[closed]

[starscheme]

Who: Starscream, Knock Out, Breakdown, and... Megatron.
Where: Starscream's "base of operations", well outside LA.
When: Early march, not too long after Breakdown's rescue. Sundown.
What: Starscream gathers his meager forces together to talk about how screwed they all are, only to be rudely reminded that they aren't actually his forces to begin with.
Warnings: Nothing yet but if there isn't some really horrendous violence coming we'll all be very surprised.

"All things considered, Breakdown... I am impressed."

The three of them were gathered at the cave that they were, at least for the time being, calling a base of operations. It was an unimpressive location, but one that served its purpose nonetheless: several stories above the level desert below (a deliberate decision on Starscream's part to discourage any human interference), it was safe, dry, and most importantly, sported a reasonable vein of energon within. He had a steadily growing stash of pilfered electronics and other components useful for both medical purposes and patching together a communications booster, when the time came.

The seeker himself was in his typical "menacingly agitated" pose: hands clasped behind his back, jaw set firm and pacing a goddamn hole in the ground just outside the mouth of the cave. He finally stopped and studied the newly arrived warrior, one brow raised thoughtfully. He certainly looked as though he'd seen better days. Knockout had done what he could with the supplies they had, and for Starscream's part he did his best to bring back useful parts (mainly in the interest of restoring another useful warrior to his cause, but also with the added bonus of potentially mollifying an affronted Knockout), but there was only so much they could do.

"I've heard rumors of this TRIDENT before, but had always dismissed their reputation as being the blustering of easily impressed humans... but if what you say is true..." He scowled. It made the energon in his veins boil with rage, thinking of a human daring to lay a hand on even the most pitiful of Cybertronians, let alone one of his fellow Decepticons. 

"Well, their fate was sealed the moment they dared even lay eyes upon you. We'll make them pay for what they've done, that much I can promise you... Possibly sooner than I'd hoped."

He turned and looked back out at the desert once more. "However That still leaves us with our main problem... which Knockout has, no doubt, filled you in on." 

Comments

[buffthis]

Knock Out's face, carefully smug, slowly unfolds into an expression of sheer horror as his quickly formulated plan to throw Starscream under the Megatron bus completely backfires on him. This was not how he'd envisioned things going, but then, he probably should have expected that Starscream would manage to find a way to make what Knock Out would prefer to call an extended vacation as grievously traitorous as possible.

He just might have leaked a little transmission fluid the minute the minute Megatron's rage was turned undeniably in his direction. He can't manage anything but sputter for a few unbearably long moments, his optics wide and terrified as his mind rapidly cycles through his increasingly limited options. The fact that Starscream is the one pinned against the wall is a small comfort, but a transient one, because he doesn't expect that'll last. Frag it -- what can he say? Lying to Starscream was one thing, but Knock Out doesn't even dare attempt it with Megatron. He takes a shaky step backwards, accidentally backing up right into Breakdown.

"L-Lord -- Lord Megatron, please! Have mercy -- "

[buffedthat]

Breakdown hardly even notices the bump against him, too busy glancing with rising alarm between Knock Out, Megatron, and occasionally Starscream. Megatron wouldn't really rip Knock Out apart, right? He's loyal enough to Megatron to be able to watch his partner take some damage, but there's a line somewhere in there, and it falls before watching him get offlined.

He finally speaks up, voice deep and steady, if a little faster for nerves. "Lord Megatron, we'll make it up. Now that we're back under your guidance, we won't fail you again."

[starscheme]

Starscream lets out a rather undignified squeal of terror when Megatron pins him, but wisely keeps his mouth shut for the time being. Fortunately his shoulder is well armored, so the pain from the impact is minimal, but he he is well and truly trapped under that huge metal hand. There's not much he can do other than cower in abject terror and try to remain alert to any openings that might allow him to turn the situation around.

As Megatron rounds on Knock Out, he almost begins to feel bad for being that upfront about the medic's transgressions... but it was a spur of the moment decision, and he'd been put on the spot as well as being driven by spite. If the opportunity presents itself, he'll try to speak up in Knock Out's defense, but for now he decides it best to keep his thoughts to himself.

[bigfuckinggun]

Megatron's optics narrow.

Casually, he lets go of Starscream's shoulder, but only so he can grab a wing and twist it roughly in his hand – enough that he feels he can turn his back on him without risking him flying away. He'll come back to him later.

Then he turns to Breakdown and Knock Out, and for an uncomfortably long moment he doesn't say anything at all, just stares down at the medic and his assistant with rage etched all over his war-lined face.

At long last he speaks, sheer anger making every word deliberate and heavy.

"You are all extremely lucky," he says, "that my forces on this world are so calamitously limited that I am left with no choice but to give all of you," he spits out the words as if they disgust him, "a second chance – no choice but to hope that with the addition of discipline and supervision this pitiful collection of invalids and deserters will be able to demonstrate themselves worthy of serving me. But do not mistake me – the moment any of you proves he is not worthy, I will not hesitate to exterminate him." He reaches down to haul Starscream up by the damaged wing – hope you weren't trying to crawl away there lil buddy – his fist clenching hard around the metal. "Do I make myself clear?"

[buffthis]

Knock Out cannot believe he is getting away unscathed.

