Once again, I've struggled with a tight agenda to come up with this new chapter. Many thanks to all the readers who read, review and/or gave a fav' to Vicious Circle despite the long delay in the updates.
Beta reading: Silvernight. Many thanks to her for her work.
VC Chapter 13: Prisoners of the Autobots
Cybertron, Autobot Allied Forces Headquarters, Detention High-Security area
"Megatron… Do you hear me?"
The voice echoed in his mind, causing system alerts to overflow his CPU. He tried to power his optics up, but his overtaxed system blatantly refused to reboot leaving him the darkness.
"Primus, he's not answering. Soundwave, is he moving or even online?"
Starscream's panicky voice reached him again, but the darkness kept enveloping him.
"Status: offline." he heard Soundwave reply. For the third time, he tried to reboot his motor system, to no avail.
"Oh Primus, no! Tell me he's going to wake up. Tell me he's going to survive! I can't live without him!" Starscream moaned with a sob in his screechy voice. "No, please! Don't let him die!"
The cries of his lover were so heart-rending that he left no choice to his motor system and forced it online.
"I'm here, Little Prince. Don't worry!" he assured encouragingly. He turned his head away and scanned his surroundings with great difficulty, his optics misty. "I won't leave you alone, ever!" he added.
"Oh, thank you Primus!" Starscream exclaimed, a little more serene.
As the mist cleared up, Megatron noticed he was sitting back to the wall, facing another wall soberly painted in blue gray color. On his left, glittering energon bars cast their reddish shadows on his frame.
"I'm in a… cell?" he murmured with surprise.
Right in front of his cell, on the other side of a narrow covered passage, Starscream was kneeling, his wings drooping dejectedly on his sides. The absence of glow in his optics confirmed that he was still blind. Energon tears left a glittering trail along his cheeks, making the Seeker a vivid representation of despair. Megatron felt the urge to take his Prince in his arms and chase away his sadness, but a stabbing pain in his back and shoulders almost knocked him out. He briefly lost his senses and struggled to stay online.
"Megatron… Please don't move! You're wounded!"
The worried cries of Starscream reached him again, and he nodded his head gently as he overcame the fainting spell. His gaze finally settled on his right shoulder, which was split open.
"The space bridge… I was shot by Galvatron!" he murmured, the sight of this bleeding wound reviving the memories of his escape. He suddenly felt a pang in his fuel pump as a horrible doubt seized him. "We failed to escape… Galvatron captured us, right?" he asked worriedly.
"Negative. Escape operation successful. Current location: Autobots' jail on Cybertron." Soundwave informed him in his droning voice as he stood near the bars of his cell, next to Megatron's box.
"But… You said they would help us!" Megatron protested before a cough shook him violently. "They put us in jail! What's going on, Soundwave?"
"Current problem: Autobots believe you are the Slag Maker, their most feared enemy."
Megatron rested his helmet on the wall and sighed tiredly.
"The Slag Maker, of course… What should we do now? Shouldn't we tell them about me… and Starscream?" he asked, his mind rushing to find a solution and get his lover out of this hell. In his cell, Starscream, overwhelmed by his emotions, looked even more downcast than a few kliks before.
"Strategy recommended: win the Autobots' trust and then tell the story. Autobots: compassionate, will understand."
"Win the Autobots' trust?" Megatron wasn't sure whether he understood the point.
"Yes, win their trust. Problem: Slag Maker was violent. Autobots expect Megatron to be violent and cruel. Advice: behave exemplarily."
The last comment was awkward; with a heavy wound in his shoulder, he was actually condemned to remain unmoving. A new sob coming from Starscream worsened his guilt of being unable to comfort him.
"Don't worry, Little Prince, we'll recover our freedom shortly!" he stated to his Seeker.
Starscream nodded silently and returned to his prostration, leaving Megatron some time to rest.
