Greetings, readers and writers alike! This is FourWallBreaker, otherwise known as Nexus, a writer from the "Prime" Zone! Not to be confused with Transformers: Prime, however. If you want to know my full explanation, look at my profile.
SPOILER ALERT!
This story came to me not too long after seeing Predacons Rising, and I wanted to have it told. It could turn into something more than a one-shot, it might not. It depends on what you, the readers think, and what I ultimately decide on. TAKE NOTE: If you haven't seen the movie yet, DON'T READ THIS!
The setting is right after the movie (relatively speaking), and it involves an original character of mine who has been bothering me for some time now. Her origin story will be posted...eventually.
Despite all recent activity, the planet was as silent as it had been before its inhabitants' arrival. The roads and buildings, once shining with bright polish, looked like they could fall into red dust if a simple breeze blew against their rust-covered sides.
This is what the countryside looked like as two vehicles drove along a road covered in potholes. Both were vehicles from Earth, but looked different from each other: one was a white and blue car that looked like it had been built to be classy, while the other was a car built for speed, with red working its way from back to front with orange undertones, ending in flames caressing an orange hood.
"You'd think that those Vehicons might have been able to reach out this far by now," grumbled a feminine voice.
"Bulkhead's got 'em working on Iacon," responded another voice - a male's. "Dey'll get out 'ere eventually. An' it'll get fasta, too, when others get here."
"And then they'll start asking questions." The flame-covered car's engine revved.
There was a sigh from the mostly white car. "Wildfire, dere wasn' anytin else dat OP or Elita coulda done, and you know dat."
The flame car revved again. "Still, some of them aren't going to like us for letting them do that, even if it saved Cybertron." The car started to inch forward. "We'd better get to Kaon before anyone else does. I'd hate to see what would happen if someone found a surviving piece of Dark Energon within a mechanometer of that place."
"I'll agree to dat."
The two cars put on bursts of speed, pushing forward across the wrecked road and towards the skyline in the distance.
The planet of Cybertron had seen a lot of wear and tear since the war had started, and the Dinobots' battle with their unnamed opponents only seemed to have made the planet worse off. Thankfully, both sides had left the planet for other places before the Autobots from Earth had returned, and the only signs of recent battle were the graffiti and burned marks from blaster fire, besides the already obvious collateral damage.
However, there had been rumor that Dark Energon was still in the area, so the Autobots had separated in order to track down the last remaining dregs and destroy it before any returning Decepticons might get their hands on it. Wildfire and her traveling companion had volunteered to look into Kaon, the former Decepticon capital.
The pair of cars drove into the run-down city, then in a whirr of movement, transformed into giant robots.
The red and orange car became a figure with features clearly chiseled into that of a feminine form. Blue optics with a hard demeanor scanned the area as a pair of wings transformed out of a section of her back, forming a jet pack. It was obvious that the femme had seen a lot, because she stood in a stance that would allow her to pounce on anything that might prove to be threatening.
The white and blue car turned into its robot form in a way that might cause a watcher to think of breakdancing. This form was clearly a male, or mech, with the front bumper of the car form covering his chest. A black helmet with two small, horn-like shapes sat on top of his head, or helm. A bright blue visor covered his optics, but one could tell his expression by the position his moth was in. Right now, it was in a smirk.
"So, where to?" the mech - Jazz - asked in a casual manner.
"We go to the place where the whole thing started," the femme - Wildfire - replied in a serious tone. She started deeper into the city, her patrol partner following close behind. "If there's any Dark Energon left, it will most likely be there."
Jazz nodded. "Right. It was pretty nasty da las' time we were dere." He looked around at the darkened buildings, some more rusted than others. "Ya think dat Kaon's gonna get a facelift next?"
"Hopefully. I'd like to see this place up and running again."
The two Autobots continued through the ruins, looking around and occasionally stopping in order to see if there might be any purple crystals hiding in crevices between buildings. Other than the obvious signs of graves having been broken open, there was no sign of the forbidden substance anywhere in sight.
