Nanoklik - about 1 second

Cycle - 1 hour 15 minutes

Breem - 8.3 minutes

Astrosecond - 0.498 seconds

Mega-cycle - 93 hours (almost 4 days)

Deca-cycle - 3 weeks

Stellar-cycle - 7.5 months

Solar cycle - 1 day

Alternate Beginning - Part Seven

Was he alright? He's never been gone this long before. Her worried eyes roved over her almost empty food and water dishes. What happens if he never comes back? She unconsciously frowned, eyes narrowing sorrowfully at the corners.

It must have been purposeful. She frowned as she felt the back of her head - clumpy with grease. He's never let me eat on my own since… who knows how long. If he hadn't forseen an absence he wouldn't have left me with food and access to the powder room.

"If I'm alone any longer, I'm going to go insane." Her voice seemed deafening though it was lower than a whisper. The lights in the room didn't even buzz - they were absolutely silent. The walls must have been very thick, for she could only ever hear footsteps if she strained her ears. There was no humming of machinery behind the walls, no distant thrum of massive engines.

Due to the absence of the lamp light it was cold, likely just slightly warmer than the New York winter she had been forced to endure, the kind of chill that made her bones ache and sapped the strength from her. In a painstaking process that had involved plenty of ladders and balancing, she had moved all of her blankets, water, and food into the "bathroom" he had provided for her. Even in the small room, it was only slightly warmer because of her body heat.

In short, she was miserable. When she slept, there were no pleasant dreams - there were no dreams at all, save for the one that made her question how bad her life was at the moment.

Even though this was not his own office, he commanded it as though it was. Natural authority radiated off his human body. Disgust rose up in her throat to meet it. Remember, you are being deceived.

If only my uncuffed wrists reflected the reality of the situation, she thought grimly, eyeing the two men at the corners of her vision, positioned like the guards they were. At least she wasn't forced to kneel as she had in the past, at eye-level with the shamefully expansive black groin of the costly silk pants of her, and Earth's, true master. The generals stayed motionless, almost at attention, as they studied her. And why are they here? What's so important that they all came this time?

She ignored them.

Her jaw set sternly when a pair of large feet crossed themselves on her presidential desk. Her chair creaked as he leaned back in it, almost as if it was screaming in protest at its load.

"Ah, welcome Eleanor." "President" no longer; I'm just another first name.

"Megatron." The name barely got around her tongue, which had buried itself into her cheek.

Something bright flashed through his eyes. The alien warlord had the nerve to tsk, finally removing his feet from the perfect surface. "It would be wise to remember which cards you hold, Eleanor."

"Lord Megatron." was her reply, thick with bitter distaste.

He laughed, finally standing from her chair. "There you are. I trust that you have my payment ready, my dear?" Her teeth ground down against each other.

"We have already given you -" this was the part she had dreaded. But she - and Earth - held no choice, and she was afraid her tone conveyed that.

Just as he had had no qualms about crossing his feet on her desk, he had no qualms with interruption either. "But it is what you haven't given me, precious." Damn that cool charisma.

"We have drained every last ounce for you. Every year you have come back, and every year your price has increased." Her voice rose in earnest, eyes unintentionally pleading, "The once-fertile Gulf has not one drop left to give, and neither does Texas nor California."

His generals chuckled, amused at her plight. Megatron did not. "Even the Middle East has found that they are almost dry. Coal has been mined, but at its lowest amount in record history. As the representative of Earth, I ask that you reconsider." Don't make me beg. I can't do that again.

"Why should I?" He leaned over her desk.

"We… have nothing left to give you."

"Not good enough, and also false."

"Oil was our main source of energy."

"A fact you have made me aware of on countless occasions. I still see no convincing argument."

"Our people are ready to revolt against us." She hung on to her dwindling dignity with every last ounce of her strength. "Factories, farming equipment, homes and cars can no longer be powered and we were barely able to meet last year's quota, and you have increased your price yet again." I wasn't elected for this. I wasn't elected for this.

I was elected to serve my people, not this monster.

"We cannot do this, Lord Megatron. We cannot pay you this year."

There was a pause in which he stared at her, face absolutely the same, as if he hadn't heard what she had just said. Or couldn't believe that she had given up so easily. "Soundwave," he spoke, the uniformed man beside him stiffening, at attention. "Check to be sure that the human tells the truth. Order a global scan."

His tone softened to silk and a devilish smirk showed the bright, white, pointed teeth of the right corner of his mouth. "But you would never lie to me, would you precious?" Eleanor swallowed, even though she had nothing to hide. She could guess at the consequences of misleading him. The malicious gleam grew all the brighter in the holographic eyes, sharp as a knife.

