Nota Bene:
Time units: Astrosecond = 0.283 seconds; Breems = 8.3 minutes; Joor = 1 hour; Mega-cycle = 93 hours; Orn = 13 days; Meta-cycle = 13 months; Vorn = 83 years
Length units: Klik - 1 kilometer; Mechanometer = 1 meter
Italics: scene taking place in the past
'Text': thoughts of a character
(Text): discussion through comm.-links
Chapter 26: Rise of the Decepticons (1)
Forward Operational Headquarters 0022 of the Earth Resistance Force
Eastern area of the base
"Megatron! Where are you?"
Starscream stood in front the remains of a drilling tower and scanned closely the devastated area, planted with destroyed walls and twisted pikes of metal.
"Megatron!" he called again, more and more worried about his warlord's absence. After Thanatron's arrest by Ultra Magnus and his men, Megatron had run away, shrieking that he wanted to be left alone. Three hours had passed since this reaction – unusual to the Slag Maker – and despite Starscream's efforts to find him, Megatron was nowhere to be found.
"Megatron!" the Seeker called again with a tremor in the voice.
"Oh, stop whining!" a grating voice retorted.
Starscream startled as the vocal frequency was very similar to Megatron's voice. However, he knew it wasn't his lover, but a certain insufferable purple warlord. He watched apprehensively as Galvatron unhide from the shadows of the skeletal tower and stepped in the light of the moon.
"I'm in search of Megatron!" Starscream quickly justified, "I'm not sure I should leave him alone after the truths he had heard."
Galvatron smirked and pointed at the massive shape of a bombed hangar. "He's here." He informed.
"How do you know that?"
"I'm his brother, remember? I can sense it," Galvatron replied as he opened a subspace in his flank. "By the way, don't you think you've forgotten something?" he asked flatly.
Starscream stared blankly at the small box that Galvatron produced; he had left it in the Atlantis, to the care of Springer.
"I– I…"
"As you're infected with the star virus, you must carry your antidote with you, including the recharge, all the time," Galvatron spoke sternly. "Besides, you should have recharged the antidote already."
The Seeker lowered his head and opened the box; the reflection of the golden liquid glittered in his optics.
"Why do you care?" he asked to the older mech.
"Because Megatron is fine as long as you're fine. Recharge the antidote, then go and see Megatron, do all that it takes to cheer him up. I want him on top form tomorrow morning, inspecting his troops."
"But–"
"But… what? Do as I say!"
The authority in Galvatron's voice and body language startled the Seeker, who hurriedly withdrew the almost empty flask from his wrist and replaced it by a full one.
"Okay. I'm going to see Megatron. But it's only because I want to see him, and not because you had ordered it!" the Seeker informed. His facial expression clearly indicated that his pride was hurt.
"About time!"
Starscream walked away, wings quivering with annoyance. Although Galvatron seemed to be protective towards his brother – and by the same, himself – his presence still conveyed a certain threat. Another one hovering over him…
O
Galvatron watched with suspicion the flier heading to the hangar. His energy field radiated strongly and was agitated by disturbing waves of electricity.
"I wonder if he really gonna cheer up Megatron or completely destroy what is left of his motivation," he muttered.
"My lord, why haven't you told him about the flasks? It was a murder attempt!"
The purple warlord turned to face Cyclonus, who had kept hiding behind the wall during the conversation.
"I think Starscream is unstable enough. No need to confuse him more, as it might increase Megatron's own confusion. I need my brother to be fully focused on rebuilding the Decepticon army." He outlined a devilish smirk, "That doesn't mean the culprit won't be punished. Are you sure it is Nightbird?" he asked.
"Affirmative."
"In that case, Cyclonus, I allow you to give her a lesson that she will never forget… And if possible, bring her to the Decepticon' side."
"At your command, my Lord." The air commander bowed in agreement.
…..
Starscream stopped at the threshold of the hangar and observed the silver mech who was sitting back to a wall; his chin rested on his crossed arms, Megatron was desperate, staring into space. The Seeker felt a wave of hatred towards Thanatron for what he had done to his family, for the disease he had instilled in him and ultimately, for the dark clouds he had piled up above his heads. He knew that even if Thanatron hadn't any place in Megatron's spark, the warlord couldn't ignore who he was: his son. Megatron had always dreamt of having an heir to the Decepticon army.
