Chapter Text
Thundercracker's dog—Buster was his name—quickly became a favorite among the Decepticons. Not a day went by without a playful bark as some poor Decepticon chased after him with an empty lead. Supplies weren't easy to acquire, but at least the dog didn't need energeon.
They were quite low on that, lately. Each morning, dim frames greeted him, nowhere near dead but certainly not living. Starscream downed his morning cube. It was so diluted that he could barely taste it, but at least it was something.
The injured had recovered now, but still Starscream stalled. The only parties sent out were to retrieve energeon and supplies. They couldn't risk being discovered—not with so many of them in one place. Nor could they split apart—the risk of being captured alone, of mecha starving and struggling by themselves, was too high.
"Buster!"
A golden blur smacked into Starscream's knee. He bent down to catch the dog. Buster stared up at him, tongue sticking out of his mouth.
"You are a nuisance," Starscream said, gently tapping Buster on the head.
The mech pursuing Buster—which happened to be Blitzwing—finally caught up. Blitzwing slipped the lead back around Buster's head and tightened it.
"Oh," Blitzwing said, looking up from Buster. "Starscream. I'm sorry."
Blitzwing's voice was soft this time.
"It's fine," Starscream said.
Blitzwing looked away. "I… need to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Lugnut," Blitzwing said. "What happened? I heard he was offlined, and you were there."
The dread that coursed through Starscream's frame was foreign. His limbs tingled, his sensors glitching.
"He was shot," Starscream said. "I carried him. He died on the way here. Energeon loss."
Blitzwing's optics fell. The tingling in Starscream's limbs grew worse. How hadn't he noticed? If he had, and he should have, he could have done something.
"I'm sorry," Starscream said.
Blitzwing's optics met his.
"No," Blitzwing said. "Thank you for trying to save him."
Starscream took a step back. "Yes, well… I'll see you later, if that's all…"
Blitzwing didn't protest.
Starscream fled. He knew it wasn't fleeing, not truly—he wasn't even running—but it sure felt like it. The tingling grew worse, his sensors triggering alerts with no true reason.
He should have known. What had possessed him to convince himself that he could save Lugnut? Especially with those injuries? Why hadn't he just left him?
He couldn't have. No mech left behind. Not like Megatron. Not like Megatron at all. No mech left to suffer alone, no selfish betrayals. Megatron's rules didn't apply here because there was no Megatron here.
Starscream could be truthful. He could be loyal. His words and ideas mattered. He was the one making the rules!
So, why did it feel so wrong? Why, when he had everything he could have wanted, did he mourn? If he had just paid a little more attention, could he have saved Lugnut?
And if so, what else was he missing? What else was going on right beneath his sight?
What if Lugnut was only the first? If he was destined to see every one of his mecha die before him? Why did he care?
"Starscream."
Everything was fuzzy.
"Starscream?"
Starscream hissed. Too loud!
A hand touched his shoulders. He attempted to shrug it off, but his body didn't obey.
"Hey."
He was pulled close to someone's chest.
"Come on."
The mech led him into a corner of the cave. The walls blocked most of the incoming light. A sigh escaped the mech beside him.
"You're a wreck, Screamer," Skywarp muttered under her breath.
He couldn't disagree. Starscream struggled closer to Skywarp, the pressure of his body against hers the only reminder that he had a body at all. Light shifted around him. Another weight settled beside him.
"I got your comm," Thundercracker said. "I… really thought this would stop when Megatron left."
Megatron left, sure, but he was not gone. The rules may have changed, but the game was the same.
☆☆☆
Their dwindling energeon supply could not be ignored any longer. The raids were not sufficient. They had to reach for a larger, more dangerous target. Starscream would not let his mecha complete this mission alone.
Soundwave's cassettes had already scouted the facility. A large shipment of energeon was to arrive that night. It would not be stolen without detection, but there was no other option.
