(Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction. I do not own the Transformers setting or any of it's characters, all honor to those that have actually made this setting and who do actually own it. This fanfiction is just written for my own amusement and it not meant to step on anyone's copyright toes.)
Megatron's Button
Megatron's large, gray, metal finger rested on the communications button on his throne, well as close to a throne as his dim witted minions had been able to create in this sunken ship, deep beneath the oceans of Earth. Megatron could feel the slightly rough surface of the button beneath his finger, it had become pock marked after he had hammered it in irritation to many times when his fellow Decepticons where to late with a rapport or another, this time however the giant robot did not press the often abused button, and indeed he wondered why his finger where resting there in the first place. With a contemporaneous hiss Megatron rose to his feet and begun to phase his command chamber, the few of his underlings working in the room noticed their leader's mood and found reason to be elsewhere, after all Megatron had already shot one of their number that afternoon and nobody wanted to be next.
Megatron glanced down at his fusion cannon, the weapon was fused to his arm, as much a part of him as his arms or legs was, and with just a thought he could fire the lethal weapon. The metal which made up the other hull of the cannon, a shiny alloy only slightly darker gray in color than the hide platings of the great robot's arm, was still slightly warm from when he had last fired it. Megatron's processors immediately begun to receive diagnostics and data from the cannon's built in computers, they told him the weapon was ready to fire, that no known problems existed and showed him a repair log from when he had last had it adjusted, off course Megatron knew all this before he looked at his weapon, he had not glanced at it for diagnostics but rather because the sophisticated mass of gray metal on his arm was the cause of his current foul mood, Megatron sigh and returns to his throne and begins to tap his pock marked button again. He should not use it, should not call down to Soundwave in his lab, he should not care if the smart mouthed, red painted pest his communications officer where currently trying to repair would make it or not, damned it he was Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, he could not afford such weakness, and yet in his mind he heard Starscream's high pitch voice and somehow he regretted perhaps never getting to hear it again.
Ah yes Starscream from the time he had first met him the red Seeker had been nothing but trouble, once a brilliant scientist Starscream had become a warrior soon enough when he realized what power Megatron offered him. However as brilliant as the winged robot was he was also both weak and treacherous. Megatron had lost count over how many time Starscream had tried to undermine, depose or just plain murder him. Often the Decepticon leader wondered why he had not just killed the red pest a long time ago, he would never have been so tolerant towards any of his other minions. Usually when Starscream pulled his little stunts Megatron just gave him a good trashing to show him who was boss and then let him get on with his day. Megatron shook his head, he had tried to justify for himself many times why he let Starscream live. Off course one reason was that treacherous as he was the slender Cybertronian was also more than skilled, Starscream was both an excellent mechanic and the most capable flier the Decepticons had ever had, Megatron might not like to admit it however since his group's foremost advantage over the hated Autobots where their air superiority Starscream's skills where more than useful. The Seeker used to boast that he was the pride of the Cybertronian War Academy, however Megatron doubted that, granted he himself had just been a simple gladiator and not been afforded such education, but he would bet his last energon cube that if Starscream had gotten any special distinction from the War Academy then it would have to be class clown. The Red Seeker's title of Air Commander however where no empty boast, for when flying the usually so incompetent Decepticon came alive as a deadly and precise weapon.
Megatron sigh and rests his metal head on his dark gray hand. The other excuse he had used not to executed Starscream was the fact that like it or not the Seeker did keep him on his was not one among the Decepticons, with the possible exception of Soundwave who would not gladly kill their leader if they thought it might better their lot in life, however none save Starscream was brave enough to try without a proper plan in place. Having the red Seeker around meant Megatron would not become complacent enough for one of the others to have a chance to take him 's optics scanned the button on the armrest of his chair again. And yet none of the reasons he had to keep the squeaky voiced pest alive explained why he now sat here worrying about him, sure Starscream did have his uses, but why should he, the mighty Megatron really care if Soundwave managed to save his spark or not? Megatron shook his head and chided himself his moment of weakness, for a second he had allowed himself to think that if Starscream died when he would actually miss him.
