21
Starscream didn't know what to call this sensation. He'd felt it one... two times now. This amassing growth of energy within him, the feeling of being in multiple areas but within the same area, the jolt of his form being thrown elsewhere. He tried to ignore it the first two times and he had, quite successfully. But now it was happening again.
The area around him seemed to slow down as the crackle of gold electricity and static danced across his chest plate. He felt his chassis hiccup hard and he and Arcee were thrown to the side just as Airachnid's limbs came down to stab them, their lives saved. For Starscream, this had now happened thrice.
The spider stared at where the seeker had been, panting angrily, and slowly looked up to where he was sitting now, Arcee's small frame held tightly against his chest plate, "How?"
Starscream shrunk back as Airachnid stomped her spider legs towards them, "How did you do THAT?!"
The seeker screamed, though if he survived this he would never admit it, and scrambled to his peds, Arcee unceremoniously tucked under his arm. He couldn't fly with her, and he could barely amount an assault against Airachnid without backup. He needed the rest of the Autobot team. This wasn't how any of it happened at all.
Airachnid gave chase as Starscream ran under the stone arch and headed towards the other half of the crashed Harbinger. It was maybe a good few minutes run to the site and that meant time without the Autobots as backup. But the seeker ran as hard as he could, dodging a rally of blaster fire as the spider laughed.
"You know, it would probably be so much easier for you to get away if you dropped Arcee!" she taunted at him.
Starscream growled then yelled as a shot hit by his peds, throwing him into the air and the Autobot out of his servos. He caught her again as he fell and rolled painfully into a rock, groaning when he cracked his neck a bit and felt energon coating his plating. He scrambled to sit up, sighing when he realized Arcee was still leaking out and it wasn't an injury of his own adding to this mess.
Airachnid used a spider leg to push Starscream back downing the dirt, glaring at him, "So, you're siding with them now?"
The seeker hissed as the appendage dug in, "You attacked me! When Megatron hears of this-"
The spider chuckled, "You think he would believe you? That's even if you make it back. You're going to tell me what I want to know or I'm going to kill you. I can just as easily say something happened during the heat of battle when the Autobots showed up."
Starscream snarled, "Which Megatron will know was your fault," Airachnid frowned in confusion as the mech continued, "I told the both of you why I didn't access the Harbinger's computers before, that it would alert the Autobots to its location. He'll know it was you who ignored my warning and used the computers anyway, bringing the enemy to us and effectively losing me in the struggle. He's going to beat you senseless over this!"
The spider pushed her appendage deeper into the seeker's shoulder to make him cry out, sneering, "He won't. I'll leave your lifeless chassis here and still bring him the weapon that is aboard the Harbinger, and after I take your position as second in command, I'll finish what you could never accomplish; snuffing Megatron's spark."
Starscream panted, growling, "He's stronger than he looks," with a swift movement, the seeker aimed up and fired his last missile, missing Airachnid and frowning when the projectile exploded into the air.
The spider laughed, "Your last missile launch and you miss when I'm right in front of you?!"
Starscream shrugged, "Figures," his servos transformed into blasters and he fired rapidly, hitting Airachnid in the arms and chest plate to throw her back.
The seeker didn't wait to see how much damage he had caused. He still had to get Arcee to the Autobots; HE still had to get HIMSELF to the Autobots. They both needed medical attention now. Frag it all.
Starscream held onto the Autobot tightly and fired back with a blaster when he heard the scuttling movements of the other femme chasing him. It wasn't about making the shot, he needed the heat. When he felt the tip of the blaster was hot enough, he pressed it into Arcee's leaking wound and the femme screamed, clawing at him with her digits as he sealed the wound up.
"Don't you dare act this way!" the seeker yelled at her, leaning to get his face plates away from her scratching servos, "If I could handle it when you did this to me, then you better slagging handle it, too!"
Arcee was conscious enough now to grit her dentals and finally lax when Starscream pulled his blaster away, her vision still blurry, "Where...?"
The seeker ignored her. She could talk with her teammates about this later.
Up ahead, Starscream could see the wreck of the Harbinger still some distance away and as he turned at a large boulder he was met with a blaster to his faceplates by none other than Optimus.
