Chapter 8
"Stay with him." Thundercracker ordered as he stomped towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Skywarp asked as he lied on the berth cuddling a recharging Starscream. The tri colored Seeker had cried himself into recharge, his faceplates still covered in coolant.
"I am going to have a little chat with the resident brat." Thundercracker growled.
"Star wouldn't want you-"
"I don't slagging care!" He roared.
"Mmm?" Starscream moaned as he started to online.
"Shhh, shhhh, go back to recharge. Go back to recharge." Skywarp said softly as he lovingly stroked his trineleader's helm. "Just take a break from all of this. Go back to recharge."
Starscream did so, falling back into recharge, unaware of what his trinemate was about to do. Skywarp just hugged him closer, worried over what Thundercracker planned on doing.
Thundercracker marched straight to Dawnstar's room and hacked the door. He didn't wait for it to open on its own, grabbing the sliding parts and forcing them away much faster than they were designed to go. He stormed in and stopped.
Dawnstar was in the midst of climbing out her window, pausing to looked back at him.
"Dawnstar, don't you dare." Thundercracker growled as he pointed a digit at her.
"You guys are ridiculous. I am out of here." She grunted.
"NO YOU ARE NOT! You get your aft back inside this moment! And you are going to apologize to your sire for being an ungrateful brat and you will change your attitude! Or so help me I will turn you over my knee and beat you until you have nothing left to beat!" He roared furiously, his optics narrowed.
"No, I will not! You are all just stupid fraggers who need to leave me the slag alone!"
"You step out of that window and your life is over!"
She smirked. "No, I'll be free. Frag you." She said as she flashed him a rude Vosian hand gesture just before leaping out of the window.
Thundercracker rushed to the window and reached out, barely missing her ped. He quickly climbed out and transformed, his engines roaring to life as he raced after her. She reached Mach 3 in astroseconds, Thundercracker right behind her. She soared high into the atmosphere before diving towards the edge of the base. Thundercracker stayed just behind her, trying his best not to just shoot her. She twisted and rolled, leaving the safe skies of the Decepticon base to fly over the ruined cities. She dodged and spun through the skyscrapers, flying inside of buildings with gaping holes and performing maneuvers only Seeker builds could ever pull off. Thundercracker never slowed down in his pursuit, his thrusters at their maximum power.
Dawnstar flew through a building and dove straight down, pulling up at the last astrosecond before crashing into the street below, causing Empties to jump and shout. She flew just feet over the surface of the street, her blue "uncle" almost on top of her. She heard the sound of his generator powering on, a very obviously powerful sonic boom about to be unleashed. She forced her thrusters to their max, her systems already overheating.
She twisted to her side, her wings were perfectly vertical as she sped through a narrow alley of two towers. Thundercracker stayed right behind her. She straightened out once free from between the buildings and aileron rolled upwards. His generator was humming now, about to unleash his special attack. Undoubtedly powerful enough to make her fall into stasis lock with about half of Cybertron.
She transformed, spun around, and aimed her gun at him. He started to transform as well, time seeming to slow down as he neared, his sonic boom beginning to be unleashed.
She fired.
It struck Thundercracker on the nosecone just as his sonic boom was unleashed. The boom constricted and surged its power back into him, quickly coursing through his systems and rapidly causing them to overheat. He managed to finish transforming, but everything shut down. He fell, spiraling uncontrollably as he plummeted. His HUD was down, thruster heels offline, optics blurry, audio receptors malfunctioning, everything just not working properly.
His backside collided with the edge of a building, making him cry out with a static vocalizer. He tumbled down, his wings scraping and crumbling against the side of the building before he slammed into the roof of another structure. He fell through and kept crashing through the hundreds of floors, smashing old furniture, electronics, wires, and everything else inside.
Finally, he reached the bottom and made very painful impact with the ground floor. His frame shook from the shock of the ordeal, as he desperately tried to calm his systems down. It took nearly a klik before he could focus his optics and get his HUD to work.
Everything was damaged in one way or another.
He turned his helm to see that his wings were practically nonexistent. His optics narrowed. She was dead. More than dead.
::Thundercracker to Contrail and Nacelle. Answer me.::
::Contrail to Thundercracker. Is there a reason you are bothering me during my beauty recharge?::
::Nacelle to Thundercracker. What be happening, bossbot?::
::Thundercracker to aft-heads. Come to the coordinates I am sending you. Now. Bring a medkit.::
::Um, why not get your trinemates?:: Nacelle asked.
::Because, this doesn't need to involve them. Get your afts over here and I will give you further instructions from there. Thundercracker out.::
He cut the line and just lied there, glaring murderously at the ceiling as he thought of all the horrible and painful things he was going to do to that femmling after he beat that aft off of her. Literary.
"Spending all my nights, all my money, goin' out on the town! Doin' anything just to get you off of my mind! But when the morning comes, I'm right back where I started again! And tryin' to forget you is just a waste of time!"
Nacelle sang as he and Contrail flew in jet mode towards the provided coordinates, their wingtips almost touching from their proximity. They sang the chorus together, wingtips twitching as they tried to dance in their alt. mode.
"Baby come back, any kind of fool could see! There was something in everything about you! Baby come back, you can blame it all on me! I was wrong and I just can't live without you!"
Contrail sang the next part by himself. "All day long, wearing a mask of false bravado, tryin' to keep up a smile that hides the tears! But as the sun goes down, I get that empty feeling again, how I wish to God that you were here!"
They sang the chorus together again. "Baby come back, any kind of fool could see! There was something in everything about you! Baby come back, you can blame it all on me! I was wrong and I just can't live without you!"
Thundercracker's optics onlined when the awful singing reached his audio receptors. He rolled his optics as the roaring jet engines neared. The two Seekers transformed and landed just outside the building.
"Alright! Where is that slagger?" Nacelle's vocalizer inquired.
"I'm in here, idiots!" Thundercracker called to them.
"Hear that? There's the jerk that called us mean terms! Let's go show him he can't treat us like that."
Thundercracker listened at the clacking of thruster heels neared, then stopped beside him.
"Whoa, someone already 'showed him' something." Contrail replied.
"What happened, TC?" Nacelle asked quickly as he unsubspaced his medkit.
"Dawnstar is what happened." Thundercracker grunted.
"What?"