Cybertron, Autobot forces Headquarters, Office of Rodimus Prime
"Optimus, what would you do if you were still here?" Rodimus Prime directed the question at the dead leader and looked vacantly at the cityscape of Iacon, knowing that no answer would come. He sank back in his seat and opened his comlink. "Magnus, can you come?" he asked.
(Sure. I'll be in your office right away!)
A few kliks later, he heard heavy footsteps coming from the hallway leading to his office and a click signalling somebody was typing the code to open the door.
"Have a seat, Magnus!" Rodimus promptly offered to his second in command when the large robot entered.
"That's crazy... totally mad!" the truck former said as soon as he sat down. "I'm not even sure I can believe my memory bank. It's just surreal!"
The colorful young leader frowned at the remark. "Are you sure it was Megatron, Starscream and Soundwave?" he inquired.
"Their energy fields betrayed them."
"Starscream is supposed to be dead, and Megatron upgraded into Galvatron," Rodimus reminded. "A few cycles ago, our spy satellites transmitted a couple of shots showing Galvatron and his Sweeps opening fire on this… Megatron. How is it possible?" he added, knowing that Ultra Magnus didn't have the answer.
"I don't know. As I said, I can't even believe my own optics."
Ultra Magnus was the first Autobot to respond to the mayday of the panicky Perceptor. He drove to the outpost of Dark Mount, but when he arrived in vicinity of the space bridge, he had to transform back to his robot mode. The construction had been pulverized by the explosion, leaving some doubts about finding survivors.
'Don't count your chickens before they're hatched' Magnus remembered a popular Earth saying and grabbed his blaster, ready to fire in case of a Decepticon attack. He slowly entered the ruined circular building, taking care not to trip over a rock or a piece of metal. On arriving in the centre of the space bridge, he lowered his weapon as he discovered bodies lying on the wrecked pavement.
He recognized immediately the white frame of Megatron, who was lying on top of a silver, blue and red Seeker. His arms were firmly snaked around the slender form, and energon leaked from his split shoulder, marring the white paint job of Starscream's wing in green. Soundwave was not far from them, face turned to the sky. His mask had been ripped off by the explosion, exposing regular features. His Cassettes were sprawled around him, all offline.
Ultra Magnus experienced a sudden dump of his logic chip, and collapsed to his knees.
"Primus, what's going on here?!"
"Perhaps, it is a strategy of Soundwave to bring down Galvatron: build the clones of Megatron and Starscream and have them attack the Decepticon leader." Rodimus Prime pursed his lips into a grimace, not convinced by his own hypothesis. "Where are they now? Have you questioned them?"
"They're in the detention centre, in the high-security area. Last time I checked their status, only Soundwave had regained consciousness. The other two —" Ultra Magnus obviously hesitated to say the names. "Megatron and Starscream's clones were still unconscious. According to a brief medical analysis, the Seeker had gone through a surgery, and he's blind. The gunner is seriously wounded in the left shoulder. I'm waiting for your confirmation to send them to the repair bay."
Rodimus Prime rested his chin on his palm, gazing vacantly as he processed the information. He felt an awkward tingle in his chest as he realized that he was to give an order running counter to the Autobot philosophy of helping people in need. However, he didn't feel like being lenient with Starscream and Megatron's clones, in memory of his much-mourned predecessor.
"Keep Starscream in jail, and send only Megatron's clone to the repair bay, so that his shoulder gets some repair. Make sure that he doesn't recharge fully; we're not sure what he's up to. Once the repairs are complete, I'm going to interrogate him, myself," the Autobot declared with some uncertainty in his voice. Ultra Magnus stared at him with a dark expression, certainly pondering over this lack of leniency. "Something to say, Magnus?" he asked.
"Stop thinking about Optimus' death. It won't make him come back," the truck former replied as he stood up. "I'll call you as soon as the gunner is ready for questioning," he added and then left.
Rodimus Prime welcomed with a sigh the return of silence in his office as the doors closed. 'I'd like so much to forget Optimus Prime has lost his life because of me, Magnus.'