The next minutes passed like an hour, slow because of the tension as the scan was run. The President's palms brushed themselves against the sides of her navy skirt. One of her generals behind her coughed. Wilson's gaze burned into her back - even if something happened, there was no way to stop these beings. "Soundwave" did not speak, but Megatron seemed to know the results of the scan.

"Last year's will have been my last energy demand." Before she could even crack a smile in relief, the moment was over and he was coming around the desk.

The men - who had led her into her own office - each grabbed an elbow, as if an unseen signal had come to pass. Alarmed she wrenched her eyes from their overlarge hands to Megatron's tall, broad form.

"Megatron, what is the meaning of this?" Panic gave her voice a waver she wished was absent.

"I didn't say that last year's would be my last demand at all, Eleanor." You bastard. "Earth was bountiful in energy, but she has more to give than that."

"What do you mean?" It was more of a whisper than anything. Megatron had never been so cryptic before.

"Well, my troops have been cramped lately. They have had little opportunity to… exercise." Nonononono. She knew exactly what that meant. He was going to rescind on the deal that had been made to prevent that very thing from happening again. After the ravaging of New York -

"Please, anything but that." His officers chortled at her groveling plea.

Megatron chuckled lightly, eyes like those of a wolf. "No? What else could this planet offer me?" It was as if he was trying to make her guess. A dark glimmer shone in his fake brown eyes, red the greatest undertone.

She frantically grasped at straws, trying to find anything that would catch Megatron's eye. "I-I-" She felt like a cornered mouse in the shadow of an enormous cat.

He walked back the way he had come, retaking a seat with smugness on his face. The muscles rippled underneath the sleeves of his crisp black jacket as the chair squeaked under the strain.

"Earth has quite the assortment of fauna, yes?"

Incredulous, she replied "Yes."

"You should know by now that we despise organic life." He drummed his fingers on the arms of her poor chair, "However, some organics have surpassed their inherent grotesque forms to become... attractive. Beautiful, perhaps."

She was painfully aware that the generals had made her, instead of their Commander, the center of their unwavering attention. The two teenage boys on either side of Soundwave snickered. The urge to shuffle her feet in discomfort was stifled; her every twitch was being scrutinized. Her next words were meant to be disparaging, but fear flavored them with timidity.

"Do you want a dog?"

The boisterous laughter made her jump, nerves badly shaken at seeing all of them, Megatron included, with their heads tilted back like wolves. I'm being toyed with. She wiped her palms again, face burning, as Megatron stopped and raised a hand.

In the immediate silence he ordered, "Thundercracker, Skywarp, bring her closer."

They practically dragged her around her desk to stand before the alien commander. He pushed back the leather chair to bring himself to tower over her. At the corner of her eye she saw Wilson stiffen and lean forward. Her generals did the same.

She moved her eyes from the center of Megatron's expansive chest to his face, swallowing as she tilted her head back. "I don't understand what you allude to."

"Have I not been obvious?" He cocked his head as if at a loss. Her brows crinkled in confusion.

The next instant she was thrown on the desk, Megatron's hands on either side of her head. "Have I not made myself clear?" She gasped lightly, the air having been whacked clear from her. Guns were drawn from the holsters of her generals, Wilson striding forward.

His officers did the same in a terrifyingly unified fashion. Her heart clenched - they were outmatched. As solid as these images looked, they were just that - images, produced by much larger robotic lifeforms. Bullets would only work on a human body.

"Then I will make my demand."

Suddenly he was on her lips, bold and unyielding. Her hands pushed ineffectually at his chest. There was no tongue, but she could taste the potency of his power over her. I wasn't elected for this I wasn't elected for this I wasn't elected for this! Her heart and her lips hurt at his strength.

The kiss ended as she was effortlessly picked up in the broad arms, bridal style, body resembling a wet rag. "Shooting at us will be ineffective and only hurt the lady." He pecked her forehead and she failed to react, still in a daze. Her fingers drifted upwards to her lips, as if to verify that they were still there.

Megatron strode across the room, unaffected by her weight, and to the door. Her generals parted for him helplessly and though she wanted to scream at them for their treason, she knew it to be futile. Megatron's officers followed behind him and stopped when he stopped as the warlord appeared to consider.

"In one year, I expect to find triple the amount of oil and coal I was due this year."

Jaws tightened, gasps emerged, and eyes widened. They couldn't do it, and they knew that they couldn't. If they weren't begging at his feet now, they would be soon. "Refrain from attempting to deceive me in the future."

They lied to me.

Then to her he whispered, "Though I already have my true prize."

It was all too much to digest.

