This story is new, and not a part of any of my other Tranformer fics. It is so AU that only the characters will be familiar. The idea comes from SoulReaperRitsuka; she made it in November while I was working on my NANO novel, but the plot bunny sank its teeth into my imagination, though I am just now managing to find the time to write it. Warning: Updates will be about every other week at best; I am working on some original fiction as well, and I will divide my time between the two.
I do not own Transformers; Hasbro got there first. Oh, well.
Blind Ambition
Chapter One
Bumblebee huddled in the back of the cell. Other than the blue glow of the energy bars, the cell was dark. He could feel the energon trickling down his side from one minor wound. He could not feel his right leg at all. Knowing that the interrogation could start at any time, he tried to keep his courage up as he heard heavy metal steps approach.
"You little fleshbag, you know better than to question your master!" the approaching Decepticon roared. "For that little stunt, you can spend some time in the brig!" A part of the blue glowing bars disappeared, and something was thrown roughly into the cell. The bars returned. Bumblebee caught sight of Counterpunch as he stomped away. "Don't worry, Autobot, the Master will tend to you when he has time. Right now he's a little busy."
For a time the only sounds in the brig consisted of soft wet sounds from the organic. When nothing else happened, the yellow scout crooned cautiously. The sound seemed to startle the organic, who stopped making the sounds and lifted his head from the floor. After regarding his cellmate intently, the organic pushed up from the floor and approached, dragging some kind of storage device with him and wiping at his face. He was careful to face away from the bars. When he reached the scout, he patted the armor on the hurt leg, as though he was searching. At one point he stopped and rummaged in the bag, searching for something, though he did not look in. Finally he pulled out something and pulled them over his servos-hands, Bumblebee reminded himself- at which time he began his exploration again. Considering that the sensors on his leg were not working, the scout did not know what the human could possibly be doing until he finished and moved briskly back.
Bumblebee's leg twitched, and then statically sensation, comparable to the pins and needles feeling humans got, flooded his leg and it twitched a few times. Bumblebee moved his leg experimentally. The repair was not perfect, but adequate. The organic watched intently, before moving around to the other side. He whispered something. Bumblebee consulted his human language uploads to translate, as the organic waited. "You need to be very still while I repair this," the organic repeated after a time. "The gloves protect my hands but if you move some of it might splash on me and burn my skin. Nod if you understand me." Bumblebee nodded and was still as the boy applied a rough patch to the injury, stopping the leak.
As he worked, Bumblebee observed the organic and compared what he saw to his memory files. This was certainly a human, the dominant life form on this planet. With a little more research, he concluded that this was a male, and based on his size, a youngling. Where had a youngling human learned to do Cybertronian repairs? And how was he doing it in the dark? The files said humans relied strongly on their sense of sight, and there was almost no light in this cell.
"Finished," the human youngling said, and sniffed. He took off one glove, and with some careful maneuvering, involving putting his hand under his covered foot, got the other off as well. Then he pulled a container out of the storage device and drank from it while studying Bumblebee. Bumblebee looked back. The youngling was slim, with dark hair and pale skin. He was wearing armor-no, clothing, Bumblebee reminded himself- that covered most of his body closely. His eyes- Bumblebee shuttered his optics and looked again. He was not mistaken.
"I'm- I'm a little cold," the youngling confessed. "Do you mind if I stay close? You're warm." Bumblebee responded by reaching out, slowly. The youngling stood still as Bumblebee picked him up and placed him on his uninjured leg. "My backpack, too?" Bumblebee brought the storage device up. The youngling maneuvered until he was comfortable. Pulling a large length of cloth out, he wrapped it around himself and settled. He sighed and settled on Bumblebee's chassis. The scout crooned and cupped his servos around the younglings. "That's warm. Thank you. My name is Sam Witwicky. My great-grandpa found my master, Lord Megatron, a long time ago."
Trtr
Cold. That was all that Megatron was aware of, when he started to be aware of anything at all. Slowly, as his awareness grew, he realized he was surrounded by voices, but not in the tones of Cybertronians. These were different, and after a moment he realized the voices were organic. That activated his memory files. He'd traced the Cube here to this small planet with a weak sun on the very edge of this galaxy. But when he came in, his trajectory was altered. The trip through the atmosphere heated him, and instead of plowing across the surface, he melted into the ice. In the deep freeze of winter, the ice froze around him immediately, and he went into stasis.
