Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, The Owl House or their characters
On the Nemesis, Megatron approached Starscream on the main deck as all four Omega Keys were lined up on the floor in front of him.
"Few things of value come without a price. So tell me, Starscream, what is it that you wish in return?" Megatron asked.
"Only to be a Decepticon once again." Starscream replied, bowing to Megatron on his knees.
"Dreadwing is my first lieutenant now." Megatron said, gesturing to the Seeker captain beside him.
"And I accept that much has changed during my absence. I only wish to serve you, my one true master, in any way that you deem fit." Starscream said respectfully.
"I am deeply impressed by your accomplishment, Starscream. And know that I will put your offerings to good use, whatever the outcome." Megatron proclaimed.
"Outcome? Of what?" Starscream asked in confusion.
"See to it that Knock Out is extracted from the wall." Megatron ordered Dreadwing.
(Linebreak)
Later on, Megatron and Starscream were seen laying on opposite tables in the medical room with a freed Knock Out stretching his metal limbs nearby.
"Ah, it's good to be back." Knock Out said happily before he approached Megatron, plugging a Cortical Psychic Patch cable to the back of his table. "Now, what will we be fishing for today, my liege?"
"Starscream's true motives." Megatron answered, looking at his former air commander on the other side.
Starscream gained a nervous expression after hearing this and Knock Out plugged the other end of the cable to his table. This caused Starscream's eyes to widen as the scene moved into his optics' black outlines.
(Linebreak)
We are soon shown the moment when a Megatron is caught in the middle of his old Space Bridge exploding around him. Just like before, Starscream watched the entire thing from the Nemesis' main deck.
"Decepticons, it is with deep sorrow that I note for the log. Megatron's Spark…has been extinguished." Starscream said softly, until he showed a sinister smile. "All hail Starscream."
"All hail Starscream!" The Vehicons shouted in celebration.
"Well, well. You certainly didn't waste any time." Megatron's voice said, leaving Starscream surprised as he looked around and saw Megatron standing very near him.
"W-What?! I just watched you perish!" Starscream exclaimed.
"I did not perish then, and I'm very much with you now. The present you, as well as the past." Megatron replied.
"All hail Starscream!" The Vehicons cheered as Starscream turned around to see a dream version of himself dancing in front of them.
"I can't hear you!" The dream Starscream stated.
"All hail Starscream!" The Vehicons cheered once again.
"One more time!" The dream Starscream yelled in enthusiasm.
"All hail Starscream!"
(Linebreak)
In the real world, Knock Out was watching the entire thing on a monitor.
"This is going to be juicy." Knock Out said, smirking in pleasure.
"Mind if we watch some mind entertainment?" A voice asked as Knock Out saw Thundercracker and Skywarp entering the room.
"Yeah, it's been a while since we've gotten to see Megatron make Starscream feel so low." Skywarp snickered.
"I don't see why not." Knock Out replied with a casual shrug, looking at the monitor with the two Seekers.
(Linebreak)
As he turned away from the Vehicons cheering for his dream counterpart, Starscream let out a timid laugh.
"You're inside my head, aren't you?" He asked Megatron.
"The Cortical Psychic Patch. You see, there are no secrets in here. Only your memories." Megatron explained as everything around him and Starscream went dark, leaving a single spotlight on them. "You cannot manipulate their content or modify their outcome. What we see is how it happened."
The scene started showing many flashbacks of Starscream's moments throughout the story. The first was of Starscream telling Optimus to bow before him in the canyon where he awakened Skyquake, the second was when Starscream angrily commanded Knock Out to call him 'Lord' and the final flashback was Starscream telling the imprisoned Seaspray that he was the new leader of the Decepticons.
"Now, where did we leave off? Oh yes, all hail Starscream?" Megatron recalled, staring down at Starscream intimidatingly. "A rather obvious motif, Starscream. You deem yourself more able to lead the Decepticons than myself?"
"No! Not anymore. I have learned from my many failures, master." Starscream reassured.