Ravage and Laserbeak opened the doors. Starscream led the small group of Seekers chosen for the mission—Skywarp, Thundercracker, Slipstream, and Nova Storm—into the building. Astrotrain waited outside in a gap between cameras, though Laserbeak had already modified the feeds to prevent his detection. The team moved boxes of cubes into Astrotrain's compartment as quickly as they could manage, knowing their time was limited.
[Autobots.]
Soundwave's comm arrived moments before disaster. Blaster fire sounded as a fight broke out. Starscream dodged an attack, rolling behind a set of crates.
[Skywarp!] Starscream sent. [Secure Astrotrain and teleport him back with the cubes! We can't risk losing them!]
[Yessir!]
The crates exploded in front of Starscream, sending him backward into the wall. He hissed in pain and pushed the splintered wood off of himself. Suddenly, he was yanked upward. Starscream pulled himself away, but his attacker tightened their grip.
"It's me!" They—or rather, she—whispered.
"Don't do that!" Starscream spat, finally yanking his hand away.
Nova Storm glared at him. "They got here too quickly. I don't like it."
"Me neither."
They jumped back into battle. Starscream shot at an Autobot that attempted to corner Thundercracker. The bot, distracted by his fire, was quickly taken out.
[Skywarp!] Starscream sent. [Status?]
[Astrotrain is secured! Warping back to base now!]
Good. There was nothing left to lose. In a mere handful of moments, they could flee. The original plan, assuming they were not caught, was to all be warped inside of Astrotrain, but that was no longer an option.
Starscream dodged a hit from a pink bot—What was her name?—and attempted to return the attack with a kick. Unfortunately, she was prepared, using the momentum of the kick to send him crashing to the ground. She placed a pede on his chest, preventing him from rising.
"Did you really think we'd let you take our energeon?" She asked.
"I just assumed you were incompetent," Starscream said.
He raised a ray to her face and fired it before she could back off. The force of it slammed his elbow into the ground, but watching her fly across the room was worth it. She took another bot with her, which was even more entertaining. Slipstream, who was fighting the aforementioned bot, grinned at Starscream before turning to a different part of the battle.
[Energeon successfully delivered, my glorious commander!]
Starscream could imagine the cheeky bow Skywarp would have made if they were together.
[Good. How many warps do you have left in you?]
[Not enough for what you're implying.]
Starscream sighed. Of course.
[How many?]
[If I refuel now, I can take four of us. Five if both of the cassettes come in one trip.]
That left one mech to fly home alone. Who would it be? Although Starscream didn't want to sacrifice himself, it was the only decent option. He was the quickest out of the group, and as the leader, he ensured he received a larger ration. He had the lowest chance of being caught and the lowest chance of running out of fuel. With so few Decepticons left, he couldn't risk losing anyone.
[Take the others. I'll fly back.]
The rest of the battle was uneventful. They stalled as Skywarp transported the team out until only Starscream was left. By that point, most of the Autobots had been taken out or weakened. With one final dodge, Starscream took to the sky.
He would need to take a longer path to ensure he wasn't followed or tracked. His fuel reserves were just high enough to take the one he was contemplating. He would have to refuel soon after getting back to the base, but that didn't matter as much as getting there in the first place.
Starscream's proximity sensors sent a warning. He swerved to avoid the object coming from behind him, but as he moved, another object struck him in the side. The uneven force sent him into a spin. As he righted himself, he prepared for a controlled crash.
Trees and shrubbery scraped against his plating as he slid across the ground. When the skidding finally slowed, he transformed back into robot mode. His side screamed in pain at the movement.
This was going to be a long flight home, assuming he made it at all.
[Ambushed on the way out.] Starscream sent to Soundwave and his wingmates. [Injured. Controlled crash landing. At least one attacker. Can still fly if I get away.]
Maybe it was cruel to tell his wingmates when they couldn't do anything to help, but if this was his final moment, they deserved to know. As much as he would hate to lose control of the Decepticons, Soundwave was the next best leader. If anything happened to him, Soundwave would need to take action.
