Hello everybody! Hoo-Hah! I think I reached a milestone with chapter! Not just because I finally made it to chapter 20, but because I finally got to a place in the plot I had planned out a looooong time ago… Woof! That took longer then I intended. As for the story, I was originally going to swing back around to Cass and Megatron, but I wanted to try and shorten what I had planned in my rough draft. So I decided to continue writing about Starscream and Antaeus… For those of you who/whom don't know, I also wrote a branch off chapter in MERCY: One Shots, and I'm almost certain I really pissed off a lot of readers with it. But if anyone decided to skip it (because it gets very dark. Complete non-consent so if you don't like don't read) you should also be aware that the beginning is a continuation from that. There is a brief mention of non-con and bargaining through blackmail, but nothing as bad in the branch off. But after that we switch right back to Knockout and Breakdown (why am I so stuck on these two lately?) and our favorite two love Cons have actually discovered something big about Soundwave… And you are not going to want to miss this. (I hope I didn't make it to obvious though.) Let me know what you think.
Special shout outs to: vampgirliegirl and Cao dreams in books. To vampgirliegirl, I get the feeling you are one of those hard core Steve and Starscream fans and I'm super sorry if I'm scaring you with my plot development, but hang in there. Good things are to come… But we have to get some more bad things out of the way first. To Cao, I'm sorry I made you feel depressed, but thank you for asking questions. I was going to repeat the answer I sent you through a PM, but I think I managed to answer it alright in the chapter below so I won't spoil things up here. Let me know if I left anything out.
Remember! Don't be afraid to review and ask questions. I love to hear from my readers.
WARNINGS: If you are not into yaoi, slash, or mech preg, please do not read then try giving me a hard time in the comments and reviews. You were warned on the opening tab, and you are being warned just now. So, if I'm not your cup of tea that's perfectly alright, but please don't be shitty about it.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any stocks, trades, or licensing from the Transformers franchise. All rights are reserved for HASBRO entertainment.
MERCY
Chapter 20
I got lost but look what I found.
-Irving Berlin
The sunlight cascaded over the seeker's faceplate. He had fallen into a deep stasis, so he had a little trouble opening his optics so early that morning. The first thing his processor registered was the feeling of pain. It was an unforgivingly sharp ache in his abdomen, and it became even worse when his tired processor registered his surroundings. Starscream hadn't forgotten where he had fallen into recharge, but he was in a large state of denial. He didn't want to believe that he had fallen so easily into such an obvious trap, and he was caught by a drone no less. Starscream was the second in command of the entire Decepticon fleet, and yet he was taken advantage of by an inferior mech. Antaeus was surprisingly cunning for a drone, but Starscream could be just as sly. Good thing the Eradicon was quick with his explanations the other night. Otherwise the seeker would've blasted him the moment those long silver digits traced the outside of his shoulder. But it was also a good thing for the Eradicon that Starscream was slightly overcharged when he sat down to chat.
It was a combination of drunkenness and manipulation that had ensnared Starscream into following the drone back to his room. And had he been more coherent he would've paid more attention to the voice in the back of his helm that told him this wasn't going to end well. But he needed to know for sure that Antaeus was telling the truth, and if the footage he had of Steve and the seeker were at all incriminating. After Starscream watched the first recording he was almost certain he would be able to brush it off as nothing, but he wasn't expecting the Eradicon to have more videos of him and Steve… Videos of the two interfacing in the store rooms.
Perhaps that was the worst part of all of this. Starscream knew that this was all of his fault and his processor was drowning in thoughts of could've, would've, should've. He could've just killed Antaeus, he would've if he was sober enough to recollect his surroundings, but he should've just ended this all sooner… By ending his relationship with Steve in the beginning.
Starscream finally shifted on the berth and cried silently into his forearm. The pain in his waist engulfed his entire being and he had to curl his knees up to his chassis to help ease the ache inside his gut. That was tolerable compared to the feeling of the Eradicon's frame still cradling him along his back. An arm strut was laced over his shoulder and he cringed when the winged appendage pulled him in closer, which meant Antaeus was also stirring from his rest.
