The Decepticons had a problem.
Megatron was missing…
… again.
This had been going on for a few months.
Megatron had found a high-grade bar between earth and Cybertron and somehow altered the spacebridge to go there whenever he wanted to.
Now, this took a lot out of the spacebridge, so, while it was being repaired, either Starscream or Soundwave would take Astrotrain to pick up the drunken leader.
Those two were the best because they knew some things about Megatron was very sensitive about. They understood that those topics could be very stressful on him and would never use them to take advantage of him. Yes, the treacherous Starscream knew when to draw the line, mostly because Megatron had drunkenly almost killed him when he threatened to use some of the most sensitive material for blackmail purposes. Astrotrain heard about the sensitive things in Megatron's drunken ramblings and had agreed to keep mum about it.
"Strascream, Megatron's trashed the space-bridge again," Skywarp said as he walked to his brother.
"Figures," the red, white, and blue seeker grumbled. "The Autobots haven't even seen him. Soundwave! Take Astro—"
"I got him last time," the navy blue mech said. "It's your turn."
Starscream sighed. "Okay, where's Astrotrain?"
Xxx
Astrotrain, Skyfire, Powerglide, and the Aerialbots were at an airshow in Texas.
"Skyfire, are you sure it's fine to bring him?" Silverbolt asked.
"Don't worry, we Decepticons have been having a slow week," Astrotrain said. He looked at a new line of earth spacecraft. "Besides…" he gave a smirk "… I'm a bit of an aircraft enthusiast."
"A.K.A., he likes the chassis," Air Raid whispered to Nose Dive. The two began to snicker.
A human in a yellow sundress and hat ran up to them. "Powerglide! Look out! There's one of those Deceptigoons!"
"Don't worry, Astoria. He's just here to ogle the aircraft," Powerglide said.
"I'm not 'ogling'. I'm admiring," Astrotrain said. "Surprisingly fine craftsmanship."
"You thinking about rescanning?" Skyfire asked.
"It's on my list, but I'd have to rescan my train mode, too. You"
"Ah, my T-Cog can't handle it."
"So, are you guys gonna see the air show?" Astoria asked.
"Isn't that what we're doing?" Silverbolt asked.
"Well, yeah, but you're just looking at aircraft. The big draw is the High-Flying Dare-Devils! They're the best stunt pilots in Texas! They do all these cool tricks when flying! Hell, they've had a judo tournament instead of normal wing walking! They've got their own Bat Family! You just got to see it! But, before that, I get to show off my aerial skills!"
The Autobots looked at her in shock.
"Um, what?" Powerglide asked.
"Yeah, I got a stunt pilot license," Astoria said.
"But doesn't machinery tend to break around you?" Silverbolt asked.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" Astoria rested a hand on a flying car, which then fell apart. "… Although, a little luck wouldn't hurt."
"I'll call for back-up," Powerglide walked away to make the call.
Everyone turned to the sound of tearing metal and saw Astrotrain holding the ripped off wing of the first ever jet made.
"Guys, what does this insignia mean?" the Con asked.
"Neiiin!" the aircraft's owner, a German collector, fell to his knees.
"Okay, I know what a nine looks like, and this isn't it. Wait, is it?"
"Mein aerocraft…"
Starscream landed next to him. "Put that scrap down. We have another errand to run."
"Can't you use the—"
Skyfire was cut off by a large explosion in the distance.
Long Haul screamed until he hit the ground. "That's never getting fixed." He grumbled as he stood up.
"Let me know how Astoria does when I get back," Astrotrain said.
"Will do," Skyfire said.
The two Cons walked away from the event and took off.
"Hey, Long Haul, you okay?" Silverbolt asked. "Need a medic?"
"I'm fine," Long Haul said. Then his wheels and bucket fell off. "On second thought…"
xxx
Starscream walked into the high-grade bar.
The bartender pointed to the end of the bar, where Megatron was almost passed out drunk.
"How much do I owe you?" Starscream asked.
"On the house," the bar tender said.
Starscream walked up to Megatron. "Can you stand?"
Megatron attempted to stand, but almost fell. Starscream put the warlord's arm around his shoulders and helped walk him to Astrotrain.
"Primus, how much did he drink?" Astrotrain asked.
"I… can—hic – handle a-a …little high grade…" Megatron the purged on Astrotrain's side.
"I don't think so… gross!"
"I saw a wash station on our way, we'll stop by there," Starscream said.