Wilson stepped to the front, hackles raised higher than she had ever seen them. "Put the President down." They had oil the entire time. Playing the part of supportive audience as they had the entire meeting, Megatron's generals shared a few guffaws. She tried to roll out of his arms, but to no avail. Instead, she was thrown over his shoulder like an unneeded coat. Her face burned with a potent mixture of angry and embarrassed reds.

"Skywarp, Thundercracker," Megatron ordered, "I believe I will increase my price for today. Snatch her pet."

There was shuffling of feet and some shouting, then a few grunts. She kicked a few times, trying to dislodge his grip on her. The arm over her thighs squeezed with inhuman strength, surprise making her stop.

Without another word Megatron left, allowing her the view of Wilson sitting on the ground and panting, two men over him hoisting him up with inhuman speed. His eyes met hers and conveyed their emotional message.

Danger. Not that she needed him to tell her that.

The rest of her generals didn't bother trying to stop him. They knew the price of military engagement with their overlords. As much as she hated to admit that that was what they were, she could not kid herself.

A rose by any other name still possesses thorns.

"Megatron," She pleaded as she swung with his stride, not expecting a reply. Instead the ceiling zipped backwards through her vision and she was found gently cradled once again in his arms, in the company of a self-satisfied smirk.

"It's going to be alright, and no one will dare hurt you. You'll like the Nemesis, precious. I have a room prepared for you with your necessities."

He planned for this.

Her brows crinkled as the words said did not match the movement of his lips nor the smirk that preceded, and then the dream popped from the eye of her mind like a television shutting off.

The unsettling images lurked beneath the surface like sharks on the prowl and prickled the hairs on the back of her neck. She shivered, but it did not help the discomfort. As often as she had dismissed the meaning of the dream, it still came back to haunt her.

She hated that dream - actually, she hated the meaning of that dream. Eleanor couldn't hide the fact that the bathroom was very permanently here just hours after Megatron had brought her onto this ship - she avoided calling it the Nemesis, since the name made her feel as though something was off about all of… whatever this was - but she didn't think Frenzy and Rumble had been made to hurt her. That was an accident.

Her stomach growled. She shook her head, rubbing her belly to calm it down. The sound of pumping blood filled the void in her ears as she moved her hands from her middle to her limbs, stimulating the skin to keep it warm. Her mind was blank, kept that way so that she would not direct her thoughts to how she currently felt. Or, by extension, how she felt when Megatron was present.

The blankets were pulled tighter and she waited for her heartbeat to come down - until she realized it wasn't her heartbeat at all. Someone was out there, in the apartment. Her guard rose, taking anger along with it as her lips set in a firm line. I need to hide. I'll never make it out there unseen - they'll see the doors open. I need to hide in his bathroom somewhere.

She bit her lip - all she knew was the antechamber with the sink and countertop her bathroom was upon. There were cabinets on the opposite wall along with another door that led to an unknown room. This was definitely not-

"Eleanor?"

Instantly the cold and the hunger were forgotten. She climbed down the ladder quickly as that unmistakable voice called again, "Eleanor?" running as best she could to the doors which opened automatically, sensitive even to her tiny weight.

The President skidded to a halt. The greeting smile froze on her face. This was a fact that she never should have, but nonetheless had, forgotten. Her captor was huge.

A gasp left her without any thought, chest constricting and eyes widening with awe. Never before had she seen him from this angle, and it reminded her of just how massive her captor was. The shadow she was standing in grew colder and colder as Eleanor studied him from between his enormous feet. "Precious?" he rumbled, head completely eclipsing the overhead light.

The only reply she had was a choked "Hi."

He was a moving skyscraper, the floor shaking with each miniscule yet colossal movement. Megatron stooped to pick her up, an action he had done thousands of times before but now held new fear. His purr echoed in her ears, booming like an avalanche. How could she have forgotten how enormous he was?

A stroke shook her out of her trance, although only metaphorically. He was as gentle as he had ever been, titanic fingers mindful of her soft flesh and brittle bone. Swept up in a wave of relief Eleanor smiled a true smile. Megatron grinned back at her, elated at such an unexpected reaction. Soundwave, still unnoticed by the door, watched the interaction with an analytical visor.

Her little servos reached for him and the warlord cooed, moving her so that she was cradled against his insignia. Recently sanitized fingers almost completely hid her from view.

"What is your appraisal?"

Soundwave responded dutifully. "The human reacted joyously to your return. It appears as though she missed you."

Eleanor hummed a strange happy sound, similar to a chirp, and pushed herself into his petting. He hadn't thought humans made a sound to signal happiness - the warlord had never seen her happy. Her back arched pleasantly, complimenting the movement of his digits, whose black metal made her think of food, warmth, and safety.

"She was afraid before." Megatron did not doubt Soundwave's judgement, but he was perplexed. He had been absent for a mere mega-cycle.