Cybertron, Autobot Forces Headquarters, Officers' Mess
"Perceptor!" Jazz called the microscope-former with some worry in the voice and then ran to him in the hallway. "I heard that something weird happened at Dark Mount."
The telescope nodded slightly, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Hum, you can't imagine how weird it is!"
"Weird like what?"
"Weird like Megatron, Starscream and Soundwave coming back to Cybertron through the space bridge that was supposed to be deactivated…"
It was the turn of Jazz to scratch his head with a puzzled expression.
"Poor guy, I think the shock scrambled your circuits!" Jazz patted Perceptor's shoulder in a friendly manner. "Starscream is dead and Megatron has become Galvatron two stellar cycles ago. You can't have seen them!" he declared. "Come on, I'll bring you to the repair bay."
Perceptor swept the vast open space with his optics, making sure that nobody listened to him. "I'm telling you it was Megatron and Starscream. It's impossible to mistake them for someone else!"
"Perceptor! Perceptor! Man… you're delirious!"
The two started arguing about the possibility or impossibility of having the highest-ranked officers of the Decepticon army back to life, oblivious to the fact that the increasing noise of their bickering had attracted the attention of two other Autobots. They realized their conversation was being eavesdropped on when a large body cast its shadow over their smaller frames.
"Who are you talking about? Starscream?"
The Porsche-former and the telescope looked up with an immediate realization that the one Autobot who shouldn't have heard their conversation had caught them bickering.
"Oh, Skyfire, man! You're pretty silent for a big bot like you. I didn't hear you coming—" Jazz said, a bit uneasy.
The two smaller bots gulped when they saw the expression of the big shuttle darkening.
"You said Starscream was alive, didn't you?" He leaned forward so that he could better stare at the optics of Jazz and Perceptor. "Tell me what happened. I need to know."
"Hum, yes… You want to know," the microscope stuttered, throwing a desperate look at his companion. The Porsche returned him the look and sighed heavily.
Oblivious that Sunstreaker was listening to the explanations, Perceptor recounted again the incident at the spacebridge and the discovery of Starscream and Megatron. Not a single scrap of the conversation escaped the Lamborghini, who left the command room with a murderous look plastered on his face.
Cybertron, Autobot Forces Headquarters, Detention High-security Area, Repair Bay
Megatron came back to the world of pain slowly, and moaned when the vivid neon light toasted his tired optics. They adjusted to the light after a few kliks, allowing him to gaze at the dark panels of the ceiling. He realized he was lying horizontally, but the surface he lay on wasn't the ground of his cell; it was a berth.
"Where am I?" he croaked, trying to come back to a sitting position, and screamed when pain radiated from his shoulder. It was, however, less stabbing than the last time he had woken up; a glance at his shoulder confirmed him that it had been properly repaired. "Who did that?!" he screamed, making a new effort to sit on the berth. This time, it wasn't pain that prevented him from reaching this position, but the restraints circling tightly his arms and legs. "Why am I attached to this berth?" he roared angrily, pulling strongly on the energy chains.
"Calm down. I just want to have a friendly chat with you."
The voice came from his right side. Megatron looked around and glared at the form that hid in the shadows of the corner.
"Who are you? What do you want? Where is Starscream?" he barked again, wriggling strongly on the berth. "Release me right now!" he cried, his voice starting to be tainted with despair.
"No, not yet. Not until you tell me who you are, and what you want," the mech replied, stepping forward so that Megatron could see him clearly.
The mech seemed to be as tall as Megatron was, and built almost as strongly as he was. His paint job was horrendously colorful to his taste, mixing red, orange and yellow shades. His light gray face betrayed his youthfulness; he was certainly almost the same age as he was.
"Who are you?" he inquired again.
"If it helps you to calm down, I'm going to tell you my name: Rodimus Prime, leader of the Autobots." The mech stated as he crossed his arms on his chest. "And you, what's your name?"
