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Spark possession

Earth 2 million years ago

A robot was walking through the darkened rooms of the large underground complex.

The form that had entered this hidden structure located under a mountainside belonged to the Predacon called Dinobot who, along with his group and another, both fighting each other, had landed on this planet several months ago.

At the beginning, he had been a follower of the renegade leader Megatron, who was calling himself after the legendary Decepticon leader of the great war.

Dissatisfied with his commander, he tried to rebel against him and failed. Very reluctantly, the proud and stubborn Predacon warrior joined the crew of Maximals led by Optimus Primal who were trying to stop Megatron´s plans.

Both Predacons and Maximals were descendants of the Autobots and Decepticons, the Transformers who had fought the Great War for millions of years.

In opposite to their ancestors they were not completely mechanical but more cyborg like mechanisms with artificial created organic components. Their alt-modes consequently were not longer machines and vehicles but actual living beings and animals.

Dinobot himself transformed into a Velociraptor.

Here, this these two small groups were now fighting a conflict on a much smaller scale, just as Primal and Megatron the 2nd were namesakes of the leaders of old.

It was only recently that he had realized that they were actually on the planet Earth, millions of years in the past from their point of view.

The mind that was controlling the body, however, was something completely different.

Starscream, the former Air Commander and Second in Command of the Decepticon army, was now a disbodied spark, a wandering ghost bent on revenge on the entire universe.

To achieve his goals, he was taking possession of different Cybertronians of Decepticon heritage, like he was doing to Dinobot now.

In the months they had been here, they had found out that they were not the only visitors on this world.

An alien species, even more advanced than them, was watching over the Earth of this period and they had a lot of powerful technology hidden on this planet.

"Here it is," Starscream said through Dinobot´s mouth as he was standing before a huge, exotic looking machinery.

He had already found this complex weeks ago. It was one of the outposts the aliens had spread over the surfaces for their purposes, whatever they were.

He knew that it could be used to produce tremendous amounts of energy, energy that he was sure could be converted, but till now he had been bodiless and unable to do something.

Not anymore.

His plan was easy.

In this time the crashed Ark was still lying somewhere close to this area, buried under tons of rock and the two crews of Autobots and Decepticons lay deactivated inside.

His own past self was also there. Thanks to his indestructible spark, however, there was very little that could actually threaten his existence.

With his technological knowledge, he would turn this installation into a weapon and destroy the Ark, with everyone inside.

He felt that his host body was trying to put up some struggle against him.

Starscream had long realized that his possession had different effects, varying from individual to individual.

Some just went into stasis mode when he entered their body and reawakened when he left. That was actually what he prefered, no interference, no resistance; ideally they wouldn´t even know he was there.

Others stayed conscious for some reason and were sometimes able to retain different levels of influence. It cost him a greater effort to keep them under control. He never found out why.

Sadly, Dinobot seemed to belong to the second group.

On the other hand, it would also have also a good side if he had Dinobot watching when he was turning this machine into a weapon. In that way he would at least have a witness for his triumph at last.

Megatron, Optimus Prime and his crew, Soundwave, even Skywarp and Thundercracker, nearly all his enemies gone in one sweep. Only he would survive, he would always survive.

"Not one more move," he heard somebody order.

It was the voice of that cursed Maximal leader. They had found him.

"You", Starscream/Dinobot hissed, "you are nearly as annoying as the other Optimus."

"I take that as a compliment," Primal replied, "especially coming from you, Starscream. Now stand down and leave Dinobot´s body."

"Yeah, you heard it, get lost," Rattrap said.

Like his chosen name suggested, the Maximal had a rodent as an alt-mode and all too often the fitting attitude.

"You damn vermin," Starscream screamed, "I won´t let you ruin everything again."

He pulled up Dinobot´s gun and prepared to blast the smaller Maximal.

But before he could fire, he was stopped, ironically by the same device he was trying to take control of.

