Summary: When the Reflector gestalt set is injured on a mission, it comes to their attention that they were set up. They take their revenge in a calculated manner.
Rating: M for safety
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Warnings: Character death.
Universe/Continuity: G1
A/N: This is yet another product of the Sanjuno Seeker-protection programming bunny, but set in the G1-Verse. Thanks is due to tlcoopi7 for spotting errors and telling me about them...he is more up with G1 and how the mechs interact than I.
"Italic speech" is telepathy or gestalt-bond speak.
Reap What You Sow.
Chapter One.
Sowing the Wind
The three mechs collectively known as Reflector were stood in front of Megatron, in the main control-room of the Nemesis. As they lined up in front of them, he spoke.
"I have a mission for you three. I want you to infiltrate the Ark and find out as much as you can about Autobot operations over the next six months. I am aware that the Ark has a force-field over its entrance: there is a weak spot." He gave them the information, obtained by Ravage.
"Ravage found it a week ago, he has recently disabled the alarms that would inform the Autobots of your approach. Now, go and get me this information. That is all."
The Reflector gestalt had plenty more questions it would have liked to have asked, but the expression on Megatron's face dissuaded them, and they turned and left.
oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo
Megatron called Starscream in once he had sent the Reflector gestalt on their mission.
"Starscream, I want you to follow the gestalt team one human hour after they leave the Nemesis. You are to check back on their condition, and inform me the moment you can confirm that they are permanently offline."
The Seeker looked puzzled.
"You are certain this mission will result in their deactivation?" he asked.
"The Autobots know of the weakened part of the force-field, they have set up an electrical discharge field to defend it. The Reflector units are unaware of this, and must remain so," the Decepticon leader said.
"Mighty Megatron - I do not understand why," the Seeker said.
"That is why I am the leader and you the follower, Starscream," Megatron replied. "The Reflector units are almost useless in combat, and I believe them to be planning treachery against me. Their elimination will neutralise a threat and send out a clear signal to all who seek to oppose me. They will be the example that says treachery against Megatron will not be tolerated."
"If you are so sure the field will kill them, why send me out after them?" Starscream asked.
"Because I am not sure of that at all," Megatron said. "If they still live when you find them, it is your task to ensure that they cease to do so. Now, go and ready yourself for the mission."
Starscream left, feeling very unsettled, and neither he nor Megatron noticed Ravage slink out of the room and head for the exit of the Nemesis.
oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo
The Reflector units soon found their target. Slipping to a place hidden by rocks and scrubby bushes, they set to work.
Less than five minutes into their task they heard a crackle, and felt pain.
All three twitched as electrical current surged through their bodies, and all three mech dropped to the ground, offline.
oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo
They came around from the electrical jolt to find Ravage pawing at them. The black mechanical cat had once been warned by Reflector about a mech who was trying to damage him and get him in trouble. As soon as Soundwave became aware of it, he dealt with the scheming mech personally and decisively, and Ravage had had no further trouble of that kind. The Cassetticon had promised it would repay the debt one day.
Ravage put a paw on one of the mech's legs to communicate telepathically. The gestalt bond would ensure all three heard
"I recorded this conversation ten minutes ago. I repay my debt to you."
Ravage began playing back the recorded conversation between Megatron and Starscream.
oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo
As the recorded conversation had come to an end, the three mechs had looked up in surprise.
"Megatron wants us killed?" one of them asked.
"Why? We are not traitors?" the second asked.
"He…he must know we have potentially compromising material on him, as we do on all on the Nemesis." the third mused. Ravage reached out to put a paw on one of the mech's legs, so to utilise his touch telepathy again.
"What you do with the information is up to you, but you are hurt. I shall reconnect the alarms. You must set them off. You are helpless in this condition, Starscream will pick you off one by one like this."
"But the Autobots will kill us!" one of the three cried.
Ravage remembered how the Autobots had captured him more than once, and swung his head from side to side in disagreement as he reconnected the alarm systems with oddly dexterous paws.
"No, I do not believe they will. They are signatories to the Treaty of Iacon, and they will, when they find you, be obliged to take you in or repair, In the process, they will take you out of Starscream's reach. Now, the alarm sensors are repaired. Touch it again, only lightly, you will be knocked offline again, but I will watch personally and if need be distract Starscream long enough for the Autobots to take you in."
