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"-rscream!" ..Someone was shouting in the distance. It was muffled though, thick. His processor buzzed to a static life. It was slow but sharp, components clicking and systems rebooting.
Starscream’s digits shifted on the surface below him, his body responding to the curse of consciousness. His frame made small movements, trying to reorient himself to wherever he was.
Where was he?
"Nng...” Starscream grimaced at the pounding pain in his helm. Was he already in the medbay? Probably.
“..Knock Out..?" Starscream mumbled into the static void. Where had the voice gone? He shifted, trying to sit up. This action was quickly halted by the nauseating dizziness he suddenly felt.
His helm swam.
He grimaced, digits weakly digging into the medical slab. His frame tensed. He waited for a few moments, letting the wave of nausea pass into a dull afterthought.
Up. He needs to get up.
He slowly started to peel his back from the slab, pushing past the dizziness to balance on his elbow and forearm. His legs were sprawled out in front of him. They felt too heavy to move. In fact, everything felt too heavy. Maybe he could just- no. Up, he needs to get up.
.
.
.
Knock Out quickly made his way over to the struggling seeker, almost sliding down to one knee beside Starscream. Bulkhead followed close behind, making his way to stand to the side of the two.
Starscream continued to try and get some physical leverage, but Knock Out quickly placed a servo over Starscream’s chassis. "Hold on, don't get up. Let me see your helm." Knock Out’s digits quickly made their way to hold Starscream's helm, to which the gray mech whined, processor still buzzing in the dark. Knock Out grimaced at the sizable dent leaking energon.
"Tsk, yikes" was the medic’s quick diagnosis.
Starscream grimaced at the contact and tilt. The other mech's digits on him only furthered his nausea. They felt familiar, though. Slightly rough but clinical.
So he is in the med bay. Starscream looked(?) down, trying to blink(?) the blurriness..? from his optics. Why is it still so dark?
"..Mm, how long was I unconscious for?"
Knock Out paused, "..huh? Oh, not too long." He continued tilting, checking around for any other obvious injuries. "..probably have a concussion," He noted out loud, more to himself than anyone else.
Starscream’s processor finally seemed to clear a little.
Knock Out.
He huffed. "Ugh, I'm fine," he weakly pushed the red mech away, trying to stand, or at least sit up properly.
“Hey, I didn't say you could-”
"Where is Megatron?"
…
Knock Out's reaching servo froze.
"I- what?"
Starscream grunted, successfully sitting up. "You heard me, I’m sure he already has a mission or an ambush for me to lead."
After a beat of silence, Starscream glared in Knock Out’s general direction. “Well? And what in the pit is wrong with my optics? What? Were you too busy buffing yourself to replace them?”
He reached up to touch the throbbing pain in his helm, a dent. Energon. His digits lowered to his optics, empty. “Tsk”
Knock Out’s brow furrowed. He glanced at Bulkhead, who wore a similar expression. Knock Out looked back to the mech, now on one knee, still studying his optic sockets and attempting to stand. He swayed slightly. Knock Out cleared his throat.
"Okayy.. Starscream, I think you should sit down.”
The seeker didn't respond, seemingly too focused on standing and tracing his empty sockets. Odd. There are gashes. Almost claw-like.
Bulkhead knelt down next to them, brows furrowed in soft concern. Starscream was acting odd. Something was obviously wrong with the grey mech. Megatron wasn't here, the war was over.
Bulkhead had seen this before, a few times during the war. Wreckers forgetting where they were. When they were.
Sometimes an injury or even sensory input can reset a processor. Not literally, but if disorienting enough, can cause this. Something that seemed to help was stability, something to bring them back to the present moment. Ground them.
"Hey, Screamer, do you know where you are?" He gently placed a servo on the mech's shoulder, the heavy weight urged him back down.
Heavy, large, cold servo.
Pushing,
squeezing,
tightening.
Starscream’s energon lines froze, his body going taut. All his mechanisms seemed to lock up under the servo. Then, they exploded with a painful burning. It was as if electricity had sparked from his shoulder to the rest of his frame.
Almost immediately, the mech's venting hitched, and he violently tore his shoulder free from the gentle grasp.
“Whoa—!” Bulkhead's brow ridge flinched up, his servo retreating away at the violent recoil. But the small stinging on his arm plate was far from his processor.