"Get me fixed up enough so I can return to Hook. Then, we are going hunting."
Starscream kissed her lip plates slowly as he held her close, loving every moment with his Conjunx Endura. Moonstar kissed him back, her delicate servos holding the sides of his helm, a stiletto heeled ped in the air behind her.
"I love you, Moonstar." He said softly to her, his servos on the small of her back. "I love you so much. My perfect femme."
"I love you too, Starscream. My handsome hunk." She giggled as she nuzzled her olfactory sensor against his.
He smirked that sexy smirk of his. "Everything is perfect when I'm with you."
He captured her lip plates in a searing kiss, their glossas soon playing. Their kiss only became more intense, mouthing at each other as she wrapped an arm around his neck. Her other servo lowered to his abdominal plating, slowly stroking the tips of her digits against it.
Starscream kept kissing, his optics suddenly widening and jerking away. He looked down and saw a large, metal rod piercing through his abdominal plating, Moonstar's servo holding it in place. His cycling sped up, gasping as his energon gushed out from the wound.
He looked up at her, almost screaming from what he saw. Her optics were missing, black holes all that remained, and her faceplates and rest of her frame covered in rust and falling apart from decay.
"YOU LET ME DIE!" She shrieked in a high-pitched voice that wasn't hers.
"I didn't-"
"YOU KILLED US BOTH!" The living corpse screeched.
"I didn't kill you! I tried-AHHH!"
He fell to his knees as his servos grasped at the blade protruding through his chest plates. His servos were covered in his own energon, gasping for air to cool his overheating systems. The blade was suddenly yanked out and Dawnstar stepped before him, holding the weapon. He looked up at her, trembling.
"Dawnstar?" He choked out.
"You ruined everything!" She shouted.
"Dawn, I didn't-"
"Just die!" She exclaimed as she swung the sword at him.
Starscream onlined with a start, almost leaping out of berth. He was panting, his servos touching his frame to ensure he was still intact. Realizing it was only a nightmare, he just sat there, his frame trembling slightly.
"Mmmm? Wut wrong, Star?" Skywarp sleepily asked as he slowly sat up.
"Nothing. Nothing, 'Warp." Starscream said quickly. "I just… Where's TC?"
Skywarp swallowed. "He went to talk with Dawnstar."
Starscream wasted no time in getting out of berth and quickly making his way to Dawnstar's room. Skywarp was right behind him. Starscream punched in the code and entered. He froze when he saw the open window.
"Starscream to Thundercracker. Answer me!" He shouted into his comm. link.
::Thundercracker here.::
"Where is she? Where is my daughter?"
Silence from the other end for a long moment. ::I'll get back to you on that.::
"WHERE IS SHE!?"
::I lost her after she shot me out of the sky. I have the Seekers hunting down her ungrateful aft right now. Star, we'll find her. Don't worry.::
"She-she ran away?"
::We'll find her. She couldn't have gotten far with how much she had overheated.::
Starscream turned slowly to Skywarp, his optics wide and anxious. Skywarp swallowed. The Air Commander turned back to the window and approached, his servos trembling. He touched the frame of it with one servo as the other covered his faceplates. He cried, his wings lowering as low as they could go before he fell to his knees and sobbed into his arms folded on the bottom of the open window. Skywarp sat beside him and just hugged him, listening to Starscream's sparkbroken pleas.
"I'm sorry, Moonstar. I'm so sorry. I tried to protect her. I tried. I'm sorry. I tried to care for you both. I was never meant to be a sire. Primus, this just wasn't meant to be. I'm sorry, my love. I'm so, so sorry." His muffled cries continued as his trinemate held him close.
Thundercracker flew with Slipstream as he searched, the sun almost past the horizon. The Seekers had been searching all orbital cycle, not a one finding any sign of the black and red femme.
::Report in.:: Thundercracker ordered.
::Nothing.::
::No sign.::
::Zero.::
Everyone reported the same thing. Thundercracker internally sighed.
::Fall back to base. We will continue the search tomorrow.:: Thundercracker ordered.
"Slipstream, when we find her, try to make sure I don't deactivate her too quickly. I want to make sure she knows why I'm gonna kill her."
"Yes, sir."
"Come on, I need to return to my trine."
Thundercracker transformed and landed before the front door of the house. He put in his code and entered.
"Did you find her?" Starscream demanded from where he stood in the entrance room, his wings lowered and servos wringing.
Thundercracker vented a tired sigh. "We will continue the search tomorrow."
Starscream swallowed. "Why did she run away?" He asked in almost a whisper.
"Star, you need to go recharge. Don't-"
"I can't recharge until I know where my little femmling is." He choked out as coolant pooled in his optics. "Where is she?"
"Star," Thundercracker placed his servos on his trineleader's shoulders. "I will find her. I will kill her. And I will return her to you." He stated firmly.
"I failed her. I failed Moonstar. I promised her that I would protect Dawn and keep her safe. I promised that nothing-"
"Star, stop it! You have not failed anything. This isn't your fault. I will get her back."
Starscream nodded his helm slowly before hugging his trinemate and crying into the crook of his neck. Thundercracker held him close, soothingly stroking his back.
"I'll get her, Star. I'll get her ungrateful aft back." He said gently.
Skywarp watched them from the couch, wiping away coolant from his cheekplates.
One Orn Later:
Starscream sat on the couch looking at a datapad filled with images of his precious femmes, back when everything was almost perfect. Coolant leaked from his optics as he flipped through the pictures of Moonstar smiling so wonderfully at him, Dawnstar as a little sparkling wearing her tiara and pink blanket, and them as a happy family. He watched his femmling grow before his optics in the captured moments of time, her going from a tiny, silver sparkling to a grown, black and red femme. He fought back sobs when he came to a picture taken before he left for Cybertron for those two stellar cycles. It was of his little femmling kissing him on the cheekplates as she hugged him.
He touched the screen, missing that time when all she did was proclaim her love for him and just wanted to hug him, or wrestle with him, or try to prank him.
And now he hadn't seen or heard anything from his daughter in an orn. An orn where his trinemates were forced to hold him down and pour energon into his mouth just to keep him functioning. An orn in which he hadn't been able to leave his own house from how sick with worry he was, so much so that he would often purge his fuel tanks, weakening him to the point where he couldn't fly.
