Hugs to octaneglow, KayDeeBlu, Taipan Kiryu. Khammar for reading and pointing out my mistakes. This chapter is my personal favorite. Please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer:Transformers are the property of Hasbro and their licensees. This story is based on IDW's graphic novel Megatron: Origin by Eric Holmes and Alex Milne. I wrote this story.
Dawn of War
Chapter Twelve
"Your fragging brother is a traitor." Ramjet hissed as he walked up to Skywarp in the crowded cell. Suddenly, everything fell quiet as all optics focused on the scene unfolding before them.
"Watch what you're saying, RJ," Skywarp shot back, 'or I'll hand your circuits back to you. Wrapped around your pointy head."
The two flyers faced off as Thundercracker moved next to Skywarp and Thrust took his position next to Ramjet. The only sound heard was that of mechs moving away from them as they readied for the inevitable brawl.
"Cut it out." Motormaster boomed from a corner. "There's not enough room for that in here." With a murderous look on his face, Motormaster looked directly at Skywarp and Thundercracker. "But when we get out…"
"There'll be plenty of opportunity when we get out," Drag Strip vowed, cutting him off. "We'll hunt that glitch down and make him pay," he added. Ramjet looked at Wildrider, who was now at his side. Flyers and land-based mechs disliked each other under normal circumstances but this was anything but normal.
"I'm gonna enjoy slowly ripping his wings off," Wildrider added, looking straight at Skywarp. "Then I'm gonna tear his spark outta his frame."
Thundercracker pulled Skywarp away with some effort, who was ready to take them all on.
"We need to think of something. Fast," Thundercracker whispered.
"Like what?" Skywarp asked, still glaring at Ramjet, who was now listening to Motormaster.
"I don't know but they want to kill us," Thundercracker reminded him.
The full impact of Starscream's betrayal hit Skywarp; still, he couldn't believe it.
"I'm not buying it. There's something else going on."
"Like what? Didn't you hear what he said? Or maybe your circuits are malfunctioning."
Skywarp stared at Thundercracker.
"You don't believe it either."
Thundercracker knew what he heard yet couldn't reconcile Starscream, Megatron's most enthusiastic follower, having turned into a snitch.
"Whatever. 'Warp, the fact is we're on their radar," Thundercracker pointed out, nodding towards the Coneheads, who were now talking to Drag Strip and Wildrider. It didn't look good for them.
Inside the cells, which were over capacity and crammed full of mechs, Thundercracker and Skywarp searched for a space to claim as their own. Skywarp stopped and stared at two smaller 'bots huddled in a corner, who quickly got up and moved away.
They sat down and instinctively, nearby mechs moved away, anticipating the eventual melee. Thundercracker tried to shut the noise out; Skywarp, who hated being confined like all flyers, was forced to think. Unlike Thundercracker, he didn't contemplate his actions; he was more like Starscream, acting on instinct.
Now he had plenty of time to go over what happened. Looking around the dank and cold cells, the stench of rancid energon and neglect assaulted his senses. He experienced a rare moment of regret; everything had turned out so different than he had anticipated. Skywarp's thoughts drifted to the city they had once called home and wished he was there now, instead of in a filthy cell in Kaon, a city he hated. So unlike Vos, he thought, where their home had been in the sky and you were free to fly whenever you wanted.
Thundercracker heard his thoughts. Over time, with Starscream always with Megatron, he and Skywarp became closer, to the point they knew what the other was feeling and ceased vocalizing unless necessary.
I miss it too, Thundercracker relayed, looking at his wingmate. Very rarely did Skywarp express his feelings.
Skywarp's thoughts drifted to the domed city that drifted in the sky, remembering the tall buildings, with their wide entrances and floor-to-ceiling windows. Few, if any, land mechs came to Vos.
I wish we were there now, Skywarp answered, instead of this dump.
Soon, Thundercracker promised. We'll go back.
