Ch. 165

Starscream started moving about the screen again, muttering huffed words as he settled his datapads and scowled when he knocked over some lab tools, "Ah ffff... mmm..." he sighed, "Well, that's why I can do this, none of this stuff is really mine..." his optics glanced at the screen and he frowned, "I'll edit this later- So, moving on! The Unicron awakening... I'm not supposed to be present for that but whatever the Autobots and Megatron do down there doesn't exactly 'fix' the problem for good, so perhaps a rethink on that as well..."

"This could be a big mistake," Ratchet murmured as they all watched.

Someone hushed him, probably Arcee, and the medic silenced.

"-and then I get on the ship and there's Optimus thinking his name is Orion Pax! Good thing I had that information at the time, not that Ratchet was thankful for it. But the Autobots use what I do know to get to the space bridge and find a way to get 'Optimus' back, and I think that was the end of that portion... About a week after all that insanity, MECH lures Bumblebee to a secluded location and steals his T-cog and since I'm in the area and have no factions because everyone is horrible, I'm just thinking to myself, 'well, they're smaller than you. If they don't like it, you can just step on them, so join up'. It really doesn't do yourself justice when a really simple thought like that just canNOT be put into practice. MECH is far too dangerous to be underestimated and Silas is a freak..." he picked up a datapad and hummed lightly as he tapped, "Next chance I have, I'm going to toss him into the air and see how far he goes... putting that on the list of things I could do to kill him... juuuust below 'deep sea fishing'..." the seeker suddenly stopped typing to laugh loudly, whether at his own thought or something he read, and started typing again, "Oh, that's another good one! Death by deep sea pressure! Maybe I can tie him to a whale's back and-" Starscream had to set the pad down as he laughed harder and covered his faceplates with a servo, "No! Primus, I can't! Sometimes..." he started to calm down, intaking heavily and smiling wide, "sometimes these just really help in getting through the day..." his optics widened, "Slag, I'm still recording-"

Ratchet reached up and paused the video, frowning, "Is this really helping?"

"We should watch all of it, it's what he recorded," Smokescreen defended.

"As far as we know," Ultra Magnus interjected, "Starscream is still alive. And we need information he left behind to help find and rescue him. This isn't something that he left in memoriam, so is this helping?"

Ratchet shook his helm, "We already know about these events so far. We should fast forward towards the end-"

"I need to see this."

The medic stiffened and looked up at Optimus's darkened faceplates, the Prime's optics staring at the screen with mixed emotions.

"... Optimus-" Ratchet began, but the larger mech's voice deepened.

"This was made before he was hunted, tortured and harmed, Ratchet. After everything he has done and accomplished, he has not laughed or smiled or looked so at ease since all that he has been a part of went wrong. He has had moments of serenity, but it was never lasting. And he certainly did not look like this," Optimus gestured to the embarrassed yet happy faceplates of the seeker that had been paused on screen, "I need to see this... so that I may help him find this part of himself again once we have freed him."

The room stayed quiet. No one spoke. Ultra Magnus hesitated as he set a servo on the Prime's shoulder, an action that the red mech had once done for Starscream when he needed assurance or comfort.

"Optimus, sir," the blue mech said firmly, "if the information we need is at the end of this file, may I suggest going to the part we need now? We can plan after based upon the information we gather."

Ratchet frowned, "And if I may suggest," he huffed, "we should only take what is needed and not watch until the file ends?"

Optimus shook his helm, but relented, "We will go towards the end of the file, but only to the part we need. Soundwave, can you fast forward the file to the part needed based upon-"

The silent mech was already ghosting his digits over the computer console, "Algorithm: created. Based upon rate of information divulgence, information sought at minute thirty-two, second fifteen."

Starscream started up again, his optics wide with a rage the group had not expected. He was glaring and baring his dentals as he yelled at the device recording him.

"-sitting on his aft like I had done NOTHING! The only reason why that fragger had ANYTHING was because of ME and he did nothing to repay the act of loyalty I decided to bestow upon him!" he panted and huffed, his emotions starting to quell, "I could've gone to the Autobots. Really, I should have. But they had all the right reasons to be wary of my intentions at the time- actually, any time..." his optics gently shuttered before onlining with that burning rage again, "but how does that excuse that fat aft from replacing me with Shockwave and his-" Starscream silenced himself quickly, his frame going rigid.

For a moment, Optimus thought the video had been corrupted and frozen. This idea was proven wrong when he could just barely see the seeker's soft intakes, the expansions and retractions of his chestplate, moving on screen.

"... Shockwave did a bad thing making what he did," the seeker murmured.

His optics were empty as they stared out at nothing and he spoke as though he were trying to relay what he experienced without being there all. Whatever had happened, Optimus had not been made privy when he and Starscream had been cortically patched.

Starscream curled tightly in his seat and shuddered, trying to speak without being in the moment, "What he did defied a morale code. What becomes extinct should remain extinct... I'll be the first to admit it, I'm not strong enough to say this creature's name, but if someone is watching this and needs to know what happened at this point, I can tell them a P-" the seeker winced, his servos grabbing at his chestplate, "... Shockwave made a Pr... Predacon..."

The room began to buzz with chatter and Knockout gasped dramatically. Optimus felt more than just a growing concern fill him as he watched the expression of agony and terror on the seeker's faceplates. This creation of Shockwave's had made more than just an 'impression' on Starscream.

The Prime hung his helm lightly and paused the video once more. They certainly had what they needed and it pained him to know that all he could do was hope the Autobot seeker was safe where he was now.