Reviewing his files, he noted that his navigation system marked something. Listening to the irritating voices of the organics, he discovered that the leader of some kind of expedition found him, and his 'glasses' were marked with the location of the Cube. He further discovered that the humans were highly excited about the discovery of 'the ice man'. Foolish organics, thinking they could hold him! He began to power up his systems. He felt liquid rolling off of him, and for the first time opened his optics. they fled at the sight of his red optics. The ones that remained fired on him. "Fools," he growled, and killed several. Taking his tetrajet form, he departed to find the Cube. He searched, and searched, and searched, with no success. He did everything he could think of. Then he settled in a remote area and called on his Decepticons.
They came, and with them came the news that the Cube was still lost. With them, he found the glasses. With them, he found Archibald Witwicky, and the glyphs he was drawing on the walls of the place he was confined due to being glitched to the Pit and back. The glasses yielded only the same navigational information Megatron already had, and he destroyed them in a fit of rage, but he brought Witwicky back with him.
He sent Starscream to the Fallen with the glyphs. The message in the glyphs was cryptic: "When dawn alights the dagger's tip, three kings will reveal the doorway."The Matrix of Leadership!" the Fallen exulted. "With that we can harvest the Sun of this planet and get enough energon to revive Cybertron! "Looking at Megatron from his throne, he demanded, "Put all your resources into finding the Matrix! "
"Until we find the Cube the sun must remain intact," Megatron pointed out. "And we need a work force to rebuild Cybertron to its full glory. Besides, what better revenge is there besides taking over their planet? If we conquer Earth, we can use their energy resources to create energon. Look at all the potential power they have, without the technology to use it! They cannot stand against us, Master. "
"And the Autobots are going to stand aside and watch?" the Fallen asked sourly, but eventually he agreed. Until the last Prime died, he dared not leave his refuge. "You told me you found that old Seeker Jetfire. Assign him to research the matter once he's gotten enough energon to think straight."
Leaving, Megatron gloated. "Old fool, only caring about his glitched revenge," he processed. "Wait until I have the Cube and the Matrix. I can find a way to activate my ally. "His ally lay in stasis on the Moon, safely hidden from his master. The ally would build the space bridge and destroy the Fallen. In turn, Megatron would destroy the ally, leaving leadership open to the strongest. Let Optimus and his soft-sparked Autobots try to stop him. These organics would work just fine as a means to rebuild Cybertron once the Cube resurfaced.
Human generations later, Megatron regarded the side of a mountain dubiously. In front of him Soundwave's drones waited, while their master stood behind him. "So the last of the Witwicky line lives in there?"
"Correct," Soundwave droned. "Assessment: extensive caverns underneath mountain. Water, constant temperature, hidden from all scans with exception of strongest, openings covered by vegetation in all seasons except winter. Food sources available in surround area. Logical to assume that a human familiar with Cybertronians would see such advantages. "
Megatron considered that information. "How many openings?" he asked. Thus far, none of the Witwicky descendants showed Archibald's connection to the All-Spark, but he liked having a human pet. He liked having a human who could polish and clean areas on his armor that were hard to reach, that he could use to gather information from other humans when needed, and as a companion. "I want the Witwicky alive. He's shown enough intelligence and initiative to be both useful and entertaining."
This Witwicky intrigued him. Ronald disappeared almost two decades ago, in a transportation accident involving a fierce fire. There were no bodies, but there was little left of the vehicle either. As Megatron's current Witwicky pet was satisfactory and young enough to breed, Megatron did not care overmuch. About two months ago, Megatron's pet Witwicky died unexpectedly, before the Decepticon leader arranged for breeding.
"Gas drones to deploy is irritant, will drive humans out but do no lasting harm. Separate other humans, send to various mines heavily supervised. Need intelligent humans for operations." Some of the work was dangerous and intelligent humans lasted longer in the assignments. Humans clever and resourceful enough to evade his kind for so long were too useful to kill out of hand.
