Title: Nemesis Calling

Title: Nemesis Calling (3/?)
Author: dreamerchaos
Sequel to ‘All Hail Starscream’
Fandom: ‘Revenge of the Fallen’.
Rating: Slash. MATURE. Dubious consent and gore thrown into several parts. Each chapter will have respective warnings.
Pairing: StarscreamxPerceptor.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are owned by Hasbro.
Characters: Perceptor. Starscream. Various characters from the movie as well.
Summary: The time is finally at hand…return to Earth, destroy the descendant of the Primes, and harvest the Earth. Perceptor must decide whether to betray his master and warn the Autobots, and thus endanger the risk of suffering Starscream’s wrath.

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They had to have been running for hours.

Perceptor doesn’t appear too tired. His vents slightly overheated, but he is still greatly outpacing Sam.

The human wheezes for breath, stumbling, leaning his shoulder against a tall tree. “..w-wait..” He gasps, hand squeezing a tight fist upon his shirt and chest, “I n-need to…catch my breath..”

Perceptor willingly complies, halting alongside the gasping human. Bending down to blend into the natural shade of the tree, the Neutral dares to look up through the canopy of thick leaves, peering around the tall organic structures. “We do not appear to have been followed.”

“G-good.”

“But I do not know where we are.”

“…don’t you have…GPS?”

“It has not been adequately updated.” Perceptor sheepishly admits, a weak flush of embarrassment tainting his voice, “And I was a bit rattled from what happened earlier, and as a result I did not triangulate our coordinates when we set off into the forest.”

“So we’re lost.”

“…Yes.”

“Terrific.” Sam collapses onto his rump, smacking the back of his head repeatedly against the rough bark of the tree as he bemoans his rash of bad luck. “If we don’t know where we’re going, then the Autobots can’t find us either. For all we know, they’re heading in the opposite direction! It could be hours before they find us…”

“…My comm. systems still function. I could send out a distress beacon…”

Sam waits, “…I hear a ‘but’ coming.”

“…But I am not familiar with the Autobot frequency. The distress beacon would signal across all open communication links. The Autobots comm. links. Human military network. And¯”

“And the beacon will reach the Decepticons.” Sam finishes with a weak moan.

Perceptor regretfully nods his head in agreement. “…it is a great risk. We do not know where our allies are, nor are we sure how close the enemy lies.”

“Damned if we do, damned if we don’t,” Noting Perceptor’s befuddled look, he clarifies, “Either we keep running and hope we stumble across the Autobots while we run the high risk of stumbling into the Decepticons anyway, or we release a distress beacon and increase the chances of the Autobots finding us before the Decepticons, but still maintaining the chance of being discovered by the Decepticons first.”

“It is a double-edged blade, so to speak.” Perceptor agrees sadly.

“……” Sam wracks his mind, trying to think of any other plan that can help them. Damn it! He’s no strategist; Sam was lucky to plan his college schedule without arranging two class periods during the same hour!

He sighs, “We don’t really have a choice.” Sam looks up towards the waiting mech, Perceptor awaiting his young charge’s decision. “Fire away, Perceptor. Hopefully Optimus and the others will catch the signal first.”

“As you wish.” Perceptor follows the instruction as Sam dictates. Blue optics flickering with concentration, and he tilts his helm back, looking up towards the orbiting satellite grips circling the planet, while accessing the comm. link system, uploading the schematic code to send out their distress beacon.

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Soundwave’s protruding mandible clicks with surprise as the distress beacon pings across his comm. link. The Decepticon chirring in surprised delight, tossing a small virus into the river of code, the tiny corrupted signal rocketing down the connection, racing towards the origination of the distress beacon.

He is less than happy when the virus hits a firewall and implodes within itself, disintegrated by the virus protection hardware, but its mission has proved successful. The coordinates laid out before him, the satellite image stenciled across his optics narrowing upon a lush plot of upstate New York State.

“Decepticons: Coordinates of the boy and Neutral downloaded. Commence recovery measures. Leave no one else online.”


<><><><><><><><><><>


“Optimus!”

“I know, Bumblebee.” The Autobot leader floors on the gas, the rest of the soldiers separating from the caravan of troop, taking to the side streets in order to converge on the same coordinates.

