This isn't my first-time writing fanfiction, but it is my first-time writing Transformers fanfiction. So, let me know how I did, whether I did the characters justice ha-ha. Don't forget to follow if you want more Transformers fics from me and you're free to check out my other stuff too!
Disclaimer: Transformers does not belong to me and neither does the Parasitic Matrix AU. They belong to Hasbro and zyxthstuff respectively.
Dark, thunderous clouds rolled over the Nevada desert for miles, stretching beyond the horizon and reaching into areas the naked eye could not see. Lightning struck the ground in various places sporadically, charring its landing pad and leaving the sharp electronic scent of ozone lingering over the patch of singed dirt. Wind screamed and howled in agony, shrieking in the audios of any who were there to hear it. The cracked and abused earth shifted about unsteadily, being blasted away and torn apart by two beings that were never meant for it. Sparks and waves of power from gods both holy and unholy exploded around the two dueling Cybertronian's, igniting the few remaining cacti and utterly destroying any wildlife that foolishly decided to view the fight.
This particular battle...was not like the rest.
It was not due to any of the observations listed above, for what is above describes a typical battle between the Warlord and the Prime. No. This battle was not between Good and Evil, or Light and Dark, or any other stereotypical Hero vs. Villain nonsense. This battle was between an Old Friend and a Parasite. And it was time that this parasite was finally removed. And no. Megatron wasn't calling his longtime friend and nemesis a parasite. He was calling the bauble that was residing in the Prime's chest the parasite. The Matrix. The true archenemy of the former miner. No one seemed to understand that, and frankly Megatron did not care. What they thought did not matter. What mattered was he took the Matrix before it erased the few remnants of the bot that he had grown to care deeply for. Yet, Megatron knew, that he was far too late. The former gladiator knew from millennia, that Orion Pax was gone, and all that was left was the Matrix's persona. Still, he refused that possibility with all his spark, as dark and corrupted as it was that that was not the case. He wished to Primus and Unicron that the two celestial beings would grant him his one wish and let a little bit of the simultaneously soft spoken and feisty little librarian remain. Despite all his prayers and mantra's, Megatron had the ever-growing feeling that his wishes would remain permanently unanswered.
As the two powerful robotic aliens clashed swords, Megatron devoted a little bit of processing power to reminisce on the last days of Orion Pax, already promising to himself that this would be the absolute end for Optimus Prime. Orion was already dead, and he would not allow his former companion's corpse to fade to gunmetal gray under an unworthy reason.
There had been a lull in the battle between the Decepticon army and the Senate. Peace had temporarily swept Cybertron. An ironic peace considering that it followed the brutal murder of Sentinel Prime, performed by none other than Megatronus himself. Regardless of who killed who, the false prime was offline and the chaotic orders that he constantly gave had halted, bringing back to order the frenzied citizens. The High Council seemed to sink back into whatever hole it crawled out of almost immediately after hearing the news of the death, and the bots who despised them with their whole sparks rejoiced, even though they knew the war wasn't completely won. They all fully expected the Council to fully crack down on them, but they were splendidly surprised when they backed down, unbeknownst to the Council that they were the next target.
Battle strategies had temporarily been stored away to make space for the shakily stability that had entered their life cycles. Bases had been traded for nearby houses, apartments and hab suites. Weapons development had slowed. Contacts were still kept of course, and every other cycle, the groups gathered once more to make sure that everything was still afloat if the peace was abruptly interrupted. Letting their guard down was the last thing that they wanted to do.
