Mrs. Ukitake: Welcome, and thanks for taking on the job as beta.

Wildpaw1: Welcome and thanks for the review!

Stitchar: Thanks!

Purest of Hearts: Don't panic!

Starfire201: I didn't surprise you? Inconceivable!

64: I have the feeling that if you had an account you would be hounding me with messages that would say "Update! Update! Update!" Lol, if I don't update quickly there is a valid reason, mon ami, I swear.

QuantumSheep: That was my thinking about Wheeljack as well, especially how he's portrayed in the Prime TV show. Yes Miko is super annoying in the show and I could not understand why no one got really firm with her, even Bulkhead, as her guardian, should have been a lot more authoritative instead of helping her ditch detention and not keeping an optic on her after they find out her tendency to sneak off on missions. A lot of people have brought up the question: is Soundwave Blaster? I don't know Blaster, I just had Soundwave as an Autobot before Shockwave got him but didn't have any real idea of who he was.

Guest: Glad you liked the Megatron/Bumblebee interaction, there will definitely be more.

Phoenyx Starr: Welcome and thanks for the review! Who's your favorite bot?

Answerthecall: Thanks, and there's always a reason.

Thunderweb: It might be a little convenient but with MECH and Shockwave needing to be dealt with I did not need a rampaging Wheeljack running around.

Sora Matasuki: Thanks!

Chapter Summary: Everyone needs Megatron and Shockwave seeks to checkmate.

{Nemesis}

Megatron wondered if it was not too late to return to his quarters for a recharge and pretend this day never happened. He knew that as a leader it was inevitable to go through a day without someone needing to run something by the Decepticon warlord for approval but this was ridiculous! The only times he had ever had to be contacted by the heads of the different departments was before they went into battle, which was what he thought had happened after being so rudely pinged out of recharge by five mechs who all needed to speak him immediately. Megatron figured that if what they had to say could not have waited an hour more to when he was scheduled to come out of recharge then all five mechs had better be in a matter of life or death situation, for their own sakes.

The Decepticon leader prioritized the messages, deciding to start with the first one he had received which also happened to be the closest to his quarters. Unfortunately it also dealt with his least favorite subject: their human guests. Megatron had really not thoroughly thought through his plan when he had ordered the human charges to be brought aboard, perhaps he should have had a safe house built somewhere for them instead.

Coming towards the room where the humans had been sequestered, Megatron saw a Vehicon pacing back and forth in a very agitated manner and looking over abundantly relieved at spotting the Decepticon leader's approach. The source of the Vehicon's agitation was undoubtedly the human femme who stood glaring at said drone with a very irritated expression, which, of course, was shifted to Megatron when she saw him. What was the elder female's name? June Darby, that was it, mother of Jack.

"Lord Megatron—" the Vehicon began, but was rudely interrupted by the small human.

"Megatron—" the woman began but then paused, her neck straining to look up at him and Megatron was gratified to see a little bit of fear enter her eyes. Of course, he thought, now she remembers that my race is something to be afraid of. But the woman recovered for too quickly for Megatron's liking. "I know that removing us from our homes was necessary due to the threat of MECH and this Shockwave person but do you think you could give me details on how the situation is going? How long must we stay here? I was able to explain our absence by taking an extended holiday with the children but soon school will be starting and my leave will end. If we do not return to Jasper when we are scheduled to our families will be in trouble with the government for not having the children back in time for school and when we finally return it will make explaining this situation very hard. Plus there is the matter of the children. I have barely seen Raf, except for meals, and Jack has been recuited for missions without my permission. Miko is confined to quarters but does her best to sneak out and won't listen to me. These things cannot continue, sir."

Megatron drew in a calming breath of air, letting it cycle through his system before he drew in another, and then another. Once he no longer felt the urge to stomp on the human or walk away he returned his gaze to the woman. "Mrs. Darby," the only reason Megatron fought to keep himself calm was because he knew Orion and Bumblebee would be disappointed if he were not, "I think you fail to grasp the seriousness of this 'situation'. Your very lives are in danger if MECH or Shockwave get ahold of you. They will not simply kill you; you will be used against your guardians and tortured if their demands are not met. I care neither what your government will think nor how difficult explaining your return will be. The only reason you, Mrs. Darby, are here is because you are Jack's mother, who is a ward of the Autobot faction, which is temporarily receiving shelter in my ship from enemies we do not know the location of. My concerns are my crew, my ship, and those who have willingly joined me in this war. For we are at war, Mrs. Darby, make no mistake of thinking otherwise. If we do not stop Shockwave and MECH they will enslave your planet, your people, and destroy everything they do not want. I refuse to allow the children to be used against their guardians and thereby endanger our whole operation. I do not have time to deal with your petty complaints! You will trust that Raf's guardian will see to the boy's needs and comfort, you will speak with Arcee over your concerns with your son, and the Japanese girl will be left to Bulkhead's guardianship. If the children must still remain here by the time their next school year starts then you will simply have to teach them yourself. Until then, to keep yourself occupied, you will report to the medical bay every day and work an 8-hour shift under Knockout's or Ratchet's direction. Failure to comply with this order will earn my displeasure," he crouched slightly to look her straight in the eye, "and I assure you, human, that that is not something you want to earn."