Yes. Thanatron was a threat for their relationship and to a more individual level, for Starscream himself. Anger rose further in his spark, and he clenched his fists. It was no time for hesitation; he had Megatron for himself, and wouldn't allow anybody to take him away from him.
He walked to the silent mech noiselessly as a cat, which was an exploit regarding to his size and weight. He stopped in front of Megatron and grimaced, as the mech didn't look up at him.
"Megatron, I was looking for you," he stated, his voice vibrating with both emotion and annoyance.
The silver Transformer stared blankly at him.
"I'm not a very good company tonight, Starscream," Megatron whispered. "You should go with the others and try to celebrate our victory," he added, lowering his face to return to his thoughts.
"I don't care about the others… only you!" the Seeker replied with anger. He knelt by his side and snatched away the hands of Megatron, forcing his way into his arms despite his groan of protest. With a defiant glare, he sat on Megatron's lap and wrapped his arms around his waist. "You're acting just as if you weren't happy to see me alive!" he growled.
"I'm happy to see you alive. It's just… I have many things to think about."
"Then, you're not showing me your joy enough!"
Starscream quivered when he felt Megatron's chin resting on his helmet and a hand reaching the tip of his left wing, teasing gently. The attention reassured him a little, but not completely as he knew what Megatron meant by 'other things to think about'.
"You've been acting strangely since Thanatron told you everything," the Seeker rasped on the tone of reproach.
"Wouldn't you act the same way if you were me?"
Starscream got annoyed by the sincerity in Megatron's voice and clutched strongly his plating, as if he wanted to hurt the older mech. "He killed my father and brother!" he screamed.
"You told me that you hated them for their lack of consideration towards you," Megatron replied calmly.
Starscream pushed on Megatron's chest to free from his embrace and glared at him.
"Shootingstar didn't consider me because I've been mainly created by a frail Seeker, who had the stupidity to be destroyed in a simple reconnaissance flight in an unknown planet. He saw me as a failure because I resembled him physically – and perhaps even morally – and I had the same taste for science and exploration. He was constantly degrading me in front of Sunstorm, whose vanity grew accordingly. I–"
"I know all of this, Starscream. It's needless to get mad!" Megatron caressed affectionately his wings, looking suddenly worried.
Unfortunately, Starscream was already too irritated to realize.
"You don't understand?!" the Seeker shrieked. "I hate Thanatron because he has taken away the opportunity to prove them that I wasn't the failure they thought I was. I had learned a lot during my exploration with Skyfire, had grown bolder and stronger, and your… son! He just ruined everything!" Starscream smashed a furious fist against the silver plating, startling Megatron. "Because of him, my father carried in his grave the idea that his younger son was a loser!" he cried in despair.
"You're wrong. Shootingstar didn't consider you as a looser. He missed you!" Megatron replied, guiding him to rest more peacefully against him.
"What do you know about it?!" Starscream tried to pull back but the warlord kept him in a firm embrace. "This is a lie!"
"I know this, because you were at the center of our negotiations during the last few meetings that I had with your creator."
…
Megatron chuckled as Shootingstar beckoned him to walk closer to his throne. What a victory for him! One of the most powerful figures of Cybertron was granting him an audience, after vorns and vorns of condemning him publicly as the living representation of evil.
"Thank you, my lord," the Decepticon Leader thanked once he had stopped in front of the Space Commander and his son. He knelt with a faint respect in front of the two glowing Seekers, mocking inwardly the pompous fools. "It's an honor to be granted an audience."
"Let's say that your proposals about the development of military power on Cybertron interest me," cut Shootingstar. His voice was screechy, yet seductive. "The Autobot federal government wants to reduce the effective dedicated to the defense of Cybertron, forcing some of my Seekers to become merchants. I soundly disagree with that!" the silver and gold Seeker spoke, slamming his fist on his armrest.
Megatron smirked in triumph, feeling he was very close to get a new ally to his cause.
"I'm glad that you have reached this conclusion, Lord Shootingstar. I'm sure that our collaboration will be… a profitable deal."
Shootingstar waved a hand, showing that he dismissed the idea, while his golden son chuckled lightly. Megatron felt tension rose in his energon, together with anger. He hated the selfishness of the Seekers.
"It's a little early to speak about collaboration. I need to get some evidence of the skills of your faction before allowing you to participate to my plan."
