Ep0.5 - seek but not find - Closed

[starscream]

((cont of 'Seeker, Go Seek'))

Leaving Megatron and flying back to the place Barricade had last been seen was bad. Not finding Barricade or any trace where he was would be was far more than bad. Starscream really wanted to find the scrap that had been Barricade. Starscream wanted that glitch out of his way. Barricade was getting way too friendly and close to Megatron. In some ways could not get any closer. And Starscream had worked too hard to lose to that infiltrator.

The thought had been the Autobots would crush the spark of Barricade. Of course that plan only came to be about a thought before Starscream set it in motion. But it should have worked if the Autobots had the ability to finish what they started. It was seeming like they did not.

So here Starscream was out again looking for something, anything to show him Barricade was gone for good or would be back to drive Starscream crazy again. The more the Seeker looked the more he grew frustrated. How could he just vanish? Nothing. Seemed Barricade was an aft beyond the all spark just like when he was here.

After looking around the 50th time in the sand, rocks, sand, dirt, sand, and more sand Starscream left to report. At least having flight the search had over all been done in a timely manor.

Coming back to Megatron with little to go on was going to be bad. Worst now than ever before. “Lord Megatron. I regret to say Barricade could not be found to bring back.”

Starscream kept himself from moving. “I received a ping from him saying he was leaving the battle we were in. I had guessed his path would be to the Nemeiss and did look along there. I also was searching the original area I saw no sigh of where he had gone or what direction by chance he took another way to the Nemesis.” Starscream wondered if he should bring Blaster up now or later. No reason to jump. Let it come up by itself.

[Deleted]

Sat in his throne on the command deck, Megatron did not look up at the Seeker's voice. His gaze was directed towards the deck, helm lowered and resting on the knuckles of his talons. Just beyond his peripheral vision, where it had been for over an hour already, a red sparkling sat chirring and stacking cogs into towers. Once the towers were seven or eight pieces high, he would knock them over with a high chitter and begin again.

It was torture.

Megatron rumbled a growl, rising with the taut strength of a coiled spring to regard the hovering Seeker. "The vastness of your ineptitude overshadows any degree of irony I might have found in the meaning of your frametype, Starscream."

The tower fell. Another digital laugh - sweet and light and disturbingly rare in the depths of Kaon. D-16 had been sparked full-frame and sent straight to the mines, warming his spark through the vorns of darkness and constant threat of explosion or collapse with the thought of nurturing something small. Saved credits and forged a petition, the first of a hundred black market dealings that N05-D-16 had cost to come into his servos. Died in them, as well.

A violent ripple shuddered through Megatron's field and frame alike, his lines flashing bright purple between the gaps in his armour. He snatched Starscream aloft in one hand without thinking, raking his claws down one wing just to hear the mech shriek and drown out that spark-crippling laughter.

Starscream's head forced back by the large hand around his throat, Megatron held him close to speak again in deadly subsonics. "You were assigned to provide cover fire for Barricade - you were there. You left him, and now he's missing. What. Happened?"


<<Note: The sparkling is a figment - Megatron's seeing things, but hasn't disclosed that fact.>>

[starscream]

Megatron was mad he had not found Barricade. Well that was to be known. And because of the background it would be worst. The slagging glitch was the biggest pain in Starscream’s existence. Why could the Autobots not have done a better job and left something for him to find. Or a trail to follow.

Starscream knew he should have kept better control but he was making himself as small as could be. Sure to have his wings close and his armor also close to his frame. There was no sure way to know what Megatron would do. Only it would be painful and Starscream would not like it, but then that never stopped the cycle.

The bright light from Megatron’s armor was a good warning before one of his servos took Starscream’s neck. Megatron’s other servo going for a wing. Starscream locked his vocalizer but he could not stop the low wine in his engine. Megatron would love to hear the Seeker’s panic of damage to a wing.

Hearing Megatron speak let Starscream come out of his haze of worry for his wing, forcing him to focus on the words being said. “L-Lord Meg-a-atron. I am sorry! I-I did my best. I did cover for him as long as he wanted it! He left me! I told you what happen! I was fighting one of the Autobots, Ironhide, while Barricade fought the other, Shadowrunner. We seemed to have lost the advantage when Barricade sent me a ping he was leaving. I thought he was going for the Nemesis. Or maybe even to regroup and start the fight after a moment. I-I don’t know why his is missing! He might be still fighting Shadowrunner for all I know! Or with the Autobots again! I don’t know Master! I am sorry he did not tell where he was going!”

This was bad and Starscream would have to be more than careful. Megatron liked Barricade too much. Starscream would hope the glitch was dead but that seemed unlikely…sadly.

[Deleted]

"Oh, you will be sorry, Starscream."

The promise was barked through another set of tears down the Seeker's already energon-weeping wing. When Megatron's massive hand reached the mounts, his thumb pressed into the seam of Starscream's shoulder and crumpled through the metal. Something gave under the unforgiving force, and he felt taut lines snap and coil back into the mech's body like snapped elastic. A messy injury that was going to need a messier repair..

