Chapter 25-Starscream
Megatron stepped into the main hangar bay.
It was here that the majority of Iacon's occupying decepticons spent their time. Here that Megatron had declared victory to his troops.
They were often raiding the autobots old ration stores, and Engex supply. Others trained, in the large sparring areas.
But today, as Megatron slowly walked in, he saw them assembled by the shuttle area.
Standing in formation, as one mech spoke.
Standing in formation just as they did when he spoke to them.
Megatron paused, as Shockwave stepped in his path.
He stared straight ahead, optic analyzing Megatron.
Then the mech moved aside.
"You may wish to hear this, my lord." Shockwave stated." It seems we have some...housekeeping to take care of."
Megatron eyed the one optic scientist closely, then stepped past him.
"As we have all seen in the last week...we decepticons have an unparalleled hold on Cybertron." An all too familiar, somewhat high pitchced, raspy voice declared.
Megatron stepped in, and his optics came upon the red white and blue form of Starscream.
Looking oh so confident.
"But where, I ask you, where is our fearless leader? As we spread across this world, enforcing our authority? Does anyone know where our beloved Megatron hides?"
Silence from the crowd. Some muttering.
"In the same office that Zeta Prime, and Sentinel before him hid!" Starscream shouted. "Our commander, now little more than a cowardly bureaucrat, directing our assaults from the comfort of his armored saferoom!"
The group of decepticons grumbled in agreement, a few of them exchanging wary glances.
"While we, all of us, enforce his will! Risking our lives! Two days ago, we lost eighteen of our brothers to those autobot scum, and where, I ask, where was Megatron?!" Starscream demanded.
The decepticons roared in furious agreement.
"I can tell you where I was!" Starscream continued. "I was leading our forces into battle! Taking damage at their side! Watching them die, as Megatron watched his holograms, his readouts! Who would you rather have commanding you, my proud decepticons? A soldier? Or a politician?!"
The crowd erupted in fury, and began chanting Starscream's name.
"STARSCREAM! STARSCREAM! STARSCREAM!"
Starscream beamed as he felt the support shower him. He stood at the front of the group of irritated decepticons, enjoying every moment of it.
And then the chants began to die down. Quickly. Before long, they had stopped completely.
Starscream frowned.
"So then. We shall take that which we deserve. You all deserve a worthy commander. So we will remove Megatron from his wretched post, and we will throw him in the dungeons!"
The crowd was dead silent.
"And then you shall have the ruler you all deserve! A soldier, like you!"
He paused, looking at the wide red optics beneath him.
"Clap if you feel you deserve better!" He shouted, raising his fist.
A single pair of hands began to clap. Directly behind Starscream. He froze.
Turning slowly, as Megatron walked up to him.
Clapping slowly, a look of sheer hatred on his face.
"Please do go on, Starscream." He spat. "I insist."
Starscream narrowed his optics.
"I'm not afraid of you, Megatron. Victory had made you weak. Cowardly. Was any of what I said untrue?"
Megatron glared back at the mech. Then he turned to the others.
"And do the rest of you agree with the seeker?" He asked.
There were murmurs of agreement from the crowd.
"Why don't you take your beloved advisor, Soundwave and return to your safe little Prime office?" Starscream asked.
Megatron's optics shot back to him.
"You're absolutely right." He agreed. He opened his comm. "Soundwave, come to the main hangar. I need you for a very special assignment."
The autobots had started to grow stir crazy, confined to their underground abode.
Prowl stood in front of his monitor, where he spent most of his time.
"Streetwise is dead." He said sadly, reading the news ticker. "The decepticons are calling him an...'apprehended terrorist.' They killed him two days ago."
Optimus sighed as he looked at the news.
"He was a good officer. I worked with him a few times. Any word about Ultra Magnus?"
Prowl shook his head. Optimus rested his helm against the wall, letting out a few long vents.
"How can our citizens be okay with this?" Prowl asked. "This is slaughter."
"You would be surprised the power false information has over people." Optimus replied. "All Megatron has to do is convince them that they are enemies of the people. And now that they have media control...it's too easy." He looked down at Prowl. "I never expected much support from the neutral population."
"If we don't have the people on our side...what do we have?" Prowl asked.
Optimus turned to the inside of the main room of the bunker.
"Them." He gestured.
Sunstreaker was painting curse words on the wall in old Cybertronian. Jazz was getting acquainted with Bumblebee by giving him a piggyback ride around the room. Arcee was cleaning and disassembling her blasters.
Ironhide and Hound were trying to teach Sideswipe the proper form for holding a rifle.
Wheeljack was hard at work on a science bench in the corner. He wasn't allowing anybody to see what he was doing.
Trailbreaker was in deep concentration, trying to make a floating force field. Mirage was at his side, urging him on silently.
The two had been inseparable since his arrival.
And Ratchet was walking into the room. A concerned look on his face.
"Orion. Optimus. Sorry. Can I speak with you in the medibay?" He asked.
"Of course." Optimus replied, nodding to Prowl, before following the mech.
Ratchet sealed the door after they walked in.
"Alright. I'm concerned about Bumblebee." Ratchet stated, as he turned to Optimus.
Optimus frowned. "Concerned? Why? He seems fine."
"Yes. He does. But he has gone through a severely traumatic experience. He watched an entire city die, Optimus."
Optimus nodded.
"Not everyone is affected by war the way we are. From the short time I've known him, I've been impressed by his resilience."
Ratchet looked out the medibay window as Jazz started making up a special handshake for the two mechs, with Bumblebee struggling through the motions.
