Chapter 29: A Safe Place
A/N: Where is Thundercracker?! Well, he's in the-SNOOOORE-! (Want to write, but eyes…so sore…tired…sick...never mind…ideas…popping out like-) SNOOOOOORE!!!
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What was a primitive hole dug out by Scavenger looking for items of worth became a useful commodity, proving the needy Constructicon's worth for just a few astroseconds. Rolling through the parched landscape was a green dump truck, carrying a plain metal box and his usual discontent for menial jobs such as this.
"You'd think war would make life interestin'…" Long Haul complained to himself. "But what did I get turned into when I got here? A slaggin' dump truck! Geez, thanks a bunch for reminding me how useful I yam outta the usual!" Scavenger's optics lit eagerly at Long Haul's arrival with the new cargo. The disgruntled Decepticon reverted to his root mode, disregarding the box tumbling off him to meet his team mate. Hooking the air with a finger, Long Haul brought the insecure Transformer's attention to the jejune box. "C'mon Scavvy! 'Deceptibabe told us ta' load this baby in yer' new project, so get to it!"
Scuttling around the hole with said box in hands, Scavenger made sure to let it drop in unison with Long Haul. The last time he wasn't in synch with Long Haul almost threw him into the previous hole due to the immense weight of the box. The Constructicons watched as the box clumsily travel down the hole until it joined the darkness. It's landing was signalled with a plaintive thud, alerting Scavenger to fill up the cavity in the earth.
"…I can't wait to dig it back out…" Scavenger's shovel scattered the remaining soil over the sealed hollow. The dump truck snorted unintelligently.
"Yeah, yeah, way to go Scavvy, now c'mon! We're due back at HQ breems ago!" Long Haul started to drive away in his root mode, followed by his team mate.
"So, who's in there this time?"
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They didn't have a brig.
Starscream did this to him because she cared.
Because, if Megatron were to punish him…he was loss for words. He could roughly judge how far he fell, even if his head was clamped in-between his knees. There was no space to move his arms, looped around his body. His wings were detached.
A fitting position for Thundercracker in solitary confinement. A safe place from Megatron.
…Starscream did care.
Is it because…? Does she know how much he felt for her that day? Did she get a sign, a jolt, an electrical revelation in their brief union? He was not sure that day. His vision was blur. Wet even. But he should have kept away from her if he was glitched. He knew he had a glitch that day. Yes, he had a cerebral malfunction after the skirmish, so he couldn't control his actions-
No. He can't lie to himself. Being able to register his previous state meant that he had a certain amount of rationality in mind. In other words, he knew he was glitching, but like all fools governed by their emotions, took them off the mental leash to run loose. Uninhibited carnal desires took him for a ride, and he could have just…not…done it. Thundercracker was already regretting. Skywarp should have slugged him harder. Starscream should have reprimand him to such fierce extremities, that her vocal processors would just break under the stress. He did something wrong.
Ideation in a leaning box was not improving. And the inhibitor planted in his systems took away the luxury of stasis lock, so if he did fall into recharge, his mind will continue running.
Hopefully, they would dig him out before his fuel pump ran dry…he had a lot to think about. That small spark of hope rose in his chest…
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Megatron planned this project almost a year ahead, disguising his motives with layers of short termed plans to decimate the Autobot's numbers. Stealing energon usually diverted the Autobot's attention, coupled by any new weapons of mass destruction he could invent, create, or even imagine. A pinch of disappointment was the most Megatron felt when he lost said weapons, because it could have had much more potential in bringing more Autobots to his knees as melted slag. Most of them did not meet his quota of Autobot fatalities. The grey Transformer wondered whether his eternal rival knew of his plans…then again, repetition had already moulded itself into their lives. And that brought about routine, which the tyrant happily exploited. How to get himself out of that cycle was a different question…
His vermillion optics scrutinised the eight identical monuments forming a rough circle around Cybertron. As proof of his immeasurable power, the Decepticon leader gave the order to create these harmless architectural structures, and as the vorns flew by, Transformers began to populate themselves around each of them. Safe zones to Decepticon's and their sympathisers, the Autobot's moral consciousness prevented them from attacking in fear of harming the civilians. And what for? The hollow monuments only served as casual watch towers or fanciful space. The area around it was littered with Decepticons. Soon, the reputation of the structures as 'an underlying threat' dumb down to 'a useless waste of materials in Cybertron's desperate times'.
