Chapter 1 – Vulnerability

Warning: Contains some coarse language.

Disclaimer: If it exists, I probably don't own it. Hasbro and other own transformers and related characters.

T-00.10 /Decepticon Undersea Head Quarters, Lower Level

Megatron replied to his second's interruption, but he wasn't about to dignify him with anything more than that. As it was, all but his mouth seemed to ignore the seeker entirely.

"Do you really enjoy testing my patience, Starscream?"

"But Megatron---!"

The leader's mouth curved upwards at the corners, ever so slightly - condescendingly, infuriatingly, - and the great silver mech continued speaking, changing neither pitch nor pace.

"Normally, I would be quite happy to oblige you. Currently, however, I have neither the time nor the inclination to point-" or beat, "-the many, many flaws out of whatever absurd scheme you have pulled from the confused circuitry you use for a cerebral processor."

Soundwave had no need of his 'telepathic' networking capabilities to sense the waves of anger emanating from Starscream - or the idle amusement from Megatron - but despite any appearance to the contrary, there really was work to be done... And it wouldn't get done whilst the Deception leader was putting on a show to taunt his second.

"Megatron is currently occupied." Soundwaves distorted, synthetic voice was somehow melodious. "Conclusion; Starscream will be leaving now."

The red seeker wasn't really ready to comply, but there didn't seem to be all that many options. A growl of frustration was all that escaped his vocal synthesizer as, for once,he managed some semblance of self control. That, or he just couldn't think of a retort. Either way, he turned and stalked out of the room. Soundwave's optics brightened slightly as he tapped unobtrusively into Starscream's mind.

It wasn't fair. He was second, not Soundwave - and yet Megatron was letting that slagging tape-junker give him orders! They would learn.

Somewhere deep under the anger, at the base of his emotional data stack, was a root node that the jets subconscious processors had gone to a great deal of effort to nullify any connecting object references... And yet never quite finished the job.

It was hurt.

Vulnerability.

Starscream was the same as always. Soundwave broke contact before the seeker moved out of range.

"Starscream - under control. Confrontation averted."

Megatron felt a quick stab of irritation. He pushed it aside and laughed.

"You're always spoiling my fun, Soundwave," he said, half seriously.

The blue robot / tape deck fixed his leader with an unreadable stare for several seconds before he replied.

"Yes, Megatron."

T-00.05 /Decepticon Undersea Head Quarters, Outside

True to his name, the red seeker was screaming at the stars.

He wanted to slam his fist into a wall - since Megatron's mainframe was denied him.

He wanted to open the sensory network in his hands to its maximum capacity - to the level he used for manipulating fine circuitry - and see how far the hatred could stand up against the pain of his buckling, warping metal... Since Megatron's was denied him.

He didn't do it.

It wasn't that he was afraid to - the thought took on a double meaning - in fact he'd done it before. A number of times. That was the problem. There were only so many times you could pass it off as getting your hand "caught in an ore crusher" - "a smelter," (that one had been interesting,) - "an energon compactor" (they didn't have one) - "Stepped on by an Autobot" (As though that would happen to him) - or, "It was like this when I came out of recharge."

The Constructicons would share a look.

He knew they were hiding smiles, but they never actually said anything. He was second in command after all: Even if his influence was a little sporadic at times. Soundwave, curse him, wouldn't be worried about that. He just... he... well... he says nothing! Once, just once, he had sighed. It was possibly the most expressive noise he had ever heard the smaller robot utter. It sounded... weird. He had barely visited the repair bay since. Fixing himself was safer, anyway... but rewiring one's own hand was a difficult task.

Jets totally disengaged, Starscream jumped barely a meter and a half into the air before transforming so fast that hinge stress warnings flashed before his optics. Thrusters blaring from inactive to full power, his tailfin came within millimetres of the launch platform before the jet began to gain any altitude. That was precision.

He rose relatively slowly at first, but soon reached speeds nearly to rival those that Thundercracker used to crank out the higher decibels. Anyone watching him upside-down might worry that he was in a nose dive - totally out of control.

Except, of course, that nobody would worry for Starscream.

He levelled out in the upper atmosphere. Even his wingmates - Skywarp and Thunder - probably wouldn't have much to say if he came to a nasty demise. Possibly "Thank Primus". That hadn't always been the case, but obviously time and circumstance shifted loyalties like giant magnets did memories.

He headed into a nosedive, far faster than any true plane had ever moved, pondering in self-pity the pros and cons of extinguishing his spark with a high velocity impact when suddenly --

T-00.04 /Decepticon Undersea Head Quarters, Upper Level

"You know, I preferred sentry duty when it actually involved making sentry flights," stated Skywarp.

"Riiight -- you still complained."

"Hah! Says you! Anyway, this whole 'Vis-ual Mon-iter-ing" system seems like a load of cows to me!"

"The term's 'shit', 'Warp. Stop pretending to be human and say something intelligent-"

"Hah, humans! You're one to talk about 'pretending to be human.' Fleshlings say shit, I say cows -- and you love fleshlings. Flesh-ling-o-phile! Humophile!"

"Uhuh... Have you been downloading vocab files again, by any chance-"

"-at least they aren't fleshling related and-" his next words were drowned out as Thunder talked over them.

"-you know they only help if you know what the words mean?"

"-pulpy vert-eb-rate." Finished Skywarp.

Thundercracker fixed him with a stare. He tried to make it angry. "Right, you-"

"Hey! Check out Screamer!"

"-changing the subject-"

"-stream 2740a! Two 'cubes sez 'e levels out within 50 feet of impact!"

"Uhuh, no way. Last time he did this, he... shit, you're on..."

The optics of both jets dimmed somewhat as they focused fully on the internally streaming video. Starscream had just passed the point where he would normally start to pull up... And normally he left it to the last moment.

T-00.01 /Decepticon Undersea Head Quarters, Outside, Near the Ground

Starscream was screaming again, but this time it was for an entirely different reason. His engines had cut out - not totally surprising - but this wasn't the whole of the problem. His flaps were not responding. Nothing was. (Maybe going to the repair bay ever now and then wasn't such a bad idea after all - normally he checked everything thoroughly himself - why hadn't he done it this time?) He was traveling too fast even to try forcing a transformation, for what little speed that might take off his fall.

Suddenly he was quite, quite certain that he didn't want to be dead. That was the conclusion to which he always came when skydiving, sooner or later, but this time the reasons were different. Normally it was a matter of "It would be far too convenient for all those other bastards," but this time it was more a matter of "Oh, fuck-! I'm gonna die and there won't be much left!"

Not that the latter was all that uncommon for Starscream, when it came down to it, but this time he had no-one to beg for mercy.

It was all over in an instant.