The Decepticon leader could feel his cannon cooling further down as he sat contemplating, this day had started like so many other, Soundwave delivered his rapports, the Seekers argued with the Constructicons, Dead End and Sunstorm where doing some rudimentary repairs on one of the computer stations, all over the sunken base the various inhabitants where doing more or less useful tasks. It was then when all was calm that Starscream decided to strike. It came out of the blue, the red pest did not even take the time to monologue this time. Megatron had gone over to Dead End and Sunstorm to inspect their work when he was hit by a null ray in the back. Lucky for Megatron his hull absorbed most of the blast leaving only minimal damage. There where no need to see who had done it, firstly none by Starscream used the null ray and secondly who else would be so bold. Spinning with surprising grace for a creature so large and heavy Megatron faced his smirking second and before the Seeker had time to protest the Decepticon Leader fired his fusion cannon.
It had been Megatron's intention to just wound Starscream, just teach him a lesson, but the smaller robot had tried to dodge the shot and instead the blast which was supposed to him his left arm smashed into his chest. Megatron had lowered his cannon and expected to hear the Seeker plead for his life as he usually did when his plans to assassinate him failed, but instead the sounds that came from Starscream was more the whine of a engine which spun to fast than words. Megatron remember that he had stepped closer to Starscream to gloat, obiously he had damaged his voice synthesizers, a embarrassing but hardly life threatening injury, however when he looked down at his fallen flier it was soon clear that the extent Starscream's wounds where far more serious than that. The Seeker opened and closed his mouth and sound came out, but there where no recognition in his pain filled eyes. It was obvious that Starscream was terrified but not because Megatron was standing over him with a smoking fusion cannon, but more becouse he did not know where he was or what was going on. The fusion blast had burned a hole the size of Megatron's arm clean trough the Seeker's torso, exposed wires fired blue arcs of electricity, torn hydraulics tubes spilled oil everywhere and circuitry spilled out of Starscream like fine, metal jewelry. Worst however was that the selder Cybertronian's spark chamber had been breached, unless it could be repaired the wounded robot would die.
Megatron snarl as he banish the memory of the day's events from his mind. It was Starscream's own fault for first attacking him, and then when he again failed to eliminate his leader he moved instead of just standing there and accepting his punishment as any decent bot should. If he had only been a bit braver Starscream would have suffered a painful blast his arm which could be fixed in half an hour, instead he now lay on a slab in Soundwave's lab fighting for his life. Megatron folded his hands into fists, damned that Starscream, Megatron wanted to just think good riddance and hope the red pest died, he wanted to not care, but he could not deny that deep inside he knew he would grieve if his treacherous second in command did not make it. Megatron desperatly did not want to press the communications button on his throne, he did not want to lower himself to ask about Starscream's wellbeing, but somehow he knew that no matter how much he tried he would never be able to keep his finger off that switch.
Seconds later Megatron's voice flooded out through a speaker embedded in the wall of Soundwave's lab.
"Rapport Soundwave, I have a mission I need my Seekers to accomplish, will Starscream make it or do I need to find a new leader for them?"
Yes Megatron had found a fitting excuse, and he had almost made himself believe it to, he needed Starscream for a mission, that was it, he did not care if the Seeker lived or died, but the Seekers needed a leader and Megatron needed to know if Soundwave could get him up into the air again.
"Spark chamber is repaired Lord Megatron."
Soundwave begun in his monotone voice, dropping a tone for his second sentence.
"If replacement parts from a 15 fighter jet is obtained subject Starscream is estimated 95 percent chance of recovery to optimum functionality."
Megatron suppressed a smile, he would not smile, he would not show that he cared, not even when he was alone in his command room and none could see him, in fact the one he fared most to admit to that he cared about Starscream was himself.
"Excellent work Soundwave, obtain the parts you need and inform me when my Air Commander is ready for combat."
Megatron clicked his button again to close down the link between the command room and the lab and leaned back in his chair. Megatron would never admit it but he was relieved, there might come a day when he would have to destroy his red painted second, but for today Starscream would live, and for reasons Megatron did not understand, could not understand that pleased him enormously.