Starscream pushed himself to his knees, pausing as the pain in his side worsened. He glanced at it, gauging the flow of energeon. Sluggish, so nothing vital had been hit. That was good.
"Here we are again."
Starscream gritted his dentae at the sound of Megatron's voice. The brute stepped closer.
"You, writhing on the ground at my pedes," Megatron said. "Me, standing above you, uninjured."
"If you come any closer, I can change that," Starscream spat.
Megatron chuckled. "I'm sure you'd try. That wound looks quite painful."
Starscream struggled to his pedes, pushing past the pain. He stood tall, fighting not to hunch toward his injured side. If he did, the brute would surely notice. Then, Megatron stepped into range. Starscream readied an attack, but was cut short as agony gripped his side.
Megatron's face was less than an arm's length from his. Large, forceful fingers dug into Starscream's wound, the injured metal groaning under the pressure. Starscream threw a punch that Megatron blocked with ease.
"Surrender," Megatron said. "They'll treat you and give you energeon."
"Why—" Starscream's vocalizer glitched. "Why would I ever want—want to go with you?"
The fingers dug deeper. Starscream yelped.
"I see how dull your plating is," Megatron said. "You're running out of energeon, even for yourself. The crates you stole will only last so long. Your ego will lead your mecha to starvation, so surrender and save them."
Pulling away only hurt more, so Starscream stopped trying. He held himself as still as he could manage with his frame trembling from pain.
"We—we wouldn't have to starve if you left—left us alone," Starscream said. "Get Prime to call off those hu—humans and maybe we can make a deal. We can be accomo—accommodated without surrender."
Megatron scowled. "Stubborn and selfish as always. I gave you a choice."
It wasn't a choice. It was an unvoiced threat.
Darkness crept into the edge of Starscream's vision as numbness spread across his body. He floated away, a dim panic clawing at his mind.
Not now. Not here. Not in front of him.
The world faded to nothing as the hand released him.
"'Can still fly if I get away,' my aft!"
Skywarp's voice pulled Starscream from the darkness. The walls of the cave surrounded them. He was back. How?
"He's awake."
Hook's disinterested mutter. Not the best of medics, but the best had already gone.
A finger tapped on Starscream's shoulder and he remembered that he had a body. He turned to the source of the tapping.
"How?" He asked Skywarp.
"Had one more warp in me after all," Skywarp said.
It seemed like a lie, but Starscream didn't have the energy to question it. He pushed himself off the makeshift berth (a messily carved slab of rock) and turned toward Hook.
"You're lucky we got the energeon to replace what you lost," Hook said. "Be careful until your armor regrows. That patch isn't the strongest material."
Starscream glanced at the patch and fought a cringe. It was a completely different color and texture from the surrounding plates. He was going to have to walk around with that on him?
Hook snorted. "Yes, mister vain. That was all we had. Ruin my work and I'll slag you."
Starscream had definitely not been contemplating that. Not at all.
"You're discharged for now. I'd better not see you again."
☆☆☆
Starscream paced the section of the cave he called his personal space, ignoring the dull thump of pain each step sent through his wound. He was shielded from outside optics by a cobbled-together wall of various substances, from cardboard to brick to metal. Though he loathed it, there wasn't much opportunity for aesthetics.
With so many mecha to fuel, they were already running out of energeon again. Those who had been injured in the raid—Starscream himself included—required extra fuel to regenerate. The heavily diluted fuel they were passing out already caused healing to slow. Starscream wasn't eager to see what having no fuel might do.
If only there were some other option! They couldn't surrender, not if they wanted to keep their freedom. It was this or be locked away again. But what good was freedom if they weren't alive to enjoy it?
What if Megatron was right? Was Starscream holding his mecha back? If they kept going down this path, would they all starve?
Who would go first? Skywarp, undoubtedly. Her warps required a lot of fuel, and without them, she wasn't nearly as formidable a fighter as others. And wasn't that terrifying? Knowing that she would be the one to go? Starscream could prioritize her like he and Soundwave were prioritized, but that only went so far.