Megatron bit his lips as an inner voice told him to be extremely careful. He remembered Soundwave's advices and tried to fight back the aggression that threatened to erupt from his vocal processor in the form of insults and threats. He had always hated finding himself in such a position of weakness, but it wasn't the time to jump at the throat of the impudent Autobot and slay him; he needed the protection of the Autobots, after all.
"I am Silvergun, but I am also known by the name of Megatron," he replied, lowering his head back to the berth, trying to cool down.
He heard a light chuckle. Soundly irritating!
"Do you think I'm going to buy it? Megatron is no more, as Unicron had reformatted him into Galvatron. The same Galvatron who had evidently built you and sent you to trick us," the Autobot replied.
Megatron gave out a tired sigh. 'Of course, he doesn't believe me!'
"I am Megatron, before I became the Slag Maker. Starscream was sent to the past. I met him, I fell in love with him, but he came back to this timeline. I followed him, and—" He stopped, realizing that this story was totally crazy and that this Rodimus Prime wouldn't believe him at all. He had to find a way to convince him; otherwise, Starscream and him might stay in prison, or maybe worse, be executed. He shivered at the thought.
"And? Continue… I find this story very entertaining."
"I'm not joking! Galvatron tried to kill Starscream, but I stopped him and hid somewhere, thanks to Soundwave. We escaped from Charr to find a refuge here," Megatron completed. "And then you found us!"
A new chuckled echoed in his audios. The gladiator decided that this Rodimus Prime was a moron.
"I think you have a lot of imagination, but I don't think this is realistic. Tell me why Galvatron sent you here!" the Autobot leader insisted.
"Not realistic? Grrrrr! You idiot!" Megatron could hardly contain his anger and was sorely tempted to yell insults or threats at Rodimus Prime. Such an idiot would have no chance against him in the arena! "If you don't believe me, then ask your medics to study me. They'll discover that I can't transform and that my mechanisms are outdated. Slag it!" he growled, pulling on his restraints again.
O
Rodimus Prime watched thoughtfully the large silver white mech pulling again on the energon restraints, wondering how long they would resist. He didn't show much of his feelings, but deep inside, he was shocked by his resemblance with the Slag Maker. The tyrant who had killed Optimus Prime. However, there were small differences from Megatron; Silvergun looked far younger and his body was structured differently. Sure, he looked old-fashioned, but it could also have been a trick used by Galvatron to make this senseless story of "Megatron came from the past" credible. Three points made him doubt this incredible scenario: first, the mech had mentioned he had fought against Galvatron on Charr, confirming the scenes filmed by the security network. Second, Galvatron was mentally unable to devise such a subtle and clever plan. Maybe Soundwave was behind this. Another interesting point was that the Decepticon insignia was nowhere to be found on the silver mech's body. Totally unusual for a Decepticon!
He startled when he felt a pat on his right arm and looked at Pulse, the medic who had repaired the mech's shoulders.
"Sorry Pulse, but I haven't finished the interrogation," he replied, hoping the medic wouldn't argue about the fact he was interrogating a wounded prisoner.
"It's just… When I repaired his shoulder, I found that his parts were very different from what we see in current mechs. I mean, it looked old… very old."
Rodimus frowned. "What, do you mean he might actually say the truth? That he is a mech from the past!?" he exclaimed, puzzled.
"I suggest you allow me to analyze him. I think it won't last more than a couple of cycles."
The Autobot leader stared at him, suddenly hesitating. Wouldn't it be a pure loss of time? The possibility that this crazy story was right was next to nothing, he was sure of that. Besides, he already hated this mech, the feeling fueled by his resemblance with the Slag Maker. He'd have preferred starting a more persuasive interrogation. 'How can you think of doing that? Optimus Prime would have never allowed to torture a prisoner!' he smacked himself and then nodded at the medic.
"Alright, you can examine him."
"Thank you," the white and red medic reached for the berth and set a hand on the forearm of the silver mech. "Don't worry, it won't hurt," he assured.
