AND THEN THERE WERE TWO

Chapter 3

Starscream started to regain consciousness, and he could hear what the doctors were saying more clearly. He felt a tingle as his abdomen was scanned and a familiar voice spoke out.

"The sparkling is severely premature. There's a small chance of it surviving..."

At this, the seeker started to panic again and his optics darted around, as he hyperventilated. His vision became blurry again and tears dripped down from his optics. He heard a few reassuring murmurs, and felt firm servos squeeze his shoulders in an attempt to comfort him.

"Okay now, I need you to relax. I need you to take deep, deep intakes for me, okay?"

Starscream looked up at the blur of red and nodded shakily, as he tried intaking a little slower.

"That's it, there we go... deep, deep intakes... I'm going to take off your panel okay?"

The seeker cried out in pain, and spread his legs slightly.

"Go and get some pain dampeners! And make sure they're not too strong!" the cherry red medic barked, as he watched the nurses scurry off to get said pain dampeners. Once they were alone, Starscream grabbed the medic's arm, and looked deep into his bright red optics, with his own tear streaked ones.

"My s-sparkling won't s-survive! It'll d-die a-a-and it's a-all my fault!

"Shh... I need you to relax now Starscream... your sparkling will survive I promise," Knockout said, holding the seeker's servo, and gently squeezing it. Starscream only continued panicking and screaming.

"E-even if it does s-survive, it'll only get t-taken away! My p-precious child will be taken from me!"

His whole body racked with sobs, and he held onto Knockout's arm even tighter, claws digging in a little and drawing energon. Knockout hissed slightly but didn't move his arm away.

"Starscream, look at me. Your sparkling will NOT be taken , I promise,"

"P-promise?"

"I promise,"

Starscream nodded, and took a few shaky intakes, spreading his legs a little wider, while Knockout removed his panel. The doctors and nurses rushed back with the pain dampeners, and quickly injected them into the seeker's arm, per Knockout's instructions.

"Now seeker, I need you to push as hard as you can, okay?" Knockout said insistently, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

Starscream let out a feral, animalistic roar as he pushed as hard as he could, almost crushing Knockout's servo in the process. After about eight joors of pushing and screaming and pain, the sparkling was finally born. Knockout took it gently, and after checking over and scanning it, wrapped the tiny thing in a soft towel. The weak sparkling mewled pathetically for its carrier, barely able to reach out with its frail arms. Starscream looked up as Knockout walked over and handed him his sparkling.

"Congratulations! It's a mechling!"

Starscream took his son and held him close to his chest, stroking the soft metal carefully, purring a little. The little sparkling calmed down once he knew he was in safe servos. He then started to paw weakly but insistently at Starscream's chestplates, looking up at his carrier with demanding optics. The seeker only frowned in confusion at his son's behaviour, and looked toward Knockout, who was watching, for guidance.

"It looks like he's hungry," Knockout said, approaching the seeker, smiling a bit.

"Um... right..."

Starscream retracted his chestplates to reveal a little feeding tube. He then guided his son's head toward the tube, encouraging him to feed. The little sparkling latched onto the tube with his mouth, suckling quietly. The sensation felt a little weird, but Starscream soon got used to it, stroking his son's head lovingly. Knockout watched slightly amazed; it was strange to see the former SIC of the Decepticons act so caringly.

Once the sparkling was finished feeding, he yawned widely and closed his optics, falling asleep snuggled against his carrier. Starscream sighed and looked closely at his new-born son. He could see some of his own features: the crest on the helm, the long chin, the red optics. Apart from these simple characteristics, the sparkling bore almost no appearance to Starscream, his bright purple colour making him look more like his sire than anything else. The seeker gently turned him over slightly, and looked for a pair of wingnubs, that were usually present in young seekerlings. To his disappointment, he found none. It seemed that the sparkling was a grounder like his sire. Starscream continued his inspection of his son until Knockout's voice broke out.

"Have you thought of a name?"

Starscream thought for a moment not taking his optics off the sparkling. He then smirked and looked up at Knockout.

"Fracture... his name is Fracture,"

The medic smiled and picked up a datapad.

"That's a nice name,"

"Mhm... listen um... thank you... for everything... and I apologise for what happened between you and me during the war..."

Knockout sighed and looked at Starscream straight in the optics.

"I forgive you Starscream... and I'm sorry for leaving you when I did..."

  The seeker nodded slowly, and looked down. An awkward silence ensued between the two for a few moments before Starscream chose to speak up.

"How... how was he premature when I counted... I counted every single day..."

"You must have counted wrong," Knockout muttered, handing Starscream the datapad that he was holding. Starscream took it, eyeing it suspiciously.

"What's this?"

"Just a form for you to fill out. You need to enter your full name, date of birth, place of birth, address, etcetera etcetera... oh and you need to fill in some information about your son too,"

Starscream bit his lip plates, and filled out what he could of the form, then handed the datapad back to Knockout. The medic took it and looked over at the information.

"You forgot to fill out your address and you didn't fill in parts of your ID,"

"Why do you need it anyway?" the seeker hissed, wings hiking up a little.

"Relax Starscream, it's so that we have you on our files in case of anything else happening to you,"

The seeker huffed and glared at Knockout.

"Fill in the rest of this please," Knockout said, handing the datapad back to him.

"I... can't,"

"It's not that hard Starscream, it's just an address..."

"But I can't..."

Knockout growled a little in frustration.

"Just do it for Primus' sake!"

"I told you I can't!"

"And why not?!"

"Because I don't have an address! I'm homeless!"

Their shouting awoke Fracture, who started crying. Starscream growled, then burst into tears and cried alongside his son. Knockout sighed and touched Starscream 's shoulder.

"Look... I can help you find some accommodation... and perhaps a fake ID..."

"W-what?"

"I want to help you and Fracture. It's the least I can do..."

"I-I don't need help!"

"Please Starscream, for the sake of your son,"

Starscream looked down at Fracture, who was still mewling pathetically, and remained silent for a few moments. Then he looked up, sniffling a little.

"V-very well..."

Knockout smiled at Starscream's response, then pulled a datapad out from his subspace, and began to flick through it.

"How are you going to find me an ID? And where will I live? And how-,"

"Don't worry, Starscream. I know a mech or two who will get the job done,"

Starscream frowned but then nodded slowly. He looked back down at his crying son, and rocked him slowly, murmuring comforting words in Vosian. As he was doing so, Knockout smiled and after saying goodbye, walked out of the room determined to help the ex-SIC.