With Starscream, Skywarp answered.
They both knew that was extremely unlikely.
In another part of the security center, inside a small, windowless office, Skyfire pleaded with the District Council representative.
"I know him," he told the representative. "This is a terrible misunderstanding."
"Are you sure, Professor? We've recorded him at the arena on several occasions and there's a lengthy list of charges against him. Assault, murder, armed robbery... shall I go on?" the representative informed him, sitting amid the disorganized clutter.
Skyfire was appalled; what had Starscream gotten mixed up in?
"He was my student and my colleague. I can't believe he'd ever be involved with anything like that." Murder? Skyfire thought. That's impossible. Having been sincere in his promise to Starscream that he would help him, he decided to exert his influence.
"I understand he has rights, no matter how serious the accusations. And that's all they are at this point, accusations. I have contacts in the Senate. Perhaps I can…"
"He can have an emergency hearing before the Council. Are you willing to vouch for this individual?" the representative asked, wanting to avoid having to deal with politicians and go home; his shift was nearly over. Skyfire didn't hesitate.
"Of course."
I'm just a clerk, thought the representative bitterly. What do I care about some petty criminal?
"Then sign here, here and here. And here," he added, producing another data pad.
"You agree to pay the stated amount of credits for this hearing to convene on an expedited basis." It was standard practice to charge for everything the Senate could find a reason for and even those it could not.
Skyfire signed without a second thought, completely unaware that he had unwittingly sealed the Council's fate.
Starscream was taken before the Council, under heavy guard. As he noted the positions taken up by the guards, his image flashed on the monitors that dominated the chamber, his smirk everywhere. There were barely enough members to convene the session; prisoners begged for mercy all the time. The presiding member was required to read the charges against him for the record; in addition to murder and robbery, he was charged with inciting civil disobedience, extortion, kidnapping, receiving and selling stolen goods, passing counterfeit funds, attacking a state senator, state property and state officers, supplying criminals with illegal weapons, theft and misrepresenting himself as a state official.
That last charge almost made him laugh. As if anyone would seriously mistake me for a state official of any kind, he thought.
Starscream, bored as the charges were read, noted the reaction of the council members. Don't look so shocked, he wanted to say. It's nothing you haven't done yourselves, except you ensure there's enough separation to maintain plausible deniability. At the end of the reading, the council waited for him to make a sign of contrition. Well, they could keep waiting; instead, he sneered as he gave them something to think about.
"Heh. Nobody's perfect".
Defiance, fury, revenge; how those emotions filled him and gave him purpose! But he had no regrets, save one: not seeing the look on Senator Decimus's face as his spark was being torn from his chest and crushed before the audience in the arena.
A voice struggling to remain calm asked him why he had come. Quickly assessing the surroundings, he saw there was time. Again, Starscream was expected to express shame; he had none. Why should I? he thought. Whatever happened, whatever my crimes, they made it possible; they spawned this movement. These politicians were the reason he was here, the reason why Megatron had power. While they fought for their existence, they were living like royalty, insulated from Kaon's harsh reality.
And that's what it was really about, Starscream finally understood. Power. There was no good or evil, matters were not either black or white in this world; it was simply about power; who had it and who didn't. Whoever wielded power was in control. And now he had it. It was intoxicating; it set him apart from the others. The fact that Megatron chose him to carry out this operation instead of that insipid drone Soundwave made him feel special.
Another scornful remark came from his vocalizer, sarcastically expressing surprise at the opulence of the surroundings. The chamber fell silent for a brief moment; then the angry voice of the presiding member echoed, demanding Starscream be expelled and returned to the cells.
There was no way he was going back. Only a few kliks left. It was time to show these imbeciles who was really in charge. He surveyed the empty chairs, wishing there were more members present.
Starscream began to address them, his voice carrying over, not a hint of remorse or desperation but strong and accusatory; he was passing judgment on them and all their kind. As the council members listened, alarm started to register in the few that grasped something was terribly wrong.
