Ch. 140

He couldn't defy this order. Arcee and Wheeljack would be killed. Could he forgive himself for their deaths? Starscream decided no, that after everything he had been through, everything he had suffered, everything he had been a part of and seen and dealt with, that he couldn't. They were worth far more than he wanted to feel in this moment.

Starscream began to hover slowly down towards the ground, preparing to land, but Optimus called up to him sharply, "Stay in the air! That is an order!"

Megatron glared, "That is MY seeker and MY second, Optimus! You cannot give him orders!"

The Prime turned to the warlord, "He has freely chosen to defect from your faction and your tyranny! I will not allow you to tarnish all that he has accomplished! And should you dare defy his wishes, if you dare to cage him for the good mech he has become, then I will fight you," he positioned himself, prepared to run forward to attack, "and I will end you."

Megatron laughed, "So, one shall fall again, eh Optimus? What a pretty speech. You have put quite a bit of faith in my dear Starscream."

"I have put this faith in him, Megatron, because he has earned it. He has my trust and he has my respect. So despite what I may order him, whether he agrees with my decision or not, I will protect him from you at any and all costs."

"Hm," the larger mech nodded, "I see. Then I suppose the cost will begin with the loss of your two soldiers. Hardshell."

The Insecticon harshly shoved Wheeljack to his knees, holding him down tightly so he couldn't struggle.

"Jackie!" Bulkhead yelled out.

Wheeljack smirked, his optics sad as he shrugged, "It's been a real journey, Bulk. ... I'm ok with this. Just don't let them win the war, got it?"

The green mech shook his helm and raised his blaster, "Don't you dare do it, Hardshell!"

Hardshell only chuckled and raised his claws but a loud yelp made the Insecticon flinch and hesitate.

"WAIT!"

Megatron held up a servo to halt Hardshell's order, sneering when Starscream began to descend.

"I'm landing, I'm landing," the seeker said quickly, transforming as he made it to the ground; he wasn't too far from either faction, but not close enough to his group, and he raised his servos in a non threatening manner, "I'm here, I've landed-"

"Starscream, no!" Optimus gasped.

The seeker grumbled, "Look, one fight at a time, alright? So how about we focus on getting two back for the price of one?"

"I will not condone such an act," the Prime warned.

Starscream glared, "I'm not asking you to. But I will ask that you kick his aft if you ever have the chance."

Megatron chuckled, "Ever the optimist aren't you, my dear Starscream? How admirable."

The seeker growled, "I suppose I have to be, considering I made you into this. Perhaps taking some responsibility is in order."

"You would dare to take credit for an evolution such as this?!" the warlord laughed, "No, Starscream! I accepted this path on my own! I saw what you had become and I knew exactly what to do with such power!"

Starscream's glare hardened, "Yes, I'm sure you did. Well, it's non transferable to second parties and doesn't have a working switch. You're as slag out of luck as the rest of us, so why don't we talk about how we want this to end?"

"You are coming back to the Nemesis. That is your only option."

The seeker shook his helm, "That's not what I mean. How do you want this," he gestured around him, "all this to end? Because... yes, I did live it. I know what was supposed to happen," Starscream had to ignore the wide smile from C.Y.L.A.S. as he spoke, "and I know that at the end of it all, when weapons on both sides clashed for the final time, it was the Autobots who won. And that was for the best because you changed your tune as well and renounced yourself from a life of tyranny. So if that's what happened before and it was a good outcome, how do we want this to end?"

Megatron had a small smile on his faceplates, nothing too fancy but enough to make everyone uncomfortable, "How do I want this to end then?" Starscream nodded and the warlord laughed, "I will allow this war to end when I have seen fit and since I have yet to see all who oppose my rule beg at my peds, I do not have a reason to stop!"

Starscream snarled, "Then you will lose again!"

The seeker began to stomp forward when a loud shot rang out and an explosion sent the Autobots flying. The impact sent Starscream toppling into Megatron, who fell back into the ground along with Hardshell, Dreadwing and their captured Autobots. Starscream scrambled to get up but the warlord's claws latched onto his arm and pulled him back down against him as he sat up, glaring as he looked around for the cause of the explosion.

"Who dares?!"

Slow and heavy pedfalls echoed closer to the battlefield and Starscream began to shake when he saw the mech who came on approach, his singular red optic boring into him as it had all those months he had suffered working alongside, and then for, the horrid bot.