Of course, these places were not their final destination.
The sun that Cybertron was circling had started to descend from its highest point when Wildfire and Jazz arrived at the place they had spoken of upon their arrival in the city: a black pyramid that looked like it might have seen better days, with the front door rusted open. If one looked carefully, they could see dents that looked like someone had once gripped the metal.
Without hesitation, the two Autobots walked inside those doors and started to look around the area, dark from eons of disuse and covered in layers of dust.
Jazz looked over the doorway, then around the cavernous room. "Looks like da stuff dat was here disappeared." He looked over at Wildfire. "Wanna go in deeper?"
Wildfire gave the mech a dry smirk, then started forward. A moment later, Jazz grinned, then followed.
The rest of the pyramid seemed to be as dark and disused as the entrance had been, but there was still no sign of Dark Energon, unlike the last time the pair had been there. Wildfire was considering telling her friend that they should go back and report in to Iacon when Jazz suddenly stopped short on one of the lower floors.
"Ya hear dat?" the mech asked softly.
Wildfire opened her mouth to respond with an annoyed retort when her audio sensors suddenly picked up a faint noise that sounded highly familiar.
"That sounds like an Energon chainsaw," Wildfire noted.
"An' it's runnin' on high," Jazz added.
The two looked at each other, nodded, then started to dash along the corridor.
The floor they had ended up on was where the gladiators had once bunked in between cycles or rounds in the Pits. It was also the location of the medical bay that was used for long-term patients, or the most dire of injuries. As such, it would have the more high-tech equipment than the med-bays that had been located right next to the arena.
The sight that greeted Wildfire and Jazz when they reached the med-bay caused them both to stop short at the entrance.
"Megatron?" Jazz asked in surprise.
The mentioned silver-and-copper mech, who had been glaring at one of the spikes on his shoulder as he directed a chainsaw toward it, looked over at the doorway, red optics widening in surprise upon seeing who was standing there.
"What in the name of the Pit are you doing?" Wildfire demanded, striding in. She kicked away a device that was in her path - an Energon chainsaw, most definitely broken. "You shouldn't be chopping yourself to pieces!"
Megatron's optics narrowed, and he let out a low growl. "I am attempting to remove the taint of Unicron from me!" He motioned to the copper-tinted spikes on his form with the chainsaw, the Energon on the device lighting up the scratches that had already been made in the armor. "However, it seems that it won't leave me so easily."
"I wouldn't think so." Wildfire walked over to the former Decepticon and rapped on one of the spikes, producing a slight flinch from he mech. "These are enhancements from a god-like being we're talking about. You wouldn't be able to chop one of these off if you had a sword made completely of diamonds from Earth." She moved her gaze from the spike to Megatron's face. "You aren't the reason we're here, though."
Megatron scowled. "What is your reason, then, that you might sooner leave me be?"
"We were here lookin' ta see if da Dark stuff was still layin' around," Jazz explained. He took a couple steps in from the doorway, but didn't come in any further, watching Megatron warily.
Mentally, Wildfire pushed off his concern with a note that the Con no longer seemed to have any weapons other than the chainsaw, which could easily be destroyed.
Megatron abruptly dropped the chainsaw on the berth he was sitting on, then stood up to his full height, forcing Wildfire and Jazz to look up. "Did you think that I would allow even a speck of my former slave master to live?!" he demanded. "I made sure that even the doors to the Underworld were closed off. Nothing of that monster remains here." He looked between the two Autobots. "Now leave me be."
"Uh...no." Jazz gave the mech what might have been a frown himself, the visor he wore bending in the middle. "Jolt should have a look at ya, an' Magnus has talked about wantin' ta speak wit ya."
"Ultra Magnus? Talk?" Megatron let out a hollow laugh. "I find it more likely that he would kill me." A frown appeared on his face again. "What of Optimus? Surely he would rather be the one to talk with me."
Wildfire and Jazz exchanged glances, both surprised that Megatron didn't seem to know about what had occurred.