The would all starve, eventually. They would all starve and it would be Starscream's fault, because he was the one that led them. They would curse his name as they faded away.
But the other option was Megatron, which was not an option. The rules would slide back into place and he would become the lying, scheming traitor again. No one would spare him a glance except to laugh at his misfortunes or scold him for bringing it upon himself. Megatron would grin, satisfied that he finally had his favorite plaything back, because what else would Starscream be?
Starscream's spark buzzed ominously in his chest. He could not, would not go back to Megatron. They would figure this out somehow. They had to. His mecha would not die. The Decepticons would rise again!
To do what, exactly?
Live. Just live. Nothing else was more important. They would be themselves, unpleasant natures and all. Never to be crushed under Prime's thumb or manhandled by Megatron.
But how?
They needed energeon. They couldn't get it. It was too heavily guarded. And without energeon, they'd starve. His mecha would wither away and—
Starscream hissed in pain as his injury was pulled. Jolted from his spiral, his spark grew quiet. His body and all its sensations crashed into him with full force. He was standing in his personal room, inside the cave that was the Decepticon base.
He was Starscream. He could figure it out.
☆☆☆
Skywarp carefully pulled a brick from the tower, wings shaking with tension. The tower wobbled, but didn't fall. She turned toward Thundercracker.
Thundercracker smiled sheepishly and stared at the tower. After a moment, she reached for one of the bricks on the side. She gave the brick a small pull before yanking it out completely. The tower barely moved.
Bonecrusher pulled the next brick swiftly, a confident grin on their face. Next, Astrotrain stepped up, pulling one of the top bricks off. After him, Blitzwing swiped one from the bottom with an unnecessary amount of force. Then, Nova Storm stepped up and deftly pulled a brick from the middle. Frenzy poked one out from the side, and based on the laughter that followed, hitting Skywarp in the face with it was intentional.
Starscream didn't understand the appeal of the game, but it kept them from causing trouble, so he allowed it. If anyone thought they caught him sneaking glances at their small gathering from time to time, they were mistaken. He rolled his eyes as Skywarp nearly fell over while reaching for one of the top bricks.
"Buster!"
Slipstream's yell traveled into the cave at the same speed as the dog that came barreling through the entrance, lead flying off his neck with a shake of his head. The game paused as Buster danced around them, barking. Slipstream caught up and slipped the lead back onto him. She paused, staring at the tower.
"Wanna join?" Nova Storm asked.
Slipstream shrugged and weighed the end of Buster's lead down with a nearby rock. "Why not?"
The game continued. Though the tower wobbled, it never fell. Slowly, bricks were removed until it was barely supported. Starscream gave up the pretense of disinterest as the game grew more intense.
While Nova Storm was in the middle of picking a brick to remove, Buster whined. Thundercracker petted his head with a finger.
"What's wrong, boy?"
Buster whined louder. The tower shook. Starscream jolted upward, his plating snapping. They couldn't have—
The cave exploded with noise. Brightly colored bots flooded the area. Electricity crackled.
"No," Starscream muttered. "No."
An Autobot swung at him, electrocution device in hand. He dodged the blow and retaliated with his own, sending them to the ground.
[Soundwave,] Starscream sent.
No response.
[Soundwave!]
Starscream dodged another attack. He collided with another mech.
"Those fraggers!" Came Blitzwing's voice, harsh and low. "I'll kill them!"
Blitzwing aimed a blast of fire at one of the approaching Autobots, who jumped backward.
[Skywarp,] Starscream sent. [Soundwave won't answer comms. Find him.]
[Got it!]
One of Blitzwing's blasts came slightly too close.
"Watch it!" Starscream hissed. "You could've singed my wings."
"But I also could've singed that fragger!"
Starscream should've known this side of Blitzwing was the one they were getting for the day from how he pulled those bricks out earlier. He fought a sigh and decided to ignore Blitzwing for now.
