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lexicorp · 3 days ago

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Transformers Earthspark: Another Place, Another Prison

Screenshot from that moment of "Nowhere is safe if it's with you." Which pairs with this chapter having his anxiety around thinking Megs wants to kick his aft really peaks. Also Megatrons confused friggin face in response.

The nature of this chapter is quite funky. A lot of it has interior meaning where you can't always take things at face value. It has some wholesomeness that rapidly devolves into sussy bs. Might even get a glimpse of the lingering antagonist of this theoretical season, who knows. Also a smidge of the background human drama the other bots are dealing with.

Previous Chapter: Family Feud

First Chapter: The Need For Read

Next Chapter: Obligation

Chapter 12: Make or Break

“Just stay where I can see you, alright? The kids and I are gonna be doing some training over there.” Bumblebee gestured back towards a clearing littered with crates, what looked like dehydrated cylinders of some type of shredded flora, and an assortment of tires; which seemed to be arranged in some sort of obstacle course.

Starscream ducked out of the barn, keeping a close optic on the bug’s movements while stealing a glance at his surroundings. Upon gaining full access to the outdoors again, distancing himself from the structure, he fully flexed his wings and stretched. The stifling atmosphere of underground constructions was something he could do without.

Bumblebee shot a digit up to point at him with squinted optics, “Don’t you think I’ll be too distracted to notice you trying anything.”

An extremely weak attempt at a threat. The scout did not possess optics on the back of his helm. There was no way he could possibly watch Starscream every nano-klik while surrounded by sparklings.

Starscream rolled his optics and put his servos on his hips, then leaned down at face level to the bug with a smirk. “I would never dare assume such a thing.”

Bumblebee shoved Starscream’s faceplate away with a roll of his entire helm as he turned and scoffed, “Yeah, like I believe that, con man.”

“Tsk, you wound me.” Starscream crooned. Primus how he missed banter like this. The scout could be insufferable, but at least he was entertaining.

“Uh-huh. Just stay out of trouble will ya? I can’t be attached to your ped 24/7. ‘Sides, that’s what Wheeljack’s little thing ya got is for.” Bumblebee gave his own challenging grin with a gesture down at Starscream's ped accessory. Whether the statement was purely meant as a play on words, or actually held some sort of double meaning towards the device’s functioning, was difficult to determine.

“Hm, what could I possibly do…” Starscream tapped his chin in mock contemplation. “That tank of propane looks promising. Perhaps I could see how sturdy its containment is��right next to the human’s little residence.”

“Primus Starscream. You’d better not be that stupid.” Bumblebee turned to leave him be with a toss of his servo.

“I was obviously joking.” Starscream crossed his arms and his wings tipped down in a twinge of annoyance. The scout should be better at picking up sarcasm than that. It was actually rather disappointing. He paced closer to the edge of the fence as he watched Bumblebee meet with the others. Surely an examination of the perimeter would be permissible.

Starscream took his time exploring every centihic of the surrounding area within view of the bug. He didn’t need them accusing him if that blasted tank did decide to spontaneously combust. They were surrounded by an extended range of stalky perennials, with one road leading away from the residence, and a train track over the slight hill. The humans were cultivating an odd array of fuel, one variety sprouting from a particular species of those stalky perennials, while simultaneously managing a herd of lower class organic creatures.

He knelt by the fence containing them, and one stared at him. Starscream stared back. It looked stupid, and broke focus to gnaw on the ground dully. What purpose could these things serve? Would they not only become a resource garbage chute? Although he supposed some creatures he had studied in the past did refuel by consuming other beings. Perhaps instead of hunting, the humans decided to imprison them. A disgusting disrespect to the natural order of their planet’s formation.

A part of him felt sorry for the beast. It clearly knew nothing larger than this pitiful block of land. Nothing of what fate could befall it, or what life it could lead outside of its walls. Only living in complacent ignorance.

Starscream carefully reached over and picked it up, intent on freeing it from its cage. Surely those humans wouldn’t miss one or two of these things. Unfortunately, the creature’s liberation was thwarted by that damn bug barking at him.