"Hmm…" The taller mech hummed in the back of his captives' neck-cables. "Good morning Commander… Did you recharge well?"
"Get off me." Starscream spat and shrugged his arms in an attempt to free himself from the one-sided embrace.
"Uh, uh, uh…" Antaeus's hold tightened and he whispered seductively in a mocking manner. "Don't struggle. Just lie back and relax. You don't have to be anywhere for a while anyway." The drone trailed his servo down Starscream's side, grinning as the seeker sneered. The seeker felt an acidy lump at the back of his throat when the Eradicon behind him sat up right on his side and kissed his cheek.
"Don't try to make this something romantic." Again Starscream tried to pull himself away, only to be pulled back into an unwanted caress. "Just leave me be so I can collect myself and get out of here."
"Not so fast. There are a few ground rules I would like to discuss with you." The drone grabbed the seeker's wrists and pinned them above his helm. Starscream was now partially lying on his back with his knees pointing to the side. He wept softly as the transition rattled his sore insides, but he bit his dermas to prevent his moaning of agony from escaping between them. Antaeus's vocals rumbled in dark pleasure and he aligned his faceplate over Starscream's neck cables. "I have given some thought to what you have suggested to me last night… And I think I will take you up on that offer."
"Offer?" Starscream had nearly forgotten that he had given Antaeus a proposition in an attempt to protect Steve from the Eradicon's wrath, but Antaeus made it very painfully obvious he wasn't interested in negotiating last night. "Why the sudden change of spark? You made it rather clear that you were not really after me."
"Are you saying you would prefer if I went after Steve instead?" The taller mech bent forward and attempted to kiss the commander on his lip-plates. He chuckled when Starscream lurched his helm away, so he reached for the seeker's neck cables instead. "I will go after Steve eventually, but I did rather enjoy myself last night. I now see why Steve always had such a little crush on you. That frame of yours is just unbelievable…" Slowly the Eradicon released one of Starscream's wrists and began to slip his servo down the seeker's sleek frame. Antaeus was delighted to see the mech beneath him shiver, even if it was coming from pure abhorrence. "Tell you what. I'll make you a deal. As long as you keep me satisfied I will stir clear of your prized valve nibbler… Until I tire of you anyway."
With his arm finally free Starscream quickly adjusted his servo under the taller mech's chest. From this position there was no where for the drone to go, and if the seeker decided to deploy his rocket, Antaeus would have no way of escaping its blast. But he didn't look worried about it.
"And what's stopping me from just blasting you right now?" The slim mech hissed angerly through tightly clenched dental plates. "You can't go anywhere near Steve if you're not functioning at all."
"Well why didn't you just blast me last night?" The Eradicon reached for the armed appendage on his chest and aligned it in perfect symmetry with his spark chamber. "Did you forget about the footage I have of you and Steve? Oh! But you're thinking that if I'm out of the picture, I can't show anyone the video… Including Megatron."
"Keep talking." Starscream sneered and even clicked his fingers to indicate he was ready and willing to fire his weapon. "It will make it even easier to just end you right here… Not that it is such a difficult decision to begin with."
"Then I should probably let you know that if I'm not around to regularly boot my computer system within a twelve-hour time window, that footage I have saved to the server will automatically upload to the ships main video feed." Antaeus sat upright and with his remote in hand he switched on all of his holo-screens. Everyone one of them replayed his previous blackmailing footage. "I have it protected with so many firewalls that even Soundwave wouldn't be able to stop the feed right away. By the time he gets through them all, it'll be too late… Every con on this ship will see and hear all of the nasty things you let that Vehicon do to you."
"You're the one whom did nasty things too me!" The seeker snapped and quickly pointed his activated arm to a small computer station in the far-right corner of the room. "And what if I just destroy your system along with all of the evidence you have against Steve and I?! What would you have against me then?!"
