Chrysalis

Chapter Ten: The Dam Breaks

Authors Note: So very sorry this took so long. Had a nasty case of writer's block. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so LONG.

Fire.

Destruction.

Chaos.

The screams of fear and pain as people tried to escape the devastation, the sheer desperation in their cries and their actions…

…honestly, was there ever a time in Megatron's long life when he didn't relish this kind of thing? Where he did not utterly adore the orchestra of violence and agony that was warfare and single-sided victory?

He allowed himself a cruel chuckle as he watched his troops unleash their own personal brands of devastation against the humans. He stood a fair distance from the site where most of his troops had congregated, keeping his hands strangely clean on this one. Soundwave, stoic and unmoving as a mountain, stood by his side as per normal while his cassettes joined the rest in monstrous party, raucously announcing their despicable delights through high pitched cackles as they set to work. The old tyrant noted with some amusement that human authorities had arrived on the scene, trying desperately to provide cover for civilians while said civilians tried to escape. A noble, but futile strategy….

Normally, there would be some semblance of a plan at work, some strategy to yield a form of profit for the Decepticons on earth. This time, however, Megatron was doing something most peculiar, and most wasteful; he was allowing his mechs to run roughshod - to have a moment of "free time" as it were. He could see all of them acting out their roles dutifully; even that wretched whiner Starscream was enjoying himself with a little creative havoc. However, in all his troops, there was one glaring deviation; Thundercracker. While the others truly, truly loved to terrify and murder the rather unfortunate organic rulers of this planet, Thundercracker was… soft, so to speak. He had always BEEN soft, always had doubts about the true meaningfulness of his work with the Decepticons. Of course, such dissidence would not be tolerated by his fellows, and he did well to hide this; blasting away at buildings he KNEW to have been evacuated, looking like he was actually contributing to this brutality.

He did not fool Megatron for an instant. The canny old warlord was more than aware of Thundercracker's nigh-treasonous thinking and his rather soft approach with the humans. The fact was, so long as this did not interfere with his duties as a Decepticon or blossom into actual treachery, then Megatron could not have given a damn. After all, he kept Starscream around didn't he? And Starscream was FAR more obvious in his thoughts and actions then Thundercracker.

But, back to the devastation…

There was a reason behind it, as there was always a reason behind Megatron's actions and schemes. He knew, quite frankly, that he was wasting an opportunity to collect exponential amounts of energon; he knew that he was LOSING more then he was gaining from this little exercise in brutality, from allowing his soldiers to vent their frustrations. However, in doing so he was creating such a delightful amount of chaos, enough to separate a certain… abomination from the oncoming Autobot herd. Yes, while his foolish patrons tried their best to keep his people safe from the Decepticons, Spike would be lost out there on the battlefield, confused and angry and more than likely spoiling for a fight with Megatron. The former gladiator knew that he was coming; he had been pulling out all the stops to ignite the boy's rage, and, knowing Optimus Prime, he would surely be a part of the Autobot task force being sent this way as his troops devastated to their sparks delight.

In personal combat Megatron would correct… the mistake. It was not HIS mistake, the continued existence of the nigh-blasphemous human-turned-Transformer. No, it was the Autobots; they could not bring themselves to kill him, not even when he attacked them and showed himself to be a threat - to be practically unhinged at the metal. No, rather than do that, they did the usual soppy, soft-sparked thing that was typical for them and took him in… they even gave him a body that could be looked at! As if he could pretend he was normal, rather then a misbegotten freak who's continued existence stemmed only from Autobot pity! And for those reasons… for those reasons alone, he was first going to make that miserable ex-flesh creature suffer first; witnessing firsthand the inability of the Autobots to truly defend his wretched little people from the predations of the Decepticons. And once that fact sunk in…. Megatron would finish him off.

It was actually kind of refreshing to direct his hatred towards something OTHER then Optimus Prime for a change, Megatron mused as he watched yet another spectacular explosion light up the area, courtesy of Thrust. And in watching that, his vermillion optics caught the unmistakable images of distant vehicles heading straight for this site, several ground-bound… and one flyer. He grinned maliciously.

It was time.

"Soundwave." He turned his head to face the aforementioned tapedeck. "I want you to keep Optimus Prime busy for me." The helm-molded head once again returned to view the oncoming Autobot assault force. "No one is to get between me and Spike, understand? No one." The communications officer nodded dully, obediently, like he always did.