The silver mech replied with a groan and then glared back at Rodimus Prime. The intensity of his glare and his facial expression startled the Autobot leader; he had not the feeling of seeing Megatron anymore, but a gladiator of the old ages.
Cybertron, Autobot Forces Headquarters, Security Department
Sunstreaker came closer to the Security Director, a little hesitant to alert him of his presence: Firewall wasn't the kind of mech who liked to be disturbed during his work. In this regard, he was very much like his predecessor, the defunct Red Alert. At the memory of the latter, he felt the need for revenge burn his spark. He had to know about the incident of the previous day and check if the Decepticon leader and his bitch had come back to Cybertron.
"Hello, Firewall. May I ask you a question?" he ventured.
The Security Director looked at him and frowned disapprovingly. "Maybe later. I'm busy now." He replied, shifting his gaze back to his various monitor screens.
The Lamborghini-former didn't dare to question further after getting such a dismissive reply, and carefully looked at one of the screens, where the unmistakable form of a Seeker was kneeling in the state of prostration.
"No problem, Firewall. I'll come back later," he replied through gritted teeth, making a mental note of the number of the cell. 'X0078, High Security Area.'
Charr, Galvatron's Citadel, Galvatron's Quarters
"Slag it!" A new strong salvo of laser fire hit one of the windows and shattered the glass, sending the pieces flying outside. "You slagging fools! It's your fault if they have escaped!" Galvatron roared, slamming his fist into the remains of his throne, shattering the last armrest.
Seized by uncontrollable, blind anger, he didn't even realize that the "slagging fools" were all gone, hiding away from the wrath of their crazy leader. Even Cyclonus had given up all ideas to stay by his side after a punch had sent him flying against the wall of the quarters, knocking him into a brief stasis.
"I swear, Soundwave, once I get my hands on you, I'll reduce you to scrap metal!" the crazy gunner roared, seizing the shattered throne to throw it around with brute force. The piece of furniture slammed into the wall, falling apart. "You hear me, traitor, I'll do the same to you!" he shrieked.
As usual, when he lost his temper beyond reason, his CPU started to overheat, and he ended up on the floor, losing consciousness for a few kliks. He rebooted slowly, feeling drained and defeated.
"Slag it! Slag you all! There is only one Decepticon leader in the Universe, and it's me, Galvatron!" he muttered through gritted teeth. He felt his spark ache as an awkward complex of inferiority overcame him. "I am the greatest Decepticon warrior and leader of all time! Megatron was nothing in comparison to me! Nothing!" he cried as if to convince himself.
He offlined his optics and remained unmoving, appreciating the feeling of freshness coming from the floor. He started to cool down when he heard soft clicking and pounding. He sat up with a start, scanning his quarters with a sudden anxiety which he couldn't explain. The clicking and pounding continued, obviously coming from the nearby of his desk.
"What the slag is this?"
Galvatron rose to his feet and walked to the desk, kneeling prudently to have a look at its lower portion. The clicking and pounding continued, stronger this time. The Decepticon leader outstretched a hand, feeling for the cause of this noise, and withdrew it immediately when he felt sharp knives trying to cut it. He jumped backwards, watching with inexplicable fear a small body bolting out the cover of the desk and running for cover at the other side of the room.
"Cyclonus! Scourge! I'm under attack!" the Decepticon shrieked, rushing outside his now hostile quarters.
Now alone, the mysterious invader came out of the shadow of a shelf: it clicked its claws and took a scout around in search of a better hideout.
Cybertron, Autobot Forces Headquarters, Detention High-Security Area, Repair Bay
"Rodimus Prime, I know what I'm going to say looks senseless, but—" the medic scratched the back of his helmet, unsure of himself.
"You seem uncomfortable," the Autobot leader replied, peeping at the silver mech strapped on the berth. The latter replied by a red glare and a grimace. "Have you noticed something?" he asked, shifting his attention back to the medic.
