Scientific Method.
Chapter Three: Trial.
Sam was woken by the door being opened wide. He squinted, the sudden light after so long in the darkness was hurting his eyes.
As Sam shrank back, most of the light was blotted out by the menacing form of Barricade, who advanced into the cell. Sam tried to back away as the frontliner advanced, but the size of the cell and the chain thwarted his attempts. Barricade pinned him to the ground with one clawed hand as he roughly unlocked the manacles around Sam's wrists. Then he gripped Sam around his body and strode out of the cell with him.
Sam cried out, throwing his hand over his eyes, blinded by the light as Barricade took him out of the cell, holding him round the body just a bit too tightly.
"Please - what's happening, Sir?" Sam asked, trying to peer around his arm, but what light didn't overload his eyes only revealed confusing flashes of the ground, edges of buildings, and part of Barricade's exoskeleton.
"You, fleshing, are going to stand trial for your crimes," Barricade replied.
Sam recalled Starscream mentioning that there would be a trial, asking how he would defend himself, but he hadn't realised it would happen so soon, or so suddenly.
"What, now?" he asked.
"Starscream informs me you have given thought to your defense," Barricade said as he brought Sam into an open area where a few mechs waited, none of them Starscream. "You are under our rules, and our time. Perhaps your cell has got too comfortable, fleshling?" He abruptly opened his hand, allowing Sam to fall to the floor.
"Ow!" Sam cried as his arms hit the ground followed quickly by the rest of him. He tried to get to his feet but he hadn't even got to hands and knees before he felt a harsh, uncompromising surface on his back, one that pushed down and out, unbalancing him so he sprawled facedown on the concrete floor. He felt it settle on his back, the weight increasing until it was uncomfortable, and he cried out again. Twisting his head around, he worked out that the weight on his back was the end of Barricade's foot. He froze, for Barricade would only need to lean a bit harder on him to cause Sam some serious injury.
"Tell me, insect, after killing Megatron, what right do you claim to being allowed to live yourself?" the frontliner asked.
"It - it wasn't my intention to kill, only to save my life and my world!" Sam cried. "Wouldn't you do the same?" He looked up at the three watching mechs, hoping one of them might agree. One of them stepped forwards.
"We are not the ones on trial here, you are." he said, his single optic flashing briefly brighter. He crouched by Sam, grabbed a leg tightly. "Maybe we should give you a taste of what awaits you afterwards?" Sam cried out as the red mech began to pinch Sam's leg harder and harder, and he felt the weight on his back intensify slightly.
"Well, he can only go on trial for his crimes if he isn't killed by foolish shows of your power and anger like this!" another voice said, and Sam recognised Starscream's voice. It seemed the Seeker had finally arrived. "So take your foot off him Barricade, and unhand him, Swindle. Give him some dignity and let him stand up."
It was only likely to be a small stay of execution, and Sam knew this, but he wasn't about to refuse it, shooting a small grateful glance in Starscream's direction as he clambered unsteadily to his feet, although he didn't think the Seeker would appreciate it, if he even noticed it.
Barricade stood and walked out from the other mechs as they formed a loose semicircle around him. Starscream moved to stand behind him, and Barricade directly in front of him.
"As of now, this trial begins," Starscream said. "Barricade, you are the Trial Leader and Master of the Court. You will tell the prisoner and the other mechs what the prisoner is accused of."
Barricade nodded.
"This prisoner is named Samuel James Witwicky, Creation of Ronald Archibald Witwicky, and Judith Wendy Witwicky. Is this correct?"
"Uh, yeah," Sam said. If by saying I'm their "Creation" you mean they're my parents?"
"Yes, yes," Starscream said. "Trial Leader, continue."
"Did you or did you not push the Cube, known as the AllSpark, into the chest of the mech known as Megatron, the former Lord High Protector of Cybertron?" Barricade asked Sam.
"Um, yeah, I did," Sam said. "But I had no choice, I-" He was cut off by Barricade.
"There you are, you don't even try to deny your crime, you know you are guilty, you just admitted it! All that remains to be decided is your sentence!"
Sam looked around frantically, nothing Starscream had told him had warned him that the circumstances of the event wouldn't matter. As if in answer to his own thoughts, Starscream stood up.
"Master of the Court, although human and Cybertronian legal systems have some significant differences, they also have some significant similarities, such as allowing the accused one to give their version of events, in case it offers insights or circumstances that may relate to the crime and thus may affect the sentence. May I suggest you allow this trial to be legal by allowing the accused one to explain his actions, via judicious questioning?" He directed a shallow bow towards the black and white frontliner. "May I ask him some questions?"
"Certainly," Barricade said, inclining his head towards the Seeker. Starscream inclined his own head in response before walking round to stand in front of Sam.