He was grounded, when he needed to be in the sky searching for her.
The sound of the front door opening reached his audio receptors. He wiped away the coolant from his optics and looked up.
"Hey," Dawnstar grunted as she started to walk by him.
"Dawn!"
He leaped to his peds and rushed over to her, embracing her in a tight hug and holding her close.
"Oh, Primus, my femmling. My precious, beautiful, perfect, sweet, femmling." He said as he clung to her.
"Dad, please let me go." She said in the same tone.
He grabbed her upper arms as he stepped back to look at her. "Why were you gone for so long? Why did you leave?! Please, don't ever do that again!" He embraced her in a firm hug again. "Don't ever run off again. Just tell me what you need. I will give you space if you need it. If-if you want I can send you back to Earth to the Nemesis if you just need some time away from here. I-I'll give you a Seeker escort and you just spend as much time there as you need. I know you like that planet and probably would feel more comfortable there than here."
"Dad, I don't want to go back to the Nemesis. Please, let me go. I wasn't gone that long." She grumbled.
He stepped back to look at her again. "What were you doing? Why do you smell of high grade? Dawn, princess, please, just talk to me."
"I'm going to go recharge. Let go! I'm going to go recharge and you are not going to bother me." She snapped as she pushed him away.
She stomped away and climbed the stairs. He just watched her, swallowing with worry.
::Starscream to Thundercracker. Dawnstar has returned home. Call off the search.::
::Thundercracker to Starscream. Good. I'm going to go and kill her, now.::
::Please, don't. I think-:: He swallowed. ::I think she's high.::
::Why?::
::I just know. She wasn't acting… Get Hook.::
::I will. Keep an optic on her, Star. I'll send 'Warp to you immediately.::
Starscream cut the line and scaled the steps. Cautiously, he made his way to her room. The door was partly open and he could hear her inside. Quietly, he forced the doors apart and entered, trying to remain calm with what he saw.
Dawnstar was at her desk knocking things over, completely uncoordinated, her optics not entirely focusing on anything. She stopped and looked up at him.
"I thought I told you to leave me alone." She said in that same tone.
"Dawn, sweetie, please sit down." Starscream said as he gestured to her berth.
She eyed him for a moment before resuming her task of removing everything from her desk. He approached her and touch her shoulder. She jerked her arm away and glared at him.
"Come on, just for a little bit." He said gently.
"Go away." She grunted as her optics looked back down.
"Dawn, please-"
"GO AWAY!" She suddenly shrieked as she slapped her servos at him. "GO! GO AWAY! AHHHHH!"
He grabbed her wrists, twisted them behind her back, and held her as she kicked and squirmed. He dragged her to the berth and sat down, holding her on his lap.
"Shhhh, it's okay, princess. Hook will be here soon. Shhh, just calm down." He said gently as coolant pooled in his optics.
She kept screaming and squirming for several more astroseconds before going limp and groaning. He rocked her back and forth on his lap, just whispering calming words to her. Her helm started to move from side to side, her optics unfocused and mouth twitching, but not a sound was made.
Coolant poured from his optics as he watched his beloved femmling succumb to the circuit boosters, unable to help her.
"I love you, Dawnstar. I love you so, so much. Just hold on. Hook is almost here. He'll make everything better."
Skywarp suddenly materialized before them, his optics widening.
"What's wrong?" He asked softly.
Starscream swallowed. "She's not my femmling. I don't know who this is." He started to sob. "My femmling was always so happy, and smiling, and loving life. Not this. Not getting high on circuit boosters and…" He paused. "I don't know what to do with this new femme. I just don't."
Skywarp lowered his wings. "We'll get her better, Star. We will."
Starscream held his daughter closer, just gently rocking her. He kissed her on the top of the helm, trying to calm himself down.
"I'm taking you to Hook. I don't think we can wait for a house call." Skywarp said before touching Starscream's wing and the three vanishing in a flash of purple.
Starscream sat on a chair beside the medberth where his daughter lied in medically induced stasis lock. He held her servo, his optics never looking away from her. He never left her side as Hook went through the procedure of draining out her bad energon and replacing it with new, clean energon. He never said a word throughout any of it, never did anything but watch.
He didn't look up when Thundercracker approached. Didn't react when his trinemate sat on a chair beside him.
"Star, we need to talk." Thundercracker said, pausing for Starscream to say something. Nothing. "She almost deactivated me with that stunt of hers. She is out of control and I have had it. Either she goes in the brig for an extended stay, or I am taking matters into my own servos."
"Please, let me handle her." Starscream said softly.
"No." Thundercracker said firmly. "No, this ends, now. I am not dealing with her poor attitude and listening to you cry yourself to recharge ever again."
"You will not harm my daughter."
"No, I'm past that point. I'm going to brutally kill her, burn her alive, tear her apart, melt her with acid, feed her to a pack of turbofoxes, eject her in space, bludgeon her, use an energon whip on her, rip her wings off, stone her, and anything else I can think of!"
"You touch her and I will come after you." Starscream said sternly, still not looking at him.
"Why are you being like this?!"
"You will not abuse my daughter."
"Is this because of your past?" Thundercracker demanded. Starscream's optics narrowed, but he remained silent. "I agree about not ever hitting a youngling. I get that. But she is not a youngling anymore! Star, she punched you! She is asking for it! She is a grown aft femme who wants to act like a little punk-aft glitch throwing herself at random mechs. I'm through dealing with that."
"Please, TC, let me handle her. Please, just… Just drop it."
"Why? Starscream, why won't you let me help you? Why are you being like this?" Thundercracker demanded harshly. "Is this because of what happened between you and Moonstar? Are you trying to make up for that by somehow letting Dawnstar run rampant through the streets. You think Moonstar would want you to let Dawnstar be doing this?! I think Moonstar would want something to be done!"
Starscream's wings twitched, his optics momentarily glowing. "Get out. "He growled with clenched denta.
Thundercracker realized his mistake. "Star, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought Moonstar into this. I-"
"Get out!" Starscream shouted, still not looking at him.
"Star-"
"I'm ordering you to leave." Starscream said, his vocalizer suddenly softer, coolant beginning to pool in his optics. "Please, just let me be with my daughter."
"Star, she won't be online for a few more joors. You need to refuel."
"I know. But this is the only time when she isn't pushing me away." He said softly.