The quick nod and wide eyes were enough to assure him that he had won that round and Megatron straightened up to look at the Vehicon, who was shifting slightly from one ped to another. "When Mrs. Darby is ready escort her to the medical bay."

"Yes, lord Megatron."
The second ping had come from the rec room and was actually the source of the third and fourth pings as well, so Megatron quickly found an elevator. What could possibly have happened in the rec room? It was one of the most peaceful rooms on the whole ship! Of course that might have been jeopardized now that the Autobots were allowed to walk freely around the Nemesis, except Smokescreen who had to be in the company of at least Bulkhead or the Twins until he proved himself. Megatron took that precaution not only because the young mech had been a member of the Elite Guard but also because of the great difficulty Knockout had had in breaking the controlling codes. Since the medic had been unable to give a 100% clearance that Smokescreen would not feel any 'ghost' effects from the codes he had to be kept in the optic' range of someone at all times.

There were Vehicons filling the hallway outside the rec room, trying to see inside and this did nothing to allay Megatron's growing fears suspicions. They quickly moved out of his way once they saw him approaching and Megatron quickened his pace to get inside. Inside the rec room the Decepticon leader was surprised to find that the room was a mess. Spilled energon cubes, a broken table and Knockout was tending to a very injured Blurr, who looked like he had had his helm smashed in. Arcee and Bulkhead, along with their charges and Raf, were next to a wall, having no doubt done their best to keep the children safe during the fight. For a brief moment he wondered about Smokescreen's location and then remembered that Orion was going to be using the rookie as target practice while his friend reacquainted himself with his weapon systems.

Megatron looked around, expecting to see some beaten up Vehicons but the only Decepticon in the room was Knockout. To the Decepticon leader's surprise, the Twins were pinning Bumblebee to the wall, and the scout looked at Blurr's injured frame with sad optics.

"What is going on here?" The reactions to his question were varied save that all the mechs, and femmes, jumped in surprise. Bumblebee looked up at and then dropped his head, his blue optics conveying shame. Knockout looked as though he were making a valiant effort to keep his thoughts to himself and the Twins held a great deal of trepidation in their optics, a look he had never seen on them before and it was quite unsettling.

Many voiced tried at once to answer his question but Megatron raised a servo to silence them. "Knockout, take Blurr to the medical bay for attention, you should have done that already." The glare that the medic sent his way would have melted right through his armor if it had had the power to do so. "The rest of you clear out, except for you, little scout." Bumblebee hung his helm further while the others vacated the room and Megatron advanced on him, "Do I assume correctly that you are responsible for my rec room being in shambles?" When this question only earned him a nod and further dropping of a helm, Megatron cupped two digits under Bumblebee's chin and forced his head up. "You have a voice, little scout, I suggest that you use it."

Bumblebee took an intake of air before speaking, "We were just talking, telling stories and I was hanging out with Blurr. We…we were very close back on Cybertron, both war orphans you know? So I was really trying to get our friendship back, I just wanted my friend back." Megatron rested a servo on the smaller mech's trembling frame, "I'm—I'm not sure what happened. He had asked me about my alt mode, and we were comparing cars." Bumblebee's optics widened as he reviewed the memory file, "I hit him. I wanted to hit him! Hurt him! Make him pay!"

Megatron steadied Bumblebee with both servos now, "Why? What was said to make you lose control?"

"How did you—"

"I was not sparked yesterday, little scout, I know how to recognize the painful reaction to a traumatic memory file. He said something that triggered your memories of being in MECH's hands and you attacked him, no doubt thinking he was one of your torturers or wishing to silence the voice that was ringing in your audios. Now that you know that I know what you have gone through, will you answer my question?"
Bumblebee could not ignore that gentle yet firm query. So like a father! How often had he seen Raf's father talk to his son like this? How often had he wished to remember a memory of his own parental units who had died back on Cybertron? "Stingray."

"What?"

"Blurr's alt mode is called a s-stingray. That's what Silas called me." Bumblebee looked at Megatron, anger swirling in his optics. "He ordered me to respond to that name and nothing else. He sought to strip my very identity away, everything that made me who I am, and replace it with what he called 'perfection'. Stingray. I have heard that name slither through my processor while I recharge, and only having Knockout's classical music on seems to keep these 'nightmares' at bay." Bumblebee looked away. "You wanted me to heal, but every time I feel like I've taken a step forward something happens to pull me back! Why do I feel like he still owns me? I'll never be—"

"Still that talk right now," Megatron ordered. "Silas does not own you, he never did!" Anger threatened to overtake him but it was not aimed at Bumblebee, rather at a small human who was proving to be a very big problem. "He will be ended. He will haunt you no more. I swear it. No one else will be harmed by him. Do you believe me?"

"Yes."