In the moment the weapon was energized, a beam was sent from the machinery and suddenly a force field surrounded Dinobot.

"No," Starscream screeched as he was literally sucked from Dinobot´s body.

A few seconds later, Dinobot collapsed before them.

"What was that?" Rattrap wanted to know.

"I think this outpost has some sort of automatic defense," Rhinox the warrior who acted as their technician on this mission pointed out.

Before them Dinobot was slowly getting back to his feet.

"What had happened?" He asked.

"That's what I wanted to know," Rattrap complained.

"Shut up vermin, your comments are the last thing I need now."

"That's exactly what Starscream said," Rattrap remarked sarcastically. "Maybe he is still possessed."

"You," Dinobot growled. "We have no time for this. What happened to Starscream?"

"That's what we are trying to find out," Optimus told them.

"Whatever it is, it's for sure the Vok are responsible for it," Rhinox pointed out. "The only question is, was that a programmed, automatic response or did they actually give it a command?"

The Vok, the name of the mysterious species of aliens that they have only found out a few weeks ago.

"Do you think it has destroyed Starscream?" Airrazor, a female Maximal who transformed into a falcon, asked.

"That would be too good to be true," Cheetor, the youngest member of their group commented.

"I don´t think it killed him," Rhinox replied. "I am actually not sure if that is even possible. It has probably sent him to another location or trapped him somewhere."

"No matter what happened to him," Optimus said, "we should do our best to make sure that this installation doesn´t fall into the wrong hands. It wouldn´t be the first time the Predacons tried to use Vok technology for their own purpose."

"I completely agree with you," Rhinox told him. "And the way we have just run in here, we'll be lucky if they have not already noticed us."

It was a short time ago, right after the last skirmish with the Predacons, that they saw that Dinobot was acting strangely or as Rattrap put it, even more strangely as usual. When they confronted him, they realized that he was possessed by Starscream, leading to a shoot out and his escape.

They were lucky that they were able to stay on his trail unnoticed and find out about this installation.

"You are right," Optimus admitted. "We will seal this cave, after we have made sure that there are no Predacons in the area."

xxxxxxx

Meanwhile, the former Decepticon Air Commander found himself in a dark empty room.

There was only a single light in the center, coming from a source he could not quite make out, so that he could barely see the walls.

He realized that he was in his "fake body" as he called it, a non-physical projection of the Decepticon he had been in life, instead of the drifting spark he was since arriving in the past, but still just a ghost.

"Starscream, Starscream, Starscream," he heard multiple voices from the dark calling out his name.

"You," he yelled angrily, "you have ruined everything for me. Show yourselves."

Moments after he shouted out his demand, something materialized before him.

It looked like a giant floating face in the air. For a split second he thought that this had possibly not been such a good idea.

"Starscream," the thing before him repeated again, "once Second in Command of the forces called Decepticons."

"Traitor," a second voice said.

"Outcast," a third continued.

"A shadow of what you once were."

Starscream wouldn´t take it anymore. It was one thing if these creatures wanted to disintegrate him for trying to steal their technology. But only letting him stand here and throwing insults at him...Well that was something else.

"What do you want from me?" he shouted angrily.

"We are the Vok," the first voice told him. "We are the highest development of life as it is known."

Starscream was not impressed. He had heard such claims all too often before.

And as far as he was concerned, he was the highest development of life as it was known.

"So you are the Vok," he said, "and?"

"We have watched you since you have arrived in this time period." It was the second voice that have been talking to him, this one sounded like a female, he noticed. "We have monitored your activities."

Like winning the trust of the new Megatron and then usurping him, Starscream thought, playing both sides against each other, the things he did best.

"We have also seen your attempt to use our technology to destroy the ones who are still on your inactive space ship."

"They are my enemies," he answered.

"We know, we have watched you, your past, possible futures."

"You have?" He asked now.

"And we decided to make you an offer."

"An offer?"

"An alliance as your kind would call it, an agreement to both our benefits."