Thundercracker's wings lowered. He slowly stood up and left the medbay.
Starscream barely spared him a glance as he departed. He kissed Dawnstar's servo that he held before lovingly stroking her cheekplates.
"I love you, Dawnstar, my little princess. Even if you hate me and hurt me, I'll always be here for you." He said quietly to her.
Several Orbital Cycles Later:
"I can't believe he let her have free range again." Thundercracker grumbled with crossed arms as he slumped in a chair in the entertainment room.
"He doesn't want to imprison her. He doesn't like it when that happens to him so…" Skywarp shrugged where he sat on the couch, his wings lowered.
"Where the frag does she even go? What is she doing every orbital cycle? There isn't much to do in this base and the new security has shown that she doesn't leave the base. What is she doing!? And no one ever tells me if they've seen her or have done anything with her."
"I don't know, TC."
"This is stupid. All of this is just… Argh!" He glared daggers at the ceiling for a moment before getting to his peds. "Come on 'Warp. I have an idea."
"What? What are you doing?"
"We are going to deal with this slag since Starscream won't." Thundercracker said firmly as he walked to the front door.
Skywarp jumped up and trotted after him. "What are we doing?"
Thundercracker smirked. "We are getting a little help."
"Wow, you suck."
"You suck."
"No, you! Ya totally missed!"
"Rumble, Frenzy: Concentrate on task." Soundwave intoned as he watched his cassettes practice in the training field.
"It's not my fault Frenz can't hit a target directly in front of 'im!" Rumble exclaimed as he pointed with his pistol at the target.
Soundwave turned when the sound of thruster heels came closer. Thundercracker smirked as he stopped before the Communications Officer, Skywarp beside him looking a bit uncertain.
"Hey, Soundwave, I was just wondering if I could borrow Laserbeak for like… a few orbital cycles to an orn." Thundercracker said.
"Query: Why?"
"I believe we have a breach in security. I think Dawnstar has found a way to sneak in and out of the base and I fragging want to know how and what the slag she is up to."
Soundwave looked at him for a moment, thinking it over. The other cassettes all watched their host for his final answer. Soundwave turned slightly and raised his arm. Laserbeak flew down from where he had been flying overhead and perched himself on Soundwave's lower arm. The Deception TIC held his arm towards Thundercracker, who raised his own arm to receive the mechanical condor. Laserbeak didn't hesitate before stepping off his host's wrist and onto the Seeker's.
"Thanks, Soundwave." Thundercracker smiled as he pulled his limb closer.
Soundwave only inclined his helm, his optics momentarily brightening. "Request: Make sure you bring her to justice."
"Trust me, I will." Thundercracker said firmly before turning and leaving with the cassette.
"So, what now?" Skywarp asked as he walked alongside his trinemate, giving Laserbeak a quick pet on the back.
"Now, we wait for her to return and let Laserbeak follow her when she leaves tomorrow. I'm thinking five, maybe more, orbital cycles should give us everything we need to know." Thundercracker said as he watched Laserbeak.
Laserbeak preened his wings with his beak before spreading them out and flapping them twice to loosen the joints. His helm tilted to the side as he studied the blue Seeker.
"I expect energon goodies for all my hard work." The spy instructed.
"Hmm, if you bring home enough incriminating footage to show Screamer that his daughter needs a good aft beating, then you will get whatever you want."
"I'll get it all."
Thundercracker onlined early the next orbital cycle. He climbed out of berth and approached the makeshift perch he had quickly constructed for the temporary resident.
"Laserbeak, it's time."
Crimson optics onlined in the dark corner as Thundercracker held his arm out. The bird stepped onto it and Thundercracker carried him to the window. The Seeker unlocked it and opened the window, holding his arm out for the spy to have an easy time taking off. It didn't take long for the Seeker femme to be seen exiting the house. Laserbeak spread his wings out, bent his knees, and waited for the right time. He leaped off and flew after the black and red Seeker.
Thundercracker smiled. Everything was going to change for that little brat.
Dawnstar transformed and landed outside the hatch to the tunnel. Laserbeak perched on some rubble and watched. She lifted the hatch up and dropped inside, closing it behind her.
Laserbeak flew over and landed beside the hatch. It was too heavy for him to even attempt to remove. He walked around it until he found a small opening, just barely big enough for him to squeeze inside. Once in, he spotted her flying off and followed.
The Seeker flew out through another hatch opening and the bird stayed right behind her. He continued staying in her shadow until she arrived at the brothel. He perched on the roof and found a small hole to fit in. As silent as a ninja, he flew, walked, and hopped to the lower level where the action was. He perched on a stage light and started to record the events before him.
Oh, she was so dead.
Eight Orbital Cycles Later:
Thundercracker, Skywarp, Soundwave, and Laserbeak all sat in Soundwave's quarters in his own house, which was much smaller than the Seekers' since he shared it with very small individuals. Laserbeak was plugged into the computer, everything he had recorded playing out on the vid screen before them.
Soundwave, as always, showed no emotions, Skywarp looked like he was barely able to control himself, and Thundercracker's servos were balled into fists so tight that gears were snapping.
"We are showing Starscream this." Thundercracker growled with gritted denta. "Soundwave, put that on a data slug for me."
Soundwave did so and handed the small device to him. Thundercracker took it and subspaced it before standing up.
"Come on, 'Warp." He snapped as he started to walk away.
"Where are we going?" Skywarp asked softly.
Thundercracker stopped and looked back at him. "To get a drink."
Dawnstar spun herself around the pole, the rowdy crowd cheering her on. She was beginning to overheat from how much she had been dancing, plus all the overloads she had prior with servicing clients. She never noticed the two winged beings entering the club.
"Let me do all the talking." Thundercracker said in Skywarp's audio receptor.
Skywarp nodded his acknowledge before following his trinemate deeper into the establishment. They folded their wings back so they could squeeze through the crowd of grounders, many stares following them, mostly on their afts.
Dawnstar had just finished her routine and was walking away from the stage. Thundercracker readjusted his vocalizer so he sounded different, and spoke just behind her.
"How much for a trip around the world?" His new voice asked.
She smiled, not looking back as she answered. "Six hundred Shanix."
"How much for a trip over my knee?" He said in his normal voice, his denta gritted.
Her optics widened and she twirled around, gasping when she saw him.