[Nova Storm,] Starscream sent her a set of coordinates. [Ensure this backup base isn't compromised. We'll need to move.]
[On it!]
The sound of bricks scraping against one another interrupted Starscream's planning. The tower tilted sideways.
"Buster!" Thundercracker's yell came from the other side of the cave.
The dog sat below the falling tower, whining loudly. His lead was tightened around his neck far more than any of the Decepticons ever would have, pulled taut as Buster struggled against the rock it was weighed down by. Thundercracker launched herself across the cave, curling herself around him. The bricks crashed down onto her back.
Starscream reached her side as she rose from the pile. She opened her arms and Buster stared up at the two Seekers with wide eyes.
"He's okay," she whispered.
Starscream couldn't care less about Buster. He searched Thundercracker's wings for damage, relieved to only see dents. She smiled down at the dog, petting him with a finger and shushing him.
"You're gonna be okay," she said, reaching for the lead. "I just need to take this off—"
She let out a cry. A blade pierced through her arm. She turned to her attacker, striking at them with her claws.
"Help him," she hissed at Starscream as the Autobot prepared to strike again.
Starscream loosened the lead. Buster slipped out of it immediately and ran at the Autobot, barking at their heels. Thundercracker glanced at him for a moment, but a moment was all that the Autobot needed to land another hit.
"Buster, run!" She called.
The dog's ears shot up at the order and he sprinted out of the cave.
"A Decepti-dog?" The Autobot said. "Seriously?"
"Seriously," Thundercracker said, slashing at the Autobot's face.
The Autobot backed away with a noise of surprise, hand flying to their optic. Starscream took that time to step beside Thundercracker. The two fought back to back, making their way toward the cave's exit. Outside the cave, the battle raged just as fiercely. Starscream grimaced as he stepped in a puddle of energeon. Luckily, it wasn't from a mech he recognized.
[The new base is safe!] Nova Storm's comm came through. Perfect.
Starscream sent the coordinates to every one of his mechs he could reach, grimacing when many of the channels didn't connect. He couldn't consider the implications now.
[This set of coordinates is our new base! Once you can flee without pursuit, meet there!]
A set of affirmatives streamed through. That just left…
[Skywarp. Did you find Soundwave?]
[Yes. He was ambushed. They left him in stasis lock.]
That explained the lack of alert and the lack of response.
[Take him to the new base. Bring a medic there if you can.]
[Aye-aye!]
Starscream could imagine the mock salute. He rolled his optics and looked toward Thundercracker.
"Ready to fly?" He asked.
She nodded. They took to the sky together, providing support until they were out of range. Then, they took a few detours to ensure they weren't being followed.
"No 'no mech left behind' order this time?" Thundercracker asked as they flew past the shore.
"They know what to do," Starscream said. "I shouldn't have to say it now."
She smiled at him. "I like this new Decepticon philosophy."
"It's the only one that makes sense," Starscream said.
With so few soldiers, every single one was precious.
"Still," Thundercracker said. "You didn't have to let me keep Buster. You don't have to let us play games. We haven't been attacking left and right, just enough to get resources. I'm enjoying the free time."
Starscream scoffed. "Well, we need to get back into fighting shape before we can even think about crushing the Autobots! It's a waste of resources to send out soldiers just to get them killed!"
Thundercracker laughed. "You say that, but I don't think we're going back to war anytime soon."
How dare she?
"I—" Starscream paused. Hadn't he told Megatron they just wanted to be left alone? What would be so wrong about staying as they were? Aside from the lack of resources, they were happy. Thundercracker was happy. "Maybe I don't want to go back to war."
"I'm glad you're finally admitting it."
The waves flew by them. Well, it was more correct to say they flew by the waves.
Thundercracker's optics dimmed. She frowned. Starscream slowed his pace to stay beside her.
"Promise me you'll get Skywarp to teach Slipstream to tie Buster's lead properly," Thundercracker said quietly.
"That's what you're choosing to focus on?"
