Ch. 31

The seeker looked up at the Prime. He still felt that intimidation, the towering figure of the mech before him making him feel small and the gentle, understanding look making him feel even smaller still. He wasn't ready to reveal all that he knew. The relics, MECH, the end. He wasn't ready. And it wasn't fair. The Autobots had not only saved him from Megatron, even if the warlord had saved him first, but they had tended to his wounds and gotten rid of the ToxEn contamination. He owed them something... maybe a little something... A lie. That was partially the truth.

"I..." Starscream fiddled with his digits, taking another intake, "I had... a vision. When I was under the effects of the dark energon..."

Ratchet wanted to say something along the lines of, 'oh puh-LEASE,' but he refrained from it.

"I saw bits and pieces, events," he continued, "a whole mess of dates and times and locations that didn't seem to mean much to me until it led to a final course. About this planet... about you, Optimus Prime."

Optimus nodded, "If you have something to tell us, we would be grateful."

Starscream couldn't believe it; it was working, "I saw... Breakdown being mangled by MECH, and I had to stop it. I saw... Airachnid tormenting Jack and Arcee, but that did not go as well... I saw Megatron threatening my life and causing a collapse at the caves. I saw Airachnid betray me at the remains of the Harbinger. I saw," he had to lie about this, they had caught him in the act, "the container of ToxEn. But, what else I saw, I did not want to believe. Because who would believe me if I told them?"

Optimus frowned in thought, "What did you see?"

The seeker's wings perked, "A planet under collapse," he murmured, "under threat because of what lies at the center. And it is caused by a planetary alignment. Megatron goes insane from the course of dark energon within him and attempts to fulfill the bidding of one whose spark lies at the center of this world: Unicron."

The Prime's optics widened and Ratchet scoffed, "Unicron? His spark is here?"

Starscream growled, "I'm telling you what I saw! And the event is coming up fast! In little more than a week, this planet will be under alignment and his spark will reawaken. Tornados, tsunamis, earthquakes and storms like you could not comprehend! And I saw you, Optimus, with your team. And Megatron. You travel to the center of this world with Megatron as your guide, and stop Unicron from tearing this planet apart as he tries to break free..."

Optimus looked surprised. But at this point the seeker had touched on each of these important events, or had at least been there and handled them accordingly. How could he be unbelieved about this?

The Prime nodded, "I see. I understand."

Starscream's wings drooped, "So... what now?"

Optimus gestured to the open door, "If you wish to leave, you are free to go."

Ratchet quickly ran to the ground bridge controls, "But only by ground bridge! We... can't have a jet rushing out the front door."

The seeker looked nervous again. He could leave? Just like that?

Starscream glanced from the exit to Optimus, "Why?"

The Prime smiled, "We did not intend to keep you here indefinitely, Starscream. And while I would prefer to have you stay, your actions of late have spoken far louder than your words. I can trust, for now, that you will not aid Megatron's endeavors should we part. When you, and the rest of your friends, are ready to join us in a more formal manner," he extended a servo, "you need only let us know."

The seeker stared at the servo before him and cautiously shook it, "I'll... I'll consider it..."

Ratchet tapped at the controls, "Do you have a preferred destination? Or is anywhere just fine?"

Starscream could feel the ground bridge remote still attached under his thigh plating, so he shrugged, "Anywhere is fine... I can make my way after that."

The ground bridge started up and the seeker hummed softly, walking towards it.

Optimus called after him gently, "Be careful," and was rewarded with a light wave from the silver mech.

When Starscream was gone, Ratchet shut the bridge down, sighing loudly, "Well, glad that's over with!"

Optimus sat down heavily, sighing sadly.

The medic frowned, "Optimus. You got what you wanted out of him, didn't you? And he didn't do anything destructive to our base."

The Prime shook his helm, "I believe him, Ratchet. But he did not tell us everything. He is... selectively omitting."

Ratchet looked dumbfounded, quickly looking from the bridge and back to Optimus, "Wh... Then why did you let him go?!"

Optimus smiled gently, "Because holding him here, forcing him to tell us what he knows, would have done nothing. It would not have given us the truth. When he is ready, when he trusts we are ready, he will come to us and tell us what he knows. For now, old friend, we must prepare for the coming planetary alignment and find out how to bridge to the center of the Earth."

Starscream had found out that he had been unconscious for almost two days. But when he arrived back at the Harbinger, he found nothing out of place. If Knockout, Breakdown or even Soundwave had somehow managed to get away from the Nemesis long enough for a visit, he couldn't tell.

He sat in his favorite lab chair and spun around as he read from his datapad. ToxEn? Check. Gone to the bottom of a volcano. He still had so many more to go through, though.

"You know," he murmured to himself, "the Phase Shifter, that should be my next priority. Then, I can just reach right into cave walls or dirt slabs or Smokescreen's chassis and get any relic I want."

Starscream tossed the datapad on the desk next to him and sighed, staring up at the ceiling, "Yep... priority number one... Tomorrow..."

He leaned back into the chair and offlined his optics, just wanting a moment's peace without any Decepticons, Autobots, humans, anyone.