Overburdened

"Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
I may never know for certain
When will be my time
How was I considered evil?"

One of the deeper parts of Kaon was not meant for the fortunate. It was filled with damaged mechs and activities that the Senate and privileged turned a blind eye to. This is where the lower class of bots called home or hell… Even the highest of soldiers in the Elite wouldn't dare set foot…the putrid smell of fluid and lubricants from the brothel filled the air. Energon was scarce and to conserve what they already had in the tanks, the bots would tear off their own limbs to make sure all the energy was concentrated on their processors…any means necessary to survive...

The only glimpse of salvation that the lower class mechs had was the games. In the games, if they managed to survive, they were rewarded with Energon….enough Energon to last them a few more cycles till another game came around. Megatron brought new hope to them…he was their savior. He took pity on the lower mechs, for after all, he was one of them. He gained power in the arena, but unlike the other bots with power; he never turned his back on them. He had no love for the upper class and vowed to change what Cybertron became…to give the lower class a rebirth. The Senate considered Megatron to be evil and knew he was becoming a threat…but would they dare venture out of their safe zone to find him? They would not and that would be their downfall. They would only debate back and forth about what to do.

Megatron made his way through the back alley…all optics were on him. The damaged mechs whispered amongst themselves and some began to call out his name in hopes that their Savior would recognize them. "It's almost as if the very essence of their sparks has returned to them…" Megatron thoughtfully said to himself as he glanced respectfully to each of them as he passed. Behind followed Soundwave, and the three seekers: his disciples. The seekers were part of the upper class….but his reasoning to have them as his followers was part of his logic. The seekers were fliers…a rarity on Cybertron and an extreme tactical advantage to him when the time came. However, there was one slight error that he would soon to have correct in their coding….

"My Lord, Megatron!" A raspy voice came from the side as a mech with one missing limb moved quickly towards where the group was. "Please…I-I must have Energon…" He choked…just the pure energy of his movement from his position drained his power cells. He collapsed a little to his knees, his right hand reaching out, grabbing the chain around Megatron's neck in a futile effort to regain his balance.

Angry, the white seeker, known as Starscream, growled as he harshly grabbed the mech away from his master. "How dare you touch him!"

"Please…" The mech pleaded as he reached up to Starscream touching his pristine wing with his oily hand, soiling the once spotless metal.

Starscream screamed out in annoyance as he back-handed the mech, knocking him to the ground. Raising his weapon, he aimed it straight at the mech's central processor.

The seeker was the malfunction in his cause…the example of the very cancer that had spread across Cybertron in the past centuries. Megatron violently knocked the flier's gun away. "Stand down!" He barked as his optics stared into his comrade's.

With his mouth gaped open, no words came back from the flier. He was in pure shock at his master's actions. Why did he stop him? The other two seekers remained quiet as they watched. Megatron couldn't blame Starscream or the other 2 seekers for thinking lowly of these mechs in Kaon, it was in their programming, but that was something that he would have to override. "What did I do, Mighty Megatron?" Starscream questioned.

"Starscream, you and your brothers have much to learn…" Megatron shook his head as he glanced back down at the groveling mech. "Thundercracker, bring me one of the Energon cubes."

Thundercracker complied and then Megatron handed the cube to the damaged mech. "Take this, but only use what you need at this very moment. Give the rest to your brethren."

The seekers looked appalled by this action. "What are you doing!?" Thundercracker shouted.

"That is for the arena fights!" Starscream reached for the Energon cube to grab it from the mech.

"No, Starscream!" Megatron pulled his arm roughly away. He nodded his head silently to the mech who got up and moved away quickly as he could. Sounds of happiness came from his vocals as he held tightly onto the cube.

"We have plenty for the arena tonight." Megatron gave once last look at the mech to make sure he did what he requested, then continued his walk towards their destination. His logic was not that irrational as it seemed to his flier followers. One day, he knew that every bot on Cybertron would have to take a side….and that the lower class outnumbered the elite. The mechs here would remember what he did this day….and would serve him loyally when the time came.

The black and purple flier known as Skywarp and the blue flier known as Thundercracker exchanged glances before they continue to follow their master. Starscream paused where he was….a look of displeasure on his face.

The arena came to life with cheers as Megatron walked in. The mechs in the stands pushed each other to try to get a better glance of their savior. The lightening of the arena almost made his metal glow. Hands reached desperately to try to briefly touch him as the larger mech made his way to where he would watch some of the bouts.

After taking his place, the seekers took their position next to him on the left while Soundwave stood next to Megatron on the right. Soundwave began to give the orders to start the bouts. The arena erupted into cheers and banters as the crowd watched their favorite combatants.

Megatron cast his gaze around precariously to the spectators, then to Soundwave who stood behind him silently. Soundwave hardly showed any emotion, but it was almost as if he was guarding something. A smile spread across the larger mech's lips, Soundwave was a dutiful follower to his cause. He was a bot that he knew that he could always trust and remain loyal to him. Soundwave never let his guard down and with him around, Megatron knew that his position was safe from any assassination attempts. The Senate wouldn't dare cross into Kaon, but that didn't mean they couldn't find a lower bot to carry out their dirty work…."How pathetic…," Thought Megatron as he frowned.

He then glanced over at Starscream and his brothers. Thundercracker and Skywarp were cheering on with the rest of the spectators. "Good, let them have their fun….they will need something to lift their spirits when the battles come…" Megatron noted to himself. Starscream, on the other hand, would be one that he would have to keep his guard up against at all times. Even though it looked like Starscream was enjoying the fights like his brothers, it was just a charade….a pretty good one. Megatron knew that Starscream's processors were never idle…always scheming…plotting.... The seeker was ambitious…and he knew that eventually during his spark's life, may it be the next cycle or many centuries to pass, that the flier would betray him….and when that moment came, Soundwave wouldn't be able to detect it. It was inevitable.

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