"The very same footage you seek to destroy…" The taller flier shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Just another trick I have up my struts. If anything happens to my hard-drive, it has a time release reboot system that backs up any data I have saved in it. It's rather intriguing really, in literally three seconds the system realizes it's about to shut down for good, then the security measures kick in and—."
"I don't give a scrap!" Starscream had enough of Antaeus's shenanigans. He pointed his arm back under the drone's chassis and forced himself to lean upward. He suppressed any pain he felt in his frame and snarled in his extortionist's faceplate. "You will stay away from Steve either way or I will—!"
"Do absolutely nothing…" Antaeus just couldn't hold back his maniacal laughing when he interrupted his captive. "Have you also forgotten about the new footage we recorded last night?" With his remote he reprogramed the holo-screen at the side of the berth. Starscream's distressed and hyperventilated voice echoed through the room. He turned his helm away, unable to stare and relive his torment.
"T-turn it off…" The seeker cried softly and pulled his arm away in defeat. He was properly trapped. The idea of Antaeus showing Megatron the video of him and Steve seemed ideal compared to the thought of Steve seeing this… Video of him being unwillingly ravished by an Eradicon. "You made your point… Please turn it off…"
"Give it a minute…" The drone began salivating both from the film, and the way Starscream submitted beneath him. "I like the way you beg here…"
"NO! Stop! Ahhh-hhh! Don't…! Don't touch me there! Steve! Please don't look! Please look away!"
"If I must beg some more then I will!" Starscream cried. "Please turn it off! Don't show the film to Megatron or Steve, and I will… I will surrender to you… Please turn it off now!"
Out of nowhere, Antaeus turned off the film, then grabbed hold of Starscream's knee-joints so he could spread them apart. The seeker gasped in agony. When the base of his frame was twisted so abruptly his abdomen ignited in a rushing burning sensation, and his body arched painfully. His servos clawed over his chest as he wept and reeled his helm upward. "Wait…!" He whimpered. "You've hurt me last night…! Please… No valve play… Not for a while…"
"Aww… Really?" The taller mech groaned. "Very well… I can be a beast at times, but I'm not a complete monster. Close your struts."
Starscream closed his optics and sighed with relief. He felt so reprieved he even compelled himself to say thank you, but the feeling of liberation was very short lived when he felt the Eradicon crawl up his body. Antaeus placed his legs on both sides of the seeker's arms, pinning him in place. "Wha-? What are you—?"
"Well your oral cavity isn't in any pain, is it?" Antaeus's spike pressurized right in front of the smaller flier's face. "If you satisfy me properly I'll let you rest for a couple of days… So watch those dental plates, commander." The seeker sneered with reluctance, but he yielded and allowed the Eradicon to slide in his erection. Again, the drone didn't give Starscream time to adjust, and he thrusted his hips viciously over the second in command's helm.
The seeker hardly coughed or gagged. He just laid there and allowed Antaeus to continue his abuse. He also kept his optics closed and thought of Steve. Not only would his lover never remember him, but with any grace from Primus or the All-Spark, Steve would never know the lengths Starscream went through to keep him safe.
"Knockout? Did you leave the computer running?" Breakdown asked as he wiped away the last few traces of lubricant off his dermas.
"Mmmm…" Knockout responded groggily while he laid sprawled on his backside over a medical berth. After he was finished tightening the optical panel on Breakdown's faceplate, his partner swept him off his pedes and started eating him out. Once he proposed to his beautiful red lover and was rewarded with a solid yes, the giant mech had a very hard time keeping his servos to himself. Not that Knockout really complained. Ever.
"KO?" The one optic mech smiled as he walked back over to the berth so he could enjoy the after glow of Knockout's post cordial bliss. "Did you hear me my love? The computer sensor is blinking. Did you leave the hard-drive running?"
