rwVerse. Outside the Miranda 2. Scream of redemption.
Blackout dodged the shot, aware of her men fighting in various places nearby, and of scattered Terrorcon bits floating past as she twisted with a grace that something of her size had no right to have.
"Hold still!" cried Starscream, his scarred face twisted in a scowl as he fired again. "Ahhh! Let go of me, you idiot!"
"No." She smiled down at him, watching his face twist in confused disbelief as his teleport failed to work. "We need to have a talk."
"I'm not telling you anything! Megatron, help me!" He looked toward his leader.
"Can't you see that I'm a little busy, Starscream!" growled Megatron, then yelped as Ironhide gave him a shot to the rear.
"Ohhhh, that hadta hurt!" Cyclonus giggled.
"Kicker, behind you!" called Demolisher.
Blackout glanced toward them, noting Tidal Wave in the background chanting his battle cry as he busily ripped the native Scorponok's tail off. "It looks like it's just you and me, Starscream."
"No! Let me go!" He tried to struggle, and then shrieked as she pulled off his guns and threw them away.
"Better not have those till after I'm done." She glanced at the battle again, then lowered her cloak and and mentally looked at Primus as she flew down below the ship.
"What are you doing?" Starscream was shaking with pain and pinned like a butterfly, but still game to fight.
Blackout only quirked a grin as she felt power fill her empty spark chamber.
"...Why are you grinning?" A bit of apprehension leaked past his control.
"What has Megatron ever given you, Starscream?" She asked him frankly.
"Oh no! You're not going to enslave me with a kiss! I've got more processor capacity than those idiots!" He scowled.
Blackout shook her head slightly. "I never kissed Demolisher."
He stopped and blinked. "You didn't? But he's utterly loyal to you!"
"Because I gave him his life back."
"Uh... I don't understand."
"You don't even wonder about your past, do you?" She shifted her grip on him slightly, but he was too confused by what she was saying to notice.
"I don't have a past," he said. "All I have is my loyalty to Megatron. I live for him."
"But it wasn't always that way."
"So? That's all that matters now."
"No," she said softly. "It's not. Primus made us to be thinking beings, with processors of our own. Without your memories you're no one."
He frowned up at her, his green optics troubled as he tried to understand what she was saying past the programming that Megatron had imposed on his very spark.
"I belong to Megatron..." he said uncertainly.
"But you don't have to."
Confusion changed to mockery. "So you want me to belong to you, instead?"
"No." She gently put a hand over his spark and watched as it started to glow. "I want you to belong to yourself."
Starscream convulsed as she transmitted to him the files that he'd given to the Autobots on Earth ten years before, his optics going wide as he cried out. "Stop... what... nooooarrggggghhhh!"
He writhed, sobbing as the memories swirled around his processor and settled into order, then gasped and cried out again as his spark responded, flashing like a tiny star as it loosed the memories hidden deeply there. "No, no... please...."
Blackout held him, her grip changing from pin to reassuring embrace. "Don't fight them, Starscream. That's who you are. What you are."
The winged mech leaned against her helplessly, his sobs increasing till they shook his frame, one hand clutching a projection in her armor with a death grip.
"Shhh." The black femme rocked him slightly. "Shhh, it's alright."
In a few moments he fell silent, his face hidden against her chestplate as he looked at those memories and felt his self returning to him.
Then he stirred. "Rad... Carlos... Alexis.... My friends."
"They're fine," said Blackout gently. "All of them."
"They... aren't so small anymore, are they?"
"...For a definition of small." She rumbled a chuckle. "They're mature now."
He pushed back slightly and looked up at her, and she looked back, her slight grin back in place.
"He wants to use Unicron's power."
"Yes."
"He has to be stopped."
"That's what we're working on."
"You're working with the Autobots, but you still wear this symbol?"
"I'm a Decepticon. That doesn't mean I can't work with Autobots." One brow ridge lifted as her grin faded. "Primus made us all, and he never said that we had to be something we're not in order to serve him. Neither did his Creator."
"His creator?" Starscream blinked, but then started and turned his head as someone 'd'awwwwed'. "What...? Demolisher?"
"That's so cute." The green mech grinned. "It just gives me warm fuzzies!"
"Nah," said Cyclonus. "That's just the lint you're too lazy to clean out of your circuits."
"Shut up, both of you," growled Tidal Wave, whacking Cyclonus on the head with a severed Terrorcon spike ball.
"Owwww, Boss, he hit me!"
Starscream laughed, his faceplate brightening as he watched the familiar interaction between his old teammates.
Demolisher laughed with him, genuine gladness in the tank bot's expression. "So, does this mean you're one of us now, Starscream?"
That made the winged mech pause, and he looked up at Blackout, uncertainty and question in his optics.
"If you want," she said, silver optics smiling down at him.
"I..." He nodded slowly. "I'd like that."
Blackout grinned and turned toward the others, who were watching curiously. "Men, I'd like you to meet my new second in command."
"What?" Cyclonus giggled in protest. "Second in command!?! Does this mean you like him better than us??"
"No."
"Oh. Heheh, alright then." He turned and shot at Tidal Wave, who hurled the spike ball at him. It hit Demolisher, who yelped and added his two cents worth of cannon fire.
