Optimus Prime's unusual Charge

Haven't you heard? They Multiply

Back at the Nemesis, in the Ship's Cargo hold...Starscream took the opportunity to sneak out of Energon stacking duties, due to the recent distraction of the runaway prisoner.

["After all, Megatron did order everyone on board to seek and recapture her, right?"] He thought to himself.

Sneaking in the halls, slinking around corners and occasionally trying to blend in with the crowd, he manages to get topside.

["Hmph! 'Go help the drones stack the energon' Bah! So demeaning!"] He paced back and forth on the landing pad. "And IF he even had half the processor capacity that I do, he would have figured out by now that she wouldn't stay for too long after escaping...but where would she be hiding?" he asked.

He thought of a moment and came up with an idea; she may have been hiding alright, but not onboard! He remembered seeing how she teleported out of Breakdown's servos. The same thing happened with Soundwave; as he's seen it through the video feed on one of the panels on the way to the top of the ship.

He walked to the edge of the landing pad and looked down...["Of course! She must have returned to land and sought refuge at the last place she's been!"] And Starscream knew exactly where to look. "Nobody would think to look there as they would think she'd be too scared to go back there, due to bad memories connected to the location!"

He smiled at his own Genius, then jumped off the landing pad and transformed. He flew down in search of the prisoner. Not because he wanted to bring her back to Megatron, (even though he had to) but because he had his own plans for her.

Somewhere in the forest, a ground bridge opened, and Team Prime walked out, this time without Jack Raf and Miko. Since Optimus Prime figured the mission might be too dangerous for the children, he waited until the Autobot guardians came back from dropping the kids at school, before telling the team about it.

They had their weapons out and scanned the area for Decepticons, before putting them away. "So Prime, why are we all out here again?" Arcee asked.

"Ratchet and I have detected recent Decepticon activity in this area. Possibly a mining operation, but by now, they may have already moved on." Prime answered.

"Couldn't you and Ratchet have gone ahead and left us to catch up as soon as we could?" She continued.

"Their signal was faint, but we detected a large number of decepticons... it would have been foolish to show up alone." Prime said.

"Then, why did we come, if there's nothing left?" It was Bulkhead's turn to ask.

"Even though they made off with most of it, I can still detect some leftover energon at the site." Ratchet answered. "Something is better than Nothing."

Optimus nodded in agreement. "Autobots; spread out, and be alert. There might still be Decepticons left behind to guard whatever is left." he ordered.

As the Autobots fanned out in search of the energon mine, Starscream landed quite a distance away from them undetected, and started to search for the mine as well. He had the upper servo in the situation, because he had a copy of the map of the area with a marker on where the mine was.

"Foolish fools...this is why I should be leader! Now then, Red dot Marks the Spot as we say on Cybertron." He followed the map until he reached the mine. Besides the two entrances of before, there was also a secret back entrance. Though it was covered with a large Rock in front of it.

"Here we are." Starscream arrived at the entrance and moved the Rock.

"Knock-knock." He sneered.

I was sleeping soundly, too exhausted to notice how uncomfortable sleeping on a cave floor was becoming with the position I adopted in my sleep. But I did hear something... it sounded like a boulder or something grinding against another one? Or was it grinding against the ground? Or both? ["So tired...mind is...so foggy..."]

Then I heard it: "Knock-knock..."

"Who's there?" I asked eyes still closed.

I heard what sounded like the pebbles being crushed by...["Metal? I think..."]

Steady steps, or at least what sounded like Footsteps growing closer and closer, until it stopped.

"Starscream..." He answered.

["That voice... it sounded so familiar somehow."] What scared me the most about it, is how it had that barely noticeable robotic sounding edge to it. ["Please, don't be one of those crazy alien action figures-things of death..."] I pleaded silently.

Not wanting to keep the 'Knock-knock' joke going, I cracked one eye open and through my blurry, sleepy vision, I saw these red glowing orbs hanging above me.["SCRAP!"] NOT what I wanted to see when I woke up!

I quickly tried sitting up, but my shoulder felt like it was on fire! ["Dangit! The adrenaline wore off!" ] I thought forcing myself to ignore my body's pleas, I was going to jump to my feet, when these long, slender, razor-sharp looking digits pierced the ground around me, effectively trapping me like a metal cage!

"Ah-ah aah... You're not going anywhere." He taunted and closed his servo, curling his digits around me. He then lifted me up to his faceplate, a devious smile making it's home on his face. He was tall and slender, from his looks I'm guessing he's the jet? I dunno, Every single one of them seems to either come in grey or some dark blue-purplish color. Save for 'Doctor Destruction' and 'Igor; the golden-eyed behemoth'.

So, apparently this one's called Starscream. That explains everything, *wink-wink* Hallway Fiasco *wink-wink*.

I know he's supposed to be the bad guy in this situation, but for some reason, I pity this one...For one, his evil Mustache must have migrated from his glossa, all the way over to his forehelm, cause dang, them optical ridges, girl!

