[Fic] Chaos: Pride 3

[taralynden]

Chapter 3

Summary: Sometimes Starscream's pride isn't at all good for him...

Warning: the abuse continues. Very dubious consent at the end of the chapter - read with care.


Skywarp flinched as something clattered against the wall just behind him and scrubbed harder at the wall panel, desperate not to draw attention to himself.

Starscream was in one of the foulest moods he had been in for vorns and had become quite vicious over the past three orns since the last successful raid. Whatever was going on, Megatron was clearly at the heart of it, frequently found to be lingering around wherever Starscream was, watching in amusement and sipping at a now ever-present cube of energon. Had he figured out about the raids?

A small body slammed into the floor just in front of him - Frenzy, clipped by fresh laser fire. Usually Skywarp would be happy enough to see the irritating casetticon get fried, but all he had done today was offer Starscream some of his own energon ration as a peace offering. That offer had led to the most impressive tantrum so far, and so far the cassetticon had lost two limbs and most of his back panel. He now appeared to be offline, but whether that would convince the infuriated Starscream to stop or whether it would infuriate him more still remained to be seen.

Sudden pain in his shoulder made him realise that he had stopped working while he looked over Frenzy and Starscream had gotten him with a shockstick.

"Who told you to stop! Double-shift, no break! All of you!"

"Aw come on..." Blitzwing began to groan.

Starscream moved so fast that Skywarp wondered if he had learned to teleport. One moment he was looming over the black Seeker and downed cassetticon, the next he had Blitzwing in a chokehold and one laser, fully charged, pressed firmly to the triplechanger's chestplate. Skywarp nearly scoffed at the bluff: surely he would not actually fire that close to the other's spark? Then he saw the look on his trinemate's face and reassessed. Given his current mood there was no telling what he would or would not do, and even Blitzwing seemed to recognise that.

For a terrible, silent moment everyone held still rather than be responsible for Starscream's next move. And then a voice spoke up.

"Dear me, Starscream. Shouldn't you find somewhere more private for your liasons?"

Starscream flung Blitzwing away from himself, beginning to babble some explanation, but Megatron cut him off.

"Well, that's none of my concern, I suppose. I do approve of this cleaning regime you've implemented, though. You are going to see that the whole ship is done?"

The whole ship? Skywarp nearly moaned as he thought of how large the Nemesis was, even wih some parts inaccessible from the crash. Nearly moaned, but didn't. He was not suicidal.

"Well of course." Starscream said after a moment, clearly feeling he was being slighted. "That is just as I planned."

"Very well. Report to me when it's done."

For some reason, that made Starscream squawk as if Megatron had just asked him to do it all himself.

"After!"

Megatron had taken a drink of energon, and now looked at Starscream curiously.

"Of course. What point is there reporting before the task is complete?"

"But... it'll take orns!" Starscream gasped.

"You have plenty of assistance." Megatron waved a hand. "And I'm sure you can find others if you look."

"Yes, but..." Starscream began desperately, then cut himself off with an effort and turned away. "Get back to work!"

Skywarp ducked his head and began scrubbing once more. The only thing more dangerous than an angry Megatron was an amused one, and whatever Starscream had gotten himself into this time Skywarp just wanted out of it.

Thundercracker crept down the sparkly-clean corridors, wondering vaguely if they had shone this much even when they were first installed.

Everyone was exhausted since everyone had been involved, and as predicted it had taken orns. Four, so far. If it had been Starscream's idea alone he would have been long-since abandoned to it, but Megatron seemed to expect everyone to pitch in as required. Including Soundwave, much to the Communications Officer's shock when he went to complain.

For his part, Starscream had been working feverishly, alternating between railing at slackers and doing the work himself. Mixmaster had come up with some formula which made the work easier, but no-one could dispute that Starscream had worked twice as hard as anyone else, taking few breaks, ignoring the damage the caustic fluids were doing to his paintjob, desperate to get the job finished.