Starscream was now curious.

"And why would someone like you, someone who is so powerful, need to make an agreement with someone like me, a traitor, a outcast?" he asked mockingly.

It took a few seconds before he was answered, a few interesting seconds as far as it came to him.

"Recent events have caused disagreements under our race," the first voice admitted.

Starscream thought for a few seconds.

"Recent events? You are not talking about your attempt to destroy the Earth, are you?"

"The Vok have made it their duty to watch over the time-lines and the stability of the universe. Influence from time-displaced Cybertronians has distrupted the balance, destroying the infestation would correct it."

The Decepticon nearly laughed.

"Destroying this planet now would change events for the entire galaxy, for hundreds of species. I would hardly call that preserving the future."

"The damage would only affect a limited number of time-lines," the voice answered uncaring, "and the influence of time-travelers would be negated.

"Others of our kind disagreed."

"You are at war," Starscream deduced. "Your group has tried to wipe out this planet on their own accord and when the rest of your kind found out, they turned on you. You are just one faction locked in a civil war."

He was answered with silence, which was more than answer enough for him.

Of course there was much of this story that Starscream simply did not understand. For example, that for the Vok themselves this, individuality, disagreement, was new. But in the roughest shape, he had analysed the situation.

"We can not allow you to continue your activities in this time-line. But we can offer you an alternative.

"We can transport you to another reality, a world where you will be in a position where you can realize all your aims.

"It would be another universe, unrelated to this one, so that your actions won´t disturb our great experiment."

For all their talk about protecting the time-line, Starscream thought, this beings had obviously no problem letting him wreak havoc in another one.

"All my aims you say?" he asked.

"You will be able to take charge of your faction easily, you will be in control of your home-planet. The being you know as Unicron will not be present in that world, so he won´t be a threat to your plans."

"Yes, that sounds all really good, but what do you want from me?"

"After you have taken control, when you are in what you would call a position of power, then we will ask something from you."

"Ah, so you want my support in your war when you have helped me to win my own."

"Remember," it said, "even if you would destroy your opponents here, you would still not be in any position to rule. But we offer you exactly that."

"And if I refuse?" he asked.

"Then we will contain you and eventually destroy you."

Not much of a choice, he thought.

But what these creatures proposed sounded really like everything he ever wanted. The only drawback was that if he accepted, he wouldn´t have the chance to take revenge on the Megatron and Optimus Prime he had known.

At least he would have the pleasure to ruin their counterparts.

"Well, as it is your offer sounds good," he said. "I accept."

As he had spoke the words, Starscream saw a bright light surrounding his bodiless form and once again found himself somewhere else.

xxxxxxx

In another time and space

He heard blaster fire around him, the sound of jet engines.

Starscream recognized the event instantly, the Battle of Autobot City. All around him Autobots and Decepticons were fighting each other.

In the distance, he saw his former wing-mate Thundercracker flying over the area and firing at a few Autobots on the ground.

He also saw Soundwave, Blitzwing, Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime, who had obviously just landed in the embattled city-base.

And Megatron, shooting his way through a group of Autobots who were trying to hold their position.

Then finally he found who he was really looking for, himself.

He saw Starscream, Air Commander of the Decepticon army, levitating above the battle-field and watching for targets.

Literally like a second skin, he felt himself gliding into the well-known form and again looking through "his own" optics.

Yes, he thought, the situation couldn´t have been better.

Below him, Megatron shot an Autobot with his fusion cannon and nearly completely obliterated him. The upper half of the robot´s body was just blown to pieces.

Grapple, he recognized him. That was not how he remembered it. In his history, the Autobot architect survived the battle of Autobot city and even the entire war.

Wheeljack on the other hand, who he saw standing under a line of Autobots down there, should already be dead at this point of the fight.

So this was truly a different world. He could only hope that the aliens were keeping their word and certain problems won´t appear here.