"The human has become dependent on your attention. Without contact with other members of a herd, she has formed a strong bond with you as her sole companion."

She was still beaming, happy beyond belief. Her worry had completely fallen away.

"The female has accepted you into her tribe."

Megatron continued to pet her, focusing on just her head now. Her spark purred at the way she closed her eyes with pleasure at his touch, a tiny hand wrapped over the side of his thumb. She was unconcerned with Soundwave and completely enraptured with him. It was far from the first time he had seen her, when that little frame had cowered away from him in a whimpering and crying mess. "What significance does this have?"

"She will become more trusting and vocal with you. It is likely that, if humans or others are re-introduced to her, she will remain dependent on and prefer you."

There was one way to test Soundwave's theory - but only after she had had her bath.


"Apologize."

The word wasn't in the cassettes' vocabulary; it was not an entry within the Decepticons' Register of Terminology. Rumble, Frenzy and Ravage simply stared at him, the latter with his head cocked. Soundwave didn't ask what had happened during their time with Tarn, but it was clear that they had not been "conditioned" to make amends with the human that had been damaged. Soundwave allowed his vents to open to accommodate a particularly long ventilation as he glanced at the plain but intimidating door of the Commander's office.

Situated comfortably on his lap, Eleanor burrowed into her blankets and grumbled as he poked at her. Here it was always warm and always easy to sleep, once she got over the strong scent of chlorine-gasoline that permeated the area over his legs. "Arise. Now." With a petulant scowl she sat up, rewarded as his fingers retreated.

"Enter." Megatron responded at the sound of the buzzer. He had been sure to take the necessary precautions, including research on what humans could do when reintroduced to their assailants. He expected fear.

"Place them here." The symbiotes obeyed quickly. They knew the reason for their visit. Under the desk, Eleanor clambered into his servo. His plating shivered. As often as he held his mate in his lap above his modesty plates she always managed to arouse him.

Without a word he brusquely placed his Queen onto the desk. She blinked quickly, adjusting to the light as she looked at him. He directed her with his optics to turn her gaze.

The woman glanced behind her nonchalantly only to freeze. All four sights locked onto her every movement - or lack thereof. Rumble moved first, slowly with his servos up, to approach her. He was behaving just as he had with the newly-regained Grace, Soundwave noticed, when his own chosen pet had been brought onto the Nemesis. "I-"

"G-go away!" She snarled. Her pede had come back. She's ready to run. Rumble followed her steps that took her back into his servo, each accompanied by a thousand pleas from Eleanor not to hurt her.

"P-please-"

"Haven't y-you done e-enough?"

"I-I won't do it again!"

Each helpless cry reminded him of how fragile her tiny processor was. At any time he could snap it as easily as one of her delicate little limbs. Now she was happy, sweet and trusting with him. She slept contentedly on his chassis, above the spark that was destined to claim her as its mate. But at any moment that could change.

Her entire behaviour transformed upon her return to the center of his palm. Eleanor appeared to malfunction. Her eyes started to glisten, at the same time alight with something primal. The female's back arched as she brought her legs under her and animalistically bared harmless teeth at the cassettes, even as her breath hitched and tears fell. She remembered them all too well - her back, leg and arm ached at the recollection.

"You wouldn't dare."

But she also remembered how huge her protector was.

Megatron noticed the resolve in her voice, the straightness of her back. She was courageous once more - but only since she was within his reach. Eleanor trusted him.

Without another thought, he intervened with his empty servo. A firm, unyielding black hand separated Eleanor from Rumble and the rest of the cassettes, who had moved to follow their sibling.

"Let them finish, Eleanor." Aghast, she opened her mouth to argue. "Listen."

Her jaw clicked shut compliantly.

"I am sorry, ma'am." Rumble finished, Frenzy echoing absently and Ravage nodding in agreement.

"Ha!" Eleanor growled.

"We mean it." By the rough sound Frenzy was gritting his denta.

"Oh really? The same as how you meant to hurt me?" She snapped at him. Megatron had only ever seen this side of her once before, mild compared to this.

The cassettes had no reply. "I don't accept your apology."

"Please-" Rumble offered. He didn't want to go back to Tarm again! Neither him nor his brothers knew what would happen if Megatron's pet refused their apology. The rage that they had experienced was usually reserved for Starscream.

"Cassettes: sincere." Soundwave interrupted, having expected this reaction but not the intensity of her bitterness. Like his symbiotes he was anxious to please Megatron and regain some of his lost favor. What Eleanor said next caused a myriad of expressions within the office of the warlord.

"I don't belong to you!"