Yet, war was the last thing on Orion's processor as he relaxed into his reclining chair after a busy sol at the library. While there was not much physical work putting into cataloging and archiving, it still left him almost completely drained. Maybe it was sitting in an office surrounded by crates of miscellaneous data pads that cluttered and cramped his work space that did the unwanted trick. It was said that your environment greatly affected your energy levels. The more crowed and messier a place is, the more tired you feel while open clean environments left you feeling more energized. Orion didn't believe that explicitly, yet he understood where the bot was coming from. For as soon as he entered his much more open and spacious apartment, the process ache that had plagued him for the last several joors had finally begun ease away. He slid the crate of data pads he had to organize later onto a shelf then made a beeline towards the kitchen to brew himself a cup of germanium tea, his favorite kind. While the water brewed, the young archivist ambled over to his bookshelf and pulled out his latest read No Longer am I Blinded, the author of the pad unknown. He pressed a button on the side of the pad that automatically sent him to the last paragraph he was on. A piercing whistle indicated that the water had finished heating up; therefore, he set the pad down on the armrest and finished making his tea. Sitting down in the chair, mug hand, he sipped and delved into the world of a young femme trying to figure out the dark family secret that stretched on for generations and generations.
He had neared the climax of the story when there was a familiar knock on his apartment door. Two swift knocks and a scraping noise. Megatronus. With a sigh, Orion got up from his seat and put the pad away, knowing he would never get back to it once the silver mech passed his threshold. His mug, long empty, he rested in the kitchen sink. Hesitantly Orion made his way to the door, but that hesitance was soon replaced with frustration. Slow pedesteps fastened and he opened the door.
" Greetings Megatronus." he said in a clipped tone unlike him
" Still upset about Sentinel I see." it was not a question, but a statement.
"...you didn't have to kill him. Taking away his position was enough..."
" I know how much he meant to you but-"
"-It's fine Megatronus...it's fine."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...would you like to come in."
" Only if you want me to. I know how you go when you're upset."
After a pause, Orion stepped to the side, allowing the larger mech to walk in.
Thump!
" Do not forget to duck my friend."
" I appreciate you telling me after the fact."
This caused Orion to give a slight smile, in turn, causing the former gladiator to smile as well. Megatronus practically fell into the chair the smaller blue and red mech had previously been sitting in, letting out a deep groan.
" Primus Almighty. Had I known politics would be such a bore..." he trailed off.
Orion went to his energon dispenser and dispensed a glass of Mid-Grade for Megatronus. He handed the glass to the silver mech, who immediately horse-backed the life-giving liquid and handing the empty glass back to the librarian.
Orion shook his head with a light scoff and sat down in the chair across Megatronus, a semi-serious look on his face. " With Sentinel Prime offline, and the High Council gone, Cybertron is without guidance. What do you intend to do about it?"
" That is exactly what the meeting I have just attended was about. The result: nothing. For so long, false primes ruled our land...it is the only thing we know. Now that they are gone..." Megatronus didn't need to finish his thought before Orion brushed his dainty digits on the former gladiator's sharp claws.
" Do not fret. I am positive we will find a suitable ruler for our home. As of now, let us relish in this temporary peace we have worked so hard and suffered so much to achieve."
The young bot rose.
" Maccadam's?" he invited Megatronus with a stretch of his hand.
" Maccadam's." the silver transformer accepted.
Megatronus stomped furiously back and forth across Orion Pax's berthroom floor breathing fire. He ground his denta and clenched his clawed digits, grumbling under his ventilations as steam rose from between his transformation seams. The silver ex gladiator vented multiple times in an attempt to calm himself, for he knew he was frightening the young librarian. Yet, despite his attempts, the rage that manifested in his spark would not quell. It only grew and grew, twisting, turning and warping into an unimaginable hate, potent enough that if it was tangible, it would be considered one of the deadliest poisons known to Cybertronian kind.
Orion watched his friend with worried optics, knowing what Megatronus was mad about. However, he had no idea how to calm him down. He had a feeling that the moment he opened his intake, the situation would get worse and explode: almost like a reaction between halogens and alkali. Orion opted to let Megatronus cool down by himself but dismissed that idea almost instantly as soon as the riled-up bot started used language the archivist could only assume the former miner picked up in the Pits of Kaon.
The reason Megatronus was so furious was because in his words, "the work we've shed gallons of energon for have all been for naught!"
In other words, the High Council recovered quicker than the Decepticons had anticipated, returning also with a new Prime who appeared to be not so much better than the last. The new leader of Cybertron called himself "Zeta Prime". The name dripped down Megatronus' fangs as if they were a curse upon the very planet. In a sense, he was.