“Leave the cow alone, Screamer!” Bumblebee called from across the field. When Starscream paused with the cow hovering in the air giving weak little kicks, the scout pointed a digit and dropped his tone to be more stern. “Drop it. Find something better to do than terrorizing cows.”

Starscream growled out a sigh as he lowered the beast back into its cell. He gestured flatly at it to the bug with half lidded, annoyed optics. Of course the Autobots would be opposed to a bit of minuscule revolution. Yet another example of those bot’s hypocrisy as they preach their ever expansive empathy. The cow ran off as if it too disapproved. It clearly didn’t know any better.

Since apparently fraternizing with the present wildlife was in the forbidden category, Starscream opted to redirect his focus to scouting out the possible escape routes. The road could be a useful means of keeping track of his position if he were to follow it, but that’s exactly the trail the Autobots would take. He rounded the edge of the forest to hover on the hill overseeing the train tracks. He might be able to discreetly hitch a ride on one of those, which would grant him a good deal of distance. As well as make it difficult for them to determine at what point he got off.

Starscream glanced back at the bug, and leaned casually against one of those stalky perennials surrounding the place. That rudimentary obstacle course seemed to be entertaining the children well enough, although he wouldn’t be so bold as to call it “training”. Bumblebee only seemed to be giving them useless words of encouragement or soft sparked notes on their performance. They must be preparing for some other ridiculous game inspired by their human companions. Nothing about whatever it was they’d cobbled together would prepare them for a war. It was a wonder the children turned out as well as they did.

Suddenly, he heard heavy propellers shake his audials. He turned his attention to the sky to see Megatron lowering in front of the Malto’s primary residence. Starscream’s optics narrowed, before widening in alarm. Why was that slagger here? Of course he was! Starscream knew it was only a matter of time. It was a miracle the buckethead hadn’t slagged him to the Pit the first day! Perhaps he’d simply wanted to wait until a sufficient amount of time had passed since his previous injuries…

When Megatron landed, Dorothy exited his hull before he transformed back into a mech, yet remained knelt before his little agent. Scrap. What could she be reporting to him? Starscream doubted anything good. It was never anything good. Sure, he hadn’t exactly done anything catastrophic yet, recently…but that hardly ever seemed to matter.

Starscream fumbled against the branches of those blasted overgrown twigs as his peds began backing him into them. His focus was locked on the warlord, even as he made a painfully sharp in-vent from his clumsiness. Then their optics met.

And he ran.

***

Meetings with those entitled, over blown human executives was always like grinding his processor through a compactor. Megatron was more than happy to let Optimus do all the suck up business. Having Dorothy by his side through it all was truly the only reason he was able to stay sane, and somewhat hopeful as he kept the terrans in mind.

Of course the human government would have questions about what happened with G.H.O.S.T., or the trouble with the Quintessons. But hadn’t Schloder already explained it all? Instead, after all this time, there still was that ever lingering distrust towards cybertronians. With apparently some conspiracy around them aiming to usurp the human’s government spreading around their internet. It really will never change, will it? At most, he could hope that such allegations will never fall upon the kids’ shoulders…

“They’re just uptight big shots that are insecure about their ranks, don’t let ‘em get under your plating Megs.” Dorothy advised from within his hull as they were making the flight back to her home.

Megatron growled out a sigh as he tried to shake his lingering rage at the ordeal. “Regardless, it does not give them the right to threaten eviction from our base over their baseless accusations.”

“I know. But we won’t let it get that far. Agent Schloder and I have been working on constructing a better organization that will be what G.H.O.S.T was supposed to. If we all work together as a team this time around, I’m sure it’ll be better.”

“Only time will tell, I suppose. I will give you my confidence, Dorothy, even if I cannot be as optimistic as Optimus.”

Dorothy scoffed a laugh, “I’d never expect you to be, Megs. No one can beat that bot’s ridiculous sense of delegation. He just wants to baby talk and social media his way through this biz and that just ain’t gonna cut it. We get that. But y’know, our two sides of dealing with this mess also complement one another.”

“Ah yes, teamwork. Heh.”