One thing, however, was going to take place for sure. He could already see Optimus Prime fighting through the Decepticon lines, making his way to Megatron.

The fight of the two leaders was about to begin.

And Starscream prepared himself. He didn´t even need to actually possess this body. His counterpart completely shared his ambition. All he needed was to provide some influence, to pull some strings, to act now instead of later in the shuttle.

"Prime," he heard Megatron say the name of his old nemesis as he approached him.

"One shall stand one shall fall," Optimus announced before the two fighters tore into each other.

One shall stand? We will see Optimus, Starscream said to himself.

The fight was going nearly exactly like the last time.

Both of them were under the the strongest Transformers who had ever been created and also two of the most skilled warriors in Cybertron´s history, in both regards only a few were ever matching or even surpassing them.

They threw each other into walls and dealt out blows that left dents and breaks in their armor.

Alone, the physical strikes that they exchanged would destroy some smaller Cybertronians and even for them it caused noticable damage.

Megatron fired, but missed when Optimus tackled him with a wild charge and ripped the fusion gun from his arm.

During the struggle, Megatron draw a laser-sword and slashed across Optimus, causing a deep wound.

Starscream wanted to laugh as he saw his two greatest enemies causing each other so much harm. Neither of them had seen Starscream coming closer during their fight. They were too concentrated on each other.

Both of them were already weakened. While Megatron had been fighting for hours before Optimus even arrived, the Autobot leader had fought his way through a half dozen Decepticon warriors just to get to him.

They had already taken significant damage and a single mistake could now decide their duel, a mistake that was made.

Megatron was able to throw his opponent to the ground and tried to use this chance. In a single moment of anger and overconfidence he let his guard down while going for a direct attack on his downed opponent.

Optimus, who had just got up again, was able to throw his arms around him and was holding him in a death grip.

"I will rip out your optics," Megatron hissed hatefully. But the threat turned out to be empty.

The Autobot leader lifted him off the ground and threw him down hard on the metalic floor of the city.

As Megatron tried in vain to get up, he had time to pick up his own weapon that he had lost during the fight and point it at the Decepticon.

It happened just as Starscream remembered.

Megatron knew he was outmanouvered. He was on his knees, damaged and had a weapon pointed at him. In his state, he knew, it was uncertain if he could survive even a single blast.

But a few meters from him, he saw a gun lying on the ground.

"No more, Optimus Prime, have mercy I beg of you," he said with mock desperation.

Starscream smiled at the theatrics he was seeing.

Like the other time, he remembered Optimus let his foolish sentimentality get to him and let him hesitate.

If all was going as it should, Hot Rod would jump in in a few seconds to save his leader from his own misplaced compassion and his rash actions would only make everything worse.

Optimus would die and Megatron would end up helpless.

But that was a risk Starscream was not willing to take, not this time.

He charged his own weapons.

"You who are without mercy," Optimus said, caught between pity and anger, "now plead for it? I thought you were made of sterner stuff."

His problem was simple. He would have never thought that Megatron would react like this, he was surprised and that let him waver in the wrong moment.

Megatron had his hands on the gun, he pulled it up. Just as he was ready to fire, he was tackled by a flame colored Autobot.

Hot Rod was distracting him for a short time. But that also made it harder for Optimus to shoot back.

"Out of the way, Hot Rod!" he shouted.

Within a few seconds, Megatron had subdued the smaller robot and began firing at his opponent.

As the Autobot leader fell down, however, Megatron himself was struck in the back by a volley of laser-blasts.


Author-notes:

This story can be seen as a sequel to the Beast Wars episode "Possession".

The Beast Wars part of this story is playing in the second season, somewhere before "Code of a hero". That means Dinobot is still alive while characters like Scorpinok and Terrorsaur are dead.

I have made it a rule for this story that Starscream can only possess other Decepti- or Predacons. That was nowhere stated, but since we have never seen him take anybody else, it seems to be the case.

I want to thank Starfire201 who is my beta reader for this story.