Ch. 166

"You could end all of this right now, all in one fell swoop! Just- just let me go, undo these horrid clamps and just-"

"Starscream," Shockwave said from the far side of the med bay, the purple mech's supplies and tools scattered about, "your plight is nothing I have not heard before from other test subjects. You are lucky to have survived this far without a mark on you..." Shockwave leered at him from across the room as his optic brightened, "or do you truly find yourself without the comprehension of Lord Megatron's mercy towards you?"

The seeker was bound tightly on the med berth, his arms locked into place above his helm. He had given up struggling a while ago as Shockwave had threatened to sedate him. Starscream preferred seeing what was coming rather than reawakening to a larger horror than he was already suffering.

The silver mech squealed when he tried to scoff, "Mercy?! He's crazy! Shockwave, he's gone beyond delusional and you're simply feeding the insanity-"

"I disagree," the purple mech retorted quickly; his response had been quick but cool, "Lord Megatron sees an untapped potential within you, as have I. On two separate occasions, I have bore witness to unexplainable occurrences that should have been unfathomable. It is a capability that defies logic and yet underlies the incapable with the possibility of creating practical applications. Are you even aware of what harnessing your ability could truly unfold?"

Starscream stared, dumbfounded, and slowly shook his helm, "... No. And neither should you or anyone else. What I have already done has changed too much! Look around you! This situation?! This mess?! It should never have happened!"

Shockwave made his way back to the seeker's side at the med berth, looking over a sharp tool, "Irrelevant. What events you have changed or circumvented are now only constructs of a theoretical existence that will not exist. Lord Megatron has explained enough. And I could not agree with him more when he asked me to study your current condition. But if you are not truly aware of the potential you have..." the mech grabbed Starscream's side roughly to turn him, a sharp scalpel aimed at the spacing under the side of his chest plate, "then I have no qualms of finding means to remove and present it to our leader for his own use."

The seeker let out a shriek of terror when he felt the pressure of the blade on his side and a loud roar filled his audials, a thick 'crack' and 'thud' following the sound. A blur of dark gray had swung into the purple mech and sent him flying across the room, crashing him into computer consoles lined along the wall. Starscream didn't need to look up to see that it was Megatron who had done the punching. He instead winced as he focused on the small incision that had been made on his protoform and bit back a whine when he saw the slow leak of energon that began to escape.

The seeker pouted inwardly and gasped in surprise when Megatron's clawed servo pinned him down, the warlord's optics gazing into the wound as though it were spilling a million precious stars.

"You damaged him, Shockwave..." Megatron growled, his touch upon Starscream delicate as he examined him even though his voice betrayed the softness, "You... DAMAGED him!"

Shockwave didn't move from his crumpled position against the console, "My lord, you have requested I test upon him to-"

"WITHOUT INVASIVE MEASURES! WAS I UNCLEAR?!"

The purple mech still didn't move, "No, my liege. I was simply being impatient. I shall find other, noninvasive methods of performing the tests I require. Is there anything else I should be made aware of, my liege?"

Megatron scowled and pointed to the small cut on Starscream's side, "Fix this and then return to your work. You will only perform tests upon my dear Starscream once you have found noninvasive ways of doing so."

Shockwave finally stood, damage evident in the way he limped slowly to the med berth's side. He didn't speak as he carefully cleaned and sealed the wound he had made on the seeker and when he was finished, he backed away.

Starscream didn't want to admit to himself that he felt pity for the scientist. As Megatron released his servos from the clamp above his helm and helped him to his peds, despite the resistance the smaller mech gave, the seeker managed a quick glance at Shockwave. The purple mech would need medical attention for the injuries he had just sustained and yet he was still going to perform the experiments and tests needed for the one who harmed him. For his master. That blindness in of itself probably warranted a little pity...

"Shockwave," Megatron growled, taking hold of Starscream's arm firmly, "I will personally escort my dear Starscream back into your care once you have proven your methods can be made noninvasively. Have I been made clear this time?"

Shockwave nodded and gestured to the door, "I will deliver the results once I have had time to run simulations. Thank you, my liege."

The warlord glared down at the purple mech and turned away, taking Starscream along with him. The pair exited the med bay and Megatron took the seeker to the lifts, a new, gentle smile on his faceplates.

"I am relieved to see I was able to stop Shockwave from causing you more harm, my second," he purred, "His more ruthless experiments are not what I asked him to perform. We are trying to discover your potential, a way to harness your power, not hurt you."

