Ch. 214

Starscream grumbled and shook his helm for what felt like the hundredth time that day, but his small smile told his present company that his reaction wasn't out of annoyance, "No, no, forget about all that. I don't want to talk about what I had to deal with; what about all of you? I mean, how slagging dare you make me think the lot of you had been thrown to the of the Well of the Allspark? Shame on you, Arceemus."

Arcee chuckled and gripped her side in a wince of pain, "Ow, no, you- you said you weren't going to make me laugh anymore," she murmured.

The seeker pursed, "Ooo, so I suppose I lied. I've still got it."

"Both of you, hush," Ratchet commanded from his post at the med bay's medical console, "I have more than enough sedatives to knock you both out for weeks. You're supposed to be resting..."

Starscream groaned and slumped back into his med berth with a pout, "But I want to know what happened. Wheeljack must have gotten to all of you in time. Well, what happened then? How did you find this place? How did you orchestrate a plot to lure Megatron and his forces to you?"

"Do you really want to know?" Arcee smirked.

"Oh fragging heavens, yes," Starscream lifted himself back up into a gentle sitting position, "I need details. You can't tell me I'm not owed a few good stories."

Ratchet rolled his optics, "Oh, puh-lease..."

The femme shrugged, "In all honesty? Most of what we dealt with was so boring. Optimus and Smokescreen had been separated from us after we bridged out of our old base. They came back to us a little while later in Ultra Magnus's ship."

The seeker flicked his wings a bit, "Mm, yes, that little thing. Where is it?"

"The ships?" Ratchet inquired.

Starscream looked back at the older mech, "Ships? As in 'more than one'?"

The medic nodded, then scowled, "You're supposed to be resting... But yes, Ultra Magnus's ship is docked in a hangar with Wheeljack's Jackhammer. It's a tight fit, but they're both readily available. And it wasn't as though we could use either vehicle safely after the Decepticons had destroyed our silo and were constantly looking for us."

The seeker sat up more comfortably, "I really wish I had known that... They had me firmly believing you had all been killed."

Arcee tried to sit up but winced and nestled back into her own berth, "And how did they manage that? You fought with us, against us at one point. Do we really go down that easy?"

Starscream waved at her gently, "No, you don't, and no, I don't want to talk about any of that," he looked around before gesturing about the room, "And what about all this? Where did you find such a thing?"

Ratchet finished typing into his console as he sighed; he was going to have to give up scolding his patients, "Well, this ship was found near coordinates Soundwave had... stolen from the Nemesis. We had all escaped to the Harbinger, but we knew eventually they would find us at that location. It had been deemed more efficient to use the place as a somewhat explosive lure, but only if we had a more suitable establishment to act as a proper base."

Starscream let out an exasperated groan, "Oh, you didn't- I thought they had fired upon it! You sacrificed the Harbinger?"

Arcee chuckled again and held back a small cough of pain, "Scream... how do you think the Nemesis was damaged as much as it was? Wheeljack taught Knockout how to rig an explosion that aimed up," she hummed quietly as she settled back down, "Actually, I don't think I've seen Knockout more excited about getting a few smudges on his paint than after he learned how to do that."

"Ugh, it's been a nuisance," Ratchet grimaced, "that I have been forced to clean up on more than one occasion. Wheeljack thinks it's funny."

Starscream smiled as he let himself fall back into his berth, "I'll bet it is... Thank you both."

Ratchet blinked in confusion as Arcee carefully turned her helm to look at the silver mech, "Now what are you thanking us for?"

The seeker shrugged, "The rescue? Working together? ... Talking to me right now, that seems to fit more comfortably... All of that I guess. I didn't think I would have this again..."

Ratchet felt his gaze flicker from the floor to Starscream. He grumbled quietly to himself before speaking up again.

"Would you... like to talk about it?" he asked softly, "Or I can get Optimus-"

"They made a crown for me to wear made out of what I thought were bits and pieces of each of you."

The confession hung in the air and stayed. Arcee's chassis shuddered against her will as Ratchet's optics widened.

"I'm... sorry, wait, they did WHAT?"

Starscream's claws were firmly clinging to the berth beneath him as he spoke, "Megatron insisted you were all dead. He commissioned Shockwave to build a crown to prove it. He always spoke as though you were all gone. I didn't have any reason to doubt him. I had no way to verify anything..."

Arcee forced herself to slowly sit up, "Starscream... do you want us to call Op-"

The seeker shook his helm, "No. Believe me, I know I'm not... 'Ok'. But I am no longer on the Nemesis. I am no longer being tormented. All of you are alive. ... I'm not 'ok' right now, but I know I will be. I don't need to talk to Optimus right now. That will come later."

Ratchet hummed lowly, "Are you sure?"

Starscream smiled, loosening his grip on the berth to fold his servos over his chestplate, "Positive. Now, tell me more about how this all came to be. You thwarted Megatron's plans to annihilate you; what happened then?"

"He's going to need a lot of time to recover," Ratchet murmured, showing his datapad to Optimus as he spoke and gestured to a few notes, "He was mentally tortured. I had intended for him to speak to the both of us more privately but he was more than forthcoming speaking about a few details of his imprisonment."

Optimus stared down at the notes, his optics dimming sadly, "I had accepted that this may have been a possibility... but I hoped this would not have been the case..." he handed the datapad back, "What do you suggest?"

The smaller mech typed into the device, "Until I can get a proper assessment, everything we're doing now is best. Our biggest struggle would have been getting him to communicate, but he's been very willing to talk with everyone. I suppose we'll need to be mindful of certain phrases just in case they trigger lapses and bring about panic attacks... but again, until I can perform a proper assessment..."

Optimus nodded, "I understand... From what you have observed so far, what is your prognosis?"

"Right now?" Ratchet thought about it for a moment, "Good, actually. I think it's going to take a little time for him to acclimate to his new surroundings and the lack of Decepticon presence. Knockout and I will also have to schedule time to remove the cuffs from his wrists. The sooner changes like this are made, the better for him all around."

The Prime nodded again and shuttered his optics, "I am relieved to hear this. ... And Ratchet?" he inquired much more quietly, "Your... other concern?"

The medic flinched, then shook his helm, "No, not now. And I haven't had time to work on it yet. But it will have to be done soon. Optimus, it's only going to be a matter of time. Whether we figure out where it came from or not, Starscream has to be able to control it. Or he could very well kill one of us..."