Dorothy knocked on the interior metal beside her affectionately, “You know it! We gotta hit ‘em from all sides! Give ‘em no way of gettin’ the jump on us with their dumb wall of red string they’re tryna wrap us up in.”

Megatron chuckled at her enthusiasm. It was often quite infectious. “I did always enjoy a good crushing tactic of the sort. If they think they will be the ones backing us against a wall, they’ll be sorely mistaken.” They reached their destination and he made certain to avoid the other vehicles in the driveway as he landed. He opened the hatch to let her out, then switched out of his alt mode with a servo set on his knee.

Dorothy patted his ped reassuringly, “Exactly. Now all we have to worry about is a certain con stirring up more trouble for us to clean up.”

Megatron’s expression fell. “Starscream. Has he behaved himself this past week?”

Dorothy shrugged with crossed arms, and looked unsure. “Decently enough. He actually seems to be…trying, in his own way. Although he did get a bit heated over Uno.” She dropped her arms again with a slight shake of her head and an amused grin. “I can’t exactly blame him for that–” she straightened to a more serious tone again and held a digit in the air firmly– “but he did grab Bee, which worried us for a moment before he let go. I definitely see what you were talking about with those strange surges. It’s difficult to determine what exactly triggers them. The kids said he had one the first day just out of the blue, and he blamed Bee for it, but they weren’t sure what he’d even done. Then there was another moment during Pictionary when he’d said “Transformers”...” She shuddered. “It was weird, Megs. I don’t know a better way of describing it. Like, it wasn’t exactly his voice for a moment, and he looked all disconnected or something… It doesn’t seem like it’s just tied to his anger. It makes me uneasy not knowing what is going on with whatever that is… But. Still. I’m sure we can handle it.”

Megatron paused for a moment, then nodded. “I understand. You are wise to be wary. We can’t be sure what exactly happened when he linked himself with the corrupted Emberstone, or what happened all that time while he was in the Titan. Unfortunately, I do not imagine he would take the prospect of testing well. So it seems the best we can do is keep him under control and monitor the surges. I trust you will continue to keep me updated. Remember, I am only a comm away.”

Dorothy smiled more genuinely up at him as he slowly rose to his full height, “Yes, yes, I know. I’ll keep in touch.”

Megatron smiled thankfully back at her, until his focus became distracted by the feeling that someone was watching him. His gaze drifted towards Bumblebee and the kids, before locking onto Starscream, who was standing just on the edge of the forest on the hill. Upon making optic contact, the seeker abruptly jerked backwards and darted into the woods like one of those skittish deer creatures at the sight of a predator. Quite a dramatic reaction. Megatron’s optics narrowed and he began walking towards where his former second had fled.

Dorothy followed his gaze and asked, “What is it?”

“Starscream ran off into the woods, alone. I will go after him. I’ll make sure he doesn’t have any plans of escaping, or whatever it is he’s thinking he’ll accomplish by simply running off like that.”

Dorothy put a servo to her hip. “Hm. Alright, be careful then.”

Megatron scoffed, “Careful? I know how to deal with him. I doubt even with this new power that he could be that much trouble for me to handle.”

Bumblebee noticed Megatron approaching them, then looked behind him and noticed the seeker’s absence as well, looking startled. He assured the kids not to worry and ran over to meet Megatron near where Starscream had vanished. “I assume you got this one? Or we could–”

“I’ll handle it.”

“Ookay…” Bumblebee backed off, “Gotcha. Have fun kicking his aft solo.”

Megatron lowered his optical ridges at that comment, and gave the scout a momentary glare. Bumblebee only shrugged and made his way back to the terrans. Megatron wasn’t entirely sure why the statement bothered him. After all, it did often become necessary to use force when it came to the seeker. Yet this time, he actually had the initial thought that he’d only accompany Starscream to serve as a chaperone. Optimus had wanted him to get more of those nature walks the Prime loved so much, anyway. It only bothered Megatron that Starscream would be unsupervised. A show of firepower wouldn’t be necessary, unless the flighty mech decided to make it so.

