Author's Note: Note that this takes place directly after "Operation Bumblebee part 2", after MECH steals Starscream's T-Cog, leaving him unable to transform. I truly enjoy Starscream's character in Transformers Prime and I hope I did him justice. Please tell me what you think!

Humiliation. Insufferable, ridiculous, ludicrous humiliation!

Starscream loped through a sparse forest, his footfalls clunky in the night, one claw-like servo still held over his torso as the shock of the evening continued to register in the Decepticon's mind. To be betrayed and mocked in such a way... and by humans, too. "My T-Cog," he uttered again, crimson optics round with dismay. It was one thing being humiliated by your own kind, or even your leader. It was quite another to be brought down to the lowest levels of weakness by having your only Cybertronian organ, the very one that enables you the ability to transform, stolen by a group of flesh-bags.

If anyone, Cybertronian, human, figment or else real saw him in this state, Starscream would be eternally doomed.

He panted, pathetically grunting as he scaled a hillside, darting under the light of a bright moon across a stream, his legs kicking up a flurry of droplets. "It's not fair!" he decided, reaching the other side, still holding himself at his waist as he continued running. "What have I ever done to earn such a mocking defeat?"

He paused and gasped fearfully. Not the 'd' word. Not ever the word 'defeat' alongside the name of Starscream! He was not entirely dismantled and dead, so then he was not defeated. This was just a setback. An alarmingly, humiliating set back. The Decepticon growled and stalked onward, striking at a tree as he moved past it. Thankfully, it wasn't long before the flightless jet found a jagged overhang of earth and rock, providing a large space of darkness that would accommodate his size.

The transformer got on his hands and knees to crawl into the 'hole,' growling to himself again as one of his wings scraped against the rocky ceiling. "Oh, condemn this miserable planet."

Starscream was still moving on his metal hands and knees further out of the open night, when a tiny beam of light switched on and landed square in his long, silver face. His optics nearly doubled in size and he let out a perfectly un-Decepticon-like shriek, jerking so that his wings crunched painfully into the overhead rock, dust and rubble showering down around him.

Sitting on a boulder in the darkness was a tiny human male child, holding a flashlight, and gawking at the Decepticon before him. Starscream raised an eye ridge before snarling in barely controlled patience, "What do you want, fleshling? If you value your life, I would start running if I were you."

The boy gazed at him in wonderment. "You playin' hide an' seek too?"

"Hide and...?" Starscream blinked and growled out, "Yes! And I want this spot so GO AWAY."

The human fleshling scooted off the rock and scampered around the massive form of the Decepticon, already panting by the time he darted out into the night. Starscream grumbled and rolled his eyes, moving around and shifting until he was hunkered over, facing the night so that he could keep watch for anymore unwanted eyes. A human sparkling was of no matter. A bit of entertainment, yes, since he was able to scare it off so easily, but by no means a threat to his discovery.

Somewhere in the back of his processor, Starscream realized that humans were tightly bonded with one another until a certain age of maturity he did not know the details of. The boy was too small to be on his own, surely. And that meant more humans would be nearby as well. For one long moment, he considered leaving and running to find another place of shelter, before shaking his angular head. If more humans came, then he would frighten them off as well. He liked this spot very much at the moment, and even a Decepticon needs a moment of rest now and then.

Especially after suffering a humiliating surgery he had no say in whatsoever.

"If I ever set my sight on that cannibalizing Silas again he will suffer the wrath of Starscream," the Decepticon grumbled, shifting and crossing his spindly arms as he frowned at the moon-lit night beyond his hiding place.

"How shall I do it?" he continued, feeling a sense of soothing pleasure as his mind turned toward thoughts of extracting revenge. His pointed fingertips drummed against his armor, clinking lightly."Drop him off a cliff? From a thousand feet in the sky to a crater in the ground? Filled with acid? Streaming live on the internet?"