"He's not like us: I scanned his whole body, and according to the structure of his frame, it appears that he's unable to transform." The medic paused, nodding softly. "I know it looks crazy, but it's the truth. Besides, the metal used for his chassis had been processed according to a technique which doesn't exist anymore."
Rodimus Prime frowned at him. "What technique?" he asked.
"A technique used by the Quintessons, before the Golden Age, if I'm right."
"Are you trying to tell me that this Transformer is indeed coming from the past of Cybertron?" Rodimus Prime asked, towering over the smaller robot. "Do you realize this is totally insane?"
The medic hunched up his shoulders and looked up warily. "I know it sounds crazy, and I have no explanation for this. But yes, technically, he's a model built by the Quintessons before the Golden Age. The Quintessons' seal is engraved on his spark casing."
The Autobot leader sighed heavily and glared back at the berth and its occupant. He walked to the silver mech and leaned forward, looking at him in the optics.
"Who are you exactly?" he inquired, slightly unnerved.
"I've told you already: Silvergun a.k.a. Megatron, before I have become the Slag Maker." The silver mech allowed himself a smirk. "What's going on? Has your medic confirmed to you that I've been built eons ago, and you don't want to believe him?" he gloated.
"I'm not in a joking mood, Decepticon," Rodimus Prime retorted before opening his comlink. "Magnus. Can you come? We're escorting our prisoner back to his cell." He informed.
The mech on the berth started wriggling violently trying to extract himself from the straps, growling like a cornered animal.
"What's your problem, you moron? Can't you accept the truth, even though it's hard to believe?" he shouted, "I AM NOT THE SLAG MAKER!!!"
"I know you are not him, but I don't know what's hidden behind this farce. Until I find out what's going on here, you'll stay in your cell!"
Cybertron, Autobot Forces Headquarters, Officer's Mess
"Really, Megatron looked like he was an old model who came from the far-off days of Planet Cybertron. Maybe it was because of all the dust that covered him," Perceptor added, sipping from an energon cube. "Starscream himself was a little different from his usual self. His glass cockpit was gone, replace by a metal one."
Skyfire frowned when he heard this new piece of information, which prompted a very precise memory from his databank. "Do you have a video of what you have seen?" he inquired.
"I have, but I'm not sure I'm allowed to disclose it to you. There is an on-going investigation conducted by Rodimus Prime; I should ask him first."
"Perceptor, I need to see what Starscream looks like. I might have information that could aid the investigation if I can verify something very important," Skyfire insisted in a stern voice, giving a piercing look to the smaller mech. "Please, this is really important."
Perceptor seemed to be undecided for a few kliks, which was easy to understand: Rodimus Prime didn't like it very much when one of his soldiers disobeyed his orders. "Okay." He finally complied, "open your comlink, I'll send you the file."
The shuttle nodded in acceptance and waited until he got the file. He feverishly decrypted the video, feeling a pang in his spark when he recognized the shape of his former friend. "Primus, he almost looks like twelve million years ago, when I first saw him!" he exclaimed.
"What?" Jazz and Perceptor blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?" Jazz inquired.
"When I was ordered by the scientific council to take care of Starscream, he looked like the Jet-former on your video!"
"What… What happened twelve million years ago?" Perceptor asked.
"I was summoned by the head of the scientific council…"
O
"You asked me to come, Lord Hadopix?" Skyfire asked, bowing to his superior.
"Yes, thank you for coming, Skyfire. I have an unusual request to make, but I'm sure that a warm-hearted scientist like you will understand and accept the responsibility." The Lord informed him and then pushed a button to activate a screen. The camera broadcasted a scene taken in a repair bay, with a flier lying on a repair berth. "We found this young Seeker in a dump, ready for the smelting pit. Somebody had dumped him there, unconscious, his memory bank empty, exposing him to the risk of being melted alive."
"That's horrible!" It sent shiver's down Skyfire's spine just thinking about it.
