PREDATORY (Megatron x Starscream)

Chapter 3

"You're too slow," Starscream hissed, blunting her staff against the flat of Breakdown's back. He let out a sharp uff, stumbling forward and waving his arms, surprised by the amount of force that came from such a small and outwardly dainty seeker. She angled the weighted metal stick so the end was planted betwixt his shoulders, then popped it forward like she was hitting a bell, smiling as he lost his balance and toppled to the floor. The bigger they were, the harder they fell.

"I didn't think this was possible before you, but... you're too confident." Breakdown struggled to push himself up, panting incessantly to cool his overheated hydraulics. He managed to look up at her while she spoke. "You launch into things and don't consider the consequences because you think you'll be able to take whatever they throw at you. You think that as long as you tough it out and act like a tank, nothing can shake you. Well, I've got a newsflash for you, tough guy—there'll always be someone bigger, buffer, and stronger than you. And there will certainly always be someone cleverer than you. So if you still think you can punch your way out of any situation, you're gonna be in for a rude awakening when you get out there in the middle of a real fight and have to hold your ground against real Autobot goons."

"Yes, ma'am." Breakdown smiled awkwardly and finally heaved himself back to his pedes. In the darkness of the training room, only dusted by a smattering of red light from the thin, glowing trainer strips embedding the walls, his dark blue armor appeared as an unexpected royal purple, the hulking silhouette of his shoulders tinged light crimson. Gleaming bashfully, his optics set themselves to the ground. Breakdown was a tall and heavyset bruiser, every bit as clumsy as he was expansive. He was young, too; back when Starscream was still an air cadet, before this whole mess of a war, and even before her disagreement with Jetfire, Breakdown couldn't have been old enough to take an apprenticeship. He was probably fresh out of sparkling school when everything started going to the Pit, Starscream thought. This came with benefits and drawbacks—on one hand, being taught to serve a cause with no restraint had severely reduced his propensity for defiance, but on the contrary, it gave him a very one-dimensional mindset. Punch, hit, shoot, repeat... there was no nuance in his process of thought.

Starscream had the advantage of learning everything she knew about combat during peacetime. She was taught how to be a commander as well as a soldier. She knew how to bring herself into a space where she could settle her nerves and think clearly, even in the most demanding situations. She could think fast enough on the battlefield to not only outmaneuver even the most vigorous attackers, but dig into their strategy, deconstructing every tick and habit to know what moves they'd make before they did. Starscream may have been comparatively small, but there was a reason she'd been queen of the Decepticons for this long.

"You're making progress. You used to go down in forty seconds, tops. Now you're pushing a minute." She playfully bumped his arm and grinned encouragingly. Breakdown had a naturally positive aura that was difficult to ignore. Starscream couldn't help but indulge him whenever he smiled and laughed to hide his embarrassment. If it were anyone else, she'd be beyond frustrated with the lack of real growth. He managed to leave her feeling only a little frustrated.

"Yeah... I think I'm starting to get the hang of it." He wasn't. "There's just no time to think..."

"You shouldn't need time. You just do it."

"My processor doesn't work that fast!"

"Of course it does, you idiot! You make split-second decisions all the time. If you've ever responded to a question, you've thought fast enough to parry a blow or connect a hit. You're perfectly capable of thinking on your pedes. The problem is that you choose not to."

"Can I try again, then? Just one more time."

"Alright..."

Breakdown picked up his staff and Starscream readied hers. He furrowed his optic ridges like he was thinking extra hard. She took the courtesy to go first this time—he was down in in one minute and two seconds, precisely.