His legs are trembling just slightly, judging by the quiet clink of plating, but in the face of Megatron's wrath, his dignity is far from a priority, for once. Even Starscream seems to have gotten off relatively easy -- he's sure it hurts, but not nearly as much as it could. They've been given a rare opportunity here, and they can't afford to frag it up this time.

"Crystal," Knock Out breathes, barely daring to move otherwise. "Of -- course, Lord Megatron, you're -- you're too kind. Like Breakdown said -- we won't be disappointing you again, I swear!"

[buffedthat]

He vents a quiet sigh of relief, and squares his shoulders again. —Well, one of them. They're not much of a matched set anymore.

"Perfectly clear, sir." He adds a nod, and glances just briefly at Starscream. He'd almost feel bad for him, if it weren't for the relief at having him around to apparently absorb the damage. "You won't regret this second chance."

[starscheme]

There isn't even time for Starscream to feel relieved between when Megatron lets go of his shoulder and when he goes right for the weak spot. Where Knock Out might be fussy about his finish, Starscream was (perhaps less vocally) particular about his wings, which was something that Megatron never failed to take advantage of when he could in past situations such as this. Oh sure, it was a convenient hand hold and a way to keep the seeker from taking off while his back was turned, but to Starscream it also smacked of being something sadistic (whether Megatron actually intended it that way or not).

And then the next thing he knows he's hoisted straight up off of the ground by it and it's all he can do to keep from squalling in agonized protest. Twisting it was one thing, but a single wing wasn't meant to hold up the entirety of the rest of his weight like that on its own, and of course Megatron knows that just like he knows all of Starscream's weakest points with a particularly disgraceful intimacy. Thousands of years of working together and plotting against one another had made sure of that.

It takes an extremely concerted effort on his part to not squirm and show any weakness by grabbing on to Megatron's arm in an attempt to remove some of the pressure off of his wing joint, but he only manages that for a few seconds before he can't take the sensation of it anymore and latches on at the wrist with both hands. His feet still kick, searching for solid ground as they dangle helplessly off the floor.

"You are far too gracious, My Lord, truly this is more mercy than any of us deserve--" he grits out in an extremely strained voice, the subtext of which being you've made your point now let me go already before you tear my damn wing off.

[bigfuckinggun]

"Indeed it is," Megatron growls. He really wishes there were someone here he could actually afford to kill to make a point to the rest of them, or at least brutally maim; but then, if the situation weren't so dire that he didn't, he wouldn't be quite this angry in the first place. Making Starscream squirm is only small consolation – but perhaps he'll get more out of him later.

With a frustrated snarl he concedes to let Starscream go – by way of throwing him by the wing at the other two – and takes a step back, beginning to turn towards the mouth of the cave.

"Knock Out, attend to your injured comrades. Once you are able," a derisive gaze roams over Breakdown's absent arm and Starscream's crumpled wing, as if he wasn't just responsible for that one, "convene with me at these coordinates – my vessel might have been wrecked, but it nonetheless makes a better venue than this miserable crevice."

The coordinates supplied, he wastes no further time transforming and shooting out of there, away towards his desertbound ship, confident – at least for now – that he can count on them eventually following.

[buffthis]

Knock Out instinctively sidesteps as Starscream comes hurtling at him, letting the seeker crash into the rock face wall instead of his still-preserved finish. Well, that probably didn't look great in front of Megatron. Whoops.

He casts a dubious optic over Starscream before he gives Megatron a nervous smile, hurriedly making with the bowing and scraping. He cannot actually believe he and Breakdown got off relatively scot-free. "Aha -- of course, Lord Megatron -- as you command!"

But as soon as Megatron zooms away from the cave, Knock Out's disposition changes considerably. He immediately grimaces, looking over Starscream with a huff. Now, it's as if he can't believe he has to deal with this.

"Well, I think we got lucky," he mutters, turning a beckoning claw to Starscream. No sense in wasting time now.

[buffedthat]

He vents a heavy sigh of relief as Megatron leaves — and even without having caused any major damage. (Starscream doesn't count.) He spends just a couple seconds staring after their departed leader, half to see if he won't suddenly come tearing back for more, half idly wondering if he prepares those speeches.

"Yeah, this time." He rubs absently at his chestplate, near the missing shoulder joint, before finally turning his attention to Starscream to see if Knock Out might need a hand with him. He might be down an arm, but he still makes a decent medic assistant.

[starscheme]

It takes a little bit for Starscream to even move after his rather disgraceful landing. Not out of actual immobility or pain, but from being rather shell shocked over what just happened. He's still trying to process it.

It could probably be taken as a very concerning sign that even when he does move, he doesn't say a word. Even as he slowly gathers himself up to crouch on his hands and knees, he just glowers furiously at the spot where Megatron was standing moments before.

He's going to kill that bastard one day.

[buffthis]

Well, that's...alarming. A silent Starscream is usually bad news. But at least his rage isn't directed at Knock Out for once. Knock Out stands over him, the leftover threads of panic still spinning his processor turning to impatience instead. He frowns at Starscream, looking over his wing. And all this without a proper medibay...Lord Megatron, really.

"Well, let's get you patched up, then -- Commander," Knock Out sighs agitatedly, gesturing for Starscream to stand. "Come on, now -- we don't want to keep our glorious master waiting, do we?"