Summery: This is what happens when authority is challenged.

Rating: M for extreame violence.

Disclaimer: I do not own transformers nor am I profiting from these works of fiction.

Pairings: SSxMeg. SSxOP later.

Crash & Collide

Pain, so much pain, suffering and endless agony. That was everything the abused seeker felt during these moments, where he was at his utmost weakest physical state.

One blow after another came relentlessly tumbling down, like boulders in a rock slide across his already battered and heavily damaged frame. With brutish force, every impact had successfully found its mark. He lay there, defenceless and unable to retaliate as his treasured wings were shredded, his long damaged armour plating creasing and crumpling like tin foil under the silver tyrant's never ending onslaught.

Starscream was being punished. His crime? Rebellion.

Needless to say that this was not the first offence where the silver tongued seeker openly defied and challenged Megatron's almost demonic reign over the Deceptions.

As a result, he was now suffering the bitter consequences of his actions. This severe penalty was conducted deep within the heart of the Decepticon headquarters. More specifically, in Megatron's throne room with the leader's entire Decepticon force present to witness the very public event. After all, in Megatron's extreme military based ruling, bots who displayed such levels of disobedience needed to be made clear example of. As a clear message of what was to come to those who even entertained the notion of defying the leader in any way.

Regardless of the number of times the bucket headed bully humiliated him in such a manner, near beating the very life out of Starscream for all to see, leaving the poor seeker be only when he was passed out into the merciful grips of stasis lock. But even then, with every one of Megatron's attempts at discipline, Starscream knew in himself that the leader had failed miserably to quell his determination and iron clad will to overthrow the dictator's brutish supremacy. Starscream was defiant to the end and proved time and time again that it was nigh on impossible to him bring into submission.

The seeker phased his mind away from the scene around him. He always detached mentally in this manner to escape the tortures Megatron was implementing. His recollection wandered to the past, remembering what eventually brought him under Megatron's boot.

He was a young naive bot training to be a scientist in the Cybertronian Institute of Research (CIR) before the war. There was nothing glaringly special about him when he applied to the CIR on scholarship. He was not of noble linage nor did he possess any profound wealth. He just worked hard to meet the entry requirements and hoped for the best. However not all were as lucky as him, he knew many a close friend who worked hard with the same determination, the same potential to thrive if given the chance to learn and rise in standing. However the Autobot regime capped the amount of opportunities extended to "worker class" bots in all environments. All the good things in life were handed to the Autobot aristocracy on a silver platter! Those of noble birth do not earn what they have; it was bought for them by the abuse of power and position. While many honest working class bots were turned away only to be pushed into the underground energon mines, to labour away until their backs broke, servos bled and their intakes failed from all the dust in the air. Needless to say those who were condemned to such levels of hardship and poverty, it hardened them into the ruthless generation they were today.

He wanted equality! He was smitten by the potential of change, rattling the system and the pursuit of a better quality of life for all transformers. Or at least to ensure that every bot had the same equal chance as the next for all the good opportunities that come across their way.

Megatron was that shining beacon, the key to overthrowing the corrupt Autobot government. A heavy set fighting machine that rose from the deep depths of the mines and hollered NO! All while standing proud in the face of corrupt authority. Starscream wanted to be part of that cause. So he strived to be the best of the very best! He spent many of his waking hours, educating himself, filling his data banks, honing his mind into the sharpest analytical and most logically driven processor of his generation.

As well as being the genius that he was, he practiced relentlessly on his flying. Drills, tactics, manoeuvres, attack formations, Starscream mastered them all. In the process, he devised the most formidable strategy of all and this was his pride and joy, his claim to fame if you will. It was the jewel of his skill bank that lured Megatron to seek him out for recruitment. He perfected the art of three; he formed the most formidable trine known to bot kind. Starscream along with his two brothers Skywarp and Thundercracker whom he trained and tutored, were more lethal than a horde of flying sharks.

Oh what hopes and dreams he had for the outcome of this war... its start seemed to long ago to even remember now.

More bludgeoning punches came hailing down upon him, the spider-web crack patterns on his cockpit glass shattered long ago. His wings bent and ripped in places that would make any flyer shriek and shake in uncontrollable pain just by watching the horrific scene before them.