"As you command, Megatron," he droned almost lifelessly as he took to the field and readied himself for the Autobot commander. Megatron simply allowed himself a sinister chuckle and continued to wait, far away from the main field. First Spike would bask in the glorious carnage the Decepticons could inflict, and then….

Megatron would end him. Permanently.

Even in the distance, he could see the smoke. It hovered over the oil field, a black, billowing testament to the Decepticons' destructive capabilities and an early warning for local authorities not to intervene. Not that it had stopped the police from doing so, as evidenced by the half-melted police cars scattered about.

It took all of his willpower, all of his self control not to speed ahead on his own and start blasting away at anything with a Decepticon insignia on it. Somehow, Spike was able to restrain himself, though at the sight of the flames he almost lost it then and there. Through the comm system he heard Optimus Prime talk strategy, speaking directing into the heads of the Autobots as they drew closer. On another occasion Spike would have been startled, even frightened by the transmission and the sensation of having someone seem to speak directly into his mind. But… right now, there were more important things to worry about then new discoveries concerning his body. He only barely heard and understood the plan. His mind was blanketed with hatred and rage at this point.

"…understand that? Good. Engage them one on one and draw them away from the fields and the humans. Now…"

In his rage, Spike had not noticed that they were now alarmingly close. With this jarring revelation he prepared himself and steeled his nerves as the ever classic battle cry rang over even the sounds of screams and explosions.

"Autobots, transform and attack!!!"

Despite the order, Spike did NOT transform, deciding to play the role of aerial support while all around him his counterparts transformed and charged into their ancient enemy The Decepticons, emboldened by the rush of their "fun" actually gave a loud roar and gleefully charged back at their hated foes. One thing Spike noted was that, rather than Megatron, it was Soundwave who engaged the Autobot leader. Spike was instantly on alert, all of his senses straining for any sign of Megatron, any at all.

However, fate seemed to have other plans for him. Rather then the aspen tyrant, Spike found a foe in the familiar form of a white jet with well known tendencies towards kamikaze tactics; Ramjet. Thankfully, the destruction happy Deception was apparently lacking the sufficient mood to simply live up to his name and crash into his only available aerial opponent, contenting himself with opening fire on his formerly human foe. "HEY SQUISHIE!" he bellowed as he rained down destruction towards his foe. "Welcome to the war!"

Spike almost yelped, but was able to keep his wits about him, enough so that he was able to evade the deadly blasts and offer his own attack. Picturing Megatron to be in place of the thick-plated seeker, he prepped a pair of missiles, locked onto the coneheaded flyer and let loose a barrage, eager to see Ramjet (now serving as a Megatron's proxy) blown to pieces. Ramjet however was a veteran of the skies, clumsier than the likes of Thundercracker or Starscream, but still with millennia of experience under his belt. Cackling wildly, the seeker evaded the frankly clumsy attack and let loose a barrage of laserfire at Spike. Realizing that he could not evade this attack, Spike braced himself for impact, telling himself he would not scream…

…and he didn't. Text flashed across his optics informing him of the damage dealt, and he had felt a feint buzzing sensation, but, all in all, it appeared that his sensory deprivation extended to pain as well. He knew that attack should have caused him to at least make some sound. He had seen transformers scream in pain when shot. But this did nothing for him… nothing at all.

"What the…?" Ramjet murmured in confusion, 'staring' dumbly at the damaged yet apparently undisturbed Witwicky. Taking advantage of the jet's momentary hesitation, Spike delivered his own series of plasma blasts. Unlike Ramjet's own attack, Spike's weaponry not only found their mark, but also elicited a cry of shock and agony from the jet as he was sent spiraling out of control, transforming in mid-air and landing flat on his stomach. From Spike came a hearty chuckle, shortly before he gazed down at the battlefield, trying to find another opponent to fight. His attentions were then drawn to a certain, ground-bound purple seeker - one who had enjoyed playing "squishie toss" with Spike when he had been human.

Skywarp was alone; and still firing into buildings, having somehow missed the cue that an Autobot attack was commencing. Spike narrowed his hidden optics and flew down, transforming in midair.

Skywarp was going DOWN.