The mech saw the look that the two were exchanging. In a more demanding tone, he asked, "Where is Optimus?"
Wildfire looked back at the former gladiator, looking him over with a neutral look, which switched to a more grim one. "The only place where all are one."
Megatron's optics widened, and he looked like he didn't believe what he had just heard. Upon seeing the same look Wildfire had on Jazz, he looked between the two with something akin to shock. "Optimus is...offlined?"
"Ha an' Elita took da AllSpark inta demselves so dat Unicron could get outta you," Jazz stated pointedly. Feeling a little more bold, he stomped over to Megatron and poked him in the chest with a digit. "Dey went inta da core of da planet afta ya left."
"We thought you knew," Wildfire added.
"I left to escape Starscream's sniveling," Megatron stated bitterly. "I had no intention of staying."
"We heard that Predaking has a leash on him," Wildfire stated. "Sky Lynx and Darksteel have come by occasionally, but never at the same time and never without having need for something. All of us prefer it that way."
Megatron gave a low grunt. "Have any returned?"
"Why don' ya come back wit' us an' see?" Jazz responded in a cocky manner. A moment later, the grin on his face vanished, replaced with a look that seemed to say he'd been elbowed in the gut. Wildfire, however, seemed amused.
"Come on, Jazz," the femme stated. She turned and started for the door. "I can tell that Megatron would rather be alone than be seen for the next few Orbital-Cycles. The medics would have probably figured something about about his form sooner if he came back with us."
The mech gave a nod and followed.
"Wait!"
The two Autobots turned to look back at Megatron, who looked a little desperate.
"I'll go," the former gladiator stated. "But I would prefer to remain unseen."
Wildfire and Jazz looked at each other.
"And how do you expect us to manage that?" Wildfire asked, frowning. "Neither of us are built to carry a mech your size."
"There is a hauler located near here," Megatron replied. He stepped towards the door and started to make his way down the corridor, Wildfire and Jazz following a slight distance behind him.
The hauler was located out a side door that was propped open, like the main entrance. It, surprisingly, purred to life at just a touch, and the tank was full.
"I'm guessin' dat ya used dis," Jazz stated, motioning to the hauler as he watched Megatron stepped inside.
"I did," Megatron confirmed.
"At least we can use something to get building materials from one end of the planet to another," Wildfire noted. She sent a look at Megatron as he sat down at the back of the cab, looking a little less intimidating that usual. After a moment, she returned her gaze to the road in front of them and urged the hauler forward.
The group rode the pot-holed road in silence until Jazz decided to attempt to do something to break it.
"Y'know, I've kinda got a buncha music from Earth dat I've been hopin' to listen to," the mech stated. "Ya mind if I -"
Wildfire simply looked over at him, a slight smirk on her features. A moment later, Jazz was busying himself with the console in front of him as he pulled a data pad out of his subspace.
Megatron scowled. "What use do you have of music from those organics?"
"It's sometin' ta pass da time." Jazz grinned triumphantly as he came up with something on his data pad. "Perfect!" He produced a cord from somewhere and connected the pad to the console. Moments later, music chords started to reverberate through the cab, flowing smoothly from one phrase to the next with something of a noble air.
Wildfire closed her optics momentarily, allowing the music to flow through her. She returned her focus to the road, however, when they hit a large pothole, jostling the hauler's occupants momentarily.
"This is Earth music?"
Wildfire turned her helm to look back at Megatron, who looked somewhat bemused.
"One of the many kinds," Wildfire replied. She returned her attention to the road. "It seems that some humans can be picky about what they want to hear. They have invented multiple types of music since they first came across it, it seems." She motioned to the data pad Jazz was holding, still keeping one servo on the steering wheel. "This is from our combined 'playlist,' as the humans call it. Jazz insisted that we get our servos on at least a little of everything."
Jazz grinned. "I happen ta like a little of everythin'." He let out a grunt when Wildfire playfully shoved him.
