Chapter Text
The war ended not with a grand clash of enemies, but with a quiet surrender. So many deaths for such a long time, and yet it was over. Starscream didn't count this as a rule—there was no way they wouldn't be back at war soon, especially after what Megatron did. Bowing to the Autobots and their squishy human allies only ensured that any self-respecting Decepticon would find their own path.
And that was just what Starscream did. Emerging from the cave that served as his temporary home, Starscream prepared to fly. If he was lucky, he might find one of his wingmates. They disappeared shortly after the surrender, though somewhere within him, Starscream knew Skywarp and Thundercracker were still alive. His wingmates were too resilient to be felled in battle.
The world passed below him. He glided lazily on the air, letting the currents guide him. The paths of human-made flying vehicles were somewhat predictable, so he knew how to stay clear of them. The Autobots had few fliers, so Starscream rarely worried about them. He was much more likely to run into another rogue Decepticon.
A familiar signal reached Starscream's receptors. Energeon.
Starscream landed a short distance away, wanting to thoroughly investigate the area. For all he knew, he was walking into a trap. His joints, stiff from a lack of maintenance and raw from a dearth of resources, protested as he transformed back into robot mode. The ever-present low fuel notification glowed in the corner of his vision.
When nothing leaped out of the foliage to attack him, Starscream crept closer to the energeon. He reached it without issue and snatched it immediately. With a quick jump, he transformed and took to the sky. There was no way this wasn't a trap, so he couldn't stay to drink it.
But whoever laid this trap was prepared. Something pulled at Starscream's wings, and though he struggled, it was not enough. He crashed, back toward the ground, transforming into robot mode at the last possible moment to better catch himself. The cube of energeon bounced inside his cockpit.
He got halfway to his pedes before an electric current coursed through him, making him shake. Pedesteps approached, stopping just before his helm. Their heaviness indicated a single option.
"Megatron," Starscream hissed. Not lord, not liege. "I see you've decided to take your treachery to a new level."
Megatron's voice was eerily calm. "You're the traitor."
Starscream tilted his head and grinned. "I am? Only one of us is hunting down Decepticons."
"The Autobots offered asylum for all ex-Decepticons," Megatron said, grabbing Starscream. "You didn't take it."
"I'm not an ex-Decepticon."
Megatron's grip tightened. "Then what are you, Starscream? The Decepticons are no more. Professing allegiance to a dead faction will do you no good."
Starscream went slack in Megatron's grip. The mech grunted in surprise, his hold loosening. Starscream flung himself off of Megatron, seizing the tip of his wing and ripping the electrocution device off of it. He threw it at Megatron's face, then kicked him for good measure. If he weren't afraid of the brute grabbing him again, he would've done worse.
Starscream leaped into the sky and took off, pausing once he was high enough that another shot at his wing would be more likely to miss than hit. He opened a channel to Megatron and sent a message.
[As long as I live, so will the Decepticons. I will take my rightful place as leader, and I will eliminate you.]
He flew away before Megatron could react.
☆☆☆
The first step to victory was reuniting the Decepticons. Starscream's searches before had come up empty, but he still bothered to try. As his energeon supply dwindled, it became less logical to continue. Yet, Starscream launched himself into the sky for another time.
Either the other Decepticons were as skilled at hiding as he was (unlikely) or they had already been captured (very likely). What were the odds Starscream could escape from a human facility specifically made to imprison Cybertronians?
The answer was not zero, and that was enough.
During one of Starscream's patrols—his last one, since he was too low on energeon to continue—he finally spotted something worthwhile. A mech stood before a handful of others, which were flanked by humans. As Starscream flew closer, he recognized the mech's distinct accent.
"Just leave me alone!" Blitzwing yelled. "I want nothing to do with you!"
Starscream aimed his rays at the Autobots and their allies. As he swooped over them to land, he fired. The unexpected shot sent them into a flurry of chaos that, while brief, would be long enough for Starscream to accomplish what he wanted.
"Run," Starscream told Blitzwing. "Or roll. Or fly. Whatever works right now."
Blitzwing nodded and sprinted. Starscream kept pace with him.
"Do you know where anyone else is?" Starscream asked.
Blitzwing shook his head. "No. I have not seen anyone except you since Megatron's surrender."
Starscream hissed in irritation. He was barely any better than he had started with.