"Mm-hm…" Knockout nodded and slowly opened his lust filled and tired optics. "I was making a core pulse comparison for Soundwave… Oh scrap!" Once his processor cleared the medic shot up and ran over to his console. "With everything that has happened, I almost forgot about Cass's core pulse."
"Cass?" Breakdown questioned. "Cass is a drone. He shouldn't have a core pulse."
"Oh there is a lot you missed out on while you were out." The red mech answered as he toiled with the monitor. "It turns out our young Vehicon is quite the oddity. He's very clever and smart… It was because of him that Starscream was able to find you."
"Really?" The larger mech quirked his helm at Knockout, rather puzzled. "How did he manage that?"
"Like I said, he's just very smart." Knockout replied through rapid taps over the keyboard and the clicking sound of flipping switches. "I witnessed it firsthand. He was able to pinpoint your location using the seismographs in the town and around the volcano. He just blew my processor! I mean, I don't know if I ever would've thought to do that, but Soundwave took the young model very seriously right off the bat. The relationship between the two of them is so bazar too. You know how we first thought that maybe they had a thing going on? Well it appears to be more then just a simple fling. They treat each other like… Sparkling and Creator. It's so weird and fascinating at the same time, and—."
The medic realized he was rambling on for the past two minutes without any interruptions. He turned his helm to see his partner sitting casually across from him, and just staring in awe of him. Breakdown smiled affectionately and his yellow optic shimmered with warmth as he lightly sighed. Knockout returned the glance with a tinge of annoyance, but he also pouted his dermas into something that resembled a smile. "Have you been paying attention to anything I just said?"
"Yes, I've been listening." The blue mech's expression didn't change, but he did lean in a little closer to his lover's side. "I'm sorry if I'm a little aloof, but I just can't stop looking at you. You're just so… You've always been beautiful, but now…"
"… You are so cheesy…" Knockout snorted and earned an equally amused chuckle from his lover. The medic stopped typing so he could reach for one of Breakdown's servos. He lightly squeezed it then leaned further over to kiss the base of the newly installed optical plate. "I can't wait to bond with you too… But wait we must. Not just for your health, but for our audience with Megatron."
"Do you think we have a chance in convincing him to change the law?" Breakdown sighed again and his smile widened from the warmth of the red mech's kiss.
"Now that we got Starscream on our side? Yeah, I really think we do." The medic answered with his fore-helm nuzzled over Breakdown's. "He promised to help us after what we did for him, and he owes us big… Even if his word doesn't hold much water for Megatron any longer. And I bet that if we ask Soundwave politely, he would put in a vouch for us as well."
"Maybe…" The larger mech agreed but expressed a hint of doubt. He would've added more input if he wasn't interrupted by the flashing and beeping of the computer monitor. "Oh… Looks like you found a match. By the way, did you offer to give Cass a full exam? We might want to get that done and out of the way before our five days off."
"I offered, but I also said it could wait. I don't want to pressure the kid, and Soundwave is showing some very serious signs of anxiety." Knockout turned away to once again focus on the computer. He tapped a few more keys and brought up the image of Cass's core pulse and the comparison pulse that identified with it. Considering Cass shouldn't even have a core pulse in the first place, the experience medic was expecting the comparison to somehow match another drone or perhaps even Shockwave's somehow. It was a fleeting thought that Cass may actually be a product of one of the mad scientist unauthorized and unchecked experiments, but the idea off it was still a bit of a long stretch. So, Knockout studied the new data carefully and slowly processed it as he read it. "But you're right, I do want to set that up sooner rather then later. Plus, I want to talk to Soundwave about a… Few… Things…"
If it was physically possible for Knockout's white faceplate to turn any paler, it did just that minute. Breakdown touched his shoulder in concern, but when he also glanced at the monitor, he too gaped at the information in front of him.
"That's… Not right…" He announced with his one wide optic.
"It shouldn't be possible…" The red mech almost sounded astounded. "But oddly enough… It makes perfect sense."
"How?" Breakdown was very confused now. "And now what do we do with this info?"