Rumble and Frenzy tilted their helms. Ravage simply stared, EM field flashing curiosity before being retracted. Soundwave didn't contest but looked to his Commander. Seen by all except Eleanor was the way Megatron smirked with one corner of his mouth, both surprised and proud. His digits slightly curled up in a burst of possessiveness.

"This is ludicrous. You have already hurt me once - you don't need to insult my intelligence!" She pointed a finger at Soundwave and amended, "And stop talking to me like I am an idiot you pathetic, thoughtless jackass!"

"That's enough." Megatron covered his furious mate with his other servo, bringing her to his chassis. "You've clearly excited yourself." Immediately she quieted and pushed herself into his touch, as if begging for comfort and reassurance. Then to Soundwave he addressed "You are dismissed."

I have what I need.

The cassettes all appeared ashamed but Megatron did not entertain for a second the idea that it was for the injury caused to Eleanor. No, it was for him. Tarn had taught them to apologize to their Master, not their victim. Long after his lieutenant left the warlord remained seated with the human gently sandwiched in his large servos, contemplating the effectiveness of the apology.

It had been outright rejected, but did she appreciate the gesture at the least? For himself it was a mere power play and vengeance for his mate - any Decepticon worth their plating was loathe to make amends, especially to a lesser being, and the symbiotes were no exception to this rule. For Eleanor it was meant to be a gesture of affection and protection, an action to symbolize her worth.

Once released she settled back into her blankets as though it had never happened. Still Megatron kept a servo beside her as he quietly resumed his work, stroking her at odd intervals. Time would reveal to him the answer and, although he was not a patient mech, he would wait.

If she ever showed such disrespectful rebelliousness toward him, however, there would be consequences.


His Lord had returned angry from his visit to Earth. Evidently the human's "guard" had escaped his confines. Megatron had found no sign of it but had seen the offlined frames of the drones tasked with keeping it there.

Though he had never been beaten by his Master, Soundwave had avoided him since the morning briefing. Grace had been tucked into his tapedeck, where she liked to watch through the glass with the rest of the cassettes - when Lazerbeak and Buzzsaw would let her see, anyway. In both Control and his habsuite it was habit for the arial mechs to tuck her under their wings and preen her already-smooth mane.

Now, with the two birds on assignment, Grace was comfortably nestled in her blankets on a ledge of his console. Soundwave would stroke her intermittently, servo finding her while his optics remained focused on his work. The banter of officers and soldiers alike filtered through the audio streams; many of them were angry, furious exclamations from typical brawls. To Grace it was all normal - peaceful, actually. How does he listen to all of those things at once?

She chirped, a once-accidental sound turned habit as he petted her once over her head. Maybe it was a primitive method to keep the woman sane, but though she could not see she knew he smiled behind his mask. "Is Eleanor up there?" She couldn't see all the screens.

"Your friend: in Lord Megatron's quarters." She had given up on trying to make him speak to her correctly and ignored it. There were a few rooms on the ship that were not under surveillance that was connected to this system - that monster's lair was one of them. Grace didn't know whether Soundwave had access to that circuit or not. He wouldn't say.

"Hey, when do we go home?" She didn't mind being up here so much. He was very good to her, and it was far better than when she was a slave. Soundwave even took her to visit Earth sometimes, leaving one of the boys with her when he left to attend to his duties as third-in-command.

Why wasn't he second-in-command? He was better than Starscream. She smirked at the thought. Grace remembered making a pun once that actually drew an alien laugh from him - well, static, but still.

"Duties: -" She had to cover her ears as loud high-pitch screeching nearly blew her eardrums.

On the monitor right behind her she could see Megatron tensing on his throne on the bridge, before him Starscream doing what he did best: screaming. Soundwave didn't say anymore, fixed on the scene. Grace knew what was going to happen, she had seen it many gruesome times before, but she couldn't look away. The screen imprisoned her in the same way chains once had.

"What are they saying?" She shouted unnecessarily , unable to hear herself with her hands clapped over her ears. Soundwave would be able to hear her whispers over the noise of Rumble and Frenzy - she didn't ever need to yell.

He petted her once. A message to be quiet.

"You didn't kill it, did you?" Starscream snapped. His wings were high in the air with impetuous indignation. Or perhaps not.

Starscream's plans always reeked, the odor of curdled energon and his schemes indistinguishable. On this occasion the stench was overpowering. "You're a fool, Starscream."

The guard had run off - there was no evidence of its expiration in its nest. As much as Megatron hated to admit it, he had lost his guide. The news was like waves of human ammunition - an unshakeable irritant, but nothing to warrant concern. It was fortunate that Eleanor was growing quite comfortable with him and no assistance was needed to correct her behaviour.

Nevertheless, Starscream was clearly trying to force him into admitting that Eleanor was alive. She was the center of this circular conversation - a tool to usurp him.