“The Decepticons would be processor-fragged if they hadn’t heard that!” Sideswipe roars past Optimus Prime, honking at the civilian throng of cars ahead that are impeding their path.

“Perceptor must have felt that he had no choice.” Ratchet defends, “But his actions may have worsened their predicament, should the Decepticons be within range of their position.”

“Less talking, more laying on the gas pedal!” Ironhide snaps, the truck cutting off the medic as he takes over another lane of traffic, “I’m ready to kick Decepticon aft! We need to get Sam and Perceptor out of there before the ‘Cons arrive and begin to scour the area looking for them!”

“Agreed.” Optimus Prime shifts into a parallel lane, “We must do everything within our power to protect Sam and Perceptor. Failure is not an option. Autobots, Roll Out!”

<><><><><><><><><><>


Sam nearly leaps out of his skin when a tinny shriek rips forth from Perceptor’s vocoder. The Neutral’s shoulders shuddering in epileptic fit, hands curling over his audios, fingers digging into his helm as he screams in agony.

“Perceptor!” Sam gasps.

The Neutral shudders, barely managing to remain on his pedes. Moaning in distress, face clenched in sharp pain, “T-that was very rude..” He stammers, fingertips digging into the side of his helm.

“What happened?!”

Perceptor waves away Sam’s worried concern, smiling in apology for distressing the young man so badly, “Apparently a Decepticon tried to upload a virus to track my location.” Sam’s eyes bulge comically, jaw dropping, worriedly watching as Perceptor slowly and carefully straightens, flexing and rattling his shoulders, as if trying to shake off the prickling tickle of the dead remains of the virus. Perceptor continues. “It was a wicked one; my firewalls feel as if they have been dragged across hot coals when they snagged the nasty little thing before it invaded my systems.”

“Are you sure that you’re all right?” Sam doggedly follows Perceptor as the mech walks a few yards away, vents hissing to try and cool his frame, slowly regaining his composure after such a sudden attack, “I mean…I didn’t know they would try to hurt you…” The human bites his lip, expression twisting between shame and remorse.

“It was my decision to make, and unfortunately someone responded unfavorably.” Perceptor reminds the young man. Sam still appearing greatly concerned, Perceptor quietly assures the human once more, “I assure you that I am still functioning at optimal strength. But thank you for asking, Sam.” His lips whisper a brief smile in the human’s direction.

“Hey, I’m just that great kind of guy.” Sam grins, shaking off the ill thoughts, following Perceptor’s lead to settle his fears behind them and move on, “Gotta look out for you, big guy. There’s a whole world out there yet to be explored.”

“True.” Perceptor admits. Scrutizing their every move ¯ keeping his optics on the sky, while ticking down to run scans on the rolling hills and trees around them ¯ as both human and Cybertronian dare to step out into the lonely blank expanse of a clearing, the break in the forest spilling into a curtain of light and cloudless sky, “I hope I am given the opportunity to explore this world further, beyond the screen and keypads of a computer.”

“I hope you get your wish.” Sam power walks alongside the mech, trying to keep up with his longer stride. The glare of the sun forcing him to shield his forehead and eyes with one hand, “How far do you think we’ve gone?” He asks.

“We have been moving for almost two hours. I estimate we have covered nearly seven miles, including the rough terrain where I had to carry you for fear of you falling and breaking one of your limbs.”

“I told you I could scale down that hillside that you claimed to be a cliff.” Sam mutters under his breath, “It had plenty of handholds!”

“If you call handholds those tiny holes and scraggly roots which wouldn’t hold a human youngling, let alone you.” Perceptor scowls. He had been horrified when the human had attempted to throw caution to the wind and try to scramble his way down the rough wall, Sam grippiing when Perceptor scooped him up and holding him firmly while the Neutral slowly and gracefully tread his way down the shaky dirt crevices and jagged wall.

“Nag, nag, nag.” Sam teases with a roll of his eyes, earning another reproving glare from the tall mech. “It wouldn’t take so long for us to cover a lot of ground if you had a new, sweet alternate mode. But nooooo. You’ve been too busy watching Youtube and downloading research articles instead of scanning an Earth mode.”

“It does not matter if I scan a different mode or not, my original Cybertronian based form does not possess either wings, nor wheels. Therefore, our predicament wouldn’t be helped by a ‘sweet new mode’, because we would still remain as we are, and we wouldn’t get anywhere faster.”