"He almost died. And I—" She wobbled in the air, optics dimming further. Dread curled in Starscream's spark. "I don't want him to get stuck like that again."
Starscream drifted closer to her, preparing to steady her. He examined her plating more closely. Energeon dripped below her at an alarming rate, and her colors were dull.
Not again. Not her.
"I'm going to carry you."
"What?"
"I'm going to carry you," Starscream repeated. "You're losing too much energeon. You can't afford to burn it, and I can't do emergency repairs while we're flying over the ocean."
Thundercracker sighed. "Fine."
Starscream pulled her into his arms. She latched onto him gently and deactivated her thrusters. With the extra weight, Starscream had to use more power, but that didn't matter. Starscream had plenty of energeon.
(He dismissed an alert. It surely wasn't relevant.)
As they flew past the sea and onto land, Thundercracker's colors dimmed further. Her grip grew weaker with each passing moment, and Starscream strengthened his to compensate. They were close! They could make it!
[Skywarp,] Starscream sent. [Thundercracker and I are en route. Ensure a medic is ready for us. Thundercracker needs aid.]
Starscream's only response was the 'message read' indicator. He increased his speed. Skywarp would be ready for them, and everything would be fine.
Thundercracker went slack. Starscream flew even faster, his cooling fans activating. They did nothing against the heat.
{Alert! Fuel level low.}
Starscream pushed harder.
{Alert! Fuel level low.}
They had to make it. If he could just move a little faster—
{Alert! Fuel level low.}
Starscream landed. His plating burned. Thundercracker was gray in his arms. He fell to his knees and set her frame on the ground.
"No," he whispered. "No. No!"
Not again. Not her. She couldn't—he couldn't—not—
Starscream swung his first, lashing out at the nearest object. Wood splintered under his fist. He swung again, then again. Pain blossomed on his knuckles and he paused. The world grew sharper in focus.
He couldn't do this. Not right now. He had mecha to lead. The Decepticons needed him. Starscream placed his hands under Thundercracker's frame, gently lifting her into his arms.
[Low on fuel,] He sent to Skywarp. [Can you warp us the rest of the way?]
The response was immediate. [Coordinates?]
Starscream sent the coordinates. With a whoosh of displaced air, Skywarp was beside him. She placed a hand on Starscream's shoulder. Her warp drive hummed as she activated it. It paused as her optics grew wide, fixed on Thundercracker's frame.
"Don't," Starscream said. "We can't right now."
Skywarp's face darkened. "You can't, you mean."
The world shifted around them. Suddenly, they were standing in the center of the new camp—a long-abandoned quarry that had yet to completely flood. Mecha were scattered throughout it, many injured. The first to approach them was Hook.
"Skywarp said you needed a medic," Hook said.
"Not anymore," Starscream said.
As he turned to leave, Skywarp's hand grasped his arm. The grip was gentle, but Starscream still felt the urge to wrench it away. Starscream turned to glare at her but found she was already giving him one of her own.
"You're going to sit down and let Hook examine you," Skywarp said, her optics searingly intense. "I'll take Thundercracker."
Starscream didn't have the energy to protest. He handed her Thundercracker's frame and sat. Hook assessed him, each poke and prod sending an agony through Starscream that had nothing to do with his injuries. After the medic patched him up, he handed him a cube of energeon. Starscream took it with numb fingers.
"How is Soundwave?" Starscream asked Skywarp.
"Medic says he'll recover," Skywarp said. "But Laserbeak was out, and hasn't come back yet…"
Starscream sighed, watching the energeon swirl in his cube. "Who else is missing?"
Skywarp gave a sizable list of names, which included Slipstream and Bonecrusher. Her second list, which was of the confirmed dead, was significantly shorter, a notable name within it being Astrotrain. Without him, obtaining energeon was going to be much more difficult. It was naive to hope the missing mecha were free and alive—they were either dead or captured. There weren't enough resources for another rescue mission, so the distinction didn't matter.
Static gathered at the edge of Starscream's vision. He downed the rest of his cube as quickly as possible.