In the back, Megatron blinked with a somewhat blank expression as the music continued to swirl around them. He looked like he was at a loss for words, considering that he was in the presence of former foes who were treating him like a possible friend. The music, also, seemed to have struck a chord with him. Gradually, he started to relax, his optics closing as his form appeared to sway to the music.
Any conversation between Jazz and Wildfire was kept to a minimum, but they did take turns glancing back at the former Con when the songs changed, just to make sure that he was still there. The rest of the drive to Iacon was silent.
When the gates of the Autobot capital were in Wildfire's view, she looked back at Megatron. "We're nearly there."
The mech opened his optics and looked over at the femme, then at Jazz, who was grinning to himself as he scrolled through the selections of songs on his data pad. Megatron then moved his gaze to what was ahead, optics narrowing slightly as he saw what was on the other side of the glass windshield.
"I can't guarantee that you'll be left alone until we reach the Hall of Records, but the greetings should at least be civil," Wildfire continued.
The hauler was stopped in front of the main gates. A red mech and a femme with a green camouflage-oriented paint job - and a much thinner form than Wildfire's - moved over to the side window Wildfire rolled down.
"What are you doing in this old thing?" the femme asked, rapping the metal. "Did you find anything and need this hunk of junk to bring it back?"
"Ya could say that," Jazz responded. "We found somebody who didn' want ta travel by alt mode. Seems he hates his form."
In the back, Megatron sent a scowl in Jazz's direction, but said nothing.
The red mech attempted to peer around Wildfire in order to get a look at who might be in the back. "Is he a newcomer?"
"Wouldn't think so, 'Hide. He was here when the rest of us were, before the others started coming."
"It isn't a Predacon, is it?" the femme frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Because I don't want to see Sky Lynx or Darksteel running around and causing trouble like the last time they managed to sneak in."
"I wouldn' worry 'bout dat," Jazz replied with a slight smile. "He didn' attack us when we found 'im."
Ironhide frowned, his blue optics darkening. "It isn't Starscream, is it?"
"Na."
Wildfire rolled her optics at Jazz's answer. "Look, we're just brining him in so that Jolt can have a look at him. Besides, Ultra Magnus said that he wanted to talk with him if we ever found him."
The mech and femme looked at each other, then back at the inside of huge cab. This time, Wildfire allowed them to look over and around her in order to see who was in the back.
Megatron glared back at them like a caged animal.
"So long as he behaves himself," Ironhide finally stated in a gruff manner.
"And keeps his servos out of what doesn't belong to him," the femme added.
Wildfire gave the two a nod, then rolled up the window again. The two guards stepped away from the vehicle, and Wildfire drove the hauler into Iacon.
The progress that had already started to make a difference on the city's appearance. The domed structures still looked like they could collapse, but small squadrons of purple and silver Cybertronians could be seen working at welding shut holes and applying new parts to the buildings so that they could once again be inhabitable.
Megatron's optics widened as they passed by one building that was being repaired. "The Vehicons?"
"It was either help or be stuck in the brig," Wildfire stated. "Most preferred to do something with their servos rather than sit around and collect dust."
The hauler soon reached what was the most-repaired area of Iacon. The Vehicons began to thin out, replaced with a few mechs or femmes that were walking along the side of the street. A few stopped and pointed when they saw the hauler, but none decided to follow them.
Wildfire stopped the hauler in an alley next to the Hall of Records, a large jewel compared to the rest of the buildings around it. Somehow, the Vehicons had managed to find a storage room of paint in one of the buildings. As most of it was intact, Bulkhead decided to put some of it to use.
As a result, as a memorial to the one who had once worked there, the Hall of Records had been painted in ruby red and cobalt.
Wildfire opened her door at the same time Jazz did his. The two then turned in order to look back at Megatron.
"Come on," Wildfire stated. "Magnus probably knows we're here by now." She stepped out of the hauler, Jazz doing the same. After a moment, Megatron slipped out the passenger side of the hauler, the spikes on his form scraping against the frame of the vehicle.