A bell rang in Megatron's CPU as he suddenly understood the real intentions of the Space Commander. 'He has no intention to join the Decepticons, but he's considering to have the Decepticons joining the Seekers for a potential coup against the Autobot High Authorities,' he reflected with amusement. 'The fool! I'll let him think that I'm getting along with his plan. But I'll remind him and his conceited son who is the master soon enough!'
"I'm ready to take up whatever challenge you're going to put me through!" he assured.
"Very well. It's going to be the occasion to see if the technology you're developing for aerial warfare and energy search is really efficient…"
Shootingstar pushed a button on the command board on his armrest, launching a hologram that appeared in front of Megatron. The Decepticon leader glanced at the two Seekers and noticed that Sunstorm was as surprised as he was.
"Who is this… young femme Seeker?" Megatron asked, scanning the image. As far as he could see, it was a lightly built Seeker, with a bright red, blue and silver paint job. "I didn't know you had a daughter," he added.
"He's my youngest son," Shootingstar corrected with some irritation, "And I want you to find him and bring him back."
"Father! I can't believe your challenge is to find this worthless piece–?"
Shootingstar shot a frightening glare to his elder son, winding up his indignation. Sunstorm stepped back with quivering wings.
"Shut up, Sunstorm!" Shootingstar warned and then focused back to Megatron. "My son left a thousand Vorns ago, and according to our last reports, he has headed to an unknown solar system, rich in energy. I want you to track him and bring him back."
Megatron nodded, looking thoughtful, but inside, he exulted; Shootingstar seemed to have a weakness. He needed to know more.
"Is he an explorer to go so far away from his creator?" he asked with faint concern and then covered the image of the Seeker with a tender look. "A so young and beautiful son of yours! He must be one of your greatest prides! "he added.
He smiled to himself as the expression of Shootingstar fell.
"Starscream… My son went on an exploration mission against my will. We had some words before he departed… I told him I would disown him, and he had disappeared since that night," the Space Commander explained with emotion. "We tried to localize him, but he's out of our reach. I've heard that you're building spaceships, and that you're using high-guard's technology to identify heavy source of energy."
Megatron suppressed a grin as he felt he had hit the nail on the spot. This beautifully designed Seeker was the weak spot of the unbending Shootingstar. By chance, if he found the young rebel and convinced him to join the Decepticons, Shootingstar would eat right out of his hands!
"And I guess that having your son back is a very important thing to you, isn't it?" he purred.
"I miss Starscream. I want my son back!" Shootingstar stated. By his side, Sunstorm was mortified.
"Don't worry, My Lord, the Decepticons will take all the measures to find your beloved son. Considering that he has gone to an area rich in energy, we should find quickly a trace of him," Megatron assured.
"If you succeed, you will be welcome to join me against the Autobots!" Shootingstar replied, looking sincere.
"All pleasures are mine!"
Megatron managed a two-faced smile and bowed as he left.
…
"You're lying! You're telling me this just to cheer me up!" Starscream protested, grabbing Megatron's shoulders and throwing him a reproachful look.
"I'm not lying, Starscream. That's why I knew you already. I recognized you at once when I found you lying on the wreckage of your crash," Megatron retorted, "I knew already everything about you!"
…..
Central area of the base, a warehouse
"Decepticons, to victory!"
Astrotrain, Octane and Soundwave cheered Blitzwing's words with a hooray and raised their energon cubes before drinking greedily. The scene didn't please the onlooker who stood in front of the four Transformers with an expression of defiance.
"Me Grimlock say victory doesn't belong to Decepticons!"
The three triple changers and the flier laughed mockingly at him.
"Victory belongs to the bots who had freed the earthling jets!" Astrotrain retorted with contempt. "Blitzwing, Octane and I. In other words: the Decepticon faction!"
The Dinobot leader didn't flinch at all when Blitzwing beckoned him disdainfully to step back. "Me Grimlock, arrived first at the hangar!" he argued.
"Oh yes, big lizard?" Octane laughed openly. "Sorry, I don't remember you were there when we arrived and pulverized the Stalkers that were besieging the place," he completed with a knowing look.
"Me Grimlock, was there!"
"Oh, stop whining, you idiot!"
All the Transformers turned their gaze in the direction of the screechy voice; Galvatron was observing them with a smug expression plastered on the face. His trusty lieutenant was standing by his side, as usual.
"Me Grimlock say: no need of Galvatron in the conversation!" he barked.