"You know all the troubles caused by the Decepticons, and their current manipulations to acquire the Seekers for their cause. Moreover, there is this "Megatron", who has just assassinated Lord Skullcrusher. The Seeker might have seen too much to be left alive…"
"What do you want me to do?"
Lord Hadopix crossed his arms on his chest and started to pace up and down.
"As you know, we are neutrals and venerate life as the most important thing in the Universe. We have to protect the young Seeker from whoever had tried to kill him. Secondly," the master scientist paused and threw Skyfire a vibrant look. "If he knows something which could help stop the escalation of violence caused by Megatron, we should find it out."
"I understand and I am fully ready for this mission, my Lord." Skyfire bowed once again, proud that his superior trusted him with such an important mission.
O
"Woooow! Incredible! Who would have thought the little jerk had started his life like this?" Jazz exclaimed, scratching his helmet in disbelief. "What happened next?"
"Starscream's memory had been completely wiped out. He didn't even remember his name. I understood he was named so because it was written on his right arm. I wonder who could have been so insane to do it." The shuttle sighed deeply as he replayed the scene. "Anyway, I took him under my wing. He proved to have a gift for sciences, and he quickly learned all the scientific matters needed to become my assistant." He completed. "Starscream was very different at that time; shy, uneasy, lacking self-confidence."
"Man, something must have happened to him!" Jazz concluded and then eyed his two companions with worry. "Don't you think we should contact Rodimus Prime and inform him of this story? It might be linked to yesterday's incident."
"Yes, of course. I don't mind telling him what I know," Skyfire approved.
"Okay, I'll try to contact him," Perceptor informed, immediately trying to open the channel with the Autobot leader. He got only statics in reply. "Slag, he must have cut the comlink. I wonder what's going on."
Cybertron, Autobot Forces Headquarters, High-Security Detention Area
Sunstreaker was relieved when the main doors of the detention area opened. As one of the few survivors of Optimus Prime's Earth Team, he had access to almost every place of the Headquarters, including the highly secured areas.
He easily found the two robots he was looking for, given that they were the only prisoners in custody in this top security wing. Soundwave was leaning back against the wall, looking at his cassettes which had fallen asleep around him. Starscream was kneeling in the state of prostration, gaze focused on an invisible point of his cell. Far from arousing pity or sympathy, Sunstreaker felt pure hatred for the Air Commander and decided he would be the first one to pay. Tightening his grip on his blaster, he strode resolutely into the passage-way.
O
Soundwave immediately looked at the hallway when he heard the footsteps and couldn't suppress a shiver when he saw the Autobot with his blaster. He quickly penetrated the mind of the intruder, deciphering his intentions with little effort: "Killing Starscream to avenge his defunct companions." He immediately jumped to his feet, awaking his Cassettes in the process.
"Mayday! Mayday! Autobot assassin in the detention area! Request help by Autobot Senior Officers!" he shrieked to the surveillance camera.
His little bots started to shout, wail, scream, and groan in order to attract the attention of the guards who were certainly monitoring the place. They all screamed in horror when a shot hit Soundwave on the shoulder, sending him flying against the wall. The Communication Officer slid slowly to the ground, knocked-out.
"Wait for your turn!" the Autobot coldly replied.
"Hey, he shot at Soundwave!" Frenzy shrieked.
"Open this cell if you're a bot! We're gonna transform you into scrap metal!" Rumble threatened.
The Autobot didn't bother looking at them and stopped in front of Starscream's cell, deactivating the energy bars.
O
The cries of Soundwave and his Cassettes woke Starscream from his prostration. The footsteps stopped in front of his cell, and the energy bars were shut down.
"Who's there? What do you want?" he whined, feeling overwhelming fear seize him. He tried to stand up but failed, as he still hadn't recovered his strength.
"Somebody to punish you for your sins, murderer!"
The voice was harsh, filled with anger. Although he couldn't see, Starscream felt the presence of the enemy, standing right in front of him, and feared the worst. Without a warning, a strong kick in the face sent his head smash to the floor, threatening to shut his motor systems down. He yelped in pain, and then screamed when a feat dug in his back.