Sam childishly sticks his tongue out at the mech.

“Charming.” Before Perceptor can begin to spin into another long lecture about the human’s prolific desire to throw himself down a cliff-side in order to cover more distance at a greater speed ¯ and the complaints about Perceptor’s choice of holding off on a mode ¯ he is halted by the small dot in the sky.

“…Sam?” The human looks up, watching the intense look on the Neutral’s face, Sam trying to use his hand to shield the sunlight and look in the direction of whatever has caught Perceptor’s attention, “Do any of the Autobots possess a flight mode?” The red and cobalt mech asks.

“…no.” Sam dreads asking the reason for Perceptor’s question.

Perceptor is suddenly standing at his full height, frame rigid. Vents frozen, not hitching an inch of movment. The growing dark mass reflecting in his azure optics, the Neutral numbly watching the figure roar towards their position, a silver spear seaving the blue sky.

Perceptor’s low warning a whisper amongst the trees, the fauna having immediately gone silent, as if sensing the predator closing within their midst. “Sam. Run.”

Sam’s feet are flying at the first utterance of his name, both Perceptor and Sam flushed from their frozen position by the scream of F-22 Raptor engines.

Starscream fell from the heavens, a howling metal God spearing the clouds, talons spread as if the rake the brilliant blue sky, gnashing a grinning leer and metal plating armored for battle. The canvas of silver and gray tattoos marring his entire frame, Perceptor automatically reeling in alarm at the self-inflicted inscriptions.

“PERCEPTOR!” The very soil beneath the fleeing duo trembles as Starscream bellows, punching his fists into the nearest thick tree trunk, cracking the patchy gray and brown bark, “Don’t you dare run from me!” The Decepticon threatens darkly.

“Don’t look back!” Perceptor lags behind Sam after wasting precious astroseconds staring at Starscream dumbfounded, awed by the sight of Starscream and the modifications upon his frame. The Neutral shouting for Sam to keep running, racing to catch up with the fleeing human.

Sam ducks into the tree line, Perceptor quickly following, both of their shorter, slimmer frames allowing them to slip far more easily through the tall, stout organic sentinels.

Starscream is impeded because of his larger girth, wide wings preventing him from seamlessly following his prey. Snarling, the Seeker swings his arm around, punching and toppling one of the smaller trees, knocking it over as if battling a tower of toothpicks. “You think you can hide from me?” His arms transforms into a spinning gun, before the barrel snaps straight, locking along his forearm.

“Down!!” Perceptor dives for cover just as Sam leaps for shelter beyond a massive, fallen dead tree. The sputter of blaster fire dabbling and pocketing the grassy floor, beads of dirt and pebbles popping from the ground as the Seeker lays down a wave of destruction, the rain of gunfire mirrored by the curl of ashes and smoke, charred branches and huge chunks of trees crashing around the Neutral and the human.

Perceptor can just barely hear Sam’s terrified screams over the mechanical whine of Starscream’s gun. The red and cobalt too terrified to speak or shout, his throat locked tight by the wash of fear and panic. ‘Starscream will burn the entire forest down by the time he reaches us.’

Indeed, Starscream is frustrated when his paroxysm attack opens only a narrow gap within the edge of the tree line. Venting his rage, he lays down another wave of blaster fire, Perceptor ducking again, wincing as hot cinders dot his shoulders and shielding forearms.

Sam cries out, dropping and rolling, snuffing out the burning embers that have fallen upon his forearms, tiny flames licking up the sleeves of his shirt.

“N-now!” Sam’s arms are aching from the first and second degree burns, but he knows they need to seize the second lull when Starscream ceases firing to survey the subsequent epidemic of flamed ruins and cinders. Pushing onto his feet, Sam screams for Perceptor, “We have to run!”

When Perceptor darts from his shelter, the cluster of trees a shrunken memory of their former selves from the chunks of wood ripped away under gunfire, Starscream leaps into the air, thrusters online, the Seeker rising above the canopy, peering through the thick organic cover marring his tracking of the Cybertronian and much smaller human.

“This isn’t going to last forever.” Perceptor and Sam jump from shadow to shadow, another moving large angular black shadow mirroring their racing steps. Sam wheezing, red in the face, while Perceptor is oddly calm as he continues to speak, “He can’t be stopped.”