"I'm the fool here? How dare -" Unfortunately for the rebellious Seeker, Megatron had little patience for anything that was not battle planing or Eleanor. The lieutenant shrieked like a klaxon when not a moment later his commander had leapt from his place and crushed a wing tip in a servo.

Grace whimpered, face screwing up in pain at the ringing. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be in that room with them!

Megatron twisted his wrist outwards, forming a tear in the wing. Immediately energon welled in the wound. Yet Starscream still pushed. The red once-prince knew that he had his chance. Not even his cowardice could convince him to retreat.

"The human has been taken care of." The former gladiator's voice was low in his last warning. "This is not a matter that concerns you." For emphasis he tweaked a little more, liking the resulting squeal of metal. Starscream yelped - a pleasant, but easy, bonus.

"Oh, this doesn't concern me?" Starscream panted, not dropping his gaze in the slightest. Megatron's fists tightened but the Seeker pushed. "It isn't my concern that you harbored a human and betrayed the Decepticon cause?" He attempted to twist and aim a punch to his leader's equilibrium sensors, but the attempt was masterfully parried.

"Starscream!" Megatron barked, grabbing the other wing and wrenching it clean off the hinge, "You insolent ignoramus! You can't tell your bolts from your plates, and you deign to accuse me of treason?" The other mechs were watching. Normally this was not cause for worry, but Megatron did not fail to see that there were some whispers amongst them. Thundercracker and Skywarp were tripping warnings in his processor.

He would not give Starscream his victory. Lifting the Seeker by the shoulders and allowing him to dangle, Megatron snarled "It is not I that follows the cause only to leave it at the nanoklik I decide that my goals are elsewhere. It is not I that views the Decepticons as a badge."

"This is why you will never be leader, Starscream. You have no backbone, no sense of bravery. If you fight me, which you will, remember this. You will always end in the same position -"

Why doesn't he fight back? Grace flinched when the battered jet was thrown onto the floor like a sack of potatoes. Yeah, not sure fighting back would be a good idea. He's just as helpless around Megatron as everyone else, even the humans.

"- under my pede." She gained her senses in time to turn away as Megatron stamped his foot on Starscream's head. The clanging was like nothing she had ever heard. A screech that denoted agnony almost tugged at her heartstrings.

"Now leave my sight," Megatron delivered a swift kick into the jet's side, cracking the cockpit glass, "like the worthless drone you are."

Hate seared the Second's optics. Megatron huffed and turned back to his throne. "Continue your work!" The order was followed, but more slowly than he would have liked.

"Starscream! Do I need to tell you again?"

"No," the lieutenant hissed. "You have given me your last beating, slag-heap." Megatron narrowed his optics at the mess of a mech at the foot of his dais. Evidently that was the signal.

Skywarp and Thundercracker pounced. In a flash of purple Starscream was gone, his last insult lost to the crack! of teleportation. Botched, as always.

"Anyone else care to join them?" Megatron snarled. This time he was more quickly obeyed.

He spoke to Soundwave, understanding Starscream's plan. They were all so alike that they could barely be distinguished by the most insignificant of details. "Send out a warning across the communication networks."

Grace heard Soundwave talking to someone and waited patiently for him to finish. "What happened?"

"Worry: not necessary."

Grace nodded, rolling her eyes. "Sure. Whatever you say, 'boss.'" She air-quoted the name that the cassettes had given her radio. Her intuition told her that Soundwave like it, especially when she teased him. She had a feeling that the affection the player had for her wasn't totally chaste - there had been too many strange, unexplained gifts left to her, even a bouquet of poison ivy that she suspected was seen as flowers.

By such strict logical rules, she supposed that it could be seen as the same. Still cute, though.

"Correction: 'Boss' reference to Lord Megatron."

"You can't take a joke, can you?" There was no reply so she refocused her mind. "Seriously, what happened?"

The less Grace knew, the safer she was. "Repeat: Worry: not necessary."


Since the odd encounter with Soundwave - she couldn't quite wrap her head around that, and had long since given up trying - life had gone back to normal in all aspects except one: her behaviour.

Shortly after she realized that she didn't want to leave this life yet, Eleanor had learned quickly that acting cute paid off. She had no idea how long this would last or how it would end, but she didn't want to be thrown away like a simple toy owned by a spoiled child. As a space Emperor, she imagined Megatron had plenty of potential pets at his disposal - and she didn't want to become the goldfish of the selection.

She didn't want to be abandoned like a dog that had lost its novelty along with its puppyhood.

Eleanor crawled towards her blankets, having already done her customary head-cock and charming him. Megatron purred, sounding like rolling thunder.

