Ch. 22

His helm hurt. Really hurt. Just to the side, the right side. It was his favorite side. Primus, if it was dented, he was sure to have a Knockout moment. And not one of the red mech's better moments where he yelled. He was sure he was going to squeal.

"... patched that just fine..."

"Any other..."

"Nothing I... looking for?"

"... something to do..."

"That seems unlikely..."

Starscream groaned and struggled to roll to his side, wanting to cover his audials with his servos, "Shh, stop talking, you're both too loud..."

The seeker onlined his optics dimly and looked around blearily; when he saw a red shape walking away, he sighed and relaxed a little, "Knockout, thank Primus... It all went to slag. But Airachnid got the fake Immobilizer, so be sure to give the most horrid report you can to Megatron about it so we can file this under 'done'."

He was answered with a low 'hmm', so he continued, smirking, "Was Megatron upset when he saw me in this condition? I'll bet he nearly dropped bricks when he found out how close the Autobots were to catching me..."

"Oh, I'm sure he is," came a voice, familiar, but definitely not Knockout's, "if that is what Airachnid told him."

Starscream's optics onlined at full charge and he bolted up hard, realizing too late how much he had said and that he was being held down on a med berth at the wrists by tight cuffs.

Ratchet stared back at him as he washed his servos clean with a rag, "Optimus, you can come back," the medic called, "he's awake."

The seeker trembled slightly as Optimus returned to the berth side, staring down at him with concern in his optics, "I apologize for the way you were brought here, but Ratchet assures me there was no lasting damage."

Starscream ignored him, trying to remember everything he could. He knew the future, he knew where this little Autobot base was, he knew Knockout and Breakdown were on his side, Airachnid was most likely still alive but hopefully being pummeled by Megatron, he was 'DEAD' in a little less than two years time, he was supposed to be flying on his own by now, and it seemed this was his worst frag up yet as he had been captured by the Autobots and taken to their base.

The seeker's frame shook harder and his intakes came in faster.

Ratchet grumbled as he readied a sedative, "He seems to be having a light panic attack. I figured as much. I'll bet he thought we'd never catch him."

Optimus frowned softly as he knelt by the berth and set a servo on Starscream's shoulder, "Please, try to relax. I give you my word that no one is going to harm you."

"If he doesn't calm down, I'll have to inject him," Ratchet warned.

The seeker whimpered quietly and Optimus nodded, "He will be fine, old friend. There is no need for such extremes."

The medic watched, frowning when the Prime released one of Starscream's cuffs slowly, "Optimus, do you think that's wise?"

Optimus smiled gently, "Yes, I do," he released the second cuff and the seeker pulled his arms away quickly, looking about the room.

Well, it was the Autobot base all right. Same walls, same ceiling. Frag, there were still bits of damage from the scraplet infestation that they hadn't managed to clean up yet. All-in-all, it was the same place. The same place he wasn't supposed to be in and definitely not like this.

Optimus spoke softly, "How are you feeling?"

Starscream didn't want to answer the question, "I can't be here."

"I am sure Ratchet would like to know if anything feels out of place."

"I don't care," the seeker tried to hiss, but his voice betrayed him as it trembled, "You need to let me go."

The Prime leaned back to give Starscream some space, watching him carefully, "I am sorry, Starscream, but we cannot let you go."

The seeker whimpered, not wanting to ask but doing so anyway, "Why?!"

"Why?" Ratchet scoffed, "We have more reasons than we need for a simple 'why'!"

Optimus continued to speak gently, "Starscream, for the passed few weeks you have been acting very strangely. Strange anomalies have been observed around you. You have been part of events that have saved lives, Autobot, Decepticon and human alike. And even today, during Airachnid's final assault, she told you she would use you to make predictions. We ourselves would like to know why."

Starscream shook his helm. He had already told Knockout and Breakdown, and that had been a mistake; he wasn't going to tell the Autobots on purpose.

"Airachnid-" the seeker struggled to find the words, "A-Airachnid has been suffering some sort of delusion since the loss of her optic-"

"Puh-lease," Ratchet interrupted, "If you're going to create an explanation, at least start with one that holds maybe an iota of truth in it! Though to be honest, I can't believe myself what Optimus has observed and is now suggesting."

"Perhaps it would be best if you did not tell us all at once," the Prime offered, "Bits and pieces, as long as they are the truth, could help greatly."