"And I, Galvatron, I'm telling you: no need of you, brainless bipedal reptile!" the purple Decepticon spat, walking to the Dinobot with a fierce expression in the optics. "Leave the heroes of the day savoring this victory."
Galvatron stopped a few meters from Grimlock and banged his fists in rage. He was soon mirrored by the T-Rex changer. Blitzwing prudently stepped back, suddenly worried of the developments of the conversation.
"Me Grimlock say: Decepticon not heroes. Autobots are!"
"Oh yes? Who had freed the earthling jets? The Decepticon triple changers… And who had stopped Thanatron? Megatron and myself; Magnus came to arrest him long breems after, once the job was done. Tell me what you, worthless Autobots, have done during this battle except being pathetic spectators?!" Galvatron sniggered.
Grimlock growled in annoyance and raised a fist, ready to punch his irritating interlocutor. Galvatron pretended to be bored and yawned noisily, which just raised the tension higher. The Dinobot however changed his mind as he realized that the five other Decepticons were ready to leap at him. He could take on Galvatron, but he stood absolutely no chance of winning against five angry and fully-charged Decepticons.
"Me Grimlock go away from here. Decepticons stupid and stubborn, not interesting!" he declared with anger.
Galvatron gave out an insane laugh as he watched his archenemy leaving the scene ingloriously.
"Yes, good idea, you simpleton! Leave us between competent warriors!" he threw at him once the Dinobot had disappeared from sight. He then glared at the triple changers, "What are you waiting for giving me an energon cube, you idiots?" he groaned.
"Oh… yes sir!"
In less than a few seconds, Galvatron had three energon cubes handed by the triple changers. He smirked and took one of them, which he tossed aside so that he landed on the hands of Cyclonus. The Air Commander bowed in gratitude and took a sip. The purple warlord took the two others in both hands and openly laughed.
"Ah! That's how I enjoy victory!" He drank at the cube he held on his right hand and emptied with throated swallowing. He welcomed the last drop with a groan of satisfaction and threw the empty cube away. He wiped energon droplets from his chin with the back of his hand and covered his audience with a blazing stare. "Enjoy the moment, my fellow Decepticons, but you will have to be functional for tomorrow's inspection troops by Megatron!"
"At your command!" the warriors replied in chorus.
"Perfect!" Galvatron opened his , requesting a connection with Soundwave. It took a few seconds to the blue jet to grant him access.
(Listen carefully, Soundwave: I want you to wear your facemask and your visor when in presence of Megatron and Starscream. It's out of question you unveil your true identity. I want Megatron to be focused rebuilding the Decepticon army!)
The reply came after a long minute of hesitation, during which Galvatron glared intensely at Soundwave.
(At your command!)
(Perfect!) Satisfied, Galvatron refocused his attention on his energon cube, which he swallowed noisily. "Another one… Quickly!" he barked.
…..
Central area of the base, Medical repair bay
"Ouch! Hey, be careful! It hurts! Have some respect for one of the saviours of the day!" Skywarp squirmed firmly on his repair berth and finally snatched away the hand of the green medic. "I'm wounded!" he protested with a judgemental tone. "Be a little more gentle!"
"You're not that wounded in comparison to your comrades, who were much more courageous and handled the repairs without a cry. Stop complaining!" the bot replied.
"You're as rude as Ratchet with your patients!" The black and purple Seeker made a pout. "I want to see another medic!" he shrieked. "Bring me ANOTHER CMOOOOOO!"
The green C.M.O. covered his audios with a disgusted look until Skywarp deigned stopping his vocalises.
"Slag it, your voice is as disturbing as Starscream' screeches. Why do the Decepticon jets have to be so whiny little slaggers?"
"I'm not a little slagger! I'm not whiny! I want to be repaired properly!" Skywarp shrieked.
The C.M.O. groaned in annoyance and leaned forward, darting his angry blue optics in the red optical components of the tiresome jet former.
"Push your audio receptors at the maximum volume because I won't repeat it twice, Skywarp. Stop squirming otherwise I attach you, and I perform the repairs by force!" he growled. "Your call!"
Skywarp stopped trashing on the berth as he got the vision of himself, riveted to the repair table, with the medic cutting mercilessly his wires. He sobbed and shivered in horror.
"M'kay."
"Perfect."
The medic resumed the repair process, working first on Skywarp's battered chest panels, moaning about Decepticon Seekers being childish and boring.
"What's your name, by the way?" the Seeker asked of a little voice.