Blitzwing's pace slowed for a moment. His optics dimmed before shifting slightly in hue. It was a familiar, though somewhat inconvenient, sight. The mech carried himself in different ways at different times, usually marked by brief shifts. Starscream braced himself for whatever he would say next.
"He really betrayed us?" Blitzwing asked. His voice was quiet, slightly shaky—completely different from the steady tone earlier.
"Yes. He has."
Blitzwing stared at him. "What're we supposed to do now?"
"Survive," Starscream said. "Our fellow Decepticons have been taken prisoner. I'm going to save them. Then, we can talk about something greater."
Leaves crunched behind them. The Autobots were catching up.
Blitzwing glanced behind them. "How're you gonna do that?"
Starscream stopped, turning back toward their pursuers. "Take a guess."
"No," Blitzwing whispered, optics wide.
"Like I said—" Starscream motioned toward the forest ahead of them. "Fly, roll, run, whichever. Survive until we meet again."
Blitzwing took off.
Starscream watched him leave until the Autobots got too close to ignore. They emerged from the foliage and he spread his arms wide, a grin slipping onto his face. He stepped toward them.
"Looking for me?"
☆☆☆
The cell was empty. The front of it was obscured by a tinted field. Starscream was certain that if he touched it, it would electrocute him. On the bright side, he was correct about the location of his fellow Decepticons. Though, neither Thundercracker nor Skywarp were present in the cells he was walked past.
"Starscream."
Soundwave's voice came from the cell across from him.
"Yes?"
"Query: Rumble and Frenzy?"
Starscream shook his helm. "Haven't seen them. The only mech I encountered before they brought me here was Blitzwing. He's free… for now."
Starscream paced the cell, glaring at the containment field. If he knew what frequency the field was, he could use his rays to short it out. It was something he'd picked up after Megatron had thrown him in the brig a few too many times, though he always made sure to only use the technique when Megatron was distracted enough not to detect his escape. Skywarp was happy enough to take the credit.
Starscream readied himself to touch the field. It was one of the best ways to get a good reading—
"Starscream—do not."
Starscream lowered his hand. "I have a plan."
"The field—"
Starscream placed his hand on the field. As the current hummed, he took note of the sensation. Then, the pain came. A yell escaped his vocalizer as his limbs twitched. He fell to the floor.
"Starscream—"
Starscream rose to his pedes, fighting the stiffness in his joints from the electrocution. With a triumphant smirk, he readied his rays. When they reached the correct frequency, he placed them against the field. The field flickered, then disappeared with a zap.
"Perfect," Starscream said to himself.
He stepped out of his cell. Now that he had the frequency, he could—
A loud crash echoed through the room as something fell from the ceiling. Starscream collapsed on the floor, the weight of whatever it was pushing down on him. A dark visor lit by tiny lines stared at him.
"Ravage," Starscream muttered.
The aforementioned cassette hopped off of his chest with a mrrowl. Ravage paced in front of Soundwave's cell, then pawed at the controls. Starscream approached.
"I see we had the same idea," Starscream said.
"Using null ray frequency to short out field—clever. Obtaining frequency by electrocuting self—not."
It was a fine plan! Starscream waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever. If we both have the same goal, we should work together."
The control panel beeped as Ravage entered the correct code. The field on Soundwave's cell disappeared. He stepped out and released Laserbeak.
"Laserbeak—free as many Decepticons as possible."
Laserbeak cawed in acknowledgment and flew off.
"They'll notice us soon. How are we going to handle that?"
Soundwave stared at him. "Camera feeds—modified. Detection will not occur quickly. Starscream—offering to provide distraction?"
"Not unless we need it, no," Starscream said with a shake of his helm. "I'd prefer not to risk being put right back where we started."
He had a faction to run, after all. Though, it did smart to realize that Soundwave had also planned an escape. His ideal fantasy was already shot and it barely had a chance to start. Such was the world.
It would've been beautiful, leading the Decepticons out himself. He would have to move quickly to ensure that command position now.
"Skywarp—next room over," Soundwave said.
Starscream took the cue to leave.
The next room over held significantly fewer Decepticons. He was able to find Skywarp's cell almost immediately. When he approached, she looked up from the corner of the cell. Some sort of collar was on her neck, which was clearly the reason why she hadn't just warped away.