Speaking of females, what's with the stilettos for Pedes? "You are one sad little airplane, ya know that?" I accidentally said out loud.

"Excuse me?!" He yelled. Again... he's very loud for his namesake.

After cringing for my poor 'little' ears, I continued. "No wonder you're miserable, I mean look at you; those poor pedes!"I looked down at them."I'd be squealing too if I was forced to wear those for the rest of my life!"

It took him a moment to put 2 + 2 together, but eventually; "We...don't wear shoes..." He started calmly, but confused.

"And I mean don't get me wrong, or anything...but you belong up there anyway; high in the big blue sky and free as a bird, huh?" I asked.

Still having trouble connecting the dots, his mind shifted. "Yes, freedom is something we all yearn, don't we?" He asked and I only nodded as he glanced right through me.

"Sometimes I wish I could be my own Con, too. Not having to suffer under Glitches like Megatron... I should be up there! I should lead! I should be the Decepticon that all others look up to!" He raised his voice as well as his fists. His wings perked up strongly and for a few moments he looked strong and commanding, like the leader he wishes he were.

"STARSCREAM...WHERE IN THE ALLSPARK, ARE YOU?!!!!" Megatron's voice exploded out of his commlink!

"GAAAAAAH!" Within seconds, Starscream was reduced to a quivering, groveling mess of nuts and bolts.

"M-My liege! I-I just went looking for the escaped prisoner, that was your very own orders, was it not?" The seeker stuttered.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" Megatron Snarled.

"I'm on the land below, oh glorious leader!" Starscream answered, as I could hear his metal body rattling with fear.

"HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY MY DIRECT ORDER!" Screamer's audio receptors were starting to give a squealing feedback from all his yelling.

"B-But how?" He began, but got interrupted.

"GET YOUR CARRIER-SCRAPPING AFTERBURNERS BACK ON THIS SHIP, OR SO HELP ME UNICRON; I'LL RIP YOUR OPTICS OUT AND WEAR EM AS AUDIAL ACCESSORIES!" Megatron thundered.

I almost wanted to go with him, just to spare him whatever Megastooge had in store for his sorry little chassis. Keyword being: ALMOST.

"Right away, my liege..." Starscream croaked. After cutting off communication he gave a hopeless sigh. His own plans were tossed on the backburners again. ["Curse that Soundwave. It must have been him!"]

"Well, at least I can get out of punishment with you..." He lifted me back up to his faceplate, giving me an evil look.

"Hey! Don't drag me into your problems. YOU'RE the one who left the ship without telling anyone, by what I can understand!" I snapped.

"Oh, look who's talking!" He retorted.

"Damn right, I'm talking to you; ya empty soda can! Now, LET. ME. GO!!!" I forcefully kicked him so hard, I almost popped his jaw piece off its hinges!

He reeled his helm back, shook off the vibration and turned back to me with a 'death-glare' of his own.

"Why you little..." He growled.

As soon as I was within range, I spat in his optics! Disgusting and low as it is, I literally was at his mercy otherwise, plus that little distraction helped buy me some time to plan my escape and accumulate enough saliva to make it work.

"AAAH! What is this?!" He dropped me out of surprise, and I quickly got up and ran for it!

"Poisonous Acid!" I answered. "You'll go blind!"'

"WHAT?!" He screamed.

Ignoring his further questions, I was pushing myself to move faster, as I sprinted across the small field, heading for the woods. ["I could be a lot faster on all fours...but my shoulder is killing me!"] I thought. ["Whoa, what's that up ahead?!"] It was a lot smaller than what I expected, but that was a bot alright!

["Scrap! They already made it down here?!"] I couldn't stay in the open field, but I couldn't move too much either, or else risk being spotted! I had only one plan, and I hoped it would work: I slowly slinked into the shadow of a tree nearby and tried to blend in as much as possible.

Slowly but surely slinking into the darkness and slipping into a nearby bush until I was completely concealed! It helped a lot that this bot kept looking over its shoulder pads for a threat perhaps? It surely was looking for something. I only moved when it turned its head to look in a different direction.

Back at the cave, Starscream, well...screamed dramatically at the top of his ventilation system trying to get the sticky transparent goo out of his optics. "I can't see, I can't see!!! Primus have mercy!" He rubbed and rubbed at his optics, till his entire faceplate was sore and scratched up from his own sharp digits clawing at the substance.

Arcee spotted a cave up ahead and approached for a closer look to make sure it indeed was the one they were looking for, but then she heard the inhuman wails that were coming from within. Equipping her weapons, she sneaked inside and proceeded to look for the source.

What she saw put her on edge: ["Starscream"] She thought. {"Hey guys, I got a visual on a Con inside the cave just outside the west side of the woods. About 25 mechanometers away..."} She whispered over the commlink.

"Keep him within your sights Arcee..." Optimus Prime answered.

When the new blue and pink bot slipped into the cave, I bolted for it! ["Apparently, they multiply over time..."] I thought.