"Seekerkiller." The medic grinned mischievously. "Any other questions?"
The Seeker gulped and decided to keep silent until the completion of the repairs.
O
Thundercracker felt a presence by his side; according to the energy field, it wasn't Skywarp but somebody else that he knew already. His sensors picked up a gentle stroke on his left arms, certainly made by the owner of the energy field. Not very satisfied to be seen in a state of weakness by somebody else than his trine mates, he forced his optics online and scanned his surroundings in search of his guests. The first thing he saw was azure optics shining in a big white faceplate.
"Thundercracker, how do you feel?"
The Seeker could put a name to his face, as soon as he recognized the voice. "Skyfire?" he finally asked.
"Yes. How do you feel? Better?" the shuttle repeated.
"What are you doing here?"
"Watching over you…"
This reply seemed totally nonsense for Thundercracker, as he didn't understand why it was Skyfire who was attending to him, and not Skywarp. Slowly, memories started to play in his memory bank, and he remembered being the centre of attentions of the shuttle former during the flight in the Atlantis. More painful was the memory of his rescue during the battle, and the incredible pain and fear that had invaded him.
"You saved me. Why?" he whispered.
"Because you were in danger."
The reply was so sincere that the Seeker felt immediately ill-at-ease. "That's not a satisfying reply. Why have you risked your life for me?" Thundercracker inquired.
"Because I think… I care for you."
Primus! All the things were said.
"I'm not Starscream, Skyfire. I can't replace him." Thundercracker stated solemnly. "You're misleading yourself into believing you care for me!" he added.
Skyfire withdrew his hand and stared at the Seeker with a hangdog expression.
"I just… I don't think I am misleading myself. I just want to know you better!" the shuttle whispered, piqued.
"Look. I am a Decepticon. Autobots and Decepticons are not made to end up… argh-" Thundercracker stopped as he hesitated to say the words. "They are not made to bond or even mate together," he finally said.
"Thundercracker, I think it's you who is misled by your feelings and your fear. At this point, I just want to know you better." Regaining some self-confidence, he set a protective hand on the Seeker's shoulder. "You have nothing to fear from me," Skyfire assured.
"I am not afraid!" Thundercracker vehemently retorted.
"Oh yes, you are. You're petrified at the idea someone could get close to you and see what your spark is made of."
Thundercracker would have liked to retort something, but he was already exhausted to argue with the shuttle. Skyfire wanted to do it his way, and it would be difficult to change his mind.
…..
Eastern area of the base
"I knew already everything about you!" Megatron admitted.
"Why haven't you told me earlier, then?"
"Because your feelings towards your father made you weak and easy to manipulate, what I needed." Megatron tried to kiss him but Starscream looked aside. "I'm sorry."
The Seeker glared at him with an expression of anger, until his feature softened a little. He set his forehead against Megatron's shoulder and sighed. The warlord could feel the heat radiating from his dermaplating and understood that Starscream was under the control of the virus.
"You should calm down, Starscream," Megatron whispered gently, firming his grasp around the Seeker's body. "Why not taking a well disserved rest, you and me, here… calmly?"
"No! I want to know!"
"Know what?!"
"How did my father die?"
Megatron gave out a tired sigh and set his face against Starscream's forehead, kissing it lightly.
"After a few weeks of search, my communication team found a trace of you. I immediately asked an audience to Shootingstar to report on our progress. Once I arrived at the Command Room of your father's citadel-"
…
Megatron heard some bribes of dispute through the half-opened door. Anger seized him when he spotted the purple tall Transformer who was walking to Shootingstar and Sunstorm. The two Seekers seemed to not appreciate very much the presence of their visitor, and were aiming at him with their riffles.
"Stop where you are, Galvatron!" Sunstorm warned, powering up his weapon.
"How did you get in my citadel?" Shootingstar screamed.
Galvatron kept walking without a word. At this point, Megatron concluded that he was rather ill intentioned and decided to intervene.
(Shockwave, come here at once! Galvatron is here, trying to double-cross us again!) he called through his comm.-link.
(At your command, Megatron!)
Comforted by the reply of his trusty lieutenant, Megatron kicked the door in and aimed his fusion cannon at his brother.
"I think you're not welcomed here, Galvatron!" he declared.
His brother turned his face towards him, allowing Megatron to see the pure madness in the burning optics. In a few seconds, Galvatron was on him, ready for the kill.
