I do not own Transformers Prime but this story is all mine!
Chapter 10
Starscream arose groggily, he clutched his head because he was the recipient of splitting processor ache. Shaking off the pain from his cranium Starsream took in his surroundings seeing that he was in the exact same place before Knockout shocked him. He looked away from the dark cavern and saw the opening hatch to the buried vessel that he went through so much trouble locating. Before moving an inch to exit the caves he began to here a faint beeping, he looked around and found a strange object attached to the roof of the cave. He looked around and found several more devices of the same origin attached to the walls and they were all flashing red. Starscream's eyes widened in horror at what this meant, he ran into the empty vessel while the beeping quickened in pace. He got to the doors controls and began overriding it so it would close, he accomplished the task and the doors began to slowly close. When it was halfway closed the excessive beeping ceased and the caves were filled with a blazing inferno. Some of the flames escaped through the crack of the sliding door but before the fire could do any damage the doors closed shielding the seeker from the scorching rays.
Releasing a shaky sigh Starscream began to survey his surroundings, shards of glass and scrap metal cluttered the floor. Various terminals with broken screens barely hung on the walls, wiring jutting out from the walls still sparked with energy. The ship controls in the command station were in okay condition considering the rest of the ship. Moving away from the controls to inspect the rest of the ship, Starscream yelped and fell to the ground out of shock. Sitting in the captains chair was a limp yet menacing figure, Starscream stood to inspect the body. The figure's lifeless optics stared at the ceiling mouth hung open, the figure had a hole in it's chest with dried energon staining it's armor right below it's Decepticon symbol. The figure had a large cranium, a cape covered in cuts and holes, and facial features that appeared to be a pencil thin mustache and goatee. Starscream examined the figure some more before noticing that it had something clutched in its limp hand. Fighting with the surprisingly strong grip Starscream managed to trelease the item, he found it to be an old holocron.
Starscream fiddled with it having trouble turning it on but he managed, when it activated he was greeted with a hologram of the fallen figure in front of him. The figure stared at Starscream with blood red slits for eyes and clutching a wound on his chest, this was obviously recorded before he died.
"If anyvone is vatching zhis zhen zhat means I am dead," the being began to cough violently. "To whoever finds zhis recording I have vone request, make sure no vone ever finds my blueprints and reconstructs my invention. I used to be a vell renowned scientist of zhe psyche, I can admit zhat I made some bad decisions in my time. You vould zhink zhat as a Decepticon, moral standards isn't vone of my priorities and yes I have done many shameful zhings. But after I made zhat, it vas zhe last straw. Not vonce after making my invention did I ever consider le repercussions. Tainting zhe mind sounded fun at first but after avhile not even I could have such blatant disregard for life. But my partner did, if it vasn't for his greed my conscience vould have been cleaned. Zhe best I could do vhas separate my plans from each ozher, I vant to make zhings right but my time is up. Please, whoever finds zhis, redeem me." the strangely accented mech became silent and the hologram flickered before shutting off.
Meanwhile...
Arcee jumped out of the whole Airachnid dug and found herself in a large cavern, but there was no Airachnid. She walked slowly and steadily, blaster raised, looking for her enemy. Airachnid in her spider mode was crawling on the ceiling aiming her palm blasters, a piece of rock fell from the ceiling and landed on the ground. Arcee turned around at the sound and began dodging blaster fire and shot her own resistance at Airachnid. Blasted each other and dodged the fire, this process kept on going with neither one able to do much more. They simultaneously stopped and began listening to a faint noise, Airachnid looked around and found a small device making a faint beeping sound.
"Those fools!" Airachnid jumped down from the ceiling, midway she transformed into her drill mode and made her escape.
Arcee realized what those beeping meant and followed Airachnid into the hole focusing more on staying alive than pursuing her nemesis. An explosion erupted from above, fallen rocks wedged together closing the entrance to the hole leaving Arcee one way out. Arcee landed with a thud, she surveyed her surroundings but found herself trapped with no way out. A path Airachnid most likely took was covered in rubble giving Arcee no way of escape, without skipping a beat Arcee began trying to remove the rocks.