The Decepticon leader received a report from Ravage and Laserbeak, who traced a group of humans who escaped Decepticon authority for a surprising length of time, about a decade and a half. Humans attempted such escapes frequently but few lasted longer than a year or so. Most tried to leave Decepticon territory, a fatal mistake. This time, however, this group remained within the former United States. Before the Decepticon takeover, humans mined a mineral resource called coal here, but the updated methods the Decepticons used concentrated the human population where the mineral existed. The combination of the mountainous area with the intense vegetation created an area unpopular with the Decepticons, and therefore largely ignored. This group exploited that blind spot. A normal patrol spotted smoke, and investigated but only found the fairly fresh remnants of a fire. When they mentioned it on their report, Soundwave sent Laserbeak and Ravage to investigate.
Soundwave sent this report to him when the drones reported that not only had the group evaded notice for some time, but a Witwicky lived with them. As a result, Megatron deigned to supervise the capture himself. "Cover all exits and begin," he ordered. Ravage and Frenzy headed inside to drop the gas containers. Several bored Decepticons covered the exits and waited. The communication expert reported when the gas was activated, and soon after they saw the results.
Humans came out, coughing and leaking water from their eyes, but only about half appeared, and the Witwicky was not with them. Ravage and Frenzy roamed and did not find any humans in the main living quarters of the cavern. "You, you and you, get these processed. The rest of you, spread out and search. " The chosen Decepticons began herding the still-distressed humans to transports brought for the purpose.
"Master, I have word from Frenzy," Soundwave reported. "It seems that the humans have another exit seldom used. He is following the humans now. Shall I supervise the capture?"
"Go ahead. Take who you need." Soundwave left, as Megatron walked around the area. Should I simply destroy this cavern, he mused to himself. It seems that to hide humans from us for so long, it could be a liability. On the other hand, I could have the patrols add it to their routine checks. That way, any enterprising humans intelligent enough to escape and hide can be used as these will be. He debated the matter with himself as he strolled, enjoying a moment of unusual quiet. While he still engaged in skirmishes with the Autobots, currently the factions engaged in wary skirmishes rather than outright battles, most of them in space. Megatron's spies thus far had not penetrated their command ship to discover what Prime's goal entailed. Did the Autobots know that the Cube existed somewhere on this organic world, or not?
Battle-hardened veteran that he was, the soft sound brought him to full alert. The sound repeated, and this time he identified it as a human voice, but so muffled that even with his Cybertronian hearing, he could not make out words. He began searching for an opening even as he summoned help. Before any could arrive, he heard a shriek, "Master, Daddy! Behind us!" This time he pinpointed the sound, and shortly afterward a small human emerged from an opening concealed by vegetation, so panicked that he did not see Megatron and slammed into his foot. Moving quickly, the Decepticon leader scooped up the sparkling human, encasing the tiny howling creature in his servos and waiting. He was not disappointed.
The adult human he hoped for appeared from the opening. "Sam? Sam?" The dark-haired male stopped when he saw Megatron.
"Looking for something, Ronald Witwicky?" Megatron purred, as wails came from his hand. "Let me see." He opened his hands and looked in. The sparkling had his hands over his eyes, so that Decepticon leader saw only the dark hair of his head and the poorly-fitting, dirty bodysuit the little one was wearing.
"The light hurts," the sparkling whimpered.
Megatron looked at Ronald, whose gaze flickered from Megatron's hand to his face. Considering the despairing look on the father's face, the Decepticon leader's curiosity stirred and he adjusted his hands so Sam's face was shadowed. "Look at me, little one," Megatron said. "I won't hurt you. Look at me. " The sparkling removed his hands and brought his head up. He did not look directly at Megatron, instead staring straight ahead. Megatron lifted his hands to study the scrap of humanity in his hand. Now he understood the look on Ronald Witwicky's face. The sparkling did not see him, and Ronald expected Megatron to destroy the flawed sparkling. As he would have, save for what he saw in the little ones eyes, clear to any Cybertronian.
"Come here, Ronald Witwicky," Megatron commanded. The human walked over, and climbed into the hands his master held for him. The sparkling attached himself to his parent as soon as the father spoke. The two settled themselves in his hands as Megatron looked at the opening again. Two other human came out, herded by Ravage, as Megatron contacted Soundwave. As the other humans entered the transport to be processed, Megatron contacted his base to restock the human quarters in his apartments.
Soundwave took the Witwickys as Megatron transformed and placed them in his jet form. When they were in the air, he said, "We will discuss matters now, Ronald." He did not tell the frightened father that he had no intention of destroying the flawed sparkling who had Cybertronian glyphs in his eyes.