"Samuel James Witwicky, you have just stated that you did place the Cube in the chest of former Lord High Protector Megatron. For what reason did you do this? What, by placing the Cube there, did you hope to achieve?"
"Um - well, I was unarmed, Megatron was crawling towards me saying that he would kill me. I don't have built-in weapons like you, I was desperate, I used the only thing I had available, but I didn't know it would kill him, I swear!"
"Megatron had suggested earlier on the roof that he would take you as a pet, so I reject your assertion that he wanted to kill you." one of the other mechs spoke up.
"No, he said 'maybe', and only if I gave him the Cube on the roof," Sam said. "This was after that, and there was no 'maybe' then. His exact words were "I'll kill you." I had to defend myself somehow!"
"Optimus did, did he not, tell you he would, in his own words "sacrifice himself", telling you to put the Cube in his chest." Starscream said. "This does suggest that you knew what it would do."
"No, sir, I don't know about on Cybertron, but on Earth, 'sacrifice' does not immediately mean death or dying, it means giving something precious up. I had no idea what Optimus Prime meant by that phrase. Yes, it could mean it would kill him, or it could have meant another type of sacrifice, like the loss of his Prime position, or losing the use of his legs or something." Sam said. "Look, I knew nothing of what the AllSpark actually was to you until someone explained it to me after the battle." He looked imploringly at each set of red optics watching him in turn, spreading his arms. "All the times I saw its power expressed it was creating life, not destroying it, I had no reason to believe it would kill Megatron. I took a risk, it could have gone into him and made him stronger. It may have been how he planned to absorb its power anyway, I didn't know, but I hoped it would distract him long enough so that my friends and I could regroup or get out of the way."
The mechs all turned to the one nearest to them, and Sam was surprised to recognise that the tone used was one of assent, it seemed they agreed with him. Starscream stopped it with a quick roar of his thrusters and holding his hand out in a silencing gesture that was obviously used on more worlds than just Earth.
"You are correct, human, as on Earth "sacrifice' does not always involve death, " Starscream stated. "What you are saying makes sense. There is no proof in what we saw or in what you say that it was your intention to kill Megatron, or the AllSpark." The Seeker paused. "However, you did kill him, and have admitted it. Premeditation is not the question here: it is the act. So the trial will deal now with the charge: that Samuel James Witwicky did kill Megatron and destroy the AllSpark in battle. Mechs, what is your verdict. Guilty, or not guilty?"
One by one they all said "Guilty." Starscream then turned to Sam.
"How do you plead, Samuel James Witwicky, to the charge that you killed Megatron and destroyed the AllSpark in the process? We are not asking for your answer on the circumstances here, only the facts of what happened."
"Well, I guess in that case, I am guilty, because he did die and the AllSpark was destroyed," Sam said miserably. Starscream turned to face the mechs.
"The accused has pleased guilty to the charge," he stated.
"Then all that remains now is the sentence, and I suggest a slow and painful death. Perhaps we could dismember him while still alive, or use him in a game of catch and throw until he dies?" suggested Barricade, and Sam could hear other mechs agreeing with the suggestion. As he was also hungry as well as now very frightened, Sam sat down when a wave of giddiness washed over him.
"Wait, my impatient colleagues, for I believe that there are two more factors that must be taken into account here," Starscream replied.
"One of those is that although he fought in a battle, he was not a trained soldier, so didn't have the discipline its armed forces teach it's soldiers."
"Neither do most of us," Barricade replied. "I was a musician, Swindle was in training as a medic. That is no more an excuse than it would be for most of us here."
"We have had more experience in battle than he has lived, his species' lifespan is ridiculously short." Starscream stated.
"That is no excuse." Barricade said. Now, your other factor please?" Sam cold tell that the black-and-white mech was getting impatient, and Starscream obviously noticed it too.
"Very well. I ask you to consider his age. He is only seventeen or eighteen, just a sparkling." Starscream said. Barricade snorted.
"All humans are sparklings by our standards, even the very oldest!" the frontliner almost snarled. "I begin to wonder, Starscream, where your loyalties lie, with the Decepticons, or with the squishies? I say we sentence him now, I recommend slow and painful dismemberment while still alive and conscious, and I suggest we do it here and now!"
"I am the only person he has to act in his defence, Barricade! Even on Cybertron, an accused person must be allowed an advocate for the court to be lawful, and I am acting in that capacity, my personal feelings aside!" Starscream hissed. "How dare you accuse me of disloyalty!
Ignoring Starscream's angry outburst, Barricade advanced on Sam, reaching for him with a hand. Sam stumbled backwards, falling over his own feet, and as Barricade's hand closed about him, the frightened human wondered if these were going to be his last few minutes of life.