Starscream shook with a fear of where they were going and with a touch of anger, "Not trying to hurt me?" he scoffed, "Why don't you do me a large and tasteful favor?"

"Anything, my dear St-"

"Stop fragging lying to me," the seeker snarled, "Or better yet, stop lying to yourself. You've gone completely insane. You continue to hurt and torment me, so don't pretend that you're not."

Megatron still smiled, reaching down to take the smaller mech's chin, "Star-"

Starscream flinched back, "I told you to stop. What you're doing now is worse than anything I could've come up with when I was still in your faction. Stop pretending and accept that I am the last Autobot. I will never be swayed by you again."

The warlord was struggling to keep his smile; it curled and fought against the snarl that was trying to emerge. His optics were beginning to glow brighter in the face of being challenged by his treasure. The grip he had on the seeker's arm was shaking as he tried to keep himself from tightening the hold. But he sighed heavily and took a deep intake.

"Starscream... my second," he said softly, "you are making a mistake deluding yourself. I rescued you, I freed you..." he tried to reach down again, stroking the smaller mech's cheekplate, "Your time away has made you blind to the harm the Autobots caused you..." he smirked when the seeker flinched away again but he didn't let him escape the touch this time, "I can only assume what they forced you to say and do to make you believe their lies... especially that pest Prime. The best thing I could've done for you was end his pitiful existen-"

Megatron had not been prepared for the extended pair of claws that suddenly scratched deeply across his chest plate. Starscream roared as he tackled into the larger mech, intent on doing whatever damage he could as he shrieked.

"DON'T YOU SAY A WORD AGAINST OPTIMUS!"

Megatron growled at the little gouges and wounds the seeker had inflicted and held his temper back as he reached up swiftly and grabbed the angry treasure's wrists, rolling on top of him. Both glared at the other darkly, but it was the warlord who smiled first, chuckling when Starscream refused to give in despite having been bested.

"Typical," he mused, energon dripping lightly from his chest plate onto the mech below him, "but I am no less impressed. You still have so much fight even though..." he leaned down to purr into the seeker's audial, "I took them all from you?"

Starscream turned his helm away, praying that the tears welling in his optics wouldn't fall.

Megatron wasn't deterred, "Stop resisting me," he told him, "you don't have to remain in their favors any longer. You can make this so much easier. Come with me to the command deck, stand beside me. Say you'll never leave again... End this, my dear Starscream..."

The seeker growled lightly. If only accepting an offer like this was that easy.

"My second?"

"Never."

Megatron pulled away to stare down at Starscream, the seeker's bright blue optics boring into him, "Kill me now or continue your torture. And in Arcee's own words," he snarled, "Get. Fragged."

The warlord continued to stare then smirked, "I see..." he stood, pulling the smaller mech up with him, and held him tight against him as he lead him into the lifts, "Your will to continue is refreshing. Fine then. Don't ever lose that."

"Your lack of mental stability is not a good look for you," Starscream huffed, struggling, "Maybe you should rethink your many bad decisions as of late."

Megatron turned the seeker around to look at him, that dumb, negatively hopeful, maybe even oblivious, smile still on his faceplates, "I mean it. Don't ever lose your will to fight against me. It makes this all the more entertaining. When I win, and I will win, I want you to look me in the optics and beg. I want you to beg for nothing but me, because in the end you will realize that I was the one who was protecting you from all the real villains. The Autobots, Shockwave, even the humans and C.Y.L.A.S. They would all have abused or abuse you now if it weren't for me. I am the only force preventing them from taking you away and bending you towards a will that would betray you. So, be thankful," he gently tapped Starscream's confused faceplate, "and, if you are so inclined, think of an apology to give me later when I come to collect you."

The lift doors opened and a confused snort echoed from out in the dark of the flight deck. Fear quickly enveloped the seeker and he tried to latch onto the warlord with what grip he could manage. For a moment, he thought the act was what the larger mech was looking for, 'by way of apology, please allow my actions to beg you not to do this'. But Megatron easily twirled Starscream out of the lifts, his red optics betraying him by showing the sheer pleasure he felt when he saw the terrified and defeated look of his second. The seeker stood frozen in the dark of the night facing the doors as they closed, a small whimper escaping his throat. Another snort and loud yawn from the far side of the flight deck traveled back to him and Starscream began to tremble. Even before the heavy pedfalls of Predaking indicated to him that the beast was near, he felt another sound escape him. This time, he was screaming.