The three looked at each other dubiously, then the least injured of them reached out to lightly brush the field. The effect spread through the gestalt bond, and as they fell and the alarms were set off, Ravage ran and hid.
Only when he saw the Autobots come out and find the three did he turn and run back to the Nemesis. It would not do for Megatron to have noticed his absence.
When Starscream got there five minutes later, the Reflector gestalt were gone.
oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo
The trio of mechs that made up the gestalt entity known as Reflector all re-onlined within five minutes of each other. They communicated through their gestalt bond while remaining vocally silent, very much aware of the fact that they were in an enemy medical bay and that the Autobot medic Ratchet was standing close by, watching them. The medic may have repaired them but they were still Decepticons, and were not about to let the medic listen in as they conversed.
"Ravage was right, they didn't kill us," one said.
"And he was right that they repaired us." another said.
"But now what?" said the first, who then turned to look at Ratchet. "What is it you plan to do with us? Will you kill us or imprison us?" he said out loud.
Ratchet scowled.
"Autobots do not kill on a whim or indiscriminately, so no, and we discussed keeping you a prisoner and decided it is too risky. Optimus Prime has stated that he thinks you are a security risk, so does Red Alert, after all you were trying to get in, keeping you here could be playing into Megatron's hands. No, Optimus has sent a message to Megatron stating he will bring you to neutral ground to hand you back."
One of the three opened his mouth to tell Ratchet that they would likely not survive long enough to get back to the Nemesis, but one of the others sent a "sh!" down the gestalt-link.
"Don't tell him, we'll work something out, Megatron betrayed us, we may be able to make this work to our advantage."
oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo
Starscream returned, wondering how he could tell Megatron he had been unable to complete his mission. His Spark flickered as he entered the control room and saw the look on Megatron's face. Somehow, he already knew.
Megatron, for his part had been furious when Optimus' message had come in just as he heard Starscream land. That Seeker couldn't seem to do anything right! With balls-up after balls-up, Megatron was beginning to wish that taking out Starscream would not be too much trouble. The last thing he needed was to lose control of one of his three trines, killing Starscream would likely destabilise the other two members of his trine so badly that they too would have to be killed. The Decepticon air superiority was the one main advantage the Decepticons had over the mainly ground-based Autobots. No, as much of an irritant as Starscream was, Megatron could not afford to lose any of his trines.
Then he had an idea. Maybe he could turn this whole mess to his advantage.
As he turned to face Starscream, the other was instantly unsettled to see a smile had replaced the frown on his face.
"Mighty Megatron, when I got there the gestalt were not there, but there were signs they had been there. The Autobots must have them. I'm sorry, Mighty Megatron!" whined Starscream, cowering back, fully expecting a slap, or worse.
Megatron nodded.
"I am aware of this, Starscream. I have called your trine mates and the other two trines, for it is apparent to me that the Reflector gestalt have likely betrayed us to the Autobots. The fact that they are being given back by the Autobots, with no cost to us, would suggest that the Autobots and the Reflector gestalt have made some sort of treacherous agreement." He paused to allow the other eight Seekers in his army to reach Starscream's position, then spoke again.
"We will be there in force and ready to fight. You will be airborne. The reflectors will be somewhere about. I want you to find them and kill them, then take as many Autobots out as you can in the confusion."
He raised his arm, fist clenched.
"Death to all traitors of the Decepticon cause!"
oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo
The Reflector units had checked their accumulated data, not just on Megatron, but on all those who were on the Nemesis, wondering if any would be sympathetic to their plight, and it was in doing so that they found the perfect revenge to take on Megatron.
Some time ago, the Reflector gestalt had downloaded some information pertaining to flyers in general, but Seekers in particular, and combining that knowledge with the footage they had of Megatron during a particular event in Iacon gave them just what they needed. They now had nine effective ways of paying Megatron back for his treachery, nine Seekers, who, considering the information they had about Megatron, were just loaded cannons waiting for the fuse to be ignited.
Megatron's past was about to catch him up.