For Skywarp, the mission was like a dream come true. A total demolition derby, uninhibited by the usual constraints of time and energon production capita per minute. And what was better, Skywarp had somehow fallen under the Autobots radar! Now, deep down he knew he SHOULD have been helping his fellow 'Cons and ganging up on a prospective victim… but, instead, he allowed his more joyful, sadistic side to take control as he continued to blast at random at the fleeing humans, taking puerile joy in their terror and fear. He idly wondered if maybe, just maybe, any of his blasts would connect with the fleeing fleshlings.

Heh! That would be so COOL to see.

He then noticed that a mother and two children were desperately trying to get away from the carnage, to not be counted among the rampaging Decepticons' victims. A twisted smile found its way on Skywarp's face, one that would have done even his supposedly more mentally diseased friend Starscream quite proud. Few seemed to recall accurately that Skywarp, even prior to his recruitment to the Decepticons had been a rather nasty individual, one who vented his sadistic tendencies on those unable or unwilling to defend themselves; namely Autobot civilians. And for him, victimizing humans was even better…

He leveled his arm-mounted weapon towards the retreating trio and took aim… however, he failed to notice the sound of approaching footsteps, and failed to realize that the shadow that suddenly loomed over him was NOT caused by clouds; in his desire to sate his lust for devastation, he failed to remember that there were no clouds out this day. It was only the split second after he heard the animalistic roar of rage and felt the unholy pain of something being punched through his wing did he get the message that something was amiss.

A scream of pain echoed across the battlefield, Skywarp's desperate and confused cry mingling with berserk grunts and snarls. The purple and black seeker suddenly found himself thrust roughly to the ground, his shrieks of pain growing louder and the undeniable sound of metal tearing soon heightening the combined yells and roars into a disturbing crescendo of agony as the seeker felt whatever it was that had punctured his wings now roughly withdrew. Skywarp, in more pain then he had ever been in his entire life, got to his hands and knees, out of the corner of his optic did he spot a hulking form nearly silhouetted against the bright earthian sun, its blue optics burning bright and illuminating a face so twisted with rage and hatred that it could have frightened Megatron himself. It took Skywarp a moment, but he recognized the form, so much like a larger, mutated version of the Autobot tactician Prowl….

"You…!" he spat, glaring harshly up at Spike. This was unbelievable! The…the slagging HUMAN had done this to him?! No way, not in this lifetime! He raised a gun-bearing arm up at Spike, determined not to allow this humiliating display of karmic retribution continue on… only to scream yet again as a huge, deep blue foot came crashing down onto his arm, crunching it into scrap. Spike's psychotically hateful glare remained transfixed on Skywarp, even as the seeker was forced back onto the ground, pinned under the foot that had just rendered his arm useless.

"You… cowardly…evil…" Spike's words soon dissolved into another animalistic roar, while Skywarp clawed at the earthen ground, trying desperately to get away from the crazed mechanism that currently had him pinned. Spike's midnight colored hands shot down and gripped Skywarp's wings painfully, and as he pulled them he pushed down with his foot. Normally, Skywarp's desperate pleas and cries of pain would have given Spike pause for thought - his current activities the sort of thing that would have sickened and revolted him to his core. But right now, he saw none of it, his vision having turned red as he pulled, and pulled, and…

The sound of metal tearing was heard, along with an agonized scream.

In Spike's hands did Skywarp's wings remain… now completely separated from the unfortunate jet's body. Skywarp himself, his pain receptors having been stimulated and stretched beyond their normal capacity, blacked out and lay motionless on the ground. Spike's rage however was not abated. He looked around for a victim… when he was suddenly hurled back by the force of a sickeningly familiar energy blast hitting him directly in the chest. A yelp escaped him, and perversely beautiful orange flames caused by the damage dealt to him nearly overloaded his optic sensor arrays' capacity… but still, he did not hurt, not even with the fair part of his chest blown open. It was an inappropriate time to do so, but Spike just could not help himself as he gazed down in bemusement at his damaged, yet practically painless form. While he did that, though, a huge form loomed over him and a black, arm-cannon aimed down at him, lacking its usual glint due to the smoke overhead.

"Well, Autobot Spike… it would seem your transformation has given you some bite after all," Megatron chuckled, not moving his cannon an inch. Spike, now at the mercy of the beast, found himself in a state of shock. He had pictured himself doing more in this position, screaming defiance or spiting his murderer with a look of sheer indefatigable fearlessness. But instead, he felt… numb, as the weight of the situation finally dawned on him. He was at the mercy of a warlord with millennia of fighting experience behind him. All of the other Autobots were busy fighting the Decepticons. He was practically alone…

The tyrant continued to speak.