"You are so fragging dead!" He roared before lunging at her.
Chaos erupted in the bar. Dawnstar fled as her "uncles" gave chase, shoving mechs out of the way as security rushed in. Mechs shoved into over energized mechs created fist fights, which in turn made the entire place one big battle. Energon cubes were thrown around, high grade splattered everywhere, chairs being used as weapons, bar tenders hiding, and prostitutes screaming as they fled the scene.
Dawnstar leaped over the bar, barely missing her ped being grabbed by Thundercracker. She powered her thruster heels on and tried to fly to the door, but Skywarp teleported before her. She stopped, grabbed a bottle of high grade, and smashed it across his faceplates.
"AHH!" He yelped as he fell back.
Dawnstar pushed past him and sprinted for the door. She yelped when her wing was grabbed and she was slammed to the ground. She kicked at Thundercracker's shin guards as he wrestled her down. He managed to get her on her front, twisted her wrists behind her, and yanked her up. Keeping one servo on her wrists and the other on her shoulder, he forcefully led her out. Skywarp followed, the Seekers leaving the still fighting mob behind.
"Let go of me! Let me go!" She shrieked, still kicking and squirming.
"No! I am through with this!" Thundercracker roared. "Skywarp, do you have manacles or cable or something to tie her?"
"WHAT?!" She shrieked.
"Yeah, I got this." Skywarp said as he unsubspaced a coiled cable.
Thundercracker grabbed her wrists and twisted her around so her servos were in front of her. He held her as Skywarp tied her wrists together, very tightly.
"Ouch! You're hurting me!" She screamed, kicking at the both of them.
"You are not escaping again!" Thundercracker bellowed. "Come here!"
They started to walk away, but she refused to go with them. Thundercracker grabbed her arm and roughly dragged her along for a distance, but she kept fighting all the while calling them nasty names.
"And that's it. That is SLAGGIN IT!" Thundercracker roared before yanking her to an abandoned building.
The Seekers went inside, safe from anyone disturbing them, and Thundercracker led her to an old chair. He sat down and forcefully slung her over his knees while a servo grasped her wing to hold her in place.
"What are you doing you stupid, old slagger?!" She demanded, kicking the air as she squirmed.
"Star is not gonna like you doing that, Thunder." Skywarp said slowly.
"I don't care." Thundercracker growled with gritted denta as he unsubspaced his metal switch. "I've had it with her. I've had it with Starscream doing nothing. I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago."
"Don't you dare! I-I'll tell dad!" She shouted.
"Go ahead. I don't care anymore."
"AHHHH!" She screamed when the first lash struck.
"Yeah, get her, TC!" Skywarp cheered him on, suddenly realizing how much he was liking this idea.
"That felt rather satisfying." Thundercracker commented before continuing.
"AHH! AHH! STOP IT! AHH! STOP! AHH! PLEASE! STOP IT!" She shrieked as he kept beating her, hitting her much harder than he did with Starscream.
"I will stop when you stop treating my trineleader like scrap! That is my brother! My best friend! You do not treat him like that! You do not hit him! You do not whore yourself out to mechs! You do not take circuit boosters! The only thing you do is what your sire tells you to do!" He yelled as he just kept lashing her aft, ignoring her pained cries and pleas for him to stop.
"I HATE HIM! AHH! STOP IT! AHH! AHH! PLEASE! AHH!" Coolant was now pouring from her optics, but Thundercracker didn't care. "I HATE YOU! AHH!"
"The feeling is mutual." He grunted.
He just kept swatting her aft with the switch for the next three breems, not slowing down or getting any gentler.
"You want a turn, 'Warp?" Thundercracker asked as he kept going.
"Slag yeah." Skywarp said as if the answer was obvious.
Thundercracker roughly grabbed her arm and forced her up. She just cried, trying to escape from him, but he was too strong. Skywarp sat down and she was slung over his lap. He gripped her wing and took the switch from his trinemate. She yelped when he made the first lash.
"Wow, I like this." Skywarp giggled, that lopsided grin of his that had been missing for so long finally making its appearance.
"It gets better the more you go." Thundercracker commented with his own smile.
"Please, don't." Dawnstar begged as she cried.
"Shouldn't have hit my trineleader." Skywarp said as he shrugged.
She kept screaming as he lashed her, but the Seeker mechs were enjoying her suffering too much to care. After another joor of them taking turns with her, they finally deemed she had had enough and started to drag her home. She cried as she followed them. Anytime she tried to escaped Thundercracker would give her several more lashes before forcing her onward.
It felt like an eternity for her before they finally arrived at the house. Thundercracker roughly pushed her inside after unlocking the door, and made her go to the entertainment room.
"What the slag is going on?!" Starscream demanded as he leaped from his seat and ran over to his daughter. "Why is she crying!? Why is she tied up!?" He said as he quickly started to free her.
"Daddy, they hit me! They hit me for over a cycle!" Dawnstar wailed.
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
"Before you start yelling at us you need to see this." Thundercracker said sternly as he held up the data slug.
"Why?" Starscream growled.
"You'll see why."
Starscream eyed him for a moment, his optics narrowed and filled with fury. "Set it up on the vid screen, here." He ordered.
Thundercracker did just that, plugging the data slug into the side of the vid screen and selecting the touch screen commands. Starscream sat down on the couch with his daughter. She curled into his frame and just cried. He held her close, thinking of all the horrible things he would do to his trinemates for disobeying him and hurting his precious femmling.
"You'll be thanking me after you see this." Thundercracker grunted as he stood by.
Starscream just glared murderously at him before reverting his optics to the screen. Skywarp swallowed and looked away, knowing what was about to be shown. Thundercracker crossed his arms, his wings raised, and kept his optics on Starscream's face.
The video had been cut down to only show the "best parts" of what Dawnstar had done during the eight orbital cycles that Laserbeak had followed her. The first thing it showed was how she escaped every orbital cycle. Starscream's optics narrowed at that, but he continued to lovingly stroke his daughter's back. The next thing it showed was her going to the brothel. His optics widened slightly. Then it showed her pole dancing, lap dancing, and allowing mechs to grope her.
His optics were as wide as they could get and he stopped stroking her. He gripped her tighter, holding onto her as if it would get her to stop doing what the video was showing. Dawnstar looked up and saw what was playing. Her own optics widened and she tried to force herself free, but he held onto her.