Someone had started a joke that Starscream was so keen to make his report because he and Megatron were lovers and the warlord was withholding his favours. They kept the jokes quiet - Megatron would not be amused, and Starscream was just as likely to slag anyone who suggested such a thing to his face with the mood he was in - but the rumour spread. If they knew the truth they would find it less amusing, Thundercracker thought angrily, then just as quickly conceded that some of them were sick enough that they would be amused by the thought of Starscream being raped. Especially after this pit of a work detail.

Turning a corner, he finally found his wingmate working alone in the final section. A joor ago Megatron had dismissed everyone else, telling them to recharge, but Starscream had insisted on continuing even though he was clearly exhausted. Thundercracker had deliberately set an internal alarm to wake him when he had used two-thirds of his allotted recharge power, saving the remaining third for his team leader. Starscream was on the brink of collapse and a single allowance of recharge, as measly as it was these orns, was not going to be enough to revive him. He had not been willing to rest when spoken to in front of everyone else, but perhaps now that he was alone he could be convinced to at least take a short nap?

"Starscream?"

The battered Seeker was a sorry sight, wings drooping, covered in scrapes and painfully raw patches of bare metal where acid and other cleaning fluids had eaten away at his paint. He had been almost doubled over, but now he straightened, his optics flickering back online. Had he been working with them switched off? Thundercracker wondered.

"Who...? Oh. What do you want?"

"You need a break. Why don't you...?"

"No." Starscream groaned, turning back to his work. "Have to finish this."

Reluctantly, Thundercracker moved forward and surveyed what remained to be done. There was not actually that much, really. No more than a couple of breems with Mixmaster's clever formula. But he was thoroughly sick of cleaning walls and he did not want to volunteer.

"Does it really matter how fast it gets done?"

Starscream gave no answer, and Thundercracker watched him helplessly for a few clicks before unsubspacing the cube he had held back from his last meal.

"At least eat something. You can't've eaten in joors."

"N-not hungry." Starscream stuttered.

"Don't be stupid." Thundercracker growled at him. "We're all hungry. Always. There's never enough to go around."

"Then eat it yourself and stop complaining."

"You're going to collapse if you don't give yourself a break! Why are you doing this?"

"To prove his loyalty to me." Megatron's voice made him jump in surprise and he quickly bowed and pressed himself up against one of the walls so as not to block his path.

"Lord Megatron!"

"Can it not be said that I have complete control over my troops?" Megatron asked, walking slowly up to them. "Here, I have my Air Commander on his hands and knees scrubbing the decks of his own volition, refusing rest and sustenance so that he can complete the task more quickly. Give me that cube, Thundercracker, and watch."

He did so quickly, fully expecting some casual swat or other attack, but Megatron simply took it and stepped over to Starscream.

"Do you want this?"

"No." the answer was rasped.

"Are you sure? Your trinemate seems rather worried for your health. Don't you want to reassure him?"

"I don't want it."

"Of course, he should be worried, shouldn't he?" Megatron purred, broaching the cube and sipping at it. "Just how long has it been since you last fuelled, Starscream?"

Starscream stubbornly continued scrubbing, not answering, and suddenly Megatron kicked him, sending him sprawling.

"I asked you a question. How long?"

"S-seven orns!" Starscream hissed, struggling to regain his balance in the slippery fluids on the floor. "As you well know!"

Seven orns! Thundercracker stared at him in dismay. He must be running on fumes now. Even if he had consumed his entire portion of the raid before starting this fast he would be in trouble, but it was unlikely that he had. He preferred to store it up in case of shortages. How was he still online?

"Seven orns." Megatron mused. "I do wonder just how much longer you can hold out, then? But of course, that's why you won't go and recharge, isn't it? If you go offline right now..."

If he went offline, his systems would refuse to come back online until he had some fuel, Thundercracker finished the statement queasily as Starscream cut him off.

"I will not be the one to fail here, Megatron." he snarled, finally gaining his feet. "You will not beat me so easily."

Megatron peered at him for a moment, then shook his head.