"Prowl, Ironhide, Ratchet and Brawn. Does it ring a bell in your devious mind?"
"Please, stop it. I'm not the same anymore!" the Seeker whined. "Please! It hurts!"
"I saw the black box of their ship? I saw you shooting at them with Megatron in your hands. Primus, you butchered them all! It's your turn to suffer to atone for your crimes!" the punisher retorted, smashing his heel into Starscream's shoulder.
All that the Seeker could do was cry out in agony.
O
"We can't let Starscream to be butchered by this slagging Autobot!" Rumble groaned, watching the Seeker getting beaten to a pulp with burning optics. "Frenzy, activate your pile drivers. We gonna pulverize the whole place!"
The two Cassettes replaced their arms with their pile drivers, and immediately hammered the ground with as much strength as they could muster. Their action caused the whole detention area to shake, crevices starting to run through the walls, the ground and the ceiling. The Autobot lost his balance and fell to his ass, giving a break to the poor Seeker.
"Keep going! Keep going!" cried Rumble to his brother.
O
"What is that mess!?" Rodimus Prime groaned.
Ultra Magnus, the prisoner and himself had just set foot in the detention area when a strong shake threatened to throw them out of balance.
"Primus! It must be Soundwave's Cassettes, Rumble and Frenzy!" Magnus replied, gripping the door hard. "We should have disabled their pile drivers!"
Far from decreasing, the shakes rocked the place even more heavily. Blocks of metal fell from the ceiling around them. Despite the rumble, small voices reached their audios.
"He's trying to kill Starscream! HELP!"
Rodimus Prime recoiled in fear when he saw the change in the expression of the prisoner. Once again, the self-proclaimed Megatron looked like one of those terrible gladiators of the past; a beast ready to tear his opponents into pieces with his bare hands, wallowing in their energon blood. He was even more frightening than the Slag Maker, his optics burning like two flames in his silver faceplate, distorted with anger. As he had feared previously, the killing machine broke his chains with a roar, wasting no time to send Magnus and himself crashing to the ground with powerful punches. The Autobot leader saw stars for a few kliks but forced himself to stay online, as he realized that the situation was getting totally out of hand.
"Keep your hands off him!" the gladiator howled, rushing into Starscream's cell. "You're dead!"
"No! Stop!" Rodimus knew his pleas were useless and shook Ultra Magnus, who was also struggling against unconsciousness. "On your feet, Magnus, we have to stop him before it ends up in a blood bath!" he urged.
The two Autobots helped each other rise to their feet while shrill cries of pain and dull noises of punches reached their audios.
They ran to stop the slaughter, discovering with horror the scene of Sunstreaker being shattered into pieces by the silver mech. Their primal instinct dictated them to strike; they attacked the massive silver robot together, forgetting that it was against the Autobot warrior code. Putting all their strength in the kicks and punches, they managed to knock the gladiator out, who fell on the body of a badly beaten up Starscream.
"Primus, what the hell was that!?" Ultra Magnus whined as he sank to his knees.
Breathless with stupor, Rodimus Prime leaned against the wall, grateful for the support that prevented him from collapsing to a heap. His optics made a sweep of the security wing, transformed into a desolate battlefield. Soundwave was still unconscious in his cell, energon bleeding from a gunshot wound in his shoulder. His Cassettes were around him, shaking him and crying his name. In the cell, Sunstreaker lay in a pool of energon, an arm and a leg missing. Starscream, somewhere between consciousness and delirium, held possessively the unconscious gladiator in his arms, crying as he caressed his scratched faceplate, begging his lover not to abandon him with incoherent pleas.
"Primus, I should have foreseen this tragedy! I should have been able to avoid this!" Rodimus Prime moaned, feeling guilt squashing his spark.
Once again, he felt he wasn't worth of being the successor of Optimus Prime.
To be continued