Chapter 2: Did I Become a Decepticon?!
"What? What are you talking about? Who am I? Starscream? Isn't that the nickname of some fallen woman?"
Ryan no, Starscream now stared in shock at the short little robot before him named Rumble. Yes, a Transformer a small, intelligent robot who could run and jump around. And at this moment, Starscream himself seemed to have become one of these so-called Transformers.
"What's a fallen woman? Is that an Autobot warrior? Anyway, this time, the Decepticons have won several major battles on Cybertron! Those Autobots have retreated to their last stronghold. I think they'll collapse soon! Brother Starscream, it's a pity your injuries haven't fully healed, or you could've followed Brother Megatron to kill Optimus Prime yourself."
Megatron? Optimus Prime?
Why… why do those names sound so familiar?
As soon as the small Transformer mentioned those two names, Starscream's CPU went haywire, golden sparks bursting from his massive metal head.
"Bzzzzt! Crackle!"
"Ah! Brother Starscream, what's wrong? Did your iron wound short-circuit again? Don't worry, I'll get a medic right away!"
Starscream… Decepticon… Autobot…
So he was a Transformer named Starscream, belonging to the Decepticon faction.
From what he'd gathered so far, this planet was called Cybertron, inhabited by sentient mechanical beings known as Transformers. Locked in a war for control of their world, they had split into two factions the Decepticons and the Autobots. Judging by the current situation, the Decepticons held overwhelming dominance, while the Autobots were on the brink of annihilation.
In other words, our dear Starscream had been "reborn" in the right place. Although he vaguely remembered once being a human called Ryan, that identity had already begun to fade like a distant dream.
"Lord Starscream, we're late! Since all the Decepticon medics have been assigned to the frontlines, we could only bring this Autobot nurse to perform a simple treatment. Please forgive us!"
Rumble was efficient barely three minutes after running off, he returned with several Decepticons… and one Autobot.
Wait what?
How could Transformers have male and female forms?
Starscream froze, utterly confused. He had assumed this was a purely mechanical world. Yet the supposed Autobot prisoner before him was clearly different from the male Decepticon warriors around her. Though her metal structure was similar, her frame was much slimmer, with two oval steel plates protruding from her chest creating a very… unexpectedly striking sight.
Could it be that these Transformers actually had… sexual characteristics?
"Damn Autobot! What are you standing there for? Hurry up and examine Lord Starscream! If you can't fix him, we'll blast your head off and feed your parts to the robo-dogs!"
The one shouting was a Decepticon warrior shaped like a tractor. Though his form was plain, he carried a massive laser rifle, and the poor Autobot nurse trembled in fear. Hesitant but obedient, she reached out and touched Starscream's shoulders.
"Please lie down, patient. I need to perform a full-body scan."
She clearly wasn't a combat unit probably support staff. Yet, for some strange reason, the moment her hands touched Starscream's metallic frame, he felt an unfamiliar comfort a warmth not physical but coming from deep within his spark.
What… what was this feeling?
Before he could ponder it, the Autobot nurse's eyes turned green. Twin beams of light shot from them, scanning the wound on Starscream's body. Intricate golden symbols flickered along the damage like binary code, except shifting too fast for anyone but him to comprehend.
"Autobot, I'm warning you don't try anything funny! How's our Lord Starscream?"
Rumble's tone was fierce but laced with genuine worry, like that of a loyal brother.
"This lord has suffered severe internal damage. The surface plating was repaired with super-alloy, but fifteen conical screws inside are still missing. If not replaced, the wound will reopen again and again."
As the saying goes, an expert sees the essence; an amateur sees the show.
Starscream's injuries were from battle, and with no professional medics available, he'd only received a superficial fix his wound welded shut with super-alloy to make it look healed.
They had assumed that would solve the issue, but the damage was located at the core region of his head. Without this detailed scan, no one would have known that fifteen key screws were missing. That was why his old wounds kept reopening eventually leaving him unable to even lift his weapon, forcing him to retreat from the battlefield.
And now, perhaps by luck or fate, this Autobot nurse had discovered the true cause.
"So what's your solution? Tell us quickly! Just list the parts you need our warehouses are overflowing!"
The Decepticons now occupied half of Cybertron and had more resources than one could imagine. Rumble's tone carried that unmistakable arrogance of the rich.
"I was imprisoned in your warehouse once," the Autobot nurse said sharply. "And I can tell you there aren't any parts that match this lord's body!"
"What?! What did you say?! You stupid Autobot! How could we not have the parts Lord Starscream needs?"
"Because he's not built like you ground units," she snapped back. "You're terrestrial Transformers but Lord Starscream is Aerial Force. His components aren't interchangeable!"
Indeed, the professional was right.
(End of Chapter)