Starscream didn't know what to do. The truth itself sounded like a lie. At least he could make a lie sound believable; but this was beyond himself now. Knockout and Breakdown knew the most about all this. They at least knew what the seeker was capable of and what he wanted as the end result. And the three of them had agreed upon one thing: when the time was right, they would choose a side. What if that side was the Autobots? What if the end result, the Autobots taking control of Cybertron, could not be changed? Starscream hadn't wanted to think about that possibility, but what if there was no way around it?

The seeker shook his helm as he rested his servos on the berth, "I... can't tell you. I would need to speak to someone else first."

Ratchet frowned, "Are you sure you don't want to just tell us?"

Optimus gently gestured for the medic to wait, "I think what Ratchet means, Starscream, is that perhaps you should think about more than just yourself and this other mech."

Starscream shook his helm again, "Two. Two of them. And there's no way you could possibly hold the three of us here," he clenched his servos tightly, "I won't make a decision without their input. And the more I contemplate on all this, the more I know it's not the right time to make that decision. My ultimate goal has only changed slightly. That is all you need to know."

"From what?" Ratchet scoffed.

"Complete control of the Decepticons to actually surviving passed all this," Starscream growled, "because you control nothing if you are dead."

The medic glared back but Optimus remained firm, "Please, Starscream. If you know anything, anything more, it could help save so many more lives."

The seeker sighed, "What I've done... what I will soon be doing because of what I have decided, I'm not going to change it. All you need to know is that I won't be bothering you. Just let me go. Let me make this decision. For once, I need to make the decision."

The Prime only looked at him sadly as he stood, taking one of Starscream's wrists and carefully cuffing it back to the med berth, "I need to have a moment with the rest of my team."

Starscream nodded, "I understand."

Optimus and Ratchet pulled away and walked out of the main room down the hall to where Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead were waiting, each looking none too pleased.

"Well?" Bulkhead asked, "What's the plan? If he won't talk..."

"It's not about making him talk, it's about getting the truth," Arcee murmured, "He can say anything he wants about all this, but we need to know what we're up against. What's going on? What does he know that we don't?"

Bumblebee beeped worriedly, wondering if the Decepticons knew anything about Starscream's behavior and recent events.

Ratchet grumbled, "If they did, I'm sure we'd be hearing all about it right now."

Optimus shuttered his optics in thought, "All of your concerns are justified, but whether or not Starscream wishes to help us is his own decision, so long as he is not using his advantage, whatever it may be, to do us or humanity any harm. From what I have seen, from what I have heard, Starscream is becoming far more neutral between both factions by disallowing harm to befall either side, Airachnid not included."

Arcee growled softly, "Airachnid shouldn't be included. She may be living with the 'Cons, but she's only doing it on a temporary basis."

The Prime nodded, "That aside, I do not feel that Starscream will create any untold threat towards us or anyone else."

"But we're not just going to let him go, right?" Bulkhead asked quickly.

Ratchet scowled, "We can't even begin to think of such an act! We can't forget the things Starscream has been responsible for in the past!"

A loud crash from the main room made the group turn their helms in surprise. The Autobots transformed their servos into blasters, or in Ratchet's case, blades, and rushed back into the room, the med berth utterly void of the mech who was supposed to be sitting on it. One of Ratchet's tools had been jammed into the cuff, breaking it, and the seeker was now across the room, typing in coordinates into the ground bridge, destination anywhere-but-here.

Optimus transformed his blasters away, taking a step forward as the silver mech grabbed the handle to activate the ground bridge, "Starscream, stop. You do not have to do this."

"I do," the seeker growled, "because I don't even have all of the pieces yet. I tried asking for help when I knew something was wrong and Ratchet had every right to deny my request to simply talk. Because perhaps I am supposed to make these decisions. Perhaps I need to see where I want all this to end. But I can promise one thing, it won't end the way I know it will; I'm going to ensure that."

Starscream pulled the handle down and rushed into the bridge as it started up. Optimus ran after him, Bumblebee at his side as Ratchet yelled for them to stop. But the seeker made it out before they could grab him and when they exited the portal, they found themselves in the middle of a forest. Optimus scanned in between the trees for a flash of silver, any indication that Starscream was still nearby, but they were too late. The sound of the seeker's jet engine was already disappearing into the wind.