For those of you who have read Prometheus, please let me know if you would like an epilogue. Otherwise, I will complete the story, and thanks to those who read and especially those who review.

I do not own Transformers except in my daydreams.

Return

Sam could see the excitement growing in the crew as they approached Earth. It was no longer a pebble in the screen, but dominated it. Sam spent hours looking at his home planet, preparing himself to go back to Megatron. The Decepticon leader was contacting the ship much more frequently. Except for his ribs, which would take a few more weeks to heal, Sam's body was healed and the bruises were gone. Instead, he was having a lot of problems with sore throats, and his voice prosthesis felt odd. Between the sore throats and his imminent return to Earth and a collar, he spoke very little anymore.

The supervisors tried to cheer him up. When they brought him meals, they often took him to their work stations if they could, and in the rec room they started telling stories of their time in space before they arrived on Earth or stories of Cybertron when they were young. Sam listened attentively, showing enjoyment in smiles and nods. He knew that part of their concern was getting him to Megatron in the best possible shape, but he was grateful just the same. He often requested that the meals be soft or asked them to heat water so he could dissolve the ration in it.

When Razorclaw questioned him on his brooding, he told the breeder about the sore throat. Razorclaw examined him and reported the problem to Megatron, who told him to let the matter wait until they arrived.

On the last contact, Megatron come on the screen in the rec room as Sam was looking out. He stood, taking the submission pose as soon as he saw who was on the screen. The chains clinked softly "So Razorclaw is following my commands," the Decepticon leader said with approval. "You are remembering your place again. Soon you will be home where you belong. What am I, Sam?"

"Megatron, leader of the Decepticons and Lord Protector of the All-Spark," Sam said steadily. He knew what Megatron was angling for, and he could not bring himself to say it. He kept his head down.

"Look at me," Megatron demanded. Sam raised his head and met the red optics focused on him. "At this time, I consider you punished for your flight from me. But when you return, you will call me master."

"Yes, my lord," Sam said, and looked down. He heard a 'con come up behind him.

"Razorclaw, I am pleased." Megatron gave specific instructions for Sam's preparation for the landing the next day. "See to it. Once he is out of the cage, your responsibility ends."

"Yes, my lord." The screen blanked. Razorclaw took Sam's chains off and took him to Watts. When Sam returned to the cage, it was reworked so that it opened from the side. Sam returned to the cage only to void. All of the supervisors kept him with them for their shift. The long effort to return the holder of the All-Spark to Megatron was almost over, and they were full of mixed feelings.

Sam was surprised when Watts took him to the monitoring station. "I'm doing a routine reset of some of the controls," he said casually, as he touched a few controls. They were the ones monitoring the monitor station. "Sam, do you believe that Megatron treated you well because you became his pet or because of the All-Spark in you?" he asked carefully.

Sam said quietly, "Ironhide told me that Megatron swore an oath to protect the All-Spark when he became Lord Protector."

"Yes," Watts said slowly. "He did. Every Cybertronian saw that in one way or another, either through a history lesson or when it happened. So you think he took you under his protection because of the oath he took?"

"He had a lot of reasons," Sam said, and shrugged. "I don't know."

"If he was the All-Spark's sworn protector, why didn't he recognize you as the All-Spark?" Watts asked, troubled.

"Megatron's not a Prime," Sam said simply. "Rodimus is. I knew the moment I saw him that he was the Prime, and he knew I carried the All-Spark." If the Decepticons don't know about the Matrix, he thought, I'm not going to be the one to tell them unless Megatron forces it out of me.

Watts was silent for a time, as the reset ended. When he spoke again, he talked about what Mars was like. Over the rest of the evening, as he went from supervisor to supervisor, Sam had the same conversation. All of the supervisors made sure they in a position to speak without being overheard for a few minutes only.

As they went into orbit, Razorclaw took him to the storage room and bathed him in warm water, before dressing him in his best set of clothes and a fresh set of chains. As the others did, he asked about the All-Spark, and considered what Sam said. "Megatron wants you to call him master," he warned. Sam nodded. He would call Megatron 'master' if he could, but he tried on the ship, and the word would not come out. Razorclaw put him in his cage and contacted the captain.

Sitting in the cage, waiting for the ship to dock and for the others to disembark, Sam stayed calm by replaying memories.

He thought of Shrapnel, telling Mute to wash daily, ambling with drunken dignity with him around the cleaned buildings, and wordlessly agreeing not to tell anyone that Sam could program a datapad and read Cybertronian.

He thought of Razorclaw offering comfort to Mute after the fight protecting Red, and telling him that he was special.

He thought of Watts, praising Quiet for a good job and telling him he could go gather wild food and giving tastes of honey for rewards to the young slaves he was training.

He thought of Scrapper, chewing him out when he jumped in the water to rescue another slave but letting him swim afterwards, quietly making sure that Noisy was protected until he could look after himself, and saving him from CyKill's advances.

He thought of Decibel, who watched a spate of falling stars with White, who listened to his suggestions for safety improvements, and who patiently explained that breeding was a duty, but also said he thought more children who would be like Mute would be a good thing.

"It's time, Sam," Razorclaw said. He stood and got a grip on the bars as Razorclaw and Dead End picked up the cage and took it to the ground. The side fell down, and Sam walked out into intense silence.

He stopped in front of Megatron, who knelt and put the ornate gold and onyx collar around his neck. "You are mine and you will call me master," the Decepticon leader said, and shocked him with the collar.

Sam felt the initial shock, which was uncomfortable, but familiar and over quickly. Then he felt another shock, and another. Everything went white.

When he came to himself, his throat was agony. Razorclaw and Hook were bending over him. Razorclaw gave him a shot, and the world faded again. When he woke again, he was in his enclosure. His throat still hurt, but it was bearable. He knew that the voice prosthesis was gone. Megatron had destroyed the means for Sam to call him master.

The All-Spark must have a sense of humor, he decided, and went to rinse his mouth of the taste of blood.