Too himself, the Decepticon had become rather engrossed with looking up amusing things on the human information net. Ranging from humans performing stupid stunts and weird little senseless dances, to epic timed failures and cute, boggle-eyed creatures. He wasn't sure why it was so fascinating to watch, but it was fun to imagine uploading a video of Silas' demise in the most humiliating manner possible.

Take that, human scum.

A crumbling sound echoed in the empty space around the Decepticon, alerting him too late to the very dismaying fact that the rocky roof was cracking above him. Starscream hollered wildly as stone and earth fell, roaring in his ears while he vainly tried to scramble out of the already tight space. Within seconds, he was nearly encased, locked with only his head and one arm poking out of his prison. The rest of his body was entirely stuck, rather painfully twisted from failing to get away. Once the dust settled, he scowled and struggled, only succeeding in sending a few stones bounce off his head.

"Ohhh, this cannot be happening to me..."

Minutes passed, accompanied by only the sound of crickets and Starscream grunting and groaning while trying to free himself. More than once he glanced upward at what remained of his 'ceiling' wondering if that might possibly come down and utterly confine him. This situation had to be dealt with delicately. He finally sighed and resigned himself to a long night as a living mound of rock with nothing but a view of pine trees and hills to keep him occupied.

At least he had the comfort of being well hidden.

The Decepticon lifted his head on hearing a twig snap and his burning gaze soon landed on a short form peeking out from behind one of the pines. The boy was back. He held out his arm and a clicking sound preceded the flashlight's beam turning on, aimed right into the dark space of Starscream's shelter. The beam traveled over the fallen boulders, finally landing on the Decepticon's visible head.

Starscream's head jerked and he commanded, "Point that light somewhere else, brat!"

He heard a little gasp and the light pulled away, momentarily causing a glare in his optics as it flashed over his face. Starscream shook his head before seeing the boy edge forward from behind the tree, mouth agape, his flashlight aimed at the ground as he walked. "You are real."

"I am real enough to find your squishy face staring at me an annoyance," Starscream stated blandly. He recoiled – well, as best as he could in his trapped state – with a frown as the boy entered the space beneath the overhanging cliff. "I wouldn't come any closer, you know. I wasn't always an accessory of this accursed cliff side."

The child apparently had no ears on his head and kept moving forward until he was only a few yards from the trapped Decepticon, watching him with his head tipped to the side. He had a dusty yellow mop of hair on his head, disastrously framing his freckled face and was entirely too short. So rather on the young side.

Starscream grimaced and twitched as the boy openly stared at his metallic facial features. "Did you hear me? This whole place could come down and smash right upon that weak little head of yours."

Undaunted, the boy asked, "Mister robot, how come your eyebrows are so big?"

"My what?"

Starscream's optics only grew in confusion, and to his annoyance the child snickered. The Decepticon glowered. "Wha – stop that! This isn't funny at all."

The boy toddled off to the side, taking in how large of a mound of rocks the robotic life form was stuck in before returning to face Starscream, panting faintly. "You gotta be huuuge! What's your name?"

"Starscream, and I am enormous and the moment I get free I shall toss you straight at that blasted shining moon... Got it?"

The boy just grinned from ear to ear, seeming utterly transfixed at the Decepticon talking to him. Honestly, weren't the little humans supposed to be easily frightened? Where was the screaming, the crying, the running away and leaving the humiliated Decepticon alone? Starscream growled and willed his pointed face to take on the most venomous expression he was capable of. "I mean it, child. So if you'd rather live to see another day, I'd get as far away from here as possible."

"You gotta funny name," the boy giggled, pointing. "Some-Cream."

"Gah!" If he could have had access to a nice metal wall, Starscream would have pounded his head against it. His threats were making no dent on the child's intellect. He probably didn't even understand half of his words, judging how he got his name entirely wrong. "It is Starscream, you idiot!"

"Star..."

"Oh, why do I bother? You're a hopeless cause."