"Starscream," the Prime warned deeply, but the seeker ignored him and ducked as Airachnid made to jump up behind him.
Optimus fired and surprised the spider, sending her running for cover, and Bulkhead gave the Prime cover fire as Bumblebee pulled Starscream and Arcee aside, looking over their wounds.
The seeker patted him away, grumbling, "You don't have a doctor's servos, so shoo. If you're going to 'tend' to anyone, 'tend' to Arcee, she was the one who was attacked first."
Bumblebee beeped, asking how long ago that was and Starscream scoffed, "How am I supposed to track the time when there is a barrage of blaster fire going back and forth?"
The yellow mech frowned at him then sighed, calling Optimus over to check on the wounded pair while he kept watch with Bulkhead.
Optimus nodded, pulling away and transforming his blasters back into servos, kneeling beside Arcee, "What happened?"
The femme shook her helm weakly and clenched a servo around Starscream's claws, unable to speak. The seeker pulled his digits away in surprise.
Optimus looked up at Starscream, "It seems you will have to tell me. Arcee's systems are forcing her to rest due to her energon loss."
The seeker grumbled, "Airachnid ambushed us... She didn't know the Harbinger was here, so she must have doubled back after escaping from you and Arcee and followed us until you left..."
The Prime looked over the femme's wound and sighed quietly, "This has been cauterized. It is most likely what is keeping Arcee alive," he looked up again and this time Starscream felt himself shrinking back at the gratitude he saw in those blue optics, "Thank you."
Starscream turned away, shaking his helm, "Don't thank me for anything."
Bulkhead came back to his leader's side with Bumblebee, looking disappointed, "She's just gone! Maybe she retreated."
"That is something I highly doubt," Optimus stood, "Airachnid has now found the other half of the Harbinger. Whatever she has come to find, she is most likely doing so now."
Something tickled at the back of Starscream's processor and he felt his wings droop. If Optimus and the other Autobots intended to go after the spider, they would have to traipse through the Harbinger, HIS half of the Harbinger, and would likely find all the adjustments he, Breakdown and Knockout made to it before all this had gone to slag.
The seeker pulled himself to his peds as the group eyed an opening in the side of the ship, "Ah, wait."
Bulkhead frowned, "Why? We have to stop Airachnid!"
"Yes, I know, and we'll do that," Starscream nodded, "but I believe there are two different versions to all this, one of which Airachnid believes to be a weapon, the other which I know is nothing more than a flashlight."
He had to mix a bit of the truth in with the lie, he had to.
Optimus stared him down, "Explain. Quickly."
The seeker's wings perked, "I scouted both ends of this ship when we first arrived and found nothing. Nothing useful, anyway. But Airachnid seems to think there was a weapon aboard this ship, in section twenty-three. But there was nothing there when I had looked. Nothing but an archaic flashlight. I think she believes this device to be a weapon and if she does, we could use that to lure her into a false sense of security and take her down."
The Prime watched Starscream's movements carefully, then nodded, "We will follow your lead then."
Bulkhead grumbled and frowned harder, "Optimus, are you sure?"
The red mech set a servo on the Wrecker's shoulder, "I am. And we should trust that Starscream is sure as well."
The seeker pointed at the top of the ship, "Section twenty-three is up there. I can only guess, but she must already be inside to get the 'weapon'. I'll use myself as bait and when she gets in close, you can fire on her," Starscream ran to an opposing rock formation to get ready.
Bumblebee picked up Arcee carefully and beeped up at Optimus for permission to call for a ground bridge, which the Prime quietly nodded to. Within moments, a bridge opened and the yellow mech rushed in, the portal closing within seconds. At least Arcee could be tended to properly now.
Bulkhead and Optimus ducked behind another set of boulders, but the green mech peeked out, whispering to Starscream, "Hey, if she's going to be using this 'weapon' on you, how will we know she won't be fooled by it?"
The seeker smirked, "You'll see. Just don't hit me."
