From The Bottom Up.

Chapter Two-Leader's Pet.

A/N Warning: competent Starscream.

'Pet?' thought Sam, jerking in Starscream's hand. 'He said nothing about that to me on the way here!' Thoroughly annoyed, Sam was about to say something of the sort to Starscream - along with a few other choice comments - when he recalled Starscream's warning: if Sam was seen to be arguing with Starscream, and weakening his authority and position, a leadership challenge might ensue, which would not improve his position no matter what the outcome, and could, were Starscream to lose, make things rapidly worse for him.

Starscream and the other Decepticons were all looking at him, Sam realised; his shocked jerk must have been noticed by them all. Starscream turned Sam to face him again.

"Pets must learn obedience; I assume you are intelligent enough to understand cause and effect?" Starscream asked him. Sam nodded. "Then understand this; as good behaviour will be rewarded, bad behaviour will bring punishment. Have I made myself clear?"

"Uh-yes sir." Sam answered, a tremor of fear in his voice that was not entirely put on, although Sam was sure that the Code would prevent Starscream from carrying out his threat. Sam thought he could see what Starscream was up to: by making Sam publicly acknowledge his understanding of the situation, he was solidifying his authority in the eyes of his followers.

"Good." Starscream said approvingly, speaking more to the others than to Sam. "It seems that some of these fleshlings are, after all, quick learners."

The small red mech had come forward and it regarded Sam, the single red optic glinting with what Sam was certain was malice. It reached out a hand with sharp-looking digits as if to try and take him from Starscream, and Sam shied away, but he needn't have worried; its reach wasn't great enough.

"Lord Starscream, I've never been given the chance to practice my interrogation techniques on one of these disgusting fleshy things, because you have never allowed me to procure any." it stated coldly. "What do you want or need with a pet, particularly a vile organic one, when I am certain that Soundwave's cassetticon, Ravage would, I am certain, be happy to fill that role if you feel the need for a pet." It moved closer, scrutinising Sam, the glint in its optic far from reassuring.

"Lord Starscream, let me see how much of my techniques this creature can take before it starts talking, then how much it can take before it dies. The knowledge may be useful should the need to interrogate another ever arise. If you really want a squishy as a pet, you can always acquire another, after all this planet is overrun with the revolting things." it said, taking another step forwards.

Sam paled: he wanted that vicious little mech nowhere near him: dying at the mechanical hands of a Decepticon torturer was nowhere on his list of priorities, either now or in the foreseeable future. If Starscream was not able to convince the red mech of Sam's value, he might find Starscream repaying his debt, by fighting the other mech, on that same day.

Starscream pinned the mech in question with a penetrating stare, meeting its gaze with his own and at first didn't say a word. When Starscream gave what Sam assumed was a scowl - it certainly was not a happy look - the other mech broke optic contact. Sam recognised it for what it was: a dominance staring contest, and the smaller mech had lost. Only then did Starscream speak, and then the condescension in his voice was evident.

"Once again, Swindle, you display openly your lack of subtlety -which is the main reason I do not permit you to procure fleshling subjects to satisfy your thirst for interrogation. Your ill thought-out methods would draw too much attention to you - and therefore us - at a time when we must lie low and wait for reinforcements, fuel, and opportunity." He indicated Sam with the hand not holding him.

"Perhaps you missed my earlier explanation, although I am certain that you were in the room at the time, as you show knowledge of him being my pet. However, I shall be patient with you and explain again, so that even your processors, Swindle, can grasp what I am saying."

Starscream took a step to one side, and held Sam up close enough for Swindle to focus his optic on him, but not so close that Swindle's hands could reach him.

"This fleshling is too valuable to us to allow you to use your blunt-instrument approach on him. If he is to be used as a bargaining chip, or a hostage, we need him alive, and he needs to be reasonably well-treated, for a dead hostage is of no use, and a sick one could make the humans and their Autobot allies think that they should rescue him by force rather than bargain for him." Starscream told Swindle. "When I went out to get him, I was careful to cover my tracks sufficiently to get him back here without arousing suspicion and without being detected. His parental units and educational establishment have been given convincing lies to explain his absence. They think the country's Government require his presence for their own secret purposes. It is unlikely his disappearance will be noted or queried for some time yet, and I have my own plans on what to do with my little pet in that time." Starscream carefully lifted Sam to his left shoulder, putting him down on it, turning his head to watch him: Sam grabbed for a wing-edge to steady himself, and Starscream waited until Sam had a secure handhold before taking his hand from around him. Then he turned back to Swindle.