Starscream jerked his neck, moving his head about and half-hoping the sound of falling stones would scare the child into believing what he had warned about the place being dangerous, but no. The boy merely watched in open amazement before taking a seat on another boulder, seeming ready to pass the night away by observing the trapped Decepticon. Starscream groaned. "Don't you have, uh... a bunch of other people who need you? What is the word – family? Caretakers?"

The boy grinned. "We playin' hide an' go seek, so I hid real good!"

"Wonderful."

"Who you hidin' from?"

Starscream's optic twitched. He gave a low, sneer of disdain."The world."

His answer caused the boy to blink and squint, pursing his lips in concentration. "How can the world look for you?"

"Because it's a pathetic, miserable rock full of woes your tiny little mind can't begin to understand. Be grateful now, boy. Especially since I am rendered immobile."

Again, none of the dark tones in Starscream's voice seemed to strike the human child as threatening whatsoever. By now the boy was swinging his denim-covered legs, dancing his flashlight's beam all over the rocks until he switched to pointing the light straight up. At first Starscream could only guess that the child was fascinated with a crack in the ceiling. Then things took a turn down the road of extreme annoyance. He clicked the beam off, and clicked it back on. And then did it again. Off, on. Off, on. The light flashed and disappeared several times. Starscream rumbled yet another growl.

Perhaps all he needed for revenge against Silas was a couple boulders and a child who didn't know danger when it spoke to him in the face. The thought was enough to pull a light grin from the Decepticon.

The light suddenly landed on his face again. "Ya' got TEETH TOO?"

"Get that out of my face," Starscream snorted, narrowing his optics as soon as the boy complied. The human blinked up at the Cybertronian's face. "You a... uhh, a drone? Dadda says drones been flyin' all over the place for the big people. He hates 'em."

"Who, the drones or these... 'big people?'" Even as he asked the question, it registered in Starscream's mind that these drones the child recalled could very well be either property of MECH or the human government. Or, these drones could be Cybetronian. He eyed the boy as he shifted, taking a long moment to ponder before answering. "He hate 'em 'cause they tell 'im what to do."

Starscream merely rolled his optics. The boy looked down at his flashlight and resumed flipping it on and off. Starscream mentally challenged himself not to say a word, not a single utterance, and opted for simply glaring strongly at the child. He would make him stop by nothing but fear, surely. The might and will of Starscream would surpass this irritating nonsense. The boy, not even glancing his way, pushed the button – on, off. On, off. On, off.

Click.

Click.

Click.

"Turn that off!"

The scratchy shriek tore through the space, echoing off of rocks and trees, causing dust to rain down in the little cavern. The child jumped and held the flashlight to himself tightly, jaws slack as he stared at Starscream. Nervously, he turned the flashlight off and the only light left was that of the moonlight streaming in and the blood red glow of Starscream's optics. The Decepticon sighed. "Finally, a little peace!"

"Why you scream like that?" the boy demanded, sounding hurt.

"Because I can. Because I'm encased in dirt and without my T-Cog and stuck with a tiny flesh-bag who won't go away. I'm going to do as much screaming as I'd like!"

"Tea... hog? You want a pig, mister robot?"

Starscream let out a long, agonizing wail, letting his head drop limply. "I'm doomed," he muttered at last. "Doomed to a life of humiliation on this rock of a planet... And the only lasting memory of me shall be engraved in a mere child's brain, alongside... pigs..."

He didn't know how much time passed. All that reached his hearing was the sound of the boy moving around, murmuring whatever gibberish fancied him. Why he stuck around was anyone's guess. Still... the fact that he held no fear of Starscream was confusing to no end. The Decepticon held his optics shut as he ran over the whole mess of the past few hours and came to one, somewhat humbling conclusion.

Humans may not be as weak as he thought.

An adult had stolen from him, and a child sported brave curiosity before him. No fear from either.

What a defeat.

The sound of something going chunk against the ground made the Cybertronian open his optics, his vision landing on the boy, who had moved closer, right beside his trapped frame and was pulling at the smaller stones. He had turned his flashlight on, leaving it on the ground and pointed at the base of Starscream's prison so that he had light to work by.