Then, it showed her going into the rooms with clients and allowing them to use her.
"Stop, it." Starscream ordered.
"No, keep watching." Thundercracker snapped.
Starscream's servos were trembling, but he kept his optics on the screen. It showed her getting her earnings and buying circuit boosters, taking them, and running around high in the streets. Even her being used in her disoriented state by mechs or the dealer. Then it showed her back at the brothel allowing mechs to tie her down, hit her, and her giving them oral.
"Stop it. Stop it. Please, stop it!" Starscream cried, coolant pooling in his optics as he held her close, his whole frame shaking.
Thundercracker let it keep playing, it now revealing her interfacing with random mechs in the streets, getting over energized, and even trying Syk.
Starscream couldn't take it anymore. He leaped to his peds and shot the screen, smoke drifting out as electrical wires twitched in the air with their immense voltage not powering anything. He twirled around to face his daughter, his wings raised and optics narrowed.
"Go to my room." He ordered.
"Why?" She said softly.
"Because there is no window in that room. Skywarp, lock her in there."
"Come on." Skywarp said as he grabbed her arm and forced her up.
Starscream waited until he heard her shoved into his room and the door locking behind. Skywarp reappeared before his trineleader, swallowing uncertainly.
"I want them found." Starscream said slowly, dangerously. "Gather the Seekers, hunt down everyone of those mechs she has interfaced with, that has touched her, that she danced for, and those circuit dealers, and all those mech-friends she used to bring home. I want ALL OF THEM! Tear out their vocalizers and bring them to me by tomorrow morning!"
Thundercracker smirked. "Yes, sir."
"Get up." Starscream ordered as he shook Dawnstar awake where she recharged on his berth.
"Hmm, why?" She mumbled as she slowly onlined.
"Because I said so." He grunted. "You are coming with me and you are not going to give me a hard time."
She glared at him with narrowed optics but did as he commanded.
The two left the house, it was early morning so the sun was just barely past the horizon. Dawnstar walked slowly, her aft still sore from her "uncles'" treatment the previous orbital cycle. Her sire led her to the shooting range, causing her to raise an optical ridge. The Seekers were everywhere, watching her, some with sly smiles on their visages.
Starscream stopped before a long, short wall, his trinemates standing by. The Air Commander turned to face her.
"Dawnstar, words cannot even begin to describe my emotions right now. I am slagging pissed off, horrified, on the verge of crying, and very disappointed with you. I don't think words work for a situation like this. No, just action."
"Please, don't hit me." She said softly.
"I would never hit you. No, someone else will suffer for your mistakes." He then snapped his digits and the wall before them quickly folded back into the ground.
Dawnstar's optics widened. Before her, all tied to several poles in a perfect row, their vocalizers ripped out, were every mech she had ever interfaced with. Every mech from the brothel, from the streets, the ones she had lap danced for, the ones who were simply present to see her perform, or past mech-friends, and the dealers. They all looked up at her with horrified and scared optics, their frames clearly showing that they had been beaten when they had been captured.
Starscream handed her a pistol. She glanced from it to him, then to the prisoners.
"W-what?" She gasped.
"You're good with a gun. Deactivate them all. This life of yours ends, now." Starscream growled.
"No. No!" She shook her helm. "No, I'm not a murderer!"
"It's just like shooting all those targets."
"I'm not killing anyone!" She shrieked.
Starscream took the pistol from her and in one fluent motion shot it three times. The first three mechs all were struck between the optics, killing them instantly. Dawnstar screamed in horror, her servos held out as she took a step back.
"Shoot. Them." Starscream ordered as he handed the weapon back to her.
"No! Daddy, please! I don't want to kill them!" She cried, coolant pouring from her optics.
"You signed their death sentence the moment you allowed them to touch you." He snapped.
"Please, daddy, I'm sorry! I won't interface anymore! I promise! Please, please! Don't kill them!" She begged, dropping to her knees as she cried.
"The only way I can ensure you won't disobey me is to simply remove the temptation." He said harshly.
"Daddy, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
He unsubspaced his energon knife and walked over to the first still living grounder. Dawnstar's optics widened.
"Daddy! Don't!"
He stabbed the mech through the chest and into the spark chamber, killing him instantly. Dawnstar screamed, helplessly watching him walk on to the next one and repeat the process. The other Seekers just watched, none of them caring about the deaths of these Empty grounders, or Dawnstar's pleas.
"Dead. Dead. Deader. Dead. And dead." Starscream said as he stabbed each one, never hesitating, never spending more time than what was necessary to finish them off.
It took a little while for him to kill them all since there were so many, and when he was done he simply returned to her while wiping his blade clean. She was softly sobbing now, not looking up at him. He subspaced his knife and crossed his arms.
"Everything is going to change, Dawnstar. I am not having a whore as a daughter." He said sternly.
"You didn't need to kill them." She said softly as she wiped away her tears.
"Maybe not, but it certainly made me feel better."
She looked up at him, her optics narrowed. "You're a monster."
"No, I am your sire. Now, you are going to report to Hook to have your systems checked."
"Leave me alone!" She exclaimed as he jumped to her peds and quickly stepped away from him.
"Dawnstar, I am not repeating myself."
"Just… Let me be!" She cried as fresh coolant poured from her optics.
She turned and ran away, crying loudly. Starscream just watched her go.
"Ramjet, Hotlink, Acid Storm, and Contrail. I want you and your trines to clean up this mess. Recycle what you can. Melt the rest. The rest of you, secure the perimeter of the base and make sure she doesn't try and escape. Thundercracker, get Scrapper and the Constructicons, minus Hook, to deal with that tunnel. I want it guarded, explored, and put to some use if possible. Skywarp, find her and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."
"Yes, sir!" Multiple vocalizers all said at once as his Seekers went to do as he had ordered.
He silently watched them go, some transforming and flying away, others beginning to remove the bodies. Thundercracker transformed and soared off while Skywarp teleported. The Air Commander vented a tired sigh.
The problem was being dealt with. Everything will be okay. Everything will just be okay. Please, let everything get better.
Dawnstar ran through the hallways of the control building crying, coolant pouring from her optics as they were white with static. She couldn't see where she was going, she just had to get away from him. Just had to be alone somewhere. She ignored all the mechs she passed, shoving by the ones who didn't move fast enough.
