Closed Log: Murder

[crackofthunder]

WHO: Starscream, Thundercracker, Blackarachnia and Murder
WHERE: StarWave Tower
WHEN: Murder Time
WARNINGS: Murder
SUMMARY: Murder
FORMAT: Murder

Comments

[borrowyourpower]

Blackarachnia does her part with the aid of the powers she borrowed from Vector Prime. Well, the first part. She makes sure there's no way for Starscream to escape. This is the last thing she plans to do for Thundercracker. After this she's done. She's leaving the city.

There's nothing left for her here.

All the extra windows are sealed, only one left. But it has to wait, it can't be sealed until the target is where they want him. So she waits, hiding out of sight until she can make the move.

She informs Thundercracker that all the windows but one are sealed then lets the line fall silent. While she waits she thinks. Trying to decide on where she's going to go.

[loltraitorlol]

Fortunately for them both, Starscream has never been particularly observant, and not today. He flies slowly, his body aching, and he inwardly curses Skyfire. He loves the shuttle - of that he has no doubt - but today he's simply angry. Idiot, having a mild case of the flu is not a 'wonderful oppertunity for study', it's a fragging inconvenience is what it is.

He flies in and opens the window, not noticing the sealant on the others.

He's brooding. There's so much... he's failed in so many ways. The Arsenal situation is rapidly becoming so complex he doesn't know what to do. Both Shockwave and Soundwave seem to be working against him, especially the latter. He's not even sure anymore what he did to earn such ire. Decepticons are being ported out left and right, the only ones left incompetent at best, and the Autobot forces are swelling

[crackofthunder]

His entrance is heard, and he has to take a deep breath to steady his nerves. The cart full of cleaning products is left in the hallway, save for one bottle of cleaner and a cloth.

The door to the office opens, and he steps in with a seeming intent to shuffle about his "job," his head kept bowed with the hat concealing his face. Giving Blackarachnia time to quietly seal off that last window now that he's in.

[borrowyourpower]

She keeps her eyes on that window. Once Starscream is in she gives him a few moments to get away from the window and settled in before she makes her way over. Quickly she seals off the window then vanishes from sight.

The great thing about Vector's powers is that she can easily time out everything she needs to do. Once she's sure that Thundercracker is in position she focuses on getting herself into the office with the aid of the borrowed powers.

She's going to have to remember to inform the Prime about his abilities after this is all over.

[loltraitorlol]

Starscream stood when the janitor came in, puzzled. He didn't allow anyone to clean his office but himself - something that people found very strange, but a policy he stuck to. Even here, where he kept few of his secrets, he didn't want to risk any spies.

"Excuse me," he said, "are you daft? The policy is that you're not to - "

And then Blackarachnia simply appeared.

Oh.

His first instinct was to run. To try to fly out, to flee like a coward.

No.

He suppressed it. He considered. He reflected. What is logical? What would Shockwave do?

If Shockwave were immortal and Shockwave had the secret you do...

He stood, and narrowed his eyes.

"I see," he said.

He didn't fire yet. He simply stood there, observing them both. "I take it you didn't come here to talk."

[crackofthunder]

The hat comes off and the hair comes out. The eyes glow red.

"On the contrary. I have some things to say to you, Mr. Astrum."

Slowly, he starts to stride forward.

"You think you have the right to ownership of my existence. That ends now."

"You think you can destroy my life without retribution. That ends now."

"You think nine million years of following your orders entitles you to nine million years more, despite the fact that you've already admitted that, in your optics, my destiny is to die at your hand."

His fists start to glow a fiery orange-red.

"That ends now."

[borrowyourpower]

Blackarachnia stays back, letting Thundercracker take care of it. She's just there to watch. Maybe catch Starscream if he tries to run.

Sure she'd love nothing more than to torture Starscream. She'd actually enjoy it but this is Thundercracker's show. It was his plan, his idea. Mostly his revenge.

She stays silent, surprisingly nothing to say.

[loltraitorlol]

And then Starscream started laughing.

It was raucous, grating, like machinery that hadn't been oiled in vorns.

It ended in a rasping cough.

"You think it ends, Thundercracker?" he laughed. "It never ends. You could kill me now, oh yes. It'd be easy. But you know this city. What is death, here? I'll come back in a few days, bereft some measly memories - likely a couple I could do without - and then what? What will you do, kill me again? Will we then be locked in a cycle of death, each murdering the other until no memories remain?"

Of course, in his case, he'd remember everything. Unless Thundercracker had found out how to truly kill him, and that he doubted.

He drew himself up straight, trying to hide how sick he felt, how he wobbled on his feet.

"This won't end a thing. It may change the shape of the game, and it may make you feel a little better, but ultimately? We are Decepticons. Misery is writ in our manufacture; destruction and death our trade. You will never escape it. Not even now. Not ever

[crackofthunder]

Blast it. He'd hoped to appeal to his buckling cowardice that so often found him groveling to Megatron.