Starscream simply blinked and rolled his gaze with a gravel-like sigh. "Your efforts are in vain, fleshling. If I cannot free myself, then neither can -"

A low shifting sound cut him off, and he felt more than saw some larger stones shudder and roll away behind him. The Decepticon raised an eye ridge and slowly attempted to move... and found he had gained a few inches of clearance. Starscream gasped eagerly and a surprised expression morphed over his face even as the boy babbled excitedly, "See, ya' gonna get out! I helpin' you, see?"

Starscream had just pulled out his second arm, crowing delightedly as he flexed his appendage and was now beginning to drag himself forward, the boy staggering back out of the way, only a loud cracking noise and a tremor in the ground and walls made both stop and go stiff in alarm. Starscream glanced up and knew instantly that the overhang of stone and dirt was giving away – perhaps he, in his prison, had been supporting more than he realized – and he quickly set about scrambling out of the boulders and dirt as streams of dust rained down, pebbles and stones bouncing off his metal frame and wings. "Argh! Ouch, ouch, ouch..." He lurched forward, legs striking the ground with a sharp, clanking sound, even as the rocky ceiling gave way above.

The boy screamed. Starscream's optics narrowed and, almost reflexively, his claw-like fingers snatched at the tiny fleshy body and he shot forward, sidestepping as the boulders came crashing down.

The Decepticon bolted out from under the overhang as the rest of it came crashing down, sending up a great blast of dirt and dust, the ground shaking, but not enough to throw him off his feet. Half panting, he scowled once things calmed down before blinking and stiffening, slowly turning his blazing gaze down to the hand held over his spark out of some instinct he'd never practiced. Uncurling his talon-like digits, he stared at the human child in his hand. The blonde-haired little boy nervously cowered at the Decepticon's gaze, shaking madly. Dirt covered his frame like a second skin, and his skirt was torn at the shoulder, showing a scrape most likely earned by a falling rock.

There was one thing Starscream knew when he saw it, and that was fear. The emotion was finally playing out over the little brat's face. The Decepticon groaned faintly, frowning and bending over to slowly lower his hand to the earth, as if one sudden move would harm them both. "Better run along now, child," he warned darkly. "Before a little boy like you gets squished."

The boy slid from his palm and stumbled, still looking up at Starscream with a colorless expression and new realization. He nodded furiously before whirling, scampering off wildly into another direction, his panting soon reaching Starscream's hearing while the Decepticon straightened his legs, the corners of his mouth turned downward. Had his freedom really been attained by the pathetic efforts of that tiny fleshy man child? Surely now...there had to be a better, far less humiliating reason behind his escape.

And if anyone saw him saving the boy like some rookie Autobot trying to uphold his stupid need for hero worship, he would never be able to live with himself. The horror.

Starscream scowled and once again stalked off across the organic surface, his steps clanking in the quiet of the night. "This is a night I won't be able to forget easily," he mused with a sour expression. He glared at a pine tree and swung a hard-clenched fist against the trunk before continuing his steady walk. No less than three seconds later did the flightless jet hear wood splinting from behind.

The fallen tree crashed against Starscream's head, leaves and sticks assaulting his vision while he screamed his agony to the world.

Five year old Jeremy had only been running for a few minutes before he met his Father, a stocky, bearded man who looked about ready to fall over as well as scold the boy."You crazy little..." The adult clenched the boy's shoulder, turning him to check over his physical state. "Where have you been, boy? Do you know what time it is?"

"Dadda, I went an' hid – was playin' hide an' seek, honest!" Jeremy grabbed his Father's arm and pulled, pointing off into the tree-scattered forest. "And th-there's a big robot lookin' for his tea hogs in there!"

The man grumbled, taking a firm hold of his son's hand, before both humans froze, their eyes doubling in size as a screechy, gravel-toned voice penetrated the nighttime in one long wail, like a demented hawk. The man's face paled, while Jeremy beamed excitedly. "It's Star-Screamin'!"