Wildfire led Megatron through a side door that was barely large enough for him to fit through, ending up in a large room that appeared to be lined with data pads and was lined with desks and monitors. Only one mech was walking among them, however: a tall figure with what appeared to be miniature towers on both of his shoulders. He was colored in silver, red, and a blue color that was more of a teal. One of his servos was a three-pronged type of claw that looked like it clearly didn't belong there. Despite that, he still had an air about him that clearly stated of military experience.
"Megatron," the mech greeted, approaching the three.
"Ultra Magnus," Megatron replied in kind, looking at the Wrecker. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this summoning?"
"I simply wish to discuss terms of peace, that this war may be officially recorded as over," Magnus replied calmly. "It was by pure luck that Wildfire and Jazz discovered you when they searched Kaon."
"What I want is out of this form," Megatron replied. "And to be left alone."
Magnus appeared surprised. Wildfire and Jazz exchanged glances.
"Unicron showed me things which I would prefer to forget," the former Con continued, looking down at his servos and clenching them. "This form reminds me of them and more. What I would prefer is to forget them." Megatron looked back at Ultra Magnus. "And it seems that you Autobots will be the only way for that to happen."
Despite the fact that his voice sounded snarling and intimidating, Megatron's statement was sincere. The look in his optics revealed that he was desperate for some sort of relief - and a way to get to that relief.
"I am sure that accommodations will be made for your request," Ultra Magnus finally stated. "Jolt and Moonracer will have to call in Ratchet and First Aid from their post on Earth in order to see about changing your form. However, I am not so sure about your request to be left alone."
Megatron stiffened. "What?"
"More Cybertronians are coming by the cycle. As I am only holding temporary command until the time at which we can set up a new High Council, and there are Decepticons as well as Autobots returning, we will have need of a familiar a face to tell them that not only is the war over, but that the Decepticons have been disbanded by their leader."
Megatron's optics narrowed, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "I am sure the Vehicons are more than capable of speaking of this."
"They were used as mere cannon fodder," Wildfire spoke up in a cold manner. "They won't take their word as truth. I don't think they'll take Knock Out's word at face value, either."
Megatron looked back at the femme with a curious expression. "Knock Out is with you?"
"Yeah." Jazz smirked. "He's takin' his time learnin' abou' a more proper way ta repair 'bots,though."
"Which is besides the point," Ultra Magnus stated. "When those who were under your command return, Megatron, they will need to be informed of the present situation by someone who they served under. That is all I ask of you."
Megatron observed the Wrecker for a moment, then moved his gaze to Wildfire and Jazz, who were watching with guarded faces. Slowly, the former Con allowed himself to look at the inside of the Hall of Records itself, clean and ready for those who might end up working there.
The mech let out a sigh. "Very well." He looked up at Ultra Magnus with a determined expression. "So long as I gain my new form first. I would prefer to leave this cursed shell before this Mega-Cycle is out."
Ultra Magnus motioned for Megatron to follow him, then strode off between the rows of desks. The spike-covered mech followed closely behind, a determined air about him.
"Well, looks like dat's taken care of," Jazz stated, watching as the two mechs disappeared down a corridor.
"Perhaps, now, we'll be able to get more done around here," Wildfire added. She sent Jazz a sly look, which he returned. "Come on. Let's go find a place more...private."
And there you have it.
It kind of bothered me that Megatron just flew off and nothing was mentioned as to his possible whereabouts, so I thought this up. If you want me to continue it, don't be afraid to review or PM me! I want to hear your thoughts on what I should do with this, as well as what you think of the interactions between the characters.
The music Jazz plays first is the main Transformers: Prime theme from the TV show. He switches between the other songs from that particular soundtrack in no specific order. However, that isn't the only type of music he has in his arsenal, as was clearly stated by Wildfire.
As for how I explained the event that led to Optimus' ultimate sacrifice, that will be explained in time. It'll just take a little bit before it can get out on the web. *frowns* Just as soon as I finish about...*counts on fingers*...six other stories. Unless you guys want me to put it out there with no attention to order.
Again, don't be afraid - or forget - to review!