"But enough about that. I suppose you're wondering why I went through all this, why I decided to simply let my soldiers run roughshod over this puny facility, rather than swoop in and take the energon it could produce… don't deny it, I KNOW you're curious." Megatron rambled. Spike still stared up at him, and most importantly at the cannon that was most likely poised the blow Spike into oblivion. "I'll tell you why; to remind you that you're still useless in the grand scheme of things. Human or Autobot… you're still a liability, an annoyance at best and lower then an insect at worst…" the tyrant hissed, vermillion optics narrowed.

Spike's optics widened at the revelation. That was what this was about? People's lives snuffed out… over that? Maintaining the status quo?! Making sure he knew his place?! Inside, he felt a rage build up as his frame began to shake and vibrate furiously. Megatron did not seem to notice the change in demeanor.

"Of course, you can take some satisfaction in knowing what it was like to be an organism of worth, to feel elevation and liberation from the pitiful constraints of your meat-sack race." Megatron smiled nastily as he charged his cannon, ready to deliver the death blow, "In that sense, you should thank me for obliterating your original body…"

Several things happened at once. A feral scream escaped Spike's vocalizer. Megatron suddenly found himself knocked off his feet and pinned under the massive bulk of an enraged Autobot, his arm cannon fired into the sky rather then finishing off Spike once and for all… and then came the fists.

The endless, unbelievable flurry of fists.

Before Megatron could collect himself or even process what had just happened, he felt his frame quake and squeak in agony as massive black fists bludgeoned his chassis and his face, already creating dents in his frame and even tearing open a few patches in his armor. Megatron struck back, his arm lashing out and meeting Spike's face… Spike did not relent. Megatron suddenly found himself screaming as Spike's hand TORE the arm cannon from him, viciously and hatefully. Megatron could see it, the hate in his optics, now glowing and blazing a cold azure. Spike's hand again slammed down onto Megatron's frame, fingers digging into armor and breaking away the metal like old clay, clasping a large chunk and ripping it away with a sickening squeal of shredding alloys. The human-cum-Autobot was in a rage now, a rage that eclipsed all the previous episodes he'd had during the initial days of his transformation….

Not since his days in the gladiatorial ring had Megatron seen such ferocity… a lifetime of fighting mostly pacifist Autobots made him forget what it was like to face a foe who, not only wanted him dead, but wanted him hurt. The memories of the ring came back in a flash, and Megatron somehow was able to kick the massive brute off of him. With Spike now on his back, Megatron dove on top of him and launched his own assault. Soon they were both on their feet, fighting with a fierceness and sheer sadistic hatred that had never been seen in any of Megatron's fights against Prime.

It was raw ferocity versus experience as the two went at it, punching and kicking and screaming their battle cries. They no longer acknowledged the rest of the world as their fighting intensified, Spike's entire world now focused on Megatron. Hurting Megatron, killing Megatron, slaughtering Megatron… this was all the mattered now; all that mattered…

Now, he was kneeling before the Decepticon leader, his body battered and bleeding energon, the glowing fluid leaking down the various punctures in his body. Megatron was in similar straits, his form heaving as he tried to stabilize his systems. Both had their hands on each other's necks, the spot containing a variety of vital wiring and circuitry that were vulnerable to "strangling". Spike gave an extra hard squeeze, now forcing Megatron to HIS knees. Spike almost grinned in demonic delight as he felt the metal start to buckle under his grasp. His vision was now overloaded with warning signs, graphs and charts and schematics and other things he didn't care about. His vision was growing fuzzy, and he was getting lightheaded…. But those things didn't matter.

He had Megatron in his grip. Megatron was going to die. Megatron HAD to die. That was all that mattered, according to the rage fueled mind of one Spike Witwicky.

"You murdered me, Megatron," Spike murmured in a growling voice while the aforementioned Decepticon one upped him in the contest to strangle his opponent. This did not change the cold menace in Spike's voice. "Time I returned the favor!"

There was a noise now, not his noise, but a loud beeeeep noise. "Warning" flashed across his vision, "Danger Critical" and other such things. His vision was growing fuzzier and fuzzier, but he was sure he could do it. He'd win the war for his friends, he would kil-

Megatron gave an intense squeeze. First Spike heard the sound of something cracking, then his vision blacked out…

And then his world became nothingness.