Starscream watched Bulkhead frown and turn his attention back to the ruined ship and the silver mech sighed inwardly. He didn't like putting himself out as bait. It was a bad idea all around. But Airachnid was after him and as much as he hoped the Autobots could actually hit their target, which he was surprised they usually did, the fairness of it all, he didn't trust that they could get the job done. It had to be him. He had to end the spider's life and ensure it was well and truly snuffed.
Starscream quieted down when he saw Airachnid scuttle out from the top of the ship. She was watching carefully and he could see the false replica he had made tight in her grasp. This was it.
Starscream came out from behind the boulder, looking around as though looking for her, "Airachnid! You wretch! Show yourself!"
Airachnid's voice echoed through the canyon, a laugh goading at him, "Well, well, the little moth wants to come and play. But I have a new toy now, Starscream. Are you sure you want to take me on? And all on your own?"
The seeker growled, "I am not afraid of you. Now you will come down here and follow me back to the Nemesis where you will accept whatever punishment Megatron has for you!"
"Mmm, no, I don't think I will," a bright blast of light shot down at Starscream and he dodged, transforming his servos into blasters.
He was proud of himself. The false Immobilizer had a similar beam and made noise and everything! Too bad it really was just an overly extravagant flashlight.
The seeker aimed at where the beam had come from, Airachnid holding her 'Immobilizer' tightly, "Megatron will have your helm on a stick for this treason!"
"You say that," the spider hummed, "but I doubt he will when he sees this!"
Starscream knew it was time. He charged up his blasters and she fired the weapon again, the mech allowing the beam to hit him as he froze and locked his joints up.
"The Immobilizer!" she crowed, "A weapon capable of rendering any bot completely motionless."
The seeker kept his scowl and trained his optics to watch ahead. As Airachind drew closer, he wanted nothing more than to rip out her throat, but he allowed her to circle him, to flick him in the side of the helm, to trace a claw down his jawline.
"You know," she purred, "I can keep you like this for as long as I want. Stuck like this. And I can tell Megatron whatever I want. How we both tried our best to get to the weapon and how the Autobots just put up too much of a fight. Arcee's demise should make up for all of it, though," the spider jumped on top of Starscream's back and the seeker was grateful that he had locked himself into place, "But you know, the best part of it will be that whenever I need a prediction, all I will have to do is unfreeze you and then freeze you again. Just to make sure you don't get away."
By Primus the Autobots were taking their time. Starscream almost growled but held it in. He counted down in his mind as his patience began to wear thin. And then, thankfully-
"Airachnid!" came Optimus's commanding voice.
The spider turned back to see the Prime's and Bulkhead's blasters aimed at her, "No! You left in a bridge!"
"You only saw what you wanted to see!" Starscream finally yelled, elbowing her off him as hard as he could.
The femme fell to the ground and clutched the false Immobilizer close, snarling, "No, it hit you, I hit you!"
The seeker sneered, "Perhaps it doesn't work as well as you hoped," he charged his blasters again and fired, the Autobots taking the cue to fire with him.
The spider dodged each shot the best she could and lunged at Starscream. She scratched his faceplate just under the optic as she used him as leverage, jumping off him and into the air to transform and fly away, the 'Immobilizer' tucked into her hold. Optimus and Bulkhead continued to fire as she pulled away, then stopped as she flew around the mountain for cover.
Starscream grumbled as he picked himself up from the ground, wincing as he touched under his optic, "Well, that could have gone better."
"Though we did not manage to stop Airachnid, you were right about her thoughts on the device she is now bringing to Megatron," Optimus replied, transforming his blasters back into servos, "You have been a great help to us today."
Bulkhead transformed his blasters back, too, rolling his shoulders, "But I'm going to guess that this is another 'don't mention it ever' situation, huh?"
Starscream crossed his arms, "Yes. It is."
"Then we will do our best to refrain from talking to you about it once we are back at base," the Prime said softly, reaching for the seeker's shoulder.
Starscream flinched back, "Wait, what? What are you talking about, I'm not going anywhere with any of you!"
Optimus took hold of the seeker's arm firmly but was careful not to harm him.
When Bulkhead saw how much Starscream was struggling he sighed and transformed his servo into a wrecking ball, "Sorry, Scream."
Everything became very dark after that.