Then, we are shown the flashback of Starscream addressing his five multicoloured clones of their task as Nacelle interrupted him by saying they were to help the former air commander gain leadership of the Decepticons.
"That clone said it, not me!" Starscream protested.
"It seems you would stop at nothing to disrupt my rule. Including assassination!" Megatron stated, unconvinced.
"It was their idea, not mine!" Starscream told him pleadingly.
However, another flashback was displayed and it was when Starscream had attempted to convince Airachnid to join him in a plan to use her mind-controlled Insecticon to terminate Megatron.
"I see no clones here. Was this their idea, too?" Megatron asked rhetorically.
"I don't remember any of this. I must have been half-crazed at the time. A victim of Energon deficiency." Starscream lied in a dramatic way.
"Tell me why I should welcome back someone who's every waking impulse has been to thwart me, undercut me, OVERTHROW ME?!" Megatron demanded with a furious glare.
(Linebreak)
"This has to be the part where Megatron beats him up." Skywarp said, enjoying every second of the Psychic Patch footage.
"Zip it, you air-brain." Thundercracker whispered firmly.
(Linebreak)
"Not true! I have always put your well-being before my own." Starscream pleaded as the next flashback was of Starscream pulling the Dark Energon shard from Megatron's severely damaged body.
"How does this revolting chapter constitute attending to my well-being?" Megatron questioned, growing mad from seeing the memory.
"I was simply trying to help, by ridding you of the dark matter polluting your body." Starscream replied nervously.
After the flashback showed Starscream gloating over an unconscious Megatron, it changed again to show the time Starscream was stuck lifting a ginormous boulder inside the collapsed cave.
"I even risked being buried alive for you." Starscream reminded.
But Megatron still wasn't convinced when the memory Starscream said his intentions on helping him were pure.
"Were they, Starscream?! Were they ever?!" Megatron asked angrily while marching up to Starscream.
The next flashback was of Starscream barely escaping the cave-in, only to furiously realise Megatron would come for him if he survived or that one of his other followers would come save him to gain grateful credit. After he saw this memory, Starscream couldn't muster any excuse and looked on in worridness.
"A word of advice? Stop thinking aloud." Megatron told his former air commander.
"I don't want to play this game anymore!" Starscream stated cowardly. "Take the keys! We'll pretend I was never here!"
"No, Starscream! There are only two possible outcomes based upon what I find here in your twisted little mind! If I do not deem that you're worthy of rejoining the Decepticons, you will perish on this very day." Megatron announced with a stern glare.
(Linebreak)
"I vote for him terminating Starscream." Skywarp snickered in enjoyment, turning to his two comrades. "Do you two agree with me?"
"Yep." Knock Out replied.
"I wouldn't have if any other way." Thundercracker commented with a smirk.
(Linebreak)
"Isn't termination rather extreme?" Starscream questioned fearfully. "I mean, a really good trancing usually straightens me out, doesn't it?"
A bunch of flashbacks started to be shown of when Megatron abused, punished and tortured Starscream for his many failures or betrayals.
"Why wouldn't you wish to harness my talent for the Decepticon cause when I have so much deviousness to offer?" Starscream asked.
The next flashback was when Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp and Brawl had presented Megatron with the deceased Autobot body for his Dark Energon test.
"See how generous I can be, my liege." Starscream reminded, hopeful his old master would spare him from seeing this memory.
"When it suits you." Megatron retorted.
The memory flashed forward to when the undead Autobot started attacking the two Vehicons, with Starscream and the other three observing in horror. Then it changed to the moment when Arcee trapped him against the laboratory table before he could kill Cliffjumper.
"At other times, you can be quite insolent!" Megatron stated insultingly.
"Apologies, it's just that I've gone to so much trouble to terminate a single Autobot in the first place." Starscream admitted.
In the next flashback, the undead Autobot charged at Megatron and the Decepticon leader effortlessly sliced him in half with his blade.
"Trouble would have been facing him as a gladiator." Megatron said.