"How…dare they…how fragging dare they! They know! Their corruption has been revealed yet the Council still manage to scrounge a new one from the pits and the mechs and femmes worship him like he's the best thing since the dawn of the Golden Age!"
Orion dared to speak.
"I'm not going to pretend that I know what to say to you. I know this matter is personal to you so I'm not going to pretend that I truly or completely understand either…" the red and blue bot stood up from his berth and grasped the silver mech's servo. "…but I do know I will assist you in whatever endeavor you pursue."
Upon hearing Orion, Megatronus exhaled. "Foolish bot. You do know what to say. Don't think so poorly of yourself."
Orion gave a small smile, a light blue blush dusting his faceplates. "N-never mind that now…we need to find an alternative way to permanently shut down the council." Orion pulled away from Megatronus to pace about his room the same manner in which Megatronus did, albeit with less fury and more contemplation. After a breem, the librarian paused.
"Perhaps we should try a more peaceful and civilized approach. High Council members are very…dignified. We should try to appeal to them in a dignified manner. Speak 'their language' so to say. Try to find a more peaceful route than the 'barbaric use of violence' Senator Soundwave had told me.
"Former Senator." Megatronus corrected. "He left the post after uncovering a truth he'd rather not speak of at this time. Similarly, with Ratchet. They could not stand the corruption."
Orion nodded in understanding.
"Do you think it would work? The might not listen to reason considering we murdered one of their own."
Orion stiffened slightly at 'we murdered', a sickening feeling entering his tanks. "…I can grant us a seat with him. I knew Zeta personally before his primacy. I'm sure he'll listen to an old friend."
Megatronus nodded, but hesitantly. He did not agree with Orion's peaceful approach, believing that things only changed when action was placed into it. That is how he got out of the mines, toppled even the most powerful gladiators, became the leader of a formidable army and killed a Prime. When he illegally published the poems, he wrote from his stole data pad, nothing happened. His works were stolen, and words twisted to further the corrupted agenda.
Besides that, his main reason to silently object was because he felt Orion Pax would be taken advantage of. He was very soft spoken, and eager to do anything to stop the needles violence No doubt Zeta would use his status as an 'old friend' to manipulate the red and blue bot to do his bidding under false promises of peace. This is one of the reasons why Megatronus asked to join the Decepticons and become his second in command: to protect him. But Orion declined and felt that deep within the Deception movement was a black hole of darkness that he did not want to get sucked into. Obviously Megatron thought that notion was preposterous but kept his thoughts to himself to spare Orion's feelings. The archivist did have a tendency to say cryptic things in recent times. It did not stop him from helping where he felt most comfortable though; between rows of neatly lined data pad in the Central Iacon Library.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Megatronus told himself to put more faith and trust in his smaller friend. Afterall, the bot could be very persuasive when need be. The Decepticon leader believed Orion could be a great orator if he wasn't so shy.
"Very well Orion. We will follow your plan. But please let me accompany you and be your shield if they raise a servo in attack. You know what happens to those that directly defy the Council…"
The mood turned somber.
"Yes. May Senator Shockwave's spark rest peacefully in the Well of Allsparks."
After a moment of silence in respect of the missing but assumed to be dead senator, Orion spoke. "I can see the hesitance in your optics, feel the hatred and anger in you spark. But please. Trust me."
And…Megatronus did, but…he was soon to find out that that was one of the worst mistakes he ever made in his entire life cycle.
The two did not anticipate the news of the meeting sweeping so swiftly across the city state and all the other ones. No doubt it was one of Former Senator Soundwave's psychotic symbiotes, always listening in on other bots' conversations and spouting it wherever they set pede. Megatronus did not blame they though. It was their primary core function as a cassette: to record and play back important information. For Cold Constructed mechs and femmes, defying your p.c.f was very difficult, thankfully not as difficult as forged bots and those sparked by Vector Sigma. Still, even on Megatronus' worst days, the only way to calm himself down was to grab a pick axe and grind the stones in his backyard to dust. He was disgusted that the action he tried to escape from became one of his methods of release, but he managed to ignore that detail most of the time.