Megatron tapped into his Decepticon coding channel to pinpoint Starscream’s tracking signal. As he made his way through the trees, he attempted to be careful, but the damn things were always far too close together. Stealth was never his forte, which seldom mattered, although it did make it inconvenient at the moment as he had to catch a second tree from shattering another. He needed to be swift to catch Starscream, yet the clever bastard picked just the terran to slow him down.

Once he found a sufficient enough clearing to transform, he took to the sky. With Starscream’s own wings clipped, Megatron could easily cut him off from the air. Once he was right on top of the signal, he boosted a few hics ahead before transforming mid-air to land heavily in front of the seeker. Crushing yet another of those twigs in the process, perhaps he should get some training navigating these things some time…

Starscream, well, screamed. An annoyingly shrill shriek that would never cease to irk Megatron’s audials no matter how many times he heard it. His former second raised his arm that typically held his null ray reactively as well. It was absurd that he still had the instinct to do such a thing. He knew null rays were ineffective against Megatron’s plating, yet always tried uselessly regardless. It was almost amusing, if it wasn’t equally pathetic to see the panic on the seeker’s faceplate upon the recognition that he was disarmed. Then he only stared silently as if he were frozen on the ground.

“What are you doing?” Megatron inquired flatly, although with genuine curiosity. He moved his canon clad servo vaguely at him, which caused Starscream’s optics to shoot between his and the weapon.

Starscream still didn’t speak. For being so loud at the start, he always loved to shut up at the most aggravating times. It was a simple question. What could have possibly caused him to react so ridiculously? Megatron’s fusion cannon clearly wasn’t aimed in any threatening manner.

Megatron rolled his optics as the lingering frustration of the day's events seeped into his posture, and he took a step forward that shook the earth beneath his ped. “I am not talking in riddles, Starscream. Answer me.”

A minor surge started as red lightning began flicking from the seeker’s frame, although his optics seemed to fight the crimson force. Starscream stood and stumbled against the tree behind him as he tried to back away. “Stay ba-AAH!” The bark broke and sent him falling back in tandem with the log.

Megatron’s optics narrowed. He continued to advance despite Starscream’s demand, and reached down to pull him up from the bush. All he got was a rude smack across the servo with a buzz saw.

***

Starscream was running as fast as he possibly could. Although still made note to avoid leaving obvious evidence of his direction, also tossing broken twigs in an attempt to create a false trail. Even as he tried to retain some form of his tactical processor, he couldn’t think of anything else beside his need to move. Memories and predictions were rapidly flashing through his optics. He tripped over a scraggly lump of flora and cursed as he scrambled to his peds again to continue forward.

It would be far easier to gain ground if he didn’t have that blasted device locked to his ped! If he tried to fly away with only his thrusters, he’d be quickly spotted and not nearly aerodynamic enough to properly maneuver out of the way of incoming fire. Starscream didn’t have the time to try and pry the damn thing off. So apparently, the best he could do was dodge through the terrain and hope by some mercy of Primus that he’d be granted some luck for once.

He was easily still skilled enough to sleekly slip past any obstacle. He’d fold his wings back, down, or flare them out to narrow himself at his side. He might not be as nimble as Skywarp, but he had arguably more experience with such things. His processor was on overdrive as his vents struggled to keep up with him. Starscream’s focus was so tunnel visioned on the path ahead that he couldn’t take a single nano-klik to consider anything else besides what laid before him.

Megatron was surely after him. He had to be. Bumblebee would be angry with him. That won’t matter. He could live with that. If he managed to live at all if he got caught.

He wouldn’t. It’d be fine. Starscream is far faster than Megatron’s ever been. He just needed to not stop. Keep running. Dodge the branch, jump the next rock, slide between the next choke point. He’d get somewhere eventually. As long as it was far away from Megatron.

He heard those blasted propellers again from the buckethead’s stupid earth alt mode. No. He couldn’t possibly have found him already. There was no way he knew what his position was as the tops of the larger perennials shielded him from aerial view. Right? Starscream just needed to be quiet, not shake any of the brush to alert his pursuer. Speed wouldn’t matter anymore with that slagger hovering over him.