"I've always considered my wits to be my sharpest weapon." Starscream replied.
The next memory was when Starscream battled Optimus, Jazz, Hunter, Dreadwing, Thundercracker and Skywarp with the Apex Armor, only to then collapse through the ice when a bunch of explosions engulfed him.
"You'll never learn, Starscream. Your arrogance will trumpet your wits every time." Megatron told him.
This was proven correct when multiple flashbacks showed Starscream attempting to revive Skyquake with Dark Energon before getting his arm shot off, using the Energon Harvester on Bulkhead as the dark-green Wrecker used all of his strength to resist and punch Starscream in the head, then it was the time Starscream accidentally confessed to trying to kill Cliffjumper to Arcee and she angrily aimed her blasters at him, then when Smokescreen used his Phase Shifter to knock Starscream out of the Apex Armor while Skara took care of Lockdown, and finally it showed the moment when Silas and his M.E.C.H troopers stole Starscream's T-Cog. This last flashback was something Megatron was not expecting.
"You no longer possess the ability to take flight?" Megatron asked in surprise.
"Ah, yes. I was going to bring that up, and as you might imagine, my predicament pains me to the death." Starscream said embarrassingly.
The next flashback was of Starscream addressing his clones of their mission outside the Harbinger with the Mercenaries following them, with the former air commander very shocked by the fact his clones possessed their own T-Cogs. It also showed the time Starscream miserably rode his Cybertronian bike through the Antarctic.
"I hope that you might see fit to express your gratitude for the Omega Keys by restoring my jet mode. After all, would I not be more valuable to you with wings?" Starscream questioned.
Many flashbacks were displayed of when Starscream used his expert jet form skills to get himself out of any situation.
"Oh, I do transform with an exceptional sense of style…" Starscream stopped himself when he realised what he said. "I said that aloud, didn't I?"
In the next flashback, Starscream was ranting on about how Megatron tried to execute him and how Airachnid simply abandoned him to the Autobots' mercy, saying he'd prefer to get even by ratting them out.
"No one asked you to leave the Decepticon folds." Megatron proclaimed.
"I wasn't exactly made to feel welcome at the time." Starscream said as the next flashback was of Megatron attempting to execute Starscream in the abandoned mines, falling on his knees for mercy. "Despite the fact that I had seen the error of my ways and dedicated my Spark to you."
In another flashback, Starscream is speaking out his monologue about how he was always meant to be Megatron's loyal second in command with Soundwave listening.
"Until the next opportunity arrises to subvert me." Megatron retorted.
Next, the flashback displayed Starscream and Knock Out speaking to each other in silence. They talked about how Megatron could remain in his mind-sleeping state forever if they convinced Soundwave there was no point in saving him, and both of them agreeing to this plan for a position of power for the Decepticon doctor.
(Linebreak)
In the real world, Knock Out saw this old memory and he grew very worried.
"Looks like someone's been busted." Thundercracker said with a sly smile, while Skywarp laughed to himself.
"Uh oh. Does this thing have a fast-forward button? Or better yet erase?!" Knock Out asked frantically, pressing random buttons.
Unfortunately, the monitor's screen started showing the next flashback of the moment Starscream and Knock Out explaining to Soundwave that Megatron is not capable of being saved from his deathless slumber and that the most appropriate thing to do would show him mercy by taking him offline.
"Haha! You're in really big trouble now, Knocks!" Skywarp stated in enjoyment.
"There's no doubt that Megatron will beat you into a scrap pile once he wakes up." Thundercracker added, smirking deviously.
"You think I don't know that?! When Megatron comes out of it, he'll do more than just stick me back in that wall! He'll have Starscream's head and mine!" Knock Out exclaimed worriedly, until he saw the Cortical Psychic Patch cable hanging under Megatron's table and approached it. "But, if I disconnect before a power-down, the link is severed and…the big guy will never emerge from Starscream's head."
"Oh, we won't let that happen." Skywarp declared with a glare before he aimed his wrist Missile at Knock Out, only for Thundercracker to lower his arm down.