Starscream's limbs fumbled back, making their way to the ground and clawing, pushing at it to take him away.
Away, get away, stand up, why is he here?? I need-Frag! Fragfragfrag-
Starscream scrambled back, optic sockets wide and wings drooped low.
“..Stars-”
Starscream beat him to it, his servos flying up, trying to shield himself from the inevitable. A familiar, nervous smile stretched across his scarred face plate.
“W-wait-My Lord! I- apologies! I hadn't realized you were still present! Or that, pl-please, I-”
How had I not noticed him sooner?! Stupid! Why is Knock Out-was he even-Wasn't he done?! He's never FRAGGING DONE-!
“Wh-” Bulkhead grimaced.
“I- I can explain! Is this about the most recent mission? Ah, heh- I can assure you that I completed my part, it had to- it was one of the vehicons that compromised the mission, if it wasn’t for them- it would have surely been a success!“
Talk, keep talking, just keep talking-
Fast, heavy venting followed Starscream’s quickly rising and lowering chassis.
Why isn't he doing anything?!
The seeker continued to try and plead his way out of punishment, slowly scooting further back and curling into itself. His knees hit his chassis protectively.
Bulkhead almost felt nauseous. To have so much raw fear directed towards him, he was causing this. No. Megatron was. Oh Primus, Bulkhead felt so aware of his frame. He hated how it felt connected, associated, with Megatron’s in this moment. The thought that he could ever cause so much fear- the fact that he might have when he killed Starscream’s clone-
His frame instinctively leaned forward. He felt the need to do, to help, somehow. But a clawed servo quickly grabbed his shoulder, “Starscream,” Knock Out passed Bulkhead by just a step or two, taking a knee in front of the seeker. Starscream flinched at the designation, rambles silenced in a hitch and helm flicking lower to face the medic. It took a moment, and his intakes were no steadier, but his brow ridge furrowed slightly.
Knock Out. So he was, nono, servo- here. Why hasn't anything happened yet? I need to keep stalling, I haven't done anything- is he here to watch? There's always someone watching, laughing-
Knock Out noticed Starscream’s venting speed up. He kept his voice even.
“Starscream, look at me.”
…
“...Well. Metaphorically.”
The grey mech actually blinked, which would have been funny if not for the current situation. But, the poor joke seemed to bring the seeker out of whatever spiral was starting. He was present, at least for now.
After a beat of silence, the seeker started up again. “I can explain-“
Knock Out cut him off. “The mission doesn’t matter, Starscream.” It probably didn’t even exist. Knock Out couldn’t tell if this was a particular memory, or if the mech was just assuming, lying, and hoping it would work. It wouldn’t be the first time.
But Starscream seemed to stiffen.
.
.
.
What?
Doesn’t… matter?
His tank sank.
The mission doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what happened. Megatron doesn’t care.
Excuses aren’t going to help him.
No, nononono- this wasn’t his fault! If he could just make them understand-
He swallowed and lifted his helm above Knock Out’s voice, towards the mech behind him. He started scooting back more frantically, one servo aiding him and the other outstretched. Not that it could block what was coming. Why did he always do that?
“N-no! Wait, please, you don’t understand, there were-“
“Megatron isn’t here.”
Starscream almost snarled.
Liar.
He didn’t know how, but he felt someone behind Knock Out. A presence. Was he trying to get him into a false sense of security? Lure him into saying something incriminating so that their Master has an excuse to-
Behind? Why was he behind Knock Out? That doesn’t make any sense.
“We’re on cybertron.”
”What-“
Bulkhead knelt down next to Knock Out. “If you're on the Nemesis, then why am I here?”
Starscream flinched again. Bulkhead. Was that it? But, no- that doesn’t,
Megatron was never patient.
He would have spoken by now, struck him, done something.
He’s not here.
Starscream’s world suddenly felt emptier. That tight, heavy presence before him was gone. No, it was never there. Not in reality. He still felt coiled in place, still expecting something. But there was nothing.
Bulkhead spoke up again.
“The war is over, remember? You’re with the autobots. You’re safe, no one is angry. You don’t need to keep explaining yourself.”
Safe? With Autobots? The war, over?
It had to be a lie.
And yet, nothing's happened. Why not?
…
Oh.
…
Frag.