Yet even as he’d been carefully stepping through the branches with such precision that not even his joints dared make a sound–Megatron shot down from the sky so violently that his peds vertically crushed one of the perennials that’d dared to stand in his way. The force of the warlord’s descent knocked Starscream backwards with a rather indignant yelp. His helm hit against the stalky twig behind him and his optics shuttered. Without thinking, he attempted to blast the offending mech, but of course his null ray had been confiscated. It’d only been meant to serve as a warning shot–but he couldn’t even focus enough to see if his other blasters were operational. None of it would do anything against Megatron, anyway.

Megatron demanded something of him with a nod of his fusion cannon that made Starscream squirm, despite feeling as if he was in stasis lock. Was he going to shoot? Did he want him to get up? Starscream couldn’t take his optics off the cannon, and barely recognized that he had brought his servo up defensively in anticipation of an attack.

Megatron spoke again in his booming vocalizer that wrenched Starscream from his frozen state, as the two words “Answer me” came in far too clearly like a dagger through his audials. The order was horrifically pared by the thud of the warlord’s advance towards him. Starscream in-vented sharply, and tried frantically to back away as his vision glitched. “S-stay ba-AAH!” The stupid twig betrayed him, and left him crumpled in a painfully precarious position before Megatron, as the buckethead of course disregarded his statement. Why would what Starscream wanted ever matter? His wings and servos shook as the corrupted power grew and burned like an unstable reaction ready to burst from his cockpit.

Megatron was looming over him so that his shadow could further pin Starscream against the foliage. Then, a servo began reaching for him, and he felt as if his spark was trying to leave him too. Starscream transformed out his buzz saw and wacked it across the offending digits. He scrambled backwards with rapid kicks of his peds as he waved his weapon threateningly. “Stay back!” He reiterated firmly with a wretched squeak to his vocalizer.

Megatron’s fist clenched and he took another step closer. “I’m trying to help you. Is it that difficult to take my servo you stubborn fool?”

Help?? That was the most obvious lie the mech has ever allowed to leave his intake. Starscream may be stubborn, but he was certainly not foolish enough to brazenly surrender his servo to an enemy. If that even was Megatron’s intention. The brute would surely drag Starscream from the ground by an arm or wing before any such softer gesture would cross his processor.

Starscream glared and revved his saw as a warning. He refused to take his optics off of Megatron, using his other servo to stabilize himself on a nearby rock as he stood. The crimson power invaded his transformed servo, and sped its function to an uncomfortable level as it began launching lightning toward the buckethead. Alright then. It actually seemed to make Megatron stumble as it connected with his frame. Maybe it could be useful this time.

“Why must you always make things so difficult?” Megatron charged his cannon and fired a pinpointed blast straight at Starscream’s overcharged blade in response.

His saw was left to be slung across the ground in a crumpled lump of slag as he struggled to transform back out his servo. Sparks sputtered from his damaged limb, and he hit his working servo against it uselessly. Scrap! Well…perhaps he could still use it like some fragged up blaster with the chaos power still active.

Starscream aimed and shot a more concentrated, charged blast that made Megatron stumbled backwards. “I am not the one making it difficult!” He yelled and focused his attack on the fusion cannon as the mech attempted to pull it up for another shot. “All you have to do is leave me alone! I am not staying here for whatever twisted purpose you have planned!”

“What??” Megatron actually sounded outright thrown by this as he held his arms crossed to block the volley of fire. “What are you going on about?!”

“Don’t feign ignorance with me Megatron! What is it you want from me now?! You were never satisfied when I was your second in command, it never mattered what I did! Whether I did everything you asked, or challenged you, it was the same. Now, you still are seeking to make me into whatever slagged up puppet you have in your processor! So WHAT IS IT?!” The power rose and the device on his ped made him stumble as it disrupted his motor functions. “Why else would you keep me online now?!”

“I only wish for you to be better.” Megatron urged earnestly as he knocked away another blast and attempted to get closer.

“BETTER?!” Starscream shrieked, then began to laugh maniacally. “Oh yes, THANK YOU for that clarification! That explains everything! Except the fact that nothing I do or ever did will manage to meet your standards. What are they this time? What could I POSSIBLY become for it to be enough for you?!”