"He impresses you in general, doesn't he?" Ratchet asked.
Optimus nodded. "He does. I see great potential in him. Which is why I wish he wasn't here."
"No?" Ratchet asked with surprise.
Optimus's optics sunk as he watched him.
"He's practically a child." He said, turning and sitting on the side berth. "War is no place for children. This isn't his fight. This shouldn't be any of their fights." He slumped his shoulders, his smokestacks turning outward. "I created Megatron. Encouraged him. Allied with him. And even after he betrayed me, even after he turned his freedom fighters into radical separatists...I allowed myself to be fooled by him again."
Ratchet walked over to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You may have a new voice, and a new body. But you are still Orion Pax." Ratchet stated. "And Orion Pax is...an idealist. Someone who believes there is good in people. Sometimes a bit too much. There is no shame in that."
Optimus sighed, then shook his head.
"Millions have died because of my mistake." He replied, looking at Ratchet through big blue optics. "It will never be made right until Megatron is brought to justice. And it has to be me who does it."
Megatron watched as Soundwave walked into the room.
The decepticons stood along the edge. Ravage, Rumble, Frenzy and Laserbeak were all lined up on one side, the rest of the decepticons grouped up on the other.
Starscream stood in the same spot, above them.
Megatron stood in the hangar bay, where the shuttles had once stood.
Alone. It was larger than the Pit. But it was similar. He looked up at his decepticons.
"Soundwave. Join me." Megatron called, gesturing to him.
Soundwave jumped down into the bay, and walked toward the mech.
Megatron unhooked his fusion cannon, and sat it against the edge of the bay. Then he looked at Soundwave. And spoke, quiet enough that only Soundwave could hear.
"What I do now, I do because I must. I know you will understand."
Soundwave was silent a moment, then nodded.
Megatron looked up at Starscream, glaring in hatred, then looked at the others.
Then he grabbed Soundwave, and punched him across the face.
The communications mech was knocked back. Megatron walked forward, then grabbed him, and slammed his head off his knee, and began savagely beating him.
Ravage had to be held back, as he tried to leap into the bay.
"What are you doin?!" Frenzy demanded.
The other decepticons stared in shocked silence.
Megatron slammed Soundwave against the wall of the bay, and continued pummeling him, tearing through his chest glass, then grabbing his shoulder cannon and ripping it free, hurling it aside.
Soundwave didn't fight back. He didn't even defend himself. He took the beating.
As a true decepticon.
Megatron backed away a moment, covered in the energon of his friend.
Then he grabbed Soundwave and hurled him against the floor, driving his knee down into the mech's chest to keep him pinned.
Shockwave watched with zero emotion. Starscream's optics widened in surprise as each savage act was performed.
Megatron turned as Soundwave's head rolled sideways.
"Look at me Soundwave." He commanded.
Soundwave weakly turned his head to look up at Megatron.
Megatron gave him a weak grin, then brought his fist crashing down on his face.
Once. Twice. Three times. Cracking his visor. Breaking apart his faceplate. He ripped the faceplate away, revealing Soundwave's mouth.
Which was unmoving. Without expression.
He punched again, cracking his helm.
One more, and energon began to pour from it.
Enough.
"SOUNDWAVE!" Ravage shouted.
Megatron stood up.
"I applaud you, Soundwave." Megatron whispered. Then he turned and looked at the decepticons, his frame covered in energon.
"This is what I do to those who are loyal to me!" He shouted, gesturing to Soundwave. He placed his fusion cannon back on his arm. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE WHAT I DO TO TRAITORS?!" He demanded.
Starscream stared down at Megatron. His lip quivering.
"Have you nothing to say, Starscream?!" Megatron asked. "That isn't like you. No witty remark, no condescending statement?!"
Starscream opened his mouth, but said nothing. Megatron jumped up in front of him, holding the fusion cannon toward the seeker.
"What do you wish to say to me, Starscream?" Megatron asked.
Starscream shook his head and looked away.
"Would you like to apologize?!" Megatron asked.
"I'm...I'm...so sorry...lord Megatron."
Megatron tilted the fusion cannon down, so that it was level with Starscream's head.
"Would you like to beg for mercy?"
Starscream looked on the edge of tears. He slowly dropped to his knees.
"Please...please lord Megatron...please...I did not mean...I am no threat to you..."
"Oh but do you not wish to be ruler of the decepticons?" Megatron asked. "This is your ambition, yes?"
"I...i..." Starscream shook his head furiously. "I only wish to serve my lord...I swear it." He assured.
"THEN SERVE!" Megatron shouted, causing the mech to jump. "STAND UP!"
Starscream scrambled to his feet, the fusion cannon rising, tracking his head as he rose.
He suddenly jumped at Starscream, causing the mech to fall back, and scramble away.
Megatron smirked as he watched the cowardly seeker crawl away.
"AND WHAT OF THE REST OF YOU?!" Megatron demanded, turning to the decepticons. "TO WHOM ARE YOU LOYAL?!" He demanded.
The decepticons looked at each other in fear.
Then slowly, steadily, a chant erupted.
"All hail Megatron. All hail Megatron!"
"LOUDER!" Megatron shouted, gesturing at them with his fusion cannon.
"ALL HAIL MEGATRON! ALL HAIL MEGATRON!" The decepticons chanted.
Megatron grinned as he glared out at them.
"Never forget, my decepticons. If you cannot serve me with loyalty, you will be replaced by someone who can." He hissed.