“W-we¯” Sam nearly trips over a slick patch of dead leaves, “We just..need to keeping..going until the..Autobots get here…” He manages through each gasp.

“Sam.” Perceptor wraps his hand around the human’s shoulder, forcefully halting Sam, the sharp arrest leaving dark bruises upon the young man’s tanned flesh when he forces the human to stop and listen to his warning. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. The Decepticons found us first. Both of us will not last long enough for the Autobots to get here.”

“Don’t say that!” Sam snaps, glaring at the mech, hands twisting around the unmoving grip surrounding his upper torso and shoulder, “How can you say that?! I made a promise to come back! We’re going to get out of here. Together!”

“No.” Perceptor refutes, “Not together, we won’t.”

Out of the blue Sam jerks rigid, eyes as round as dinner plates as the electrical current surges from Perceptor’s hand, the sudden shock traveling in a wave, thrumming through his carbon-based form.

The electrical current seizes just as swiftly as it had struck. Perceptor carefully lowers the paralyzed human, arranging his twitching arms and legs more comfortably.

“W-w-what..ddiidd yoouu…doooo?” Sam’s head rolls helplessly, frightened eyes looking up into Perceptor’s apologetic dark face.

“I’m am so sorry, Samuel. I know it hurt. But the paralysis is temporary, it will last only a few minutes.” Perceptor softly promised while carefully, so gently, resting his fingertips upon the human’s chest, quashing his worry that his rashness may have caused unintentional harm, timing the human’s pulse rate and breathing until he is comfortable that Sam is for the most part undamaged save for his slurred speech, “But I can not let you risk your life when there is something that I can do to halt Starscream before he can get his hands on you. He would kill you.”

Sam’s eyes manage to widen further, the realization of Perceptor’s intent sinking in. Mouth opening and closing, he twitches a few times, trying to shake his head. “..n-n-n-noooo..donnn’t…b-be a hero.”

“I’m no hero, Sam. To be perfectly blunt, I am utterly terrified about what I plan to do. I’m a bit of a coward about the fact that I am going to confront my master.” Perceptor’s serene, gentle face fills his vision, the Neutral smiling poignantly, “What a shame that our time together has been so short. I am happy that I had the chance to meet you, Sam. I am sorry that I will not be able to explore this world as I had hoped.”

Sam’s words ripple with a low growl of frustration and a sob of denial, “Don’t!”

“Goodbye, Sam.” Perceptor steps around the young man, making sure that his stunned body is well hidden in the shadows of a dense cluster of trees. Gracing the horrified human with one final smile, the Neutral turns away, running in the direction of the farthest tree line. Followed patiently by the whine of Starscream’s thrusters, the Decepticon tracking the glint of paint and movement peeking just below the thick foliage.

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“PERCEPTOR!!”

The Neutral darts out of the trees and into another clearing. Cursing his sense of luck and bad direction, he staunchly refuses to look back, the whine of engines and the heat of the Seeker’s thrusters chasing him.

“Do run away, Pet.” Starscream’s landing causes nary a tremble as he lands with fluid grace belying the seemingly awkwardness and design of his Earth based modifications, his footsteps moving at a steady pace, and fast approaching. For such a large creature so commonly witnessed soaring across the heavens, the Decepticon is equally terrifying on land, his sinewy, long legs giving him far more distance spanning gait with each step, “Keep running if you think it will make a difference, Perceptor! The chase will only stir my transfluid that much further!”

The red and cobalt prey ducks and weaves around the thinning patches of trees, the terrain clearing, Perceptor not realizing that he is drawing closer to an forest ranger station, the trees cut back and thinned away to prevent the risk of fire breaking out too close to the buildings.

If any rangers are on duty, they are in for a shocking surprise.

The smaller red and cobalt metal giant crumbles to his knees due to a swift kick to the back of his ankle and shin, his headlong sprawl onto his hands and knees sending several of the vehicles in the dirt parking lot spinning. Perceptor shrinking into a ball, fingers wrapped around the sparking, dented silver main strut and thinner support beams tracking up his ankle, while Starscream looms above him, sneering in guileless pleasure.