The corrupted power felt like it was scorching his interior components as it increased in strength to a point that the next blast nearly made Megatron fall over. He couldn’t turn it off. He just needed Megatron to be gone. His stabilizing servos were just about useless as the device sent another pulse through his frame, but he managed to force himself somewhat upright against the rock. His vision was now fully glazed in red light and his optics burned.

His aim began to suffer until Meridian’s disgusting voice swam through his processor. “Shoot him. You want that wretched mech purged from the Earth just as much as I, don’t you?” Those last, crooning words strung static through his servos like a magnet pulling them into action.

Starscream’s optic twitched, but he couldn’t bring himself to shake his dizzied helm. He growled and his wings flicked back as his chassis forcefully straightened itself again. Why did that fragging human continue to plague his processor? Starscream didn’t need that pest telling him what to do.

Megatron actually dodged the next shot that came his way, “Can we not just talk without the theatrics?! Perhaps I could–” Then he blocked the next, and planted his peds which slid backwards with a cut across the dirt from the force– “Ugh, I suppose I don’t have an answer that would be–” Another strike– “satisfying. But right–” Again– “now I just want you to be able to work with us, instead of–” Again– “continuing to cause more–” And again– “trouble for yourself.”

“I suppose you think it is all my fault as usual.” Starscream ground out the statement with considerable effort.

Meridian added his own pathetic opinion oh so helpfully. “All you Transformers know how to do is destroy everything around you. You really think any of you are capable of doing anything less? Relationships are far too human for you.”

“Oh shut up–”

“Just shoot. It’s what you’re made for after all.”

“No one asked you.” Yet Starscream couldn’t stop himself from doing just that.

Megatron had apparently acquired a meager shield from a shard of the fallen perennial. “All you need to do is stop fighting me! You may have the right to place blame upon me, just as the others did. But this petty bitterness for whatever I did to make you feel this way, does nothing to help us now.”

Starscream’s attention snapped back towards the buckethead as his optics attempted to focus on his shadowed silhouette. Oh slag. Not again.

His faceplate twisted into a sick grin, “Oh I think it’s doing wonders, actually! You can’t even get close!” The chaotic force shot more energy into where his servo should be and blasted forth an intense, continuous laser that shattered Megatron’s twiggish defenses. Starscream distantly heard himself laugh. “Look at how the mighty Lord Megatron cowers before the lowly Starscream! Even as your pathetic device attempts to disable me! How does it feel to be the powerless one?! The day I stop fighting you, is the day I go offline–but you’d rather keep me around as your functioning punching bag!”

Megatron maneuvered out of the line of fire, his plating scorched and dented. When Starscream realigned his aim, he shot his fusion cannon in a counter attack. The two forces colliding erupted into a violent explosion, with an equally intense recoil.

Starscream’s helm was now against the dirt and his optics were struggling to clear the white that continued to blind him. His arm wasn’t responding to him anymore to resume an attack. His audials were ringing. His spark burned. He wasn’t sure what was happening anymore.

Although some part of his processor must have, as he was saying something else to Megatron as the buckethead added some slag of his own. Starscream's spare servo moved, and he assumed he’d used it to do…something. He had to. He couldn’t let Megatron win. But slagger always did.

There was a lapse in time as Starscream felt numb, despite the fact that he was still moving, if a bit clumsily. He’d continue to squabble with the mech, until a final surge encouraged the device on his ped to release its final EMP that knocked him out. Why had it only finally managed to do so now? What had happened? Shouldn’t it have done that during…

He couldn’t remember.

It did do something before, didn’t it? He was sure it did.

This must be the fault of Quintus’ slagging curse. And Megatron for showing his stupid fragging faceplate in the first place. Why couldn’t he do anything without that glitch looming over him? He should have played it off better. He’d forgotten the foolish mech was attempting to be some sort of twisted Autobot. He should have played into that. Not run off without a plan.

Why had he thought Megatron was there to destroy him again? The fool had spoken against violence as a means of solving one’s problems in favor of his newly branded superiority complex–ah but he supposed he knew such a promise couldn’t be trusted. That must have been it.

But he still couldn’t quite remember…