"Screamer?" She whispered.
Starscream shorted out the field. "Yes. We need to get going. Do you know how to remove that collar?"
Skywarp shook her head. "Don't even know how they got it on."
They didn't have time to remove it. That would have to wait until after they escaped.
"Where's Thundercracker?" Starscream asked.
"She was free, last I saw her," Skywarp said. "But that was a while ago."
"Then let's hope she stayed that way."
The rest of the room was easy to free. But a few hundred chattering mecha was not something easily concealed no matter how much surveillance equipment was tampered with. They were halfway toward the exit when the halls exploded with noise.
Starscream ducked behind the nearest wall and fired his rays at their attackers. Aiming a second barrage, he sent a comm to every Decepticon he could reach.
[Keep going! Protect each other. No mech left behind. We're nearly free!]
The cacophony of panic gave way to a quiet—though still panicked—run. Starscream stayed in his position until he was certain most of his mechs were ahead of him. As he turned, a shot seared the edge of his wing. He hissed at the pain, but it wasn't severe enough to worry about.
Starscream's comm pinged just as he reached the edge of the group.
[It's a trap!]
The humans stood before them, equipment ready. The rest were behind them, quickly catching up. Starscream's gaze rose to the ceiling. It was thin, flimsy—breakable. He searched for Soundwave in the crowd and sent him a comm.
[I have an idea. You're not going to like it.]
Starscream fired at the ceiling. Debris rained down. Dust clouded the hallway. Satisfied with the size of their only means of escape, Starscream sent a wide-reaching message.
[Fliers, to the sky! Take any non-fliers with you. Remember, no mech left behind!]
Starscream leaped into the air, launching himself through the exit he created. When he reached the proper elevation, he transformed. A large, heavy-set plane soared beside him. A quick glance confirmed it the most unlikely of mecha: Lugnut.
"I'm surprised you didn't go with Megatron," Starscream said.
The mech had been a loyalist from the start. If Megatron asked Lugnut to lick the bottom of his pedes, he would have gratefully complied.
"I had a friend that didn't want to," Lugnut said. "I couldn't leave him alone."
Starscream scanned the ground. No humans. No Autobots. He increased his speed.
"Who was this friend?" Starscream asked.
"Blitzwing."
Blitzwing? Interesting. How could he have managed to break the unbreakable? Perhaps Starscream could…
"I saw him before I was captured. Helped him escape from the Autobots, actually. He's safe."
Lugnut's optic brightened. "Glorious! We will reunite and—"
Starscream jerked to the side. Smoke clogged his olfactory sensors and clouded his optics. The world spun. He fought desperately to right himself. When he finally corrected course, the sight before him demanded immediate action.
Lugnut plummeted from the sky, wings too damaged to hold him. Whatever had hit them must have reached Lugnut before it reached Starscream. Starscream dove beneath Lugnut and sent him a comm message.
[Transform into robot mode. I'll catch you.]
Lugnut complied. Starscream staggered under his weight, drifting lower in the sky, but managed to stay airborne. Starscream steadied himself and sent the coordinates of his cave to all of the Decepticons he could reach.
[We will meet at these coordinates! Remember, no mech left behind! If you can contact any of our free comrades, do so now!]
The rest of the route was smooth, if carrying a mech twice Starscream's weight could ever be considered such. When Starscream landed, many of the others had already arrived. He rolled to a stop. With a puff of displaced air, Skywarp appeared beside him. She took Lugnut off of him gently.
Starscream transformed back into robot mode. He wobbled on his pedes, the world swimming. Despite this, he forced his wings wide to project confidence. He searched the crowd for Soundwave, finding the other mech quickly.
[How is everything?] Starscream sent.
[Many injured. Medics—limited and busy.]
When weren't they? But now, at least they were free. It would take a long time to get back into fighting shape, but they could manage. Hopefully. Starscream shoved his doubts to the back of his processor.
[Query: Starscream—injured?]
Starscream tapped his fingers against his arms. They stuck together, almost as if…
He looked down at them. They were stained dark.
[Just the edge of my wing.]
Starscream assessed the situation more closely. Most of the mecha tending to others were not medics, though many of them were members of the science department. The largest proportion of the group by far were soldiers, who he knew from experience received basic training in repairs. It wouldn't be enough to resurrect a dying mech, but it would be enough to make the medics less overwhelmed.