In a flash he had lowered his helm to be closer to her body. She jumped at the sudden presence. With unabashed amusement, he nudged her moving form with his nasal plating. Eleanor squeaked, nearly thrown on her side by the power of his simple nuzzle.

Encouraged by her reaction he did it again. This time she rolled, squealing, and he promptly commenced attacking her belly. Tempted though he was to start kissing her flesh, the softness repeatedly rubbing against him as she wriggled underneath his plating, instead he remembered her gift.

"Look at how good you are to me." The comment took her by surprise and she stopped moving in response. Her grey eyes blinked. "You never complain. I think you deserve a reward." Something not like a smile but not quite a smirk greeted her, finger under her chin forcing her look up at him. Another petted her shaking belly lazily.

"Do you like these?" She gasped her breaths, exhausted from acting "cutely" to maintain her life. Eleanor was unsure about the box, narrowing her eyes and deviating from her act. His words were unsettling, to say the least. Remembering his "present" of a "Slave Leia" costume, she tempered her enthusiasm.

"Open them." He set the tiny container in the now-disorganized nest, eagerly awaiting her reaction. She opened it carefully, and for once genuine pleasure lit up her face. Chocolate!

Faced with the sight of something so sweet after weeks and weeks of nothing but bitter, gritty muck she didn't hesitate. One was plucked up none-too-daintily and placed on her tongue, sucking on it and melting it in her mouth, savoring the fruit filling. Only once had she gotten candy before from him and it was far too long ago.

She didn't jump when he purred. As long as Megatron was enraptured by her, she was going to live. Besides, he took good care of her. Since Rumble and Frenzy, she hadn't felt pain, hunger, or thirst. But even after months spent with him, she was still wary. He had yet to explain what he wanted with her - a fact yet to be forgotten, along with the not-so-distant memory of his brain-liquifying throttling.

As she ate the chocolates - the product of a specialty slave - Megatron sat back in his chair, unsubspacing a datapad to check the progress on his palace. Shockwave was nearing completion on his project, but he was loathe to cyberform and crown his Queen when he did not have a home to present her. She, just like any other female, would want to inspect the place where her brood would be sparked and raised. This was an instinct that he could not change but could use to his advantage, similar to human mating preferences. (From Soundwave's advice and his own research, the bigger a human male was, the more females desired it. Just like any other sane organic, she had feared him because of his size. As soon as he had shown that his size was positive, however, she had learned to like it.)

A noisy smacking drew his attention back from his thoughts. A pink tongue licked over likewise pink lips, similar to a pleased Turbo Fox after a large meal. His spark purred at the fact that she still liked them so much. He had given them to her before to celebrate the humans' romance holiday and he had been concerned that she would be bored with the gift.

After a moment of watching him she turned to fix her blankets, tossing aside the empty box. He hoped she didn't make herself ill.

"Stop." Immediately bright, shiny grey pools returned to him. "Do not recharge yet. Let us play a game."

Her head jerked back. "Like what?"

He smiled at her eagerness and her confidence. All the better for Cyberformation. "You hide and I will find."

Eleanor blinked. "You want to play… hide and seek?" This wasn't the weirdest thing to do. Hell, it was something to do. Even reading got boring if that was all there was. She rubbed her arm, frowning further when she felt the unmistakable outline of muscle. When did that get there? "I-I guess I could play. It's been awhile, though…"

No sooner had her concession left her mouth than his hand had snatched her up and set her down on the ground between his legs. With the light behind him and red eyes shining down, he resembled a demon. A king of demons.

To distract herself she blurted "What about after that?" Megatron raised a ridge, taken off guard.

"We will play a different game."


As a result of their games Eleanor was familiar with the design of his habsuite. When he returned from his office or Earth she was often hiding in the small space behind the datapads on the lowest shelves, curled up with her reading material on the tiny datapad he had given her. Half of those times she was sleeping in a little ball when he found her, resembling a glitchmouse in her nest. In this position it took little effort to picture a few bitlets nestled against her belly.

She was more interactive since she was now sure of her surroundings and allowed to trot freely on the floor. Questions were frequent. Comments disappointingly less so. Thus, ever one to push the envelope, Megatron took the next step. Even after the months and months that she had spent living here with him, there was a place that Eleanor had yet to see. Long after his unexplained absence she still had yet to set her eyes upon what lay behind that mystery door. As soon as she did she wanted to leave.

Sweat poured out of every pore on her body, her skirt clinging to her legs. Her muscles locked up from temperature shock.

She forgot warmth. Just as she had forgotten light. "Hush, sweetling." I'll take you in here with me in the future. He rubbed her soft tissues delicately in an attempt to loosen them. It worked well, his mate loose by the time the silver warlord had retrieved some polishing supplies and cloths - even one small enough to fit in her hand.