Starscream helped Megatron inside Astrotrain and sat him on a cot.
"Come on let's go," Starscream said as he sat down in front.
Megatron fell asleep just as they took off.
They flew for two hours until they reached the wash station. Starscream had checked on Megatron regularly to make sure he didn't aspirate or something like that.
"Uh… Starscream, I think Megatron had an accident," Astrotrain said.
"What makes you say—" Starscream then saw that Megatron had just wet himself. "I am NOT cleaning him." He shook Megatron awake. "Go to a wash rack and clean off!"
Megatron drunkenly stumbled into the wash racks and Starscream bought Astrotrain a detailed cleaning.
Starscream got a small bottle of armor wax for himself and read a magazine while he waited for Astrotrain and the drunkard to finish cleaning up.
Megatron walked into the store and collapsed into the chair next to him.
"So, how are you?" Starscream asked.
"Ugggh… getting drunker…" Megatron groaned.
"How?!"
"Ugh. New batch of high grade," Megatron held up the bottle. "Found it in the wash racks."
Starscream took the bottle and threw it out.
"Looks like Astrotrain's done. Let's go drunkard," Starscream dragged Megatron to Astrotrain and sat him on the cot again. He sat himself on a bench on the other side as Astrotrain took off.
"Guys, looks like there's a plasma storm, so it's gonna be a long ride," Astrotrain said.
"Hear that? Get some rest," Starscream said.
"Nah… how 'bout we talk?" Megatron asked.
"Rather read," Starscream began reading the label on the bottle of wax.
Starscream had actually lost himself reading the bottle when Megatron sat next to him.
"What are you—"
Starscream was cut off when Megatron kissed him.
"WOAH!" Starscream ran to the other side of Astrotrain. "What the frag?! You know I'm not like that!"
Megatron lunged at him.
"Yipe!"
Starscream was running away from Megatron in Astrotrain's confined space.
"Whoa! Hey! Quit it, Megatron!" Astrotrain said. He started to lose control of where he was flying. "If you don't stop right now we're gonna collide with the plasma storm!"
"For REAL?!" Starscream shrieked. "What am I supposed to do?!"
"I don't know! Try shooting him in the knee!"
Starscream found a blaster by luck (or someone stupid left it), closed his optics, and pulled the trigger.
Astrotrain screamed in pain and they heard the sound of something being sucked out into space before Astrotrain's hull breach repair protocol kicked in.
"Oh… I said Megatron, not me!" Astrotrain made a hard U-turn. "Is Megatron okay?"
Starscream opened his optics and found himself alone. "What the…" he stood up—he didn't know he fell—and investigated the cab.
There was energon surrounding a pick-up truck tire sized hole and scratches on the edges.
"I-I-I think I-I … k-killed him!" he backed away from the hole.
How? How was it physically possible?
"I'll check for his life signal!... H-he's not dead, but we can't save him."
"What do you mean by that?!"
"The storm. He's too close to it."
Starscream passed out in shock.
This was too much.
Xxx
Megatron onlined.
Dammit, Starscream! How many times do I—wait—why can't I talk?
His optics onlined with a few flickers and, if he could, gasped.
He could see Astrotrain's jets getting farther and farther away until he was indistinguishable from all the other stars.
He could feel the plasma storm coming for him… but not his body.
He closed his optics, mentally preparing himself to look at his body, praying it was just paralysis.
He opened his optics and looked down.
He wanted to scream.
His body was all… dismantled, broken, totaled. He could see his insides. His limbs were floating aimlessly like seaweed. Energon was covering him. But he was still in one piece.
He closed his optics and his mouth opened a bit. He screamed silently and oil tears escaped his optics, mixing with his energon.
He forced himself into stasis as the storm enveloped him.
So, this is it? This is how I meet my maker? Then… let it be!
Xxx
Megatron couldn't feel anything for three hours.
Only his spark. Just his spark.
And dread. That too.
He felt a lot of things. Emotional things.
He was mad at himself for starting the war. He wouldn't be dying in a plasma storm if he hadn't started the war.
But why did he start the war.
Let's see…
One of the things he was sensitive about were his days as a gladiator.
Was that it?
No. why did he become gladiator?
D-16. that's what he was called when he was a miner. The work was hard and his boss was… well, let's not talk about him.
Then there was another thing… his home life.
Damn his sire. Damn him. It was that bastard's fault. His!
Or… was it?
There was a very sensitive thing. One he never told anyone about.