Starscream's vision grew fuzzy at the edges. He tapped a pede to keep himself from slipping into numbness. Not now, not now.
A hand touched the edge of his wing. He didn't move. As it reached the graze on his wing, he let out a hiss. The pain gave him back control, which he used to turn toward the source of his discomfort. Skywarp stared back at him.
"It's just a graze," Starscream said. "How is Lugnut?"
The mech was stupid, but strong. And though it was intense, his loyalty, if to the right mech, would be an immense asset.
"Skywarp."
Skywarp looked away.
"How. Is. Lugnut?"
"Offline."
The fuzziness returned. "What?"
How hadn't he noticed? How long had he carried a corpse on his back? He was more observant than that! So, then how? If he couldn't notice that, what else had he missed?
Quiet voices grew loud. The wind against his sensors activated alarms that should not have been.
☆☆☆
Though many were lost in the escape, the messages reached those who managed to evade the humans, replenishing their numbers. Rumble and Frenzy were two of these mecha, much to Soundwave's obvious relief. To Starscream, they were merely assets—some of the Decepticons' best scouts were finally in his hands.
Despite the losses incurred during the escape, the event granted Starscream a kind of respect he hadn't seen during the war. Mecha looked to him and Soundwave for guidance, and with Soundwave's passivity holding him back, Starscream pounced. He was finally leader of the Decepticons. Everything he wanted, save for one thing: Megatron was still alive.
There were days that didn't matter. Days where he watched over his mecha with pride. Days where they did silly, foolish things and he found himself more amused than angry.
"No, no no!" Skywarp shouted.
Beside her, Bonecrusher snorted. The pile of bricks in front of them fell to the ground. Rumble and Frenzy snickered, making no moves to help as Skywarp and Bonecrusher began reconstructing the tower. Partway through, Skywarp's optics met Starscream's.
"Wanna join us?" She asked.
Starscream shook his head. "I'll watch."
They finished setting up the tower. Skywarp went first. She cautiously removed a brick from the top. Bonecrusher removed one from the middle with practiced ease. Rumble and Frenzy were relaxed whenever they removed bricks, though Starscream could've sworn he saw one of them stick a pede out during one of Skywarp's turns. Soon, the tower was wobbling. Skywarp's careful removals became quick and frantic.
It was during one of these removals that she froze, hands hovering in front of the tower.
"Thundercracker?"
Starscream followed her gaze. Silhouetted by the setting sun stood a mech he could never fail to recognize.
"Hi," she said softly.
With a whoosh of displaced air, Skywarp was at her side, arms around her. "You made it!"
Thundercracker hugged her back. "Yes. I got your message. I'm glad you got out."
Pedesteps crunched the dirt and gravel nearby. Another familiar silhouette emerged.
"I hate to interrupt this," Blitzwing said, his voice confident and stern. "But we are supposed to report to our new leader, yes?"
Skywarp released Thundercracker. She grinned, and Starscream fought a cringe as he recognized the expression.
"Right!" Skywarp said. She dropped into a dramatic bow. "Our glorious leader, Starscream!"
Thundercracker's lips twitched. Blitzwing raised a brow. Starscream sighed and stepped forward.
"It's good to see you," Starscream said.
Blitzwing stared at him. Not with malice or irritation or anything, really. Just stared. Starscream forced his wings to stay still.
"You kept your word," Blitzwing said.
"I did."
Blitzwing smiled. "Thank you."
Thank you? Well, Starscream supposed he should be thanked. Though, the confusion buzzing in the back of his processor said otherwise.
"We um," Thundercracker shuffled nervously. "You might not like this. We brought a friend. He can't contribute anything, but we couldn't leave him alone, so—"
Starscream waved his hand dismissively, though apprehension settled into his frame. "Get on with it."
Thundercracker opened her cockpit. A small, golden blur flew out of it, running in circles around the cavern. After a moment, it settled in front of the group, tail wagging as it barked.
"A dog," Starscream said.
"Yes—"
"That's fine. Just make sure it doesn't leave any messes around."
Thundercracker sagged, presumably in relief. She bent down to pet the dog. "Thank you!"
There were many things worse than a squishy little dog. Like Megatron.