…
"It was a fight like the one we had on the pit. I managed to take the upper hand, and could have put Galvatron – or rather say, the one pretending to be him – out of commission, but he managed to flee, despite the arrival of Shockwave. We then left Shootingstar upon his request. But a few joors later, I received an alert message from a spy living in your father's palace, stating that Lord Shootingstar and his son had been deactivated. I guess that their killer…" He paused, hesitating to name Thanatron, as to not fuel Starscream's anger, "The killer had certainly waited for us to leave before accomplishing his dark task," he completed. "Despite my surprise and even the shock, I saw the potential of the situation: I decided to come back to the castle with Shockwave, and checked for evidence of the crime, but also of my last meeting with Shootingstar. We found none of them." He paused again, and then smirked slightly, sign that he felt no regret for his next statement. "We left an Autobot symbol on the crime scene, so that the Autobots would be accused of the murder. Then, we set on fire the citadel to erase all traces of us. And it worked…"
Megatron looked down at the Seeker to check on his reaction. Starscream was listening attentively, a little downcast.
"If you're telling the true, then I have more reason to hate Thanatron than I thought. He took away all my chances to enjoy the respect of my father!" Starscream sat up straight and glared at the silver flier. "Your son totally ruined my life, and I know he will try again to destroy me! He must die!" he shrieked, banging his fist and pummeling Megatron's shoulder.
The warlord greeted his teeth and ignored the pain caused by the punch. Knowing that Starscream was going out of control, he tightened his grasp around the smaller body, blocking his arms in a fierce embrace.
"Calm down, Starscream!" Megatron pleaded.
The optics of the flier flared of a volcano red. Heat now clearly radiated from his faceplate and chest.
"Let me go! Why are you doing this? You don't believe me? You want to protect Thanatron?!" Starscream moaned, entering panic mode. "Thanatron must die!"
"You're overheating! Stop fighting, Starscream! You must cool down."
Far from calming the Seeker, the appeasing tone of Megatron raised his anger.
"Oh, I see! You learn that you have a son, and you don't care about me anymore! Primus, this son had thrown my life into hell!" Starscream barked, squirming strongly. "Get off me, you traitor!"
"Starscream, stop!"
The Seeker finally managed to destroy their balance, and they fell on the floor, Megatron on top of a trashing Starscream. The fury of the Seeker rose further and his blows rained on the chest of the heavier mech. Feeling that he wouldn't sustain a long time such a beating, Megatron seized his fists, pinning them by the side of Starscream's head, and grounded on him.
"Starscream, regain control of you! Don't let this virus take the better of you!" Megatron urged. "Calm down!"
"Why would I try, if you don't love me?"
"I do love you!" the silver warlord retorted. "Stop this nonsense!"
At loss with what to do, Megatron grounded on his Seeker and kissed him violently. Starscream first tried to bite back, but the warlord deepened the kiss, allowing no way to expel the intruding glossa. The Seeker continued to trash beneath him, but his squirms lost gradually his intensity. He finally surrendered, and his body lost his tension. Once he was sure the Seeker wouldn't try to harm him, Megatron let go of his wrists and loosened the pressure on his mouth, kissing now gently. His wings reported a delicious readout when Starscream's hands brushed the receptors, teasing gently.
The caress didn't last long, as Starscream dug his fingers in the metal, sending a wave of pain in Megatron's wings.
Now, it was the warlord who was angry. He broke the kiss and glared at his lover, who smirked insanely at him.
"You want to see how much I love you, little brat?" he barked, starting to lose his self-control. He tried to capture the Seeker's lips, but Starscream jerked his face aside. "Alright, I'll show you!"
His hands reached the Seeker's chest, stroking some sensitive spots he had detected the night before. His action was soon rewarded by the surrender of the delirious flier. Starscream's chest panels shifted open, unveiling his spark. The Seeker was now completely overheating, and his systems were getting out of control because of the energy suddenly rising in his spark, and subsequently, in all his circuits.
"You think you can get forgiveness by a spark merging?" Starscream asked defiantly.
Megatron looked down at his lover's chest; his spark had turned from blue to red. It was like it would explode.
"I just want to show you how far I can go. Just because I love you, moron!" he retorted bitterly.