She turned a corner and ran straight into a large, silver mass. She stopped and looked up into the agitated faceplates of Megatron. She stared at him for only a moment before wailing loudly and crying into his chest piece, not caring who he really was. Megatron raised his servos, uncertain of what to do with this crying femme. Her wings were as low as they could go, frame trembling from her sobs.
"Um, can I help you?" He said slowly.
"He killed them." Her vocalizer was muffled from her faceplates being borrowed in his chest plates. "He killed all of them! And he tried to make me do it!" She pulled away and looked up at him, wiping coolant away. "My sire killed all the mechs who were nice to me. All the Empties. And he told me to do it! I couldn't do it. I'm not a murderer. Why? Why would he do this!?" She then plunked her helm against his chest plates once again and continued crying.
"Perhaps," Megatron said slowly as he gently pushed her away from him. "He did that because he always has done such things."
"What do you mean? He's-he's nothing but a coward. He doesn't fight. Right?"
"On the contrary, he does a lot of fighting. He enjoys killing, and is one of my most ruthless warriors." He said as he checked to make sure she had not left any marks on his chest plates.
"What do you mean?"
Megatron gave a dry chuckle. "I knew he was going to keep secrets from you. I didn't realize he was going to keep that many."
"What isn't he telling me?"
"Has he told you that you were an accident?" He asked nonchalantly as he started to walk away, gesturing for her to follow.
"No," She said softly, her optics wide. "I-I was an accident? But I thought-"
"Your carrier was his interface slave that I foolishly allowed him to take. An Autobot whore he found in a prison, saved from being used as a test subject for a weapon he had created."
"What?" She said disbelievingly. "No, he-he loved mom. They-they were always saying how much the loved each other. They were Conjuges Endurae."
"Only after you came along. He used to walk her on a chain around my ship. I believe he even used an energon whip on her. I saw the scars once myself."
"No, dad couldn't-" She swallowed. "How do I know you're not lying to me?"
He smirked. "Ah, so he has taught you to ask questions. Good. I'll show you."
He led her to his office where he sat at his desk. She watched as he easily obtained access to medical records and database entries of individual Decepticons, primarily of Moonstar and the Elite Trine. He put all the information on a datapad and handed it to her.
"Everything concerning your carrier and her relationship with my Second." He replied as she accepted the proffered 'pad.
She swallowed as she onlined the datapad and looked at the records. Starscream's file showed up first, the only information being offered was on terrible acts of war he had committed for the Decepticons and how he obtained Moonstar. Dawnstar's servos trembled as she read how her sire had killed so many, raped innocent femmes, ordered armies to commit such heinous atrocities, and other horrors. Then she got to how he had received her carrier. Taken from Cybertron in chains and things he had done to her that had been witnessed by others.
She moved to her carrier's file and read how she had been caught, what had been done to her while she had been imprisoned on Cybertron, and how he had selected her. How she had become a Decepticon and basic info on her carrying time. But her file was relatively blank.
She read through her "uncles'" files, only filled with their war crimes, how they had raped femmes, and even raped her own carrier.
Coolant was freshly pouring from her optics when she got to the medical reports. Hook had kept very detailed records on how healthy Moonstar had been despite being raped by three Seekers every orbital cycle, how often she came in to be healed from beatings, and the one time she had been whipped.
Dawnstar was crying hard as she read about her carrier's wounds, about she had been raped by the Stunticons, how she had almost died that night, how Starscream didn't really care about her. How Starscream had demanded Hook to remove the sparkling from her when she had been found carrying. How Hook had to heal the whip cuts after Moonstar had been left on the cold floor for joors alone.
Dawnstar dropped the datapad, quaking now. She was crying so hard, unable to control herself. Megatron smiled a small, diabolical smile as he leaned back in his chair.
"You should go ask him for all the details not listed there." The tyrant said casually as he placed his peds on his desk and crossed them at the ankles.
Dawnstar stepped backwards until she was out of his office. Then, she turned and ran. She didn't know where she was going, she just couldn't take it. He was a monster who had tortured and raped her carrier. Her carrier whom she loved and still missed. Just thinking about her made her want to scream and cry.
Dawnstar kept running, passing mechs, shoving by them, sobbing loudly, unable to see clearly. Suddenly her arms were grabbed and she was dragged to the side.
"Dawn, sweetie, calm down. Hey, calm down." Starscream said gently as he tried to give her a hug.
"Let go of me!" She screamed, jerking her arms away.
"Come on, Dawn, stop fighting me. I'm just gonna-"
"You raped her!"
He stopped. "What?"
"You raped mom! Didn't you?! You hurt her! You and TC and 'Warp! I was just an accident that you didn't want!" She yelled, trying to escape from him.
His optics widened, but quickly narrowed. "Who have you been talking to?" He demanded.
"Does it matter? I saw the records. I saw how Hook had to fix her after you tortured her! It's true, isn't it?! ISN'T IT?!"
Starscream glared at her for a long moment before grabbing her by the arm and dragging her away. He lead her to a less busy hallway and stopped.
"Yes," He said as he released her, his wings raising. "Yes, it's all true. I was waiting until you were ready to tell you, but it appears there's no point in keeping it a secret anymore."
"Why?" She asked softly.
"Because I was a slagging idiot! I thought I had the right to do whatever I wanted to whoever I wanted to do it to. I raped Autobot and Empty femmes alike, some being kept as prisoners while the rest I killed. Then, I met your carrier." He paused, watching his daughter's reaction. "Like the idiot I was I thought I could do what I wanted to her. She was an Autobot and I a Decepticon."