He didn't want to think about it.
His sire said it made him weak.
That's why…
No!
…he was…
NO!
… wrong.
No…
He felt weak. Weak as a femme. No. Weaker.
He then felt confined…
… and warm.
It was like… he was back to being in his carrier's gestation chamber again.
He didn't want this feeling to end.
Ever.
Xxx
The first thing Megatron felt was being already tucked into a berth.
"Wh-where am—IS THAT MY VOICE?!" Megatron shot up and put 'his' hands over 'his' voice box.
That was when 'he' felt 'his' body. Something was different.
'His' hands went form 'his' neck to 'his' torso.
"I'm… I'm… not a mech!" Megatron whispered with neutral surprise.
She felt her chest. Those were… bigger than she thought, but not THAT big. (A/N: like… IDK medium?)
She moved her hands to her sides and down to her waist.
(A/N: oh, god! The 'I Know Every Curve like the Back of my Hand' song just came on the radio as I'm writing this! WTF!)
She wasn't a thin femme, that was for sure, but she wasn't too big.
Her hands went to her hips. They were big.
She put her hands under her pelvic armor.
"That's new!"
She saw what looked like a mirror, a full-length mirror, under a cloth.
She got out of the berth, ran to the mirror, and pulled off the cloth.
She stared at her reflection… and liked what she saw. Her help was no longer a bucket shape, it looked like a bob haircut that human females sometimes had. Her optics and nose were almost anime-like. Her lips were semi-full. She was a thick, curvy femme. Her paint job was still the same, but polished, and her insignia was gone.
There was one other thing to check.
She closed her optics and removed her armor.
When she opened them, she got confirmation that those parts were real. She was also covered in her battle scars, now very faded.
"So, I was put back together…" she said as she put her armor back on. "I'll need a new designation…"
She then fell to her knees and pumped her fists in the air.
"THANK YOU, PRIMUUUSSS!"
Someone knocked on her door.
She walked over and answered.
A femme that resembled the Machine-Man from Metropolis.
"The Lady Prime asks for your presence," the femme said. "Follow me."
Megatron followed the femme down a series of halls.
"If it's not too much to ask, what's your designation?" Megatron asked.
"Pearl," the femme said. "What's yours?"
"Mega... M-Megatron."
"You don't sound sure."
"I'm… planning on changing it."
They walked up to a large door.
Pearl opened it.
They walked into a large office and saw a HUMONGUS femme gazing at the stars.
(A/N: size comparison wise, the Prime is a Diamond, Pearl is, well, a pearl, and Megatron is a little taller than Pearl)
The femme turned to them. "Hello Pearl, Megatron."
"You know my name?!" Megatron squeaked.
The femme knelt to her height. "Yes. I am Solar Prime. I hope you don't mind, but I downloaded a copy of your processor to know how to rebuild you."
Megatron paled. "You… you saw… everything?"
The Prime nodded. "I… am sorry you lived through that. Do you like your new body?"
"Yes. Yes, I do. But, are you certain it was the wisest decision?"
"Do you think it is? I just rebuilt you according to your gender blueprints."
"Of course, I—GENDER BLUEPRINTS?! The fra—frick is that?"
Solus brought up the downloaded data from Megatron's CPU and pulled up some code very few knew of. She pointed to it. "This says you're a femme, but your body said different. I fixed that."
"Thank you!" tears filled Megatron's optics. "How long was I out?"
"Six lunar cycles, give or take," Pearl said.
"Scrap! I need to get back to earth! Uh, pardon my glossa!"
"It's all right," Solus handed her something. "I trust you will use this wisely."
Megatron looked at the object. "A data stick?"
"A gift. Pearl, prepare the spacebridge."
Pearl saluted her. "Yes, my Prime."
Megatron hugged the Prime.
"Don't you need a new designation?" Solus quipped.
"Oh, why yes!" Megatron said. "But, what? I like my old one."
"How about 'Megara'?"
Megatron thought about it. "I like it. Thank you for saving my life."
"One other thing," Solus said as Megara put the data stick in her subspace. "You are 100% a femme now. And I mean you're going to get heat cycles."
"That's very advanced. You mean I can procreate?"
Solus nodded.
"Megara, your spacebridge is ready," Pearl said.
Megara walked to the spacebridge.
"I wish I could get to know you better," she told Pearl.
"You don't get many second chances in life. Make this one work," Pearl said.
Megara nodded and walked through the spacebridge.