"I don't think it's us he needs to be carful of." Thundercracker said, pointing to something that made both Seekers smirk.
Just as Knock Out prepared to pull the cable out, a hand suddenly grabbed his and the Decepticon medic gasped in shock to see it was Dreadwing standing on the other side.
"Everything okay here?" Dreadwing asked in a dangerous tone.
"…Just checking cable integrity." Knock Out said, turning the cable back into place.
"And you were so close to saving your servos, too." Thundercracker mocked silently.
"Quiet." Knock Out hissed as all of them turned their attention back to the monitor.
(Linebreak)
"Is it any wonder that I've come to value loyalty above all else?" Megatron asked.
"Heh. Well, you know we are Decepticons. I'm sure that even your beloved Dreadwing isn't perfect." Starscream replied sheepishly.
"No one is perfect, Starscream. But like his departed twin, Dreadwing understands honour." Megatron proclaimed.
Two more flashbacks were then shown. The first was when Starscream awakened Skyquake to serve as his trustworthy warrior, only for Dreadwing's twin to proclaim that he only serves Megatron as Starscream attempted to convince him that Megatron had perished with little success along with when Bumblebee had made Skyquake crash down to the surface. The second one was of Starscream using the Dark Energon he stole from Megatron to try and revive the now deceased Skyquake as a Terrorcon, along with showing the undead Skyquake getting his arm blasted off by the missile that was launched at him by the Hexside Squad.
"I understand he perished that day." Megatron said.
"Well, Skyquake is neither living nor dead. And no doubt continues to wander through some dimensional nether-realm in search of his missing limb." Starscream admitted.
"It would be wise to keep that to yourself around the Nemesis." Megatron instructed.
(Linebreak)
However, Dreadwing had seen and heard all of this and he slowly started to put on a very mad expression. Noticing this, Thundercracker whistled nervously to himself and Skywarp pointed both of his fingers together while looking away.
"Awkward." Knock Out muttered, placing a hand on his head.
(Linebreak)
In the mind world, Starscream was surprised by the sentence Megatron had just spoken.
"Does this mean…?" Starscream began to ask, gaining a very joyful smile.
"Yes. I will allow you to return to our ranks. If only because you are more valuable beside me than against me." Megatron answered, feeling like he'd regret this in the new future.
"Ah, thank the Allspark!" Starscream cheered in absolute happiness, falling on his knees.
"In-fighting has nearly destroyed the Decepticons during your absence. We must operate as a United front if we are to revive and conquer Cybertron. That means each and every one of us…Knock Out!" Megatron said, glaring out in the open.
(Linebreak)
But in reality, Megatron was actually glaring out of the monitor's screen and this made Knock Out, Thundercracker and Skywarp gain creeped-out expressions.
"Okay, that is just scary." Skywarp admitted.
"Megatron sure knows how to patch things up, eh fellas?" Knock Out asked jokingly.
"You said it. I guess having Starscream back in our ranks isn't going to be completely bad. We'll have an even bigger advantage in numbers against the Autobots. What do you think, Dreadw-" Thundercracker said as he turned around, only to see the Seeker captain was gone.
"Dreadwing?" Knock Out questioned.
"He's probably going somewhere to think by himself. I'm sure he'll be fine." Skywarp assured, waving his hand carelessly.
(Linebreak)
On the bridge of the Nemesis, lighting began to emit from the dark clouds and a heavy rainstorm poured itself down onto the Decepticon warship. Dreadwing was standing over the edge of the bridge as he thought about what he just witnessed. Not only was his own twin brought back from the dead in such a disgraceful way, but Starscream, the one responsible for that and was only pledging loyalty to Megatron out of cowardice, was being brought back into their ranks by Megatron. To Dreadwing, there was absolutely nothing honourable about any of this and that Optimus' opinions of his master turned out to be true. Dreadwing then let out an angry shout that could be heard throughout the entire rainstorm.
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