And in the centre of Cybertron, a new tower was to be built, putting Triburst's new invention to use.
Excellent.
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"Hey Motormaster!" the purple seeker at the opposite end of the mess hall hollered to the supercilious trailer truck. Said Decepticon turned his body to find Skywarp surrounded by the Coneheads, waving a data pad around in a spastic fit of giggles. "Seen the new issue of Hot Hot Femmes yeeeeeet?!!!"
"So what if I have, ya' purple Perverticon?! I already saw the Gestalt Girls in it!" The Constructicon perked their heads in interest before Motormaster's unappreciated comment. "Construction vehicles are slaggin' ugly anyway!"
…And the green and purple gestalt team glared at the Stunticon leader, anticipating another canteen brawl if Skywarp had the right mind to shut his jaws shut.
"Yeah, well I got three words for you Motordouchebag!" Skywarp's face appeared above the triangular heads, holding the sacred data pad in his hands.
"Yo' fat roboMOMMA!!!"
The Constructicons were right anyway.
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It only took a few astroseconds for the Decepticon leader to comprehend Starscream's report on Thundercracker's indecorous behaviour, but the red seeker's feet were already bolted to the ground. She took small comfort in knowing that she admitted her personal misadventures verbally, rather than wait for him to connect to her and…well, find out the hard way. There was no point fighting against them; Thundercracker's mind was literally out of place at that point in time, and Megatron preferred female submissiveness to their 'masters'. Her blue wing mate was already facing punishment under her direct orders, because Megatron would have done worst to them both. And he knew.
"…You stupid slut." Megatron flicked Starscream's chin out of his hand, and paced the room like a feral beast, save for his hands tied around his back as a civil show of controlled agitation. Quartering the blue seeker would do no good to quell his resentment, and torturing Starscream was becoming an old game. The femme con may beg and plead all she could, but Starscream never looked entirely vulnerable due to her persistent determination in challenging his authority. He quietly turned his attention to his latest plan on screen, an orchestrated masterpiece exploiting the Autobot's weakness.
Swinging around, Megatron rammed his large fist into her head, side punching his second-in-command.
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'Stupid slut.'
Starscream thought he would let the matter rest, but she couldn't bluff herself when his hand forced her to the ground. Maybe her leader would stop beating her after two breems, but the abuse extended beyond her endurance and she fell into stasis lock. It has been like this for the past few days, the fatigue, the stress, taking its toll on her systems. When the warm red light reflected off her helmet and her optics came back online, she found herself being carried by another Transformer. Rumble was following the dark feet plodding towards the med bay.
She hated it. The deep enigmatic resonance, radiating from Soundwave's body. It just showed how humble and overly modest (so to say), the Decepticon communications officer felt, if one such as her got fairly comfortable with his presence. 'Rumble, Rumble, Rumble. Always there to save me'. The optics playfully flickered at the thought before she went offline again. Megatron was so angry at her, she felt something stir deep within her chassis. And his plan was so close to execution, the last thing Megatron needed was some crass femme con to ruffle his feathers.
That means he felt…hurt? Somehow, that made her happy.
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A/N: Sorry for the delay. :P Got a lot of stuff cramming my head right now, but have no fear! This fanfic DOES have an actual plot! …Sadly, those who have read up to this chapter has been subjugated by my bullsh-t! XD Thanks for the reviews and your support again! Updated the chapter, hopefully its more coherent XP