Blackout watched them with a fond smile, then looked down at Starscream, who was yet to leave the shelter of her arms. "Welcome to the team."
"Hold still!" cried Starscream, his scarred face twisted in a scowl as he fired again. "Ahhh! Let go of me, you idiot!"
"No." She smiled down at him, watching his face twist in confused disbelief as his teleport failed to work. "We need to have a talk."
"I'm not telling you anything! Megatron, help me!" He looked toward his leader.
"Can't you see that I'm a little busy, Starscream!" growled Megatron, then yelped as Ironhide gave him a shot to the rear.
"Ohhhh, that hadta hurt!" Cyclonus giggled.
"Kicker, behind you!" called Demolisher.
Blackout glanced toward them, noting Tidal Wave in the background chanting his battle cry as he busily ripped the native Scorponok's tail off. "It looks like it's just you and me, Starscream."
"No! Let me go!" He tried to struggle, and then shrieked as she pulled off his guns and threw them away.
"Better not have those till after I'm done." She glanced at the battle again, then lowered her cloak and and mentally looked at Primus as she flew down below the ship.
"What are you doing?" Starscream was shaking with pain and pinned like a butterfly, but still game to fight.
Blackout only quirked a grin as she felt power fill her empty spark chamber.
"...Why are you grinning?" A bit of apprehension leaked past his control.
"What has Megatron ever given you, Starscream?" She asked him frankly.
"Oh no! You're not going to enslave me with a kiss! I've got more processor capacity than those idiots!" He scowled.
Blackout shook her head slightly. "I never kissed Demolisher."
He stopped and blinked. "You didn't? But he's utterly loyal to you!"
"Because I gave him his life back."
"Uh... I don't understand."
"You don't even wonder about your past, do you?" She shifted her grip on him slightly, but he was too confused by what she was saying to notice.
"I don't have a past," he said. "All I have is my loyalty to Megatron. I live for him."
"But it wasn't always that way."
"So? That's all that matters now."
"No," she said softly. "It's not. Primus made us to be thinking beings, with processors of our own. Without your memories you're no one."
He frowned up at her, his green optics troubled as he tried to understand what she was saying past the programming that Megatron had imposed on his very spark.
"I belong to Megatron..." he said uncertainly.
"But you don't have to."
Confusion changed to mockery. "So you want me to belong to you, instead?"
"No." She gently put a hand over his spark and watched as it started to glow. "I want you to belong to yourself."
Starscream convulsed as she transmitted to him the files that he'd given to the Autobots on Earth ten years before, his optics going wide as he cried out. "Stop... what... nooooarrggggghhhh!"
He writhed, sobbing as the memories swirled around his processor and settled into order, then gasped and cried out again as his spark responded, flashing like a tiny star as it loosed the memories hidden deeply there. "No, no... please...."
Blackout held him, her grip changing from pin to reassuring embrace. "Don't fight them, Starscream. That's who you are. What you are."
The winged mech leaned against her helplessly, his sobs increasing till they shook his frame, one hand clutching a projection in her armor with a death grip.
"Shhh." The black femme rocked him slightly. "Shhh, it's alright."
In a few moments he fell silent, his face hidden against her chestplate as he looked at those memories and felt his self returning to him.
Then he stirred. "Rad... Carlos... Alexis.... My friends."
"They're fine," said Blackout gently. "All of them."
"They... aren't so small anymore, are they?"
"...For a definition of small." She rumbled a chuckle. "They're mature now."
He pushed back slightly and looked up at her, and she looked back, her slight grin back in place.
"He wants to use Unicron's power."
"Yes."
"He has to be stopped."
"That's what we're working on."
"You're working with the Autobots, but you still wear this symbol?"
"I'm a Decepticon. That doesn't mean I can't work with Autobots." One brow ridge lifted as her grin faded. "Primus made us all, and he never said that we had to be something we're not in order to serve him. Neither did his Creator."
"His creator?" Starscream blinked, but then started and turned his head as someone 'd'awwwwed'. "What...? Demolisher?"
"That's so cute." The green mech grinned. "It just gives me warm fuzzies!"
"Nah," said Cyclonus. "That's just the lint you're too lazy to clean out of your circuits."
"Shut up, both of you," growled Tidal Wave, whacking Cyclonus on the head with a severed Terrorcon spike ball.
"Owwww, Boss, he hit me!"
Starscream laughed, his faceplate brightening as he watched the familiar interaction between his old teammates.
Demolisher laughed with him, genuine gladness in the tank bot's expression. "So, does this mean you're one of us now, Starscream?"
That made the winged mech pause, and he looked up at Blackout, uncertainty and question in his optics.
"If you want," she said, silver optics smiling down at him.
"I..." He nodded slowly. "I'd like that."
Blackout grinned and turned toward the others, who were watching curiously. "Men, I'd like you to meet my new second in command."
"What?" Cyclonus giggled in protest. "Second in command!?! Does this mean you like him better than us??"
"No."
"Oh. Heheh, alright then." He turned and shot at Tidal Wave, who hurled the spike ball at him. It hit Demolisher, who yelped and added his two cents worth of cannon fire.
Blackout watched them with a fond smile, then looked down at Starscream, who was yet to leave the shelter of her arms. "Welcome to the team."