"I fear the lack of energon is going to your memory core, Starscream. This was never a competition. You could have come to me and asked for leniency earlier."

Starscream spluttered incoherently, then yelped and flinched away as Megatron offered the cube again.

"No?" Megatron asked, openly amused. "Ah well. Perhaps then it's time you made your report."

The red and white Seeker tottered a little.

"N-now?"

"Yes. Now. I shall see you in my office. Your trinemate will no doubt complete the remaining work before I do my official inspection."

With that he swept off, and Thundercracker hurried forward to catch Starscream before he collapsed where he stood.

"Seven orns!" he whispered. "Are you mad? You could've killed yourself!"

"And who would've mourned me then?" Starscream asked tiredly, then shoved Thundercracker away before he could answer. "Don't be stupid. You two hate me just as much as the rest of them, you just got stuck with being trined with me."

"That's not..." Thundercracker began.

"Shut up and just make sure you get this done." Starscream interrupted, staggering up the hall. "And get Skywarp to help you, I don't want to see him when I get back to rest. You'd both be better off without me."

Thundercracker watched him take two steps and pause. A third step, unsteadily. Then he collapsed in a heap.

It was a sign of how many systems he had shut down that he did not even notice that he had reached the office already, and worse, that Megatron was not alone. Knowing what was coming, he tried to restart his full sensor network - Megatron would not be pleased if his touches did not garner any responses - and then realised he could feel a hand on his arm. Before he could react to that, he belatedly noticed a conversation which was at least halfway through.

"...don't like this. He needs a full transfusion."

"Later. You may have him for that in a groon's time. This will hold him until then?"

When had he lain down? For that matter, where was he? This was not Megatron's office after all, it was... Hook's research room? How had he gotten down here? His optics finally came fully online and he saw Hook and Megatron standing nearby.

"Unlikely." Hook responded grudgingly. "Four breems, at most. After that, it's risky."

"Very well, four breems will have to do." Megatron snapped impatiently. "Now get out."

He was connected to an energon injector, he realised fuzzily, and felt a tinge of worry enter his thoughts. Wasn't there some reason he was not supposed to be having any energon?

"About time you came back online." Megatron huffed. "Could you not at least have taken the energon cube I offered if you were truly so low on energy?"

Starscream blinked up at him, unable to come up with a response to that.

"How'd I get here?" he slurred.

Megatron scowled.

"Your trinemates carried you here. Before, I might add, informing me that you had collapsed. I will have to have you punish them, obviously."

"Obviously." Starscream echoed blankly, not taking that in at all as his memory latched on to his last task. "Did I finish the scrubbing?"

"Practically." Megatron snorted, his hand doing something to Starscream's chest. "It would have been much more fun if you had cheated."

"You set the rules." Starscream mumbled, the sudden rush of energon making him dizzy and so he offlined his optics again. "In front of everyone. Had to do it, then."

"You and your pride. One orn it will kill you, my little Seeker."

"Hasn't ye...ah!"

He came fully awake with a start as he felt strong fingers prising at his spark chamber.

"Open up." Megatron grunted. "I've been five orns for this and I'm not waiting any longer."

Frantically he tried to override his automatic defenses, but he was too slow and they kept resetting themselves. Then Megatron cuffed him around the head for holding out and it knocked his equilibrium entirely offline.

"W-wait." he begged. "Please. I j-just need a m-moment."

"You're telling me to wait?" Megatron hissed at him. "How dare you!"

Dredging up strength he was not entirely sure he had, he put all of his concentration into releasing the locks on the cover over his interface port and sobbed helplessly in relief when he heard it open.

"Better."

His whole body jolted with the first contact, and he was vaguely aware he was keening, but he kept his attention on that port. He had to keep it open. Something popped in his head but he ignored it. His vocaliser shorted out and he ignored that too. And then the connection was broken, and he felt Megatron leaning over him.

"You are mine, Starscream. You don't even get to die without my permission. Do you understand? Answer me!"

But he could not. And then it all went dark again.

A/N: this is as dark as it gets, I swear.