"Megatron," came the deep, calm, calculated response, "my apologies. From a distance, I only visually registered the Autobot faction and did not adjust my trajectory to leave you unscathed. Despite my actions, I feel the attack was... logical."

Megatron stared the mech down, then chuckled as he stood, pulling Starscream up with him, "Shockwave, what a surprise. It seems Primus is deciding to bless me today," he wrenched against the caught seeker's arm harder, "isn't he?"

Starscream winced but didn't move. This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. Shockwave was here. Which meant soon enough, he would be here. The one who did this to him. The one who killed him and created this whole predicament for him. In fact, he wasn't going to think about who did what because that became a long line of blame and issues. But this was the start. Everything had gone from wrong to worse.

The air stilled with the discontent of the Autobots having been thrown off their peds and the new arrival of Shockwave. For breathless seconds, no one seemed to move or speak. It wasn't until Arcee's loud roar cried out and C.Y.L.A.S. fell to the ground from a well placed kick did everyone's senses come back together.

Blazing plasma fire began to shoot out from both sides, Vehicons and Eradicons running into the charge to slam into the Autobots. But Starscream's team had regrouped quickly and fired back rapidly. Optimus was running forward with everything he had, his sword extended as he cut down his opposition with little effort.

Arcee moved in to attack Hardshell but the Insecticon threw her back, clutching tightly into Wheeljack's chassis, "We still need one other, my lord," Hardshell growled, "allow me to bring this one back to our ship since C.Y.L.A.S. lost the two-wheeler."

The disfigured mech glared at the Insecticon, but Megatron nodded, "Call for a bridge. We may not have eliminated the enemy, but I have my prize."

He pulled Starscream ahead of him and held his arms together with one servo, smiling as he did so. The seeker tried to dig his claws into his captor's digits but the awkward angle kept him from getting an edge in.

Megatron turned towards Shockwave, "Shockwave, will you be joining us?"

The purple mech's optic focused on Starscream directly; after his momentary pause, he nodded, "Returning to the side of my leader seems quite... logical. It will be good to serve you again, Lord Megatron."

A bridge opened up behind the Decepticons at some distance and Hardshell ran in, dragging Wheeljack with him.

"JACKIE!"

Bulkhead broke from fighting the drones to run after them, he and Optimus pushing hard to get through to the warlord and his officers. But another wave of soldiers shoved them back and Bulkhead fell when a well placed shot grazed his leg.

C.Y.L.A.S. was next through the bridge followed by Dreadwing. Megatron was ready to jump into the portal next with Starscream in tow when Smokescreen dove to the ground and lined up his blaster.

"Guys!" he called out, "I can save him! Scream, you can hate me later!"

The seeker saw where the white mech was lining his shot and shrieked, trying to move out of the way, "Smokescreen, NO! That's not how it works-"

But Smokescreen fired his shot, a lone plasma blast traveling from the ground upwards and at Starscream. The seeker dreaded the feelings that came next. The slowing in movement, the buildup of energy, the crackling power that began to surge within him. He wondered idly if Megatron was feeling the same things as his hiccup suddenly activated, throwing both mechs from the line of fire and into the waiting space bridge.

Starscream heard a deep shouting 'NO' he could only assume was Optimus. The warlord and the seeker tumbled out onto the other side of the bridge, the smaller mech held tightly in the arms of his captor as they rolled out painfully. Shockwave ran in after, his optic studying Starscream carefully as he straightened himself up and the portal closed.

"That... action," the purple mech tried to describe, "that capability does not belong to Starscream. His ability to use such a thing is impossible."

Megatron didn't speak. He didn't move. He didn't allow the seeker any reprieve as he clutched onto him tighter, assuring he wouldn't escape. He only panted heavily at the excitement of it all, of what he had witnessed and what he had been a part of that left him laying on the floor without the ability to catch an intake nor comprehend the full possibilities. Starscream wanted to disappear. He wanted to shrink to the size of a particle and hide away.

After many long, silent moments, Megatron finally spoke, "This power, Shockwave... will win us this war," he sat up, forcing the seeker to sit up with him, and leaned against him hard as he hissed into his audials, "I told you I would catch you. Your precious Optimus can't save you now. I win, my dear Starscream. You are mine."