Meanwhile...
Starscream put away the holocron for safe keeping, he looked at the fallen figure with a sad gaze before departing to inspect the rest of the ship. Starscream entered what looked like the cargo hold, empty canisters lined the walls. Nothing really interested Starscream, he was about to leave but something caught his optic. Starscream walked past the canisters and found a lone chest that would have been hard to find if you weren't looking for it specifically. As Starscream got closer to the chest he accidentally stepped on something, lifting his foot he found a strange looking crab bot wearing what appeared to be glasses. Starscream picked it up the lifeless crab like creature but through it away after losing interest with it. Starscream's focus was back on the chest, he opened it but to his disappointment found it was empty. Two spots that looked like they could fit a small datapad was all Starscream could find, then his eyes widened when he recalled what Knockout was holding.
"Starscream to Optimus do you read me?" Starscream was met with nothing but static. "Scrap!"
Starscream ran back to the master control room forming a plan on how to get out of the mess he was in. Starscream typed away at the navigation controls but to his horror the engines were offline and there was no chance of fixing them without the proper tools. Starscream next attempted to activate the ships distress beacon hoping someone would retrieve the signal and attempt a rescue. Unfortunately that was offline as well, almost everything useful on this ship was either damaged beyond repair or missing. Starscream collapsed into the pilot's chair and stared at the fallen scientist in the captain's chair, knowing full well that that would soon be him.
Meanwhile...
Arcee was barely able to make a dent into the wall of rock, her hope of escaping the undergrounds was almost fully depleted. Out of frustration Arcee stomped the ground.
Clang!
Arcee stared at the ground, the sound from her stomp sounded more like metal on metal instead of metal on rock. Arcee crouched down and began wiping away the dirt and rubble, she was greeted with rusted metal. Realizing what this could mean for her she activated her blasters and began firing at the metal ground.
Meanwhile...
Starscream still sat in the pilot's chair, his head resting on his hand. He flicked grime that accumulated on the terminal, a bored expression was evident on his face.
Clang!
Starscream rose his optics and stared at the ceiling, when nothing happened he began flicking more grime out of boredom. He heard what sounded like blaster fire, his attention was now fully on the ceiling. Starscream arose from his seat, it wasn't hard for him to realize that someone was trying to get in. But it depended on whether it was help or whether it was the enemy. It didn't matter to him, if it were the Decepticons they would either break in and kill him or they would move on leaving Starscream to die. Starscream pointed his missiles at the ceiling and fired.
Something fell from the newly formed hole in the ceiling and landed with a thud, Starscream could barely make out the figure in the cloud of smoke. Starscream soon found himself staring down the barrel of a familiar blaster, when the smoke cleared he could finally make out the bot.
"Arcee?" said fem in question noticed just who she was about to scrap.
"Starscream? What are you doing here?" Arcee asked deactivating her blasters.
"I was going to ask you the exact same thing," Starscream said in rebuttal.
"I was chasing after Airachnid and several fuses went off in our position, I was trapped above before getting here," Arcee explained.
"I would've gotten out of here if it wasn't for Knockout but I guess you should thank him cause the last thing you're going to remember before dying is my handsome face." Starscream said smugly.
"Even in a dire situation like this you are still an arrogant jerk," Arcee said in disgust.
Starscream's only reply was a dry chuckle.
"Wait a minute. Are you trying to say you don't know a way out of this mess?" Arcee demanded.
"Don't you think I've tried?" Starscream snapped sounding like his old self. "I've tried every possible option for getting out of here. We're trapped so we better make the best of it."
"How?" Arcee asked incredulously.
"Look at the bright side," Starscream said.
"What bright side?" Arcee asked.
"At least now you won't die alone," Starscream said grimmly.
Meanwhile...