"Lord Megatron, your presence is requested on the bridge."

"Come, let us see what is happening above us."

Since there was no use protesting against Megatron, Bumblebee obediently fell in step with the Decepticon leader. They exited the rec room and Megatron ordered the lingering Vehicons to see to the mess inside. Nothing was said further until they were in the elevator.

"I have been meaning to ask why you took a bumblebee as your sigil and not the Autobot. I find it very curious," Megatron admitted, looking down at Bumblebee.

"I am not an Autobot," Bumblebee said. Megatron looked like he was about to argue and the scout cut him off. "I'm not. The Autobot faction is nothing but the fighting arm of the council, whose lies are still destroying Cyvertronian lives. Neither am I a Decepticon since you formed that faction to end the council and the ruling class of Cybertron and that has been done. Orion Prime is not a threat anymore he is your ally. I will not be in a faction, I will be myself, and the bumblebee is who I am." Bumblebee smiled, grateful that he could actually perform the function for once.

Megatron nodded, knowing that once this whole mess with MECH and Shcokwave was cleaned up that he would have to sit down with Orion and go over the particulars. He was loath to do so, however, because he did so despise politics.

Stepping onto the bridge Megatron was met with his bridge officers and Orion. He did not spare a thought as to where Smokescreen was because Soundwave flashed a very urgent sign at him. On the display was the sign of gate bridge activity, over one of the islands of Japan if he was not mistaken. "What is it Soundwave?"

It was Dreadwing who answered, "A gate bridge opened over Honshu, Japan. Satelite photos caught Starscream exiting and we believe Tokyo is his target."

"Then there is not time to waste." Megatron turned, "Soundwave ready a ground bridge, Orion you and these five seeker Vehicons are with me."

There were no arguments and Bumblebee watched them disappear through the ground bridge. He turned to the silent mech, Soundwave nodded at him before turning his attention to the screen. The scout knew that they had the same thought: what could Starscream possibly want in Japan?

{Honshu, Japan – In for a Rude Awakening}

In Tokyo the day had started like any other, with the streets filling with people on their way to work. A few tourists tried to navigate their way using tour guidebooks and horribly butchering pronunciation of everything they tried to say. In short there was much honking, a lot of speeding cars and a few people with short tempers that you see in every country when there's a language barrier. All around a normal day that would soon be very unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.

The approaching roar of a plane was heard first by those in the upper stories of the buildings, who did not have the sounds of street muffling their hearing. Intrigue and raised eyebrows, which quickly turned to alarm at seeing the fighter plane descending on the city, had many running for the stairs. What caught the attention of the people in the streets was the sounding of the air raid siren, not heard in so long that many paused in disbelief before turning to catch a glimpse of the plane coming at them.

Screams erupted like a wave, fear spreading to every soul as the plane opened fire on Tokyo. Missiles were launched at buildings, Starscream flew in and down, opening up with a torrent of yellow laser fire on the streets. Cars exploded and he flew on, leaving a trail of mayhem in his wake.

"How delicious their screams sound," the voice in his audios purred. "Like a fine cube of high grade energon, just tantalizing you with its smell. You raise it to your mouth, just inhaling to savor it more before drinking. How more satisfying it would be to scoop up a pile of these fleshbags and crush them in your talons, coating you armor with the blood of your kill. Marking yourself in such a way is the only way to truly embrace yourself. What are you Starscream? A killer. You enjoy killing, especially this pathetic species that does not deserve to live as anything other than a source of amusement for us, the superior life forms."

Starscream did a barrel roll, in an attempt to dislodge the voice but it continued to burn his circuitry. Defiling his inner workings like the cybonic plague, corroding his innards and he knew no number of trips through the wash rack would clean away the stench of his shame.

"Soundwave," Shockwave's voice came into his head, "continue to primary target."

This had just been a distraction, firing on the city and terrorizing the Japanese citizens, nothing more. Starscream had known that beforehand, Shockwave had told him, his real target was a house on the outskirts of the city. He did not know why, of course, but he knew it was not anything good; there was nothing good in his life now. In fact he could barely remember when he had last cared about happiness or wanting a good thing in his life. It was no matter though; he would never attain anything worth keeping now.

Starscream reached the house and transformed, registering the surprised shouts of the house's occupants. A man and a woman, middle aged, and running for the back of the house. No doubt trying to escape, not knowing that such an action was futile. There was no escape from Shockwave.

Starscream tore the house apart with his claws, wood splintering into the crevices of his armor and irritating the wiring yet he ignored this. "Hashiru Aiko!" He had found his quarry; he caught off their escape with his servos, leaving them no place to go. To his credit, the male human moved in front of his wife, trying to protect her though he must have known how ineffective that would be in stopping this giant robot.

Starscream reached down to grab them but a sound caught his attention and he looked up. Megatron was approaching with five Vehicon seekers, so much for Shockwave's distraction plan. All the better though, he thought, perhaps this time they'll finally kill me. He opened fire on the approaching seekers, his missiles locking on and zooming off in a second. Megatron transformed