Starscream, howling and writhing in equal agonised measure, was beyond being capable of an articulate response to anything his Master might say for the moment. The sparkling wasn't laughing now, but crying in high, digital wails that still, impossibly, cut through the racket the Seeker was making.

Megatron crushed the wounded mech to his chest, shifting his hands to hold Starscream upright and flush to his chassis, one hand cradling his helm against his shoulder. The position jarred the wrecked shoulder and put pressure on weeping wing, raising the pitch of his pain. "Yes, Starsream - soak in your pain. Keen into it. Allow it to consume you, mind and body, and howl with it. Scream. Scream for me."

[starscream]

When Starscream heard Megatron’s words it gave the Seeker only a moment to brace for the pain. The engine wined higher and Starscream could not stop the buzzing cry from his vocalizer. The wing was damaged and bad but Starscream could not think as Megatron moved to the shoulder.

The Seeker would never say or do anything to let the ex-Gladiator know but Starscream was overjoyed the damaged would be away from his wings. Still the shoulder being crushed, not ripped but crushed made the vocalizer near pitch to cry again. Starscream was able to stop it however he was sure Megaton would go back to the wings, he was Megatron and he knew a Seekers’s weakest point was their wings. Starscream more so. A fact the Seeker hated but had no way to change. The skies called Starscream like no other Seeker.

Starscream soon found a new level of fear and worry. The Seeker was being held to Megatron like a sparkling or such. Starscream knew Megatron seemed to be having processor glitches but this was a new high. Of course with the pain growing did help the new position make since.

Again Megatron’s voice pulled Starscream out of his thoughts. A challenge was given. Too bad Starscream was far too stubborn for his own good. He could only answer one way. “No.” With that response Starscream tried to push the larger and stronger mech away even if he knew it was pointless but never willing to give up.

[Deleted]

Megatron grinned, languid and warm, at Starscream's single and potent utterance, and squeezed him that much tighter to nullify his efforts to force some space between them. "I've always liked that about you, Starscream - your absolute refusal to quit. It's kept you at my side all these vorns."

Taking the Seeker's weight by the nape of the neck, still holding the lithe body against his, Megatron moved his cannon-hand to the undamaged wing. Gripping the edge, he punched his thumb straight through the appendage and dragged the tear down and along. "Always coming back for more."

[starscream]

Starscream heard the compliment as if from a distance. The pain was messed with his audios and his ability to process information because of the wounds had been shifted more and harder in which made the armor and frame warp to new shapes. Starscream tried again to push away but now had little room to work with and it looked more like Starscream was just squirmed around.

“N-n-no! L-Lord Megatron not my wings! I am the best flyer! S-stop!” Starscream tried to get the servo that held his neck to release. When that failed again he tried to grab the arm with the cannon. But Megatron was stronger and larger. The damaged made Starscream’s vocalizer buzzed more and gave static as Starscream stopped the screams and keening that wanted to come out.

Starscream’s optics were full circles and light red almost white with fear worried over what Megatron had done to his wings. He tried again to push away but only could squirm more.

[Deleted]

The sparkling had stopped laughing. It ended abruptly. Rather than throw the smaller mech bodily away to inflict yet more damage, Megatron simply let go and allowed Starscream to collapse at his pedes. Watching him regain his senses, Megatron did not speak but merely arched an optical ridge. Waiting.

[starscream]

Starscream’s wings hurt, the error messages on his HUD kept going off and if Megatron kept up the pain Starscream knew his system would shut down, with the scream Megatron wanted. However the last thing Starscream thought would happen did happen. Megatron let go.

The sudden ending to the pain was such a shock Starscream let out a yelp. His pedes had not the strength to hold him. At Megaton’s pedes Starscream waited and reset his optics a few times.

Starscream looked up at Megatron confusion on his faceplate. “Lord Megatron….” Starscream seemed to have gained his senses “Thank you!” The Seeker started to try to get up and at the same times tried to move out of Megatron’s servo range.

[Deleted]

"Go and see that Knockout restores you to a remotely useful Seeker, Starscream," Megatron ordered with a dismissive gesture. He made no move to obstruct the mech's wounded struggle to get to his pedes, though continued to smil for the gratitude shown. This silence of ghosts, the ebb of spark-wrenching pain, was a temporary reprieve, and he intended to make the most of it. "And to be ready for when I deign to give you more."

[starscream]

With the error messages from the wings and the shoulder Starscream had enough pain to make standing a hard deal. But he did and away from Megatron, which was the point to getting up to get out and away while Megatron was in a good (or better) mood. Half turning back Starscream gave a nod, worried more would cause him to fall again, “I will be ready.”

Walking as fast as Starscream could without being too fast for any watching Starscream left to find Knockout. And while walking Starscream thought of all he could do when Barricade came back because Starscream was sure the infiltrator would be back.