Optimus and Bulkhead were frantically hauling rocks from the cave entrance in hope to rescue their comrades. After a while of digging a yellow camaro burst through the rubble and transformed sending flurries of incomprehensible beeps.
"Bumblebee calm down, what happened to Arcee and Starscream," Bulkhead said trying to calm his friend.
"Starscream went deeper into the cavern he could be anywhere in there, wait what happened to Arcee?" Bumblebee beeped slower.
"We lost contact after she pursued Airachnid," Optimus informed.
"We have to keep digging, they could still be online!" Bumblebee beeped with Bulkhead in quick agreement.
"We do not know how far these caverns stretch and knowing Airachnid's tunneling prowess, Arcee and Starscream could be miles below our position," Optimus sad sadly. "We will have to consider the worst."
Meanwhile...
Starscream and Arcee sat across from each other, they just stared at each other trying to decipher the others thoughts. Seconds passed by and that was all that they did.
'It's now or never.'
"Arcee?" Starscream finally said.
"Yes?" Arcee asked looking like she got of a trance.
"There has been something I've been meaning to tell you for a very long time," Starscream said getting nervous again.
Arcee began to lean in attempting to anticipate what he was going to say next.
"I just wanted to say that I'm-" Starscream's optics widened. "-I am such an idiot!"
"What?" Arcee said sounding a little disappointed.
Arcee watched Starscream reach the terminals and began typing like a mad man.
"What are you doing?" Arcee asked looking past his shoulder out of curiosity.
"Checking to see if the weapon systems are online," Starscream answered as the terminal came online. "Yes!"
Starscream began drawing energy from the ships power core and using it to fuel it's built in ion cannon, hoping that it would be enough to break through to the surface. Arcee examined Starscream's work understanding most of what Starscream was planning, and admiring his genius slightly.
"Done! This may be risky but it just might work," Starscream said while activating the cannon.
A huge explosion was heard and the two bots poked their heads out of the hole in the ceiling, they saw a decent sized hole reaching a bright light that was obviously the surface. The cavern though began to shake violently, Starscream climbed out of the hole and transformed. Arcee almost thought he was going to leave without her.
"Hop on!" Starscream yelled.
"What!" Arcee asked/yelled, heating up at the thought.
"Hurry, this cave will collapse in any minute!" Starscream yelled.
Shutting out her pride Arcee climbed onto Starscream's jet mode gripping his wing struts. Starscream activated his thrusters and headed up the tunnel. Arcee was forced to hug Starscream's cone seeing that she didn't have enough room in this tunnel, she looked back and saw the tunnel collapsing. Starscream emerged from the hole in the ground, the Autobots who were previously staring into the hole were now gawking at the seeker. Starscream practically stopped midair and Arcee accidentally let go, Starscream transformed with his arms raised and caught Arcee. Her arms wrapped around his neck out of reflex, he hovered midair a little while basking in the sun before slowly landing on the ground.
"Was that really necessary?" Arcee asked brow raised.
Starscream's smirk grew wider.
Later...
Megatron stood on the main deck of the Nemesis, he ordered Soundwave and Knockout to finish the last touches of his prize hours ago.
"My lord, how may I be of service?" Shockwave asked.
"How far are you into completing the encryptions of Starscream's memory hard drive?" Megatron asked.
"I am most of the way there, a couple more solar cycles and the deed will be complete," Shockwave stated.
"See to it that that gets done," Meagtron commanded.
Shockwave bowed and exited the chamber for his work station.
Megatron stared at the planet below silently before receiving a comm.
"What is it?" Megatron commanded.
"Sir this is Airachnid, after managing to escape that previous escapade I was able to dig up a few dozen Vehicon soldiers that escaped the blast." Airachnid stated.
"Very impressive, see to it when you return that you get a well deserved rest," Megatron said.
"T-thank you my lord," Airachnid said surprised at Megatron's generous mood.
When the comm ended Megatron began to call someone else.
"Knockout prepare the med-bay-"
"SON OF A-" the comm was disconnected.