A Fallen Star

Chapter 7: A Call to Arms

His heels clacked against the hard stone floor. He paced around in his new cell with a passion. His wings ached from the constant pressure of the clamp that bound them. The enclosed plain walls would no doubt trigger his claustrophobia at some point. The only piece of furniture, a simple recharge berth, made the room only appear smaller. All of these factors would normally agitate him, but right now he was focused on something entirely different.

Nya was safe, he was so relieved. Nya was safe, he was so confused and ashamed. This small creature baffled him. He failed to keep her safe from the decepticons, yet she had tried to defend him when she thought he was in danger? Why? Shouldn't she hate him? It was his fault that she had been captured, that she was now wrapped up in war, for primus's sake! She should hate him, maybe even be frighten by him, but she wasn't. It baffled him.

Back with the decepticons, whenever he had failed, there would always be consequences. If it had been minor, he'd might have been able to beg himself out of a beating, but if it were something major, he'd receive a one-way ticket to med bay. Sure, he didn't expect Nya to beat him, but he had been positive that she would have been furious with him or would want to forget ever meeting him, but that didn't happen. The opposite had happened. She stood up for him. She defended him. She probably would have fought and died by Arcee's servo, if he hadn't stepped in. All for him. Why? Why was she doing this? So, he would be always indebted to her? So, she could torture his mind? Why?

Maybe, she was doing this because...she cared for him. No, she couldn't. No one cared about, Starscream, the decepticons' former second in command. Not anymore. The last people who cared about him was his trine, and he didn't even know if they were alive. Thundercracker. Skywarp. His... What was that earth word? Brothers? That was it. His brothers. It had been vorns since he had seen them, not since... No, he couldn't think about them now, he didn't want to start crying when there could be an autobot just outside of his door, but he couldn't help it. It had been so long since he thought about them.

Nya made him feel the same way that his trine made him feel...safe. He hadn't felt safe since Megatron returned. Maybe that's why he was so determined to get her back. She healed him. She talked and joked with him. She made him feel loved? Yeah, loved... that was the word. Maybe she could forgive him and they could continue to be friends? No, that wouldn't happen. He was a prisoner, the autobots would most likely keep her away. They would take her into protective custody. Far away from him. What happened must have been the heat of the moment, she must have felt threated and was trying to defend herself. After all he's done to her, she couldn't possibly forgive him. Human or cybertronian, no spark is that pure...

He wanted to scream in frustration. Why did this human matter so much to him!? She was nothing but a discussing fleshy organic. A feeble creature that the high and mighty energon Seeker Starscream, shouldn't give a frag about. Yet...Here he was. Panicking about what she thought of him and her wellbeing. Why did he care about this?! Why did she matter so much?!

He sat down on the berth. Everything was a storm in his mind, and his spark hurt, but not physically. He didn't know how to describe it, but it was utter agony. What should he do? He felt so lost. Maybe he should apologize? He'd didn't know if that would help, but Nya deserved an apology. If he ever got to see her again, he would apologize to her. He'd had just made up his mind, when a clearly female shriek made his spark jump, and his eyes grow wide with worry.

Something was terribly wrong...

He ran up to the small window in his door, and craned his helm and neck to try and see what ever was going on. He didn't know why, but his spark felt like it was breaking.

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Back in the main area of the silo, June had rushed in the moment Jack had called. After finding Nya on the floor, she quickly got to work.