"Mom was an Autobot?" Dawnstar said almost in a whisper. "I read it on the files but I thought that maybe…"
"No, she was. And I thought I could take her, put a collar around her neck and lead her away on a chain. I took her back with me to the Nemesis and that night I took her virginity as she begged me not to." Dawnstar swallowed. "I didn't listen. I didn't care. It was just about me and what I wanted. What I needed. The next night she screamed when I took her. I didn't care. I shared her with my trine the night after that and just continued to do as I pleased with her. I made her work, and if she misbehaved I slapped her across the faceplates, I beat her with a metal rod over the back, I-" He paused. "I hurt her. I made her scream, beg, and cry. I shouted at her, chained her, did whatever. She was my property and I told her as much." He vented a sigh. "Then one orbital cycle she had this grand idea that she was going to make me see her for who see really was and not as a interface toy. Guess what that idea was? She reconnected my nanite wires while I recharged and then started to practically beg me to interface with her. Next thing I know she is purging her fuel tanks and I'm rushing her to Hook." He inhaled deeply through his vents." She was carrying you. I was pissed. More than pissed. I used an energon whip on her and left her alone on the floor crying. It was my trinemates who took her to Hook for repairs." He studied his daughter for a moment before continuing. "I had ordered Hook to remove you. To destroy you so that I could continue being a selfish idiot and only think about myself. So that I could keep raping your carrier every night and listen to her scream."
Dawnstar swallowed. "Why didn't you?" She asked softly.
"Thundercracker convinced me not to. I couldn't frag your carrier then and that's when I saw her for who she really was. Not a frag toy to be used and then thrown away when she no longer functions, but instead I saw Moonstar. She was beautiful." He said the last sentence softly. "She was perfect, and I had been a slagging idiot not to have seen it. I fell in love. I wanted her only to myself, but as my beloved, not my property. Everything was still uncomfortable between us by the time you arrived. Moonstar was still scared of me, and I was still learning how to deal with these new emotions. Primus, you were so tiny and delicate, and… perfect. Just perfect. I didn't know what do. I was terrified. I was scared about my new relationship with Moonstar, about raising you, about so much."
"Is that why you let her die? Because she was just an Autobot slave and not of any worth?" Dawnstar suddenly demanded.
"What? No, I loved that femme! I just said I did!" He exclaimed.
"How do I know you are not making that up to save your own aft about raping her!"
"Was it not clear that Moonstar loved me as much as I loved her?! You watched us interact! You were there when we joined!"
"Maybe you loved her for a time but grew tired of her again!"
"WHAT?!"
"You let her die! You killed all those innocent mechs just a bit ago!"
"They were not innocent!"
"You murdered thousands! You raped hundreds of femmes! You tortured mom! You're a monster! You're insane!"
"I am not-"
"I hate you!" She screamed.
"Dawnstar, I made a mistake! Your carrier forgave me! she told me to forget about it all and yet I can't! I hate myself for what I did to her!"
"You're just trying to save your own aft and keep me as your prisoner!"
"I AM NOT!"
"YES, YOU ARE! I HATE YOU! I AM TIRED OF THIS SLAG HOLE! I'M TIRED OF YOU AND YOUR CONSTANT WHINING AND-AND THUNDERCRACKER ALWAYS HATING ME! I WILL NOT LIVE WITH MONSTERS!
"Dawnstar, princess, please, I- Dawnstar!" He yelled when she turned and ran.
He chased after her as she headed for the exit. He almost reached her before she opened the door and rushed out. She transformed and flew away, the Air Commander right on her aft. She reached Mach 3 in astroseconds, Starscream just behind her. They flew higher, his thrusters burning to the max.
::Seekers, Dawnstar is trying to escape. Converge on the coordinates I am sending you, now!:: Starscream said in his comm. line.
::On our way, boss!:: Hotlink answered, along with several other Seekers.
::I'm coming, Star.:: Thundercracker informed.
Dawnstar was now out from the Decepticon skies, flying over Empty land to nowhere in particular. Starscream was almost next to her, so close he just needed to transform and grab her.
A warning popped up on his HUD. He was dangerously low on fuel, not enough to transform and was about to enter stasis lock. He hadn't refueled that morning and had only one cube the previous orbital cycle.
No, no, not now! He screamed in his processor. He was so close to catching her. So close to bringing her back and never letting her out of his sight ever again.
If he could just hit her with a wing, make her lose balance long enough for one of his closing in Seekers to make a grab.
So close. He was almost alongside of her. Almost able to execute his plan. Almost there, just a little more… just a little more. He reverted all his power to only the vitals, but his energy level was almost zero percent.
So close. Just a few more astroseconds until…
His engines cut out before everything went black.
I watched quite a few videos on high people to see how they act for that scene. Don't do drugs. Stick to chocolate.
Thundercracker is letting his emotions get the best of him. :/ Hitting someone and causing them to suffer NEVER solves anything. Starscream raised her right, but his mistake was not being honest with her about everything. If he had made the horrors of war more clear and known to her she would have been able to accept that her carrier had been killed by the "evil" Autobots. But he had made it seem to her that war wasn't so bad as long as he was around to protect her and Moonstar. So, it is like he simply failed in his job and sucks now. That's how Dawnstar feels, anyway.
After the last chapter, everyone has made it clear that they hate Dawnstar. You guys forget that Dawnstar is hurting. She lost her carrier and is not taking it very well. She started to throw the blame on her sire instead of the Autobots (as the above paragraph explained) and that just festered to the point where she truly believed it. If you keep telling yourself something is true eventually you're gonna believe it, even if it isn't.
Dawnstar is lost, really. She never had anyone her age and she was only kept around the other Seekers, primarily the Elite Trine. She never saw the "real world" since she grew up on a ship and nothing bad ever happened to her or around her. She has no idea that Starscream is abused by Megatron ("business trips"), so she thinks he has nothing wrong in his life.
She needed an outlet, and that outlet became blaming her sire for a crime he never committed, interfacing, circuit boosters, and drugs. She has grown so distant from Starscream since Moonstar's death, isolating herself from him and pushing him away, that when a mech interfaces with her she feels like he cares for her. If you've noticed, Starscream and his trine are very "touchy." They always are touching each other, and since Dawnstar no longer wants her sire's touch with hugs, she instead goes for the touch of mechs as they hold her down.
Dawnstar is a smart, good girl. She is simply confused, lost, and should have had things told to her a lot sooner. What Starscream really needs is a therapist to help him talk everything out with her since he is not good with that type of talking. He's use to leading people and being an aft to them, not spark-to-sparks.
Think about it: If your life was so PERFECT, you had parents who actually loved you (unlike what I had), they NEVER ONCE hit you, raised their voices at you, or ever punished you, and you never saw anything bad happening, never saw the horrors of war, never suffered in any way other than falling down when you were learning to walk; such a TRAGIC event of losing your mother would make you go a little "insane." You guys should be pitying her. :/
But, more of that in next chapter with Autobots!