The room was plain, the same as the main space. A small cubicle cowered in a corner, the large tub in the center glowed with light. It was bubbling lowly with a thick yellowish substance that, in the dark of the room, resembled a large pot of soup. Her mouth watered - she missed soup. Cream of mushroom was her favorite.

She screeched as he easily stepped over the edge - which was many stories tall - and settled himself in the boiling liquid. "I have you. You're alright." Once she had realised that nothing was going to happen and that her body was accustomed to the sauna-like heat, Eleanor sat back against his chest and closed her eyes. Her mouth was open as she panted.

Megatron gave both her and himself some time to adjust, allowing the specialized oil seep into his joints to lubricate them. Then Eleanor was put off to the side as he set about his own maintenance - such baths were rare but he decided not to perform the same amount of care on this occasion. Instead, he would use the time to bond with his resident human.

Eleanor watched, transfixed, as he worked his fingers into all of his gaps, as if he were testing them. This went on for several minutes that passed quickly in her warped sense of time, after which he snatched her up again in a still-wet hand.

It was hard to be mad, though, when it was so gentle.

She was lifted to be level with his expansive face. Not sure what was expected Eleanor stayed still. "Take this." Perplexed she regarded the cloth and the black, strong-scented substance coating it. Megatron emitted a low chuckle deep in his vocalizer at her confusion. "It is polish, Eleanor. Coat my armor with it and rub until it shines."

In one of her less-than-proud moments, Eleanor lowered her eyebrows. "Where?" A louder chuckle and an odd sparkle in his coalfire red eyes were the effect. Her face burned as she shook off the feeling of deja-vu relating to the dreams.

"My faceplates." Megatron shuttered his optics - one of fate's rare shows of mercy - and leaned forward.

Anxious and weary, Eleanor slowly placed a hand on his cheek and found the metal warm like the rest of him. Not wasting an instant she started to apply the stuff to his face in small, gentle circles. The sooner I am done the better. "You are not able to harm me, sweetspark. Push as hard as you like."

"Uh… okay. Like this?"

The resulting sigh of pleasure almost blew her over. She would have if a finger from his other hand hadn't steadied her so carefully. "Yes." Half of his face was done in silence before Eleanor decided to ask him a question she had been pondering for some time - especially since the dreams had started plaguing her.

"What does that word mean? The one at the end of most of your orders?"

Under his armor he bristled at the use of the word orders. "Sweetspark or Precious?"

"Both of those, actually. What do they mean?"

"They are variants of your name." Eleanor was unsure whether to be touched or concerned.

"Are there others?"

Megatron deliberated before responding. "Circuitsia."

"I like that."

He laughed, startling her away from where she had been polishing by a corner of his lips. Before they shut she caught a glimpse of a silver tongue in his mouth. Huh.

"Do you near completion?" He didn't want her to fall silent again. It was rare that his glitchmouse of a mate crawled from her burrow.

"Yes." Thinking her tone was too clipped for safety, she added "Sir."

He contemplated protesting her address but decided against it. If it became habit she would be corrected.

"Do you require anything?"

"After this I'll need a bath. Thank you."

By the time she was done her hair was sticking to her back, neck and scalp. Her forehead was dewey with sweat and her skin felt damp. "There." His eyes opened and he drew closer to nuzzle her. Knowing that if she pushed him away she would probably fall to her death in the liquid below, Eleanor merely allowed him his embrace.

His gaze was soft and easy to hold. He looked for signs of unhappiness or fear and found none. Her palms gripped his nose and she laughed as his "breath" tickled her stomach. She didn't shy, but just stood there - not long ago she would have whimpered and cowered.

Soundwave had warned him that, due to the obvious power distance, Eleanor would always, always surrender to his will in the end; it was impossible for her to fight his wishes. How she would feel about surrendering to a certain desire was what Soundwave had suggested weighing before making a decision. This advice had kept him from placing her in his subspace - such dark confines would scare her. He had rejected the idea of playing rough with her. lest he lose the trust that he had grown in what he thought was a game but what she felt was a threat.

Cyberformation would be painful but she would be made to undergo it. This was the only concept that he had not dismissed for not fitting the criteria. Yet now, looking into her eyes, he could be sure. You are ready.


Look at this! Me being active and sticking to my update schedule?! Unfortunately, I think there will be one part left. Soon to drop!

Guest - here is another chapter! I plan for the next one to be the last, though. Thanks for your enthusiasm! I really want to hear about what you liked/disliked/would like to see in the next chapter!

xxyangxx2006 - yay! I really, really enjoy reading your insight. It helps me be sure that by story is being comprehended as I intended. I saw in your bio that you are on tumblr? I would be much obliged if you sent me your username :D. Again, thank you for making your reviews so complete!