"You made it happen. All we did was give it a badge," he charged, his voice filling the chamber, pointing at them, his optics blazing. Suddenly, he felt a presence probing him. It was Soundwave; he was close.
It's about time! Starscream thought, knowing the telepath would have surely have a clever excuse in response. Immediately, he blocked him; he and his wingmates encrypted their communications with algorithms that had never been breached.
And none too soon, for his insolence and defiance had finally proven too much for the council. Amid the chorus of demands that Starscream be returned to the cells and charged with contempt, he finally gave into to his longing for the vengeance and destruction he had suppressed for so long. With a last taunt, he laughed at them and in one swift movement, the rifles hidden in his arms came out and he began firing, taking out the guards next to him first.
Right behind him, Soundwave burst through the entrance with Ravage and Laserbeak. Together, they began the attack that Megatron had carefully planned. As the realization of what was happening dawned on them, the council members tried to escape but it was too late.
Starscream deliberately aimed for the presiding member's forehead as he ran for an exit, sending him into the void immediately. Or wherever it is that his spark goes, Starscream thought. If there's truly a Pit, that's where he'll be.
Bodies lay strewn all over the chamber. Starscream looked upon the dead and dying mechs as Ravage and Laserbeak leisurely finished them off. He savored the moment, committing it to his memory banks. Embedding every aspect of the destruction and carnage, he noted the mech fluids oozing onto the chamber floors and heard the occasional moan as the dying expired. Shards of metal were scattered around the room and the air was heavy with the smell of burned circuits and fouled energon. Starscream would relive this moment again and again.
The display that once dominated the chamber was grey. Starscream began etching the Decepticon symbol onto the main monitor with his laser rifle; leaving their mark behind was something Skywarp started when they had kidnapped the senator.
A voice, flat and devoid of emotion, jolted him and ruined the moment "Continue with the plan," Soundwave reminded him.
He shot Soundwave a vicious look and took off, breaking through the roof and shooting into the sky. Soundwave might be Megatron's right hand mech now, but that will change, Starscream vowed.
Bars of white hot energy were activated, ready to painfully fry any 'bot trying to escape. That was all that stood between the prisoners and their ruthless guards who didn't hesitate to brutally subdue prisoners that got out of control. Some watched and waited as the fighting broke out, placing bets on the outcome of the winner.
In the holding cells, sudden vibrations from the attack on the Council startled prisoners and guards alike. Already nervous with so many violent mechs, the guards were on full alert.
Megatron stood up; although Thundercracker and Skywarp didn't hear what he said, the mood in the cells changed dramatically. Something was going on. They positioned themselves near the bars and watched as the guards nervously milled around, unsure of what to do.
Suddenly, they felt an explosion and saw the guards blown away, trapped underneath mounds of debris and rubble. A large hole became visible as the dust and smoke began to clear and they saw the one figure no one, except Megatron and Skywarp, had expected to see.
It was Starscream who stepped through the hole he had blasted.
Megatron quickly ordered Starscream to free all the prisoners, not just their own. But after releasing Megatron, the first to go free were his wingmates. As Ramjet and the others stared, not quite understanding what was going on, Thundercracker and Skywarp stepped forward to meet him.
Skywarp beamed; he knew all along Starscream would not betray them. As their optics locked onto each other, Skywarp noticed Starscream was also smiling. Without any words, Starscream reached for him and Skywarp grabbed his arms and they shared a moment between them that even Thundercracker was not privy to. As Megatron's spoke again, the moment was over and Starscream remembered Thundercracker.
"Go with Soundwave. He's waiting outside for you," Starscream told them.
As they left, Starscream returned to freeing the prisoners, leaving the stunned mechs in the cell behind.
Even Wildrider was speechless.
A/N: Description of Vos taken from the story "Sky Cities" by Sunstar; used with permission. Thanks for reading!