Due to the symbiotes' loose jaw struts, the meeting had become an interplanetary event; being broadcasted across Cybertron on every wavelength, hosted by none other than the loudmouthed news reporter Blaster.
"Primus spare my spark on this very sol." Megatronus groaned with a sigh as he collapsed into the seat of the transport that was to carry him and Orion to the Grand Hall. The star of the sol slid beside him and locked the transport door, providing a shield between him and the newsbots and camera-formers that began to swarm.
"By the Allspark! There must be thousands of bots out there!"
"And billions more watching from their couches." The silver mech huffed sourly, still opposed to this idea.
The other Cybertronian was aware of this put a hand on Megatronus' shoulder. "I promise. I will be fine. After all, I have you to protect me!"
Megatronus' peeled his optics from the window he had been staring and turned to look at Orion Pax who had a grin on his faceplates. "Yes! I'm sure this will be it…it has to. It just has to…"
"Well…with you at the steering wheel, I doubt this will go up in flames…much."
"Don't jinx this!" the librarian pushed Megatronus playfully.
After light banter between the two, the remainder of the ride was met with silence. Both bots' processors teeming with heavy thoughts as the anxiety rose. This was another chance, most likely their last to completely overturn the High Council and tip the war between them and the Senate in their favor. If this failed, who knows what would happen. Neither bots really wanted to find out.
The transport pulled to the entrance of the Grand Hall, Enforcers already lined along the staircase to ward of the crowd and escort them to meeting room. Before the door was pulled back, Megatronus grasped Orion's servos in his. "Promise me Orion. That no matter what happens, we'll face the consequences together."
Orion nodded "Together." And planted a soft kiss on Megatronus' derma, the larger bot pushing into the kiss.
Megatronus stood at the door of Orion's apartment door, preparing himself to face the new apparently true Prime. The silver mech still had no exact idea what had happened even though he was one of the main witnesses. Orion placed his hand on the Matrix to pledge his honesty…and the room was completely enveloped in a white light that paralyzed everyone. Once the light had died down, Orion lay unconscious on the floor, upgraded and emanating a holy aura. When he awoke, his voice was deeper, and he spoke with such wisdom. That wasn't the most surprising part. What was most surprising was that his chest plates were wide open and within it was the Matrix of Leadership latched to his chest. It pained the taller red and blue bot to try to take out and give it back to Zeta, so it was left in his chest. Zeta accused Orion of planting a bomb to steal the Matrix but that was shot down quickly when the awoke bot said the Matrix called him Optimus Prime. And the amount of power that flowed from that name…it was undeniably that this was the true 13th Prime.
Shaking himself from the memory, Megatronus bounced lightly on the balls of his pedes, waiting for Optimus to open his door. Deep down…Megatronus was mad things turned this way. There was supposed to be no more Primes. Their reign was supposed to be over. Right? He knew he couldn't fault Orion in the slightest and tried to lock the pain he felt away. It seemed that someone else couldn't however. A shattering sound seeped through the door followed by a loud thump and an agonizing yell.
"Orion!" Megatronus shouted before thinking and broke into the apartment, where he found the former librarian on the floor curled up in pain, energon tears leaking from his optics.
"Ori-!" Megatronus yelled frantically only to be cut off by a venomous hiss.
"Get out."
"What…" Megatronus froze in confusion.
"Get out. Get out! GetoutgetoutgetoutGETOUTOFME!" a throat slashing roar escaped from the intake of the bot on the floor as he ripped his chest plates open and tried to yank the Matrix out.
The words that bubbled in Megatronus' throat died has he watched in horror the sight before him. Long thick black tendrils slid out of the Matrix and coiled itself around Orion's spark chamber, seeping through the seams and entwining itself within the delicate circuitry. The bot purged, a black liquid splashing on the floor and draining from every opening his body. Orion slammed his head repeatedly on the floor, screaming in agony as the Matrix continued to choke the bot's spark.
"Megatronus! Help!" the pained scream knocked Megatronus out of his temporary paralysis and urged him to help the bot.