“You always tease me, Pet.” Starscream purrs sibilantly, pinning the Neutral to the ground for good measure, nuzzling the dark mandible, warm atmosphere brushing his dermal plating as Perceptor gasps in throbbing pain and the surge of adrenal fluids racing throughout his cables and circuits.

“M-Master, no…” Perceptor beseeches Starscream for mercy, trying to slither free from the Seeker’s talons. Whining when Starscream curls his fingertips in between the seams peppering his back strut, the wicked claws tangling among the hypersensitive wiring.

“Now you entreat me to be gentle!” Starscream snarls his fingertips deeper, twisting tighter, growling as his pet cries out, “After daring to flee from the ship! Hiding amongst these little bipedal insects! And you dare to run from me yet again! Further, you have hidden the boy from me!”

Perceptor’s undamaged pede scrapes the dirt and pebbles, feebly continuing to try and crawl away. Fingers gouging the soil as he cringes and stutters from the lancing shards of pain raking down his back strut. “I’m sorry!”

“Sorry!” Starscream pushes down, scraping Perceptor’s chin across the ground, “That’s all I ever hear from you! But oh! Never sorry about your error! You feel regret only because you have been caught in an act of betrayal! Daring to betray me! Your Master! Starscream!”

Perceptor sobbed, crying out, his processor reeling from the screaming feedback from the neural sensory net around his spinal column. Starscream’s talons feeling as if they curled completely around the stacked vertebrae unit, the twisting grip threatening to rend his spine from his frame.

Starscream arrests his assault when he notices the trickle of crystal-shined lubricants dew dropping down from the corners of Perceptor’s pained, tapered blue optics, the Neutral whining under the hush of his vents, a spill of lavender dashed liquid seeping between the plates above his spinal unit, signaling the severing of several wires ¯ thankfully recoverable by the time his repair systems come online and during the next joor the repair maintenance is finally through ¯ the bundled chains of wires nicked by the edge of Starscream’s talons.

Carefully, meticulously retracting one talon at a time, Starscream uncurls his wicked grip from Perceptor’s internal systems. Lapping idly at the glistening fluid slicking his claws, leaning over and flicking his glossa to capture the drops of lubricants tickling the flushed dark plating of his cheeks, energon flooding the undersurface of his dermal plating from heightened stress and humiliation, creating a flush of distress across Perceptor’s cheeks.

“Hush, Pet,” Starscream soothes, curling his hands around Perceptor’s shoulders, pulling his pet into his embrace, ignoring while Perceptor tries to squirm free, hiding his grimacing face from the Seeker, “Hush. You acted poorly, but I have been unapologetically unkind. Too harsh, and I caused inadvertent damage.” It’s the only apology that Starscream deigns to provide, but it is high praise for the Seeker to offer any semblance of regret, let alone admit to an admission of guilt.

Perceptor whimpers, burying his face into his master’s neck while Starscream nuzzles and croones to his shivering pet.

“Starscream!” A Decepticon helicopter shoots above them. Perceptor noting with alarm that the mech is heading in the direction of Sam’s hideaway, “Prime is right on my aft!” The helicopter warns the Seeker over the comm. link.

“Where are the other Autobots?” Starscream demands.

“Several miles behind him! Lord Megatron will intercept the Prime before the Autobot can reach the human! Megatron commands you to follow me and assist.”

“Lord Megatron can suck camshaft.” Starscream’s crude insult stuns both his pet and the other Decepticon. “I have what I came for! Let Megatron enjoy entertaining his brother on his lonesome!” The Seeker stands, pulling Perceptor up to dangle within his arms several feet off the ground.

“Wait! Where do you think you’re going?!”

“Back to the Nemesis,” Starscream directs his next words to Perceptor, “Transform right now. Do not make me repeat myself.”

Starscream cackles with mirth, “I’ll be curious to see whether Megatron manages to defeat Prime, or if he will end up sleeping with the fish yet again.” Starscream places Perceptor within his cockpit, his pet’s microscope form shrunk down to allow for a comfortable fit. Insulting his fellow Decepticon further by not responding to his infuriated hails, Starscream transformers, blasting a long strip of exhaust and discharged heat waves as he spears towards the clouds, and stabbing a path through the stratosphere, engaging his thrusts and guidance system, running over his calculations for when he would arrive aboard the decrepit stationary Decepticon ship.