Before Starscream could move or even protest, Megatron leaned forward and let his spark contact with Starscream's life core. Electricity whirled around their joining, off lining their motor systems. Data streamed in their CPU's, allowing sharing their most secrete thoughts while their sparks became one single energy core. Megatron read the fear of his Seeker, the chaos that ruled his processor and his endless need of affection. Starscream felt the love of the warlord, and his determination of saving him from his demons.
Slowly, their sparks came back to their individuality, allowing their motor systems to function again. Once he had regained some strength, Starscream locked his leader in a tight embrace and claimed his lips for a tender kiss. Megatron panted as their sparks totally separated, enjoying the attention and the feeling that his Seeker was back to his normal self. Starscream's spark now beat gently against his, as appeased.
"I'm sorry… I didn't know what happened. I– I lost control," the Seeker whispered, breathless. "The virus–"
"I know… I know."
Megatron kept caressing gently the dark face, watching with relief Starscream falling slowly but surely into recharge. The Seeker fought off sleep, moaning that he couldn't shut down, that he wouldn't remember the following day of that spark merging. Megatron knew he was right, but he preferred that Starscream forgot this memory rather than he exhausted himself by staying online. He kept caressing him, whispering that everything would be all right, until he was certain the Seeker was in deep recharge.
He then caught the box that Starscream had dropped, and opened it. The golden light of the star virus antidote welcomed him, reflecting in the glasses of their flask and in his optics. It didn't frighten him at all; instead, it represented another bond he shared with Starscream, in addition to the one created during their spark merging. Without hesitation or second thought, he opened the sub-space in his wrist, and plugged a flask on it.
Feeling definitely relaxed, Megatron leaned back on Starscream, caressing absent-mindedly a cobalt-blue forearm with a hand. His thoughts drifted back to the various strategies he was working out when Starscream had broken into his hideout.
Megatron wasn't harping on the fact that he had a son, hating him enough to repeatedly try to ruin his life, his brother's life and the sanity of his beloved one. To tell the truth, he had felt the pain about this point during an hour, until reason claimed the best over emotion in his spark. Thinking twice at the situation, he had realized that he had a fantastic opportunity to rebuild a strong army with competent soldiers.
The first candidate he had in mind was his own brother, Galvatron. After millions years of hatred based on a vast masquerade, Galvatron seemed to be willing to act as loyally as he used to do when they were gladiators. His younger brother was smart – despite his tendency to play the crazy bot – powerful and resourceful. He would be a perfect second-in-command, who wouldn't bend before an enemy or the terrible tantrums of Starscream. Besides, he had two excellent lieutenants: Scourge and Cyclonus. They would be skilled supports for his Seeker's aerial air force.
Then came this infamous son: Thanatron. His career of megalomaniac tyrant was already remarkable, and his persistence in his horrible revenge was impressive. Although Starscream and he had been the victims of his vendetta, Megatron had to grant this to his son: he was imaginative, powerful, target-focused and cold-sparked. He felt no emotion toward this offspring but the idea of using him as a blunt and deadly weapon in his army seduced him. Of course, he would have to deal with Starscream's protests…
Megatron kept in mind Soundwave. He had suspected for million years that the best Communication Officer of his army was hiding a secret to him. Several times, he had been tempted to submit him to questions, but had thought better; Soundwave was one of the most useful Decepticons – right after Starscream and Shockwave – in the chain of command. He had thus decided to ignore the mystery around Soundwave's true identity, and was ready to continue to ignore it. The precious Communication Officer would have a key position in his future army.
Shockwave was also a centerpiece he needed to bring back in the bosom of the Decepticon faction. He still harbored grudge against the single-optic officer for joining so easily his former nemesis, but had to admit he needed him in his chain of command. Despite he pretended that he had turned a new leaf, Shockwave was true to himself: cold, scheming, rational and certainly ruthless when it was a question of him battling against enemies.
And there was Starscream. The Seeker was too unstable to regain his place of second-in-command. Megatron knew that if he didn't offer him a place of choice, Starscream would hold it against him. The only possibility for him to keep the flier in a good mood towards him would be to offer him a bonding. That would give Starscream an equal rank to him, without necessarily involving him in battles when he wouldn't be fit for this.
Yes, he would ask Starscream to become his bond mate, as soon as they returned to the base 0025. They would then lead a reconstructed and powerful Decepticon army against the Empire of Salonia and Darkracer. Cherishing this hope and Starscream's cheek, Megatron slowly drifted into recharge, smiling happily.
To be continued
Text originally beta read and edited by Krystalmaze. Reedited in September 2015.