"What in the name of the Allspark is this?" the former gladiator helped Orion up, cringing in disgust at the black liquid.
A shuddering groan was his only answer. Megatronus helped Orion to his berthroom and laid him on the berth. His chest plate was still wrenched open and the ex-gladiator wanted to snap it shut so he wouldn't have to see thin black strands dig into and split Orion's spark.
"Orion please…what is happening to you?" Megatronus asked as he propped Orion up on the berth head
"…assimilation. The Matrix…is trying…to take my mind and body over…I don't have much time left. Megatronus…promise you'll remember me." Orion groaned weakly, as tears and the black liquid seeped from his face. His helm rolled limply to the side
"What nonsense are you blathering about!" Megatronus hissed angrily, though it seemed less angry and more like despair
"Orion Pax is not blathering nonsense." A foreign voice escaped Orion's mouth as his head suddenly snapped straight.
"Ah!" Megatronus jumped back in surprise.
"It is true what this child of Iacon is saying. He soon will be launched to the back of his processor and I will be the complete owner of this body. He is my vessel. "
"Shut up! I will never let that happen!" Megatronus launched forwards wrapped his hand around the handle of the Matrix and pulled with all his might. Deep creaks and high-pitched whines came from the bending, groaning metal.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Megatronus stop. You're hurting me!" Orion cried out as a white hot, blinding pain seared through his spark chamber. He coughed and wheezed, voice filled with static as his body rattled and the speed of the tendrils sliding into Orion's chest gaps quickened.
Megatronus stopped and looked with horror. "…it… it can't end like this. What about facing everything together! You promised! You fragging promised!" He collapsed by Orion's side.
"I'm…sorry. I'm so so sorry. I should have listened. This…this is my fault…" the librarian began to lament.
"No…. none of that. This is not your fault. This is in no way, shape or form your fault." He wiped tears and sludge from Orion's optics and whispered sweet nothings into Orion's audios.
"Megatronus…I love you. So so much."
"…I love you too."
With that Orion's body shuddered on the berth violently, forcing Megatronus to step back. His chest plates snapped shut and his body went rigid.
"Orion…?" Megatronus raised a hand.
"Orion Pax is no longer…only I remain." Optimus sat up straight and swung his legs over the berth, standing up, the black tar like liquid draining from his faced and closed chest panels. "I am sure you have many questions. I will answer them before you ask. Yes. What you see before you are the truth. No. It cannot be undone. This…is permanent."
"…. why...why do this…" Megatronus' voice was hollow as his processor tried to catch up with the events that had just played before him.
"…I need to punish my creator's children. It was what I was made for. To punish them for their wrong doing. By posing as one of their own, I can do my creators work." He paused for a moment "…I don't want to do it anymore."
"I no longer want to punish my creator's children. I have seen the pain Cybertron is in because of me and I wish to quell it's suffering. Instead of punishing, I want to praise. This is why I waited until I could find a kind vessel in which I could begin to erase the damage. The personality of my host slightly remains and slightly influences my decisions. A side effect of having no personality matrix of my own. To combat this, I would only activate myself when a worthy mech or femme touched me."
"…I don't…I don't understand…why…" Megatron sounded confused and broken, his spark feeling empty and hollow.
"Do not try, what I am is beyond comprehension. Even I myself sometimes wonder what I truly am." Optimus looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers and testing out the upgrades he made to Orion's body to suit him.
"…No."
"No?" Optimus repeated.
"I know exactly what you truly are." Megatronus snapped back to reality, angry about the truth.
"And pray tell what that might be?" Optimus tilted his head, slightly amused.
"A disgusting parasite. That needs to be eliminated." As he said this, Megatronus' activated his arm sword with a metallic hum and launched at Optimus. "Have at thee Prime."
The parasite casually stepped to the side and gripped Megatronus' arm, flipping him over on his back.
"Foolish child. You are no match for me. Leave and let me do my work to repair what has been undone."
"That's not your responsibility! It's mine and Orion's! It's the people of Cybertron's" Megatronus growled, biting back the electric pain that shot up and down his spinal struts "You have no right to try to suddenly fix a problem you have created for millennia using other bot's bodies! You have no right to fix it using Orion's body! You've taken away my one and only anchor…for that you will perish!"