Of course, it's only Megatron who inspires that terrified need to supplicate. He's all too aware of that.

The desk comes flying at him, and he doesn't dodge it. His arms raise up to block it, that adrenaline pumping enough to grant him enough resistance to damage that he can just crack it in half and let it fall to each side behind him.

"LISTEN TO ME, Starscream," his brother growls. "You are so blasted set on being our leader, but you never actually think like one. You have to be a moron to continue to waste time, effort and energon on continually trapping someone who wants nothing to do with you. It's a lost cause, utterly useless, and will only consume resources just like we did to Cybertron! The same slagging mistakes over and over!"

He races up to punt him square in the face while he's shaking.

"THAT. ENDS. NOW!"

[borrowyourpower]

Blackarachnia is all ready to jump at Starscream as he flies toward the window. Just looking for a reason to sink her fangs into him. However she stops herself, but only because Thundercracker was closer and faster.

A cold laugh leaves her as the seeker's foot connects with the other's face.

She makes her way closer, all four eyes narrowed at Decepticon leader. "I could make him less of a moving target if you'd like." she offers without taking her eyes off him.

As much as she'd like to draw this out, something in her tells her they need to finish this quick. Something else also tells her how wrong and pointless this all is. But she's grown used to blocking out that part of herself.

[loltraitorlol]

Oh frag.

It's the only thing he can think as Thundercracker breaks the desk almost as though it's nothing.

He was always the stronger of them, physically. Thundercracker for strength and grace, Skywarp for pure speed (at least, with his teleportation) and Starscream, supposedly, for cleverness.

Which was really just enough rope to hang himself with.

The kick connected solidly with his face, fracturing his jaw and breaking teeth, sending him to the floor. He lay, stunned and dizzy, not able to respond to Thundercracker's words, or even think straight for a few seconds. A cough escaped him, along with a few shattered teeth.

Get up, slag you. Find the energy. Return fire.

But what he says is logical.

And at once he's torn.

His own spark tells him to snap, to rage, to deny everything Thundercracker's saying; but that selfsame cool logic which has kept him from fleeing tells him: He is correct. It would be a waste of time and resources.A compromise, then. Buy time. Or try to

[crackofthunder]

Starscream was always quicker than him, and even diseased and bleeding, the laser fire catches him in the shoulder, spinning him around and back... but he does his best to roll with the impact, pirouetting into a crouching stance, steadying himself to pounce as soon as he recovers from the pain.

"Then learn this! I don't care what reasons you have, Starscream," he spits. "I'm here to make sure you learn from the mistake you made in destroying our life. I'm here to make sure you and your slagging immortal spark learn that I am no longer yours to abuse!"

A quick glance to Blackarachnia, and a swift hand gesture to ask her to hold back for the moment - this animosity goes back several million years, as should be obvious to her, but he's not about to deny her her own vengeance, either.

"In the only language you ever slagging understand!"

There's the leap, diving to tackle him back to the ground, driving his shoulder hard into his midsection.

[borrowyourpower]

The femme manages to dodge any lasers fired her way. She was always a hard target when things were more in her control.

Thundercracker's gesture elicits a hiss from her. What's the point of her even being here if there's nothing she's allowed to do? She's more than half tempted to just leave. Something that'd be very easy for her to do.

[loltraitorlol]

Starscream's exhausted. At this point, he can't even gather up enough energy for a proper return of fire. He takes the hit full force, the wind knocked out of him by the blow, and goes to the ground.

At this point, he lets himself go limp. Sometimes, it's better not to struggle. Take your punishment like a Decepticon, you useless pile of scrap!

So he will.

[crackofthunder]

There was a song Thundercracker heard once in prison. Somebody was singing it while he was delivering laundry to people in solitary confinement. It was a song about a man who had spent his life turning away from conflict, avoiding fights whenever he could out of a sense of obligation to his miscreant father. Until a line was crossed. A woman was savaged. And he slaughtered the three men responsible.

Nine million years of crawlin' was bottled up inside him. He wasn't holdin' nothin' back. He let 'em have it all.In the beating that follows, the surreal silence of Starscream refusing to fight back and Thundercracker not caring, only the sounds of impact are heard

[borrowyourpower]

Blackarachnia watches, slightly horrified by the savagery in which Thundercracker beats Starscream. However she does her best to not let that show.

When Starscream's body lands at her feet she can't stop herself from taking a step back. She looks from Thundercracker then back down.

She's beginning to regret this. Just another thing to add to her ever growing list.

She kneels next to the downed seeker, quickly snagging a handful of his hair. She jerks his head up so that she's nearly face to face with him. A slow grin forms on her lips.

"Would you like your pain to stop?" her voice comes out surprisingly sweet.