"I have to take care of it myself." Knockout shook his helm. "Doctor-patient confidentiality… If you don't know the full story I can't tell you unless it's an absolute emergency." Before he stood the medic downloaded the data onto a portable device, then he kissed the top of Breakdown's helm and walked to the door. "Close down early tonight and go back to our room to rest. I'm going to the communications bridge to talk to Soundwave and hopefully Cass."
"Alright." Breakdown didn't argue. "I'll wait up for you though, just in case you need me."
"I love you…" The red mech said rather distant before the doors closed behind him.
"I love you too…" His lover replied quietly. "Don't be long."
Knockout arrived at the communications bridge just in time to catch Soundwave walk back into the room. The medic quickly stepped in behind him, and he didn't waist time with any greetings.
"Soundwave. I need to show you something important… And I also need to show it to Cass. Do you know where he is?"
"Affirmative." The communications officer was rather surprised by the medic's informalities, but he had his own agenda to follow that day, so he didn't give it much acknowledgement. "Vehicon drone CA-591-AN: Volunteered for archiving mine data. Current whereabouts: Sevier Desert, Utah USA."
"He's on Earth?" Knockout was shocked. "Why did you send him there?"
"I just told you he volunteered." Soundwave pulled back the bottom half of his mask. "He came here last night really upset. When he calmed down he suggested to help some of the Energon miners compile their unorganized data. I was getting ready to go myself until Cass stepped in." The navy blue mech shrugged his shoulders, then invited Knockout to step further into the room. "I was hesitant at first, but then I thought that a little time off the ship would be good for him. Some of the Mid-digit Eradicons are stationed there for security, so I know he'll be looked well after."
"Oh boy…" Knockout scratched the back of his helm as he stepped over to a secondary console in the corner of the room. "Then I guess he'll have to wait."
"For what?" The third in command managed to get a decent amount of recharge last night, but he still wasn't in the mood for pussyfooting around. "With all due respect Doctor, I have a very busy schedule today. So if you don't mind—."
"I'm sorry Soundwave, but for you this really can't wait." The red mech announced sympathetically, then pointed to a chair close to the resting area. "You might want to take a seat for this."
"Why…?" Soundwave questioned but decided to comply.
"I will tell you, but I need to know something first." Knockout knelt in front of Soundwave after he uploaded the data to the console and picked up a small remote for the monitor. His red optics blinked with empathy and he even rested his servo over the chairs arm rest close to the flier's arm strut. "This is going to be tough to answer, but it is important. When you were with sparkling, how long did you carry before the crash?"
The telepath's spark briefly jumped under Laserbeak's belly plating, and it roused her from her recharge. Not really aware of what was going on she began to bounce excitedly over Soundwave's chassis. Her master took a moment to recover, but when his mind was right, he patted his servo over her armor. As he pacified his symbiote, he in turn managed to calm himself, and turned his helm back in Knockout's direction.
"Almost six months." He answered sadly. "Nearly half way to a full term… Why do you need to know?"
Knockout nodded his helm and bit his lips with a feeling of caution. "Brace yourself…" He whispered before he turned on the computer monitor to reveal the data he copied. "Remember when I said I was going to compare Cass's core pulse to the other records I had? Well… My computer found a match." He pointed to the screen and watched the silent mech's jaw drop. There were two images presented on the monitor above two identical core pulse strands. One of the images was Cass and the other was, remarkably, Soundwave.
"You said Cass was between four thousand and five thousand years old." The medic spoke softly. "And the Destiny crashed nearly four thousand, five hundred years ago…" Carefully, Knockout slipped his servo under Soundwave's and started to caress his winged arm. "I don't know how this is possible… How this happened, but core comparisons don't lie…"
"Kn-Knock-o-out…" Soundwave shivered over the static in his vocals. "Wha-t does th-this m-mean-mean?"
"Shhh…" The red mech soothed his patient with all the power he could muster. "Soundwave… According to my data… Not only is Cass not a drone… He is your sparkling."
-END-