Megatronus jumped off the floor. "But I must get stronger first…you are obviously an error that has been created by a higher power and I am a mortal bot." He turned his head towards the parasite.
"Remember this day Optimus Prime. The day you created your worst enemy. As of now, I. AM. MEGATRON!"
Megatron delivered a swift but powerful kick to Optimus' midsection, pushing the titan down to the floor. He pounced on the Autobot Commander and pinned him beneath his pedes as to prevent him from getting up. Though, even without the pinning, Megatron was sure that Optimus could not get up anyway. He was injured terribly so. His helm was cracked, one of his audial fins dangling by wire. His faced was covered in multiple cuts and bruises. His chests plates were bashed in, some paneling threatening to fall off while the glass was littered with deep spider webbed cracked. His mid-section had been sliced open, energon draining profusely and one of his exhaust stacks had been ripped clean out of his back.
"Today is the day you end Prime! No one can save you now! And you can't escape through your pathetic Ground Bridge either." Megatron laughed manically.
Optimus said not a single word as Megatron bent down, gently caressed the downed bot's chest, brushing against the seams with a feathery touch, before suddenly gripping the panels and ripping them off, leaving being wires, circuitry and binding silicon. "I've waited for this sol for a long long time."
Optimus screeched in agony and Megatron reveled in it.
Upon inspecting the exposed spark chamber, Megatron noticed something most peculiar. "Huh? What is this? Hesitation marks?"
Lo and behold, littered around the Matrix and the spark chamber were many hesitation marks, as if somebot tried to use a sharp knife or weapon of some sort to pry the Matrix out of the chest, but was halted at the last minute
"…he tried to take back control the first couple of days…but it was never enough…" Optimus explained, gritting his denta.
"In that case, let me commence his dying wish!" Megatronus smiled and grabbed the handles of the Matrix.
"Wait! If you pull it out, it will kill the both of us!" Optimus pleaded, wrapping his hands around Megatron's wrists weakly.
"You said it yourself Prime….it was never enough. And you were never enough. You made a terrible mistake by continuing to exist. …. As I am a bot that recognizes credit where credit is due, I must commend you for trying to stick your words. In fact, you played the part of the kind and forgiving bot so well that on those scant days…for a few nanoseconds I believed that Orion was the one talking to those Autobots and swearing to protect the humans. That is something he would do. Then I hear the word Prime and it all comes swarming back like an infestation of scraplets. Eating my hope till not even the wire frame was left. Well, that is the past now, or should I say soon will be? Any last words?"
"I…could never figure out why you suddenly changed your name that day."
Megatron stared at him, trying to find any fine print I the odd request, but when he found none he answered "I thought that would be obvious. You see…Megatronus died the day Orion did. Wherever Orion went, so would Megatronus, even if it is to the Afterspark. I am simply the physical form of his dying wish."
Wordlessly, Megatron ripped the Matrix out of Optimus' chest in a flurry of sparks and splattering energon. Optimus' body shuddered violently as he coughed up energon and a thick black liquid and ventilated weakly.
Silently, Megatron threw the Matrix high in the air and blew it to microscopic shrapnel fillings. The Decepticon Warlord stared solemnly at the body of his fallen Nemesis, but truthfully his fallen friend. Orion died trying to do what was best for his people, and instead ended up with a parasite puppeteering his body and masquerading as the bringer of good when it was the complete opposite. In the end, none of that mattered anymore. Megatron's ultimate goal was completed, or at least almost. While Optimus was still barely activated, he swiftly tore off any modifications the Matrix made to Orion's body. Disabling his plasma blasters and jet packs until everything but the frame itself was gone.
The spark soon fluttered out of existence and the frame dulled from red and blue to gunmetal gray.
Megatron could finally live out the rest of his life cycle in mental peace, for he had avenged Orion Pax. That shy little librarian who had hoped so much for the good of Cybertron could finally rest in peace. As himself.
"So long…old friend. Megatronus never forgot and he will always love you…"