"Little one, before Starscream even set foot in my lab today, I scanned your entire batch."
Scalpel waved a claw dismissively.
"I found no trackers, no hidden bombs, no secondary overrides. Starscream is arrogant. He believes his presence alone is enough to command loyalty. He wouldn't bother with backup plans for what he considers 'disposable tools.'"
No trackers?
Nathan let out a virtual sigh of relief.
Thank Primus. My body is my own.
"It seems I worried too much," Nathan said, allowing his posture to relax. "Thank you, Lord Scalpel."
"Ze-ze~ You are quite polite for a Decepticon," Scalpel noted, eyeing him curiously. "Most of our kind would rather shoot you than thank you."
Nathan stiffened. Right. Too human.
He quickly pivoted. "I am simply pragmatic. You saved me from paranoia. That is worth gratitude."
"Hmph. Whatever." Scalpel hopped down from his shoulder.
"Lord Scalpel," Nathan asked, pressing his luck. "If I may... why did you sabotage the chip? What is your goal?"
Scalpel paused. He looked at Nathan, his optical shutters narrowing.
"You want to know why? First, tell me: Why is Starscream on this mudball of a planet?"
Nathan hesitated. "Is it not... to find Lord Megatron?"
"Yes. And no."
Scalpel began to pace.
"A hundred years ago, Megatron vanished. He chased the AllSpark signal to this sector and went silent. The Decepticon High Command—Shockwave, Soundwave, and Starscream—realized something was wrong."
Nathan listened, cross-referencing this with his movie knowledge.
Megatron crashed in the Arctic. Sector 7 found him and kept him on ice.
Meanwhile, Sentinel Prime crashed on the Moon with the Space Bridge pillars.
Nathan knew the full picture: The secret deal between Megatron and Sentinel. The plan to enslave humanity to rebuild Cybertron.
But Scalpel didn't know about Sentinel. He only knew the Decepticon side of the story.
"When the cat is away, the monkey tries to be king," Scalpel scoffed.
Nathan bit back a correction. Ideally, it's 'when the tiger is away,' but sure, monkey works.
"For decades, Starscream tried to seize the throne," Scalpel continued, his voice dripping with contempt. "He preened, he made speeches, he tried to rally the Seekers. But he is a fool."
"A Commander Class cannot replace a Leader Class. Megatron ruled through power. Starscream rules through tantrums."
"Eventually, Shockwave and Soundwave had enough. They forced him to come here. They told him: 'Go find Megatron, or we will dismantle you.'"
Scalpel chuckled darkly. "So here he is. Playing at being a leader on a backwater world, building a toy army because he can't command the real one."
Nathan nodded. It fit. Starscream was the eternal loser.
"He builds you drones to stroke his ego. 'Look at me, I have loyal subjects!'" Scalpel mocked Starscream's voice. "Pathetic."
"But..." Scalpel turned to look at Nathan, a malicious glint in his optics. "Soundwave does not trust him. And neither do I."
"That is why I am here. And that is why I sabotaged the chip."
Scalpel pressed a button on his chest chassis. A beam of blue light shot out, projecting a 3D hologram into the air.
It was a rotating globe. Earth. But overlaid with Cybertronian glyphs and tracking markers.
"Starscream thinks I am just a doctor. But I have my own mission."
Nathan looked at the hologram.
"And now, my little rogue... you are going to help me complete it."