And that was how his brothers felt while watching from the side lines. Clutching at each other hard enough to leave dents, there servos tensing with each impact that Starscream received.

Thundercracker could not bear to watch anymore, so he buried his head into Skywarp's shoulder, still shacking each time he heard the horrible grind of metal on metal. Skywarp held his brother and continued to look on with flaring optics at what could be described as the public flogging of Starscream. They stood in pure helplessness, unable to react and do anything to help their brother, for fear of suffering the same treatment. It was not that they were cowards, but the realization that they had to remain functional for their brother's sake. Who was going to pick up the pieces and care for Starscream after each beating? So they remained as they were. Watching and waiting for it all to end so they could rush to their brother's aid when it was over.

Starscream did not make a single sound, he was numb. He would never give Megatron the satisfaction of hearing his screams. When he had to endure these beatings time and time again, he would banish his consciousness elsewhere and this defence helped him withstand each and every assault to the best of his abilities.

However he was ripped from his self-induced daze when an exceedingly powerful racing blow came directly crashing down, colliding squarely with his cheek plate. The impact had an immense force behind it that it cracked his optic. The glowing orb gave a spark and sizzle in protest to the abuse, but as the light that emanated from it dulled and disappeared, Starscream was completely blinded and restricted to only half his visionary field. The final force came when Megatron lent down, towering over what was nothing more than a mangled heap of metal and grabbed Starscream by the throat in such a crushing grip that it threatened to cut off the seeker's air supply. Proceeding to lift him into the air, level with the tyrant's burning optics to the point the poor mech's feet no longer touched the ground.

Glairing out from his remaining functional optic into Megatron's fury driven orbs, the silver beast threw the brutalized seeker with all the might he could muster in the direction of the sliding metal doors so hard that his body left a huge dent in the only entrance of the throne room.

"You sicken me to no end Starscream! Your unrelenting defiance will no longer be tolerated! Mark my words, this will be the last time you will disobey my leadership. The only thing that keeps you alive is my mercy, DO NOT test me Starscream!" Megatron's bellowing across the throne room reverberated across the walls as if to emphasis his threat.

Starscream knew this was a lie, he knew the only reason he was always kept alive because as second in command his skills as a soldier and tactician was irreplaceable. He and his brothers were after all a formidable aerial unit that even Megatron himself would be foolish to throw away so callously. However he would never openly admit to it.

Starscream could do nothing more by that point other than peel himself off the door and fall to the ground in a crumpled heap, unable to carry and support his own weight.

"Soundwave. Send a radio call to the constructacons and have them come collect this pathetic excuse for scrap. Have them proceed immediately with the appropriate repairs; I want him pristine and fully functional as soon as possible". Megatron instructed to his third in command.

"Yes Lord Megatron." Soundwave droned back in his usual synthesized voice. He stood unable to leave the room due to the obvious damage to the only door that lead out. He stood still, completely unmoving, more than likely sending the commanded transmission to the constructacons.

Megatron took this moment to compose himself after the events and looked across at the heap that was Starscream who was barely gripping consciousness.

"What am I going to do with you Starscream? What will it take to get you to cease and desist these pathetic attempts at mutiny?" Megatron asked in a dark and deadly tone.

Starscream lay there silently, concentrating on keeping himself online and not paying attention to Megatron in the slightest.

By this point, the silver door behind Starscream that was mutilated by the impact was physically pried open and gave way with a screech of protest to reveal the constructacon team, standing to attention and awaiting further instruction.

As Megatron turned on the spot to leave the room, taking a step over the pile that was Starscream. "Take him away, you know what needs to be done. Inform me immediately when he is fully repaired." He spoke in a low and frightening tone that dripped with pure malice and deadly venom in the direction of the constructacons.

As the silver brute made his way through the hallways of the underwater base, he thought to himself with a hint of sordid amusement. "I have something interesting in store for you Starscream. Heed my word seeker; you will be brought in line".

Please be aware that the ending was slightly rushed so I apologies in advanced if this chapter seems to end abruptly.

Also I could not find a beta to read through this beforehand so there is probably some mistakes, but I do not think there is anything glaring.

I have an idea of the direction this fic is going, but I will leave it in the dark for now as the plot is subject to tweeking.

Review if you please with your constructive critique and general thoughts, it fuels me ^^