"You and I differ a great deal, Swindle, and just one of those ways is that I possess some subtlety, whereas you possess none. There are times that brute force and pain are not always the best approach to a problem. You, Swindle, stick to doing what you are best at - interrogating our enemies when you are ordered to, and doing as I and those above you say - and leave the thinking to those of us whose processors are better equipped to do so."

"Yes, Lord Starscream." said Swindle, in a surly voice, dropping his optic to look at the floor. However, as Starscream turned his attention back to his two flyers, Sam saw Swindle look back up at him, and pin him with a look of pure, undiluted hatred. Sam had to repress a shudder at the look Swindle was directing at him: he would do well to watch his back around that one. Sam was, to Swindle, an enemy who had witnessed Swindle's humiliation at the sharp tongue of his own leader, and Swindle would likely hate Sam for witnessing his shame.

Starscream addressed the other two fliers.

"Look at him. Think of it, I have the slayer of Megatron as my pet, who can live or die at my whim. At the moment he is too valuable to destroy, but if that were to change, think how easy it would be to extinguish his fragile existence. Do not think that I shall allow him to lie idle in his time with us, oh no, I shall find him a useful task, perhaps more than one. He shall do as I say, or he shall be punished. There are plenty of punishments I can devise that will not affect his life expectancy or health." Starscream turned his head to look at Sam again before continuing.

"Yes, he killed Megatron, using the AllSpark, but now I have caught him, and he is helpless to resist me. He is, in fact, dependant on me for his continual well-being and survival. Is that not a great feat, planned and executed by your leader?"

"Most assuredly, Lord Starscream." replied the purple and black flier. Perhaps you can teach your new pet tricks. I have heard that these fleshlings teach their pets to roll on their backs and to beg. Maybe we can find out if he can learn the same?" The blue and red flier sniggered.

"Perhaps, Skywarp, but first, I have other things to teach him-more practical and useful tasks that such a small pair of manipulatory appendages as he possesses may be more suited to." Starscream said.

At that point, Barricade rolled in, threw two full black refuse sacks out of his trunk, and transformed into his bipedal form. He picked up the two refuse sacks, one in each hand.

"I have brought the fleshling's extra clothing as you requested, Lord Starscream." Barricade stated. "His parental units have been phoned by me, to inform them that he has been taken to a secret location indefinitely for his own safety, due to an incident I fabricated for them to explain my presence earlier, being bigger and more complex than was at first thought. They have accepted it, and have promised to say that he is on vacation, location unknown, to anyone who asks." At that point, Sam wasn't sure if he was pleased or annoyed that his parents were so easy to dupe.

"Good. Bring the clothing to my room, Barricade, I have matters I need to discuss with you." Starscream commanded. Starscream began walking: Sam sat down, wedging his butt into a stable dip ij the Decepticon leader's shoulder for extra security beyond his death grip on Starscream's wing edge.

Starscream exited the warehouse, and walked into a nearby one, obviously his private quarters. There was some shelving here left from the warehouse's more prosperous days, and Starscream lifted Sam up onto this. From this vantage point, Sam was eye-to-optic with Starscream.

"Um - some warning about the 'pet' thing would have been appreciated, sir." Sam said. Starscream looked at him.

"Over-compliance and a lack of reaction would have been suspicious, fleshling." Starscream told him.

At this point, Sam was beginning to wish that he could ask the same thing of Starscream as he had asked of Barricade - to be called 'human', but of course, in the Decepticon base, this would be unwise for Starscream to do; it looked like Sam would have to put up with being called 'fleshling', 'squishy', and variants thereof.

"If you use your clothing as padding and covers, and stay in the middle of that shelf, that should be as safe a location as any to sleep, after all, only Soundwave, Payload with his extendable grab, and my two wing-brothers, Skywarp and Thundercracker, should be able to reach you up there, and I shall warn those four off." Starscream said. He turned to Barricade, taking the bags of clothing off him and putting them on Sam's shelf.

"Barricade, you have experience of this human. We need to give him a use, a purpose, something to make him less…expendable…in the eyes of the others." Starscream said. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Barricade nodded.

"Yes, I do, Lord Starscream." he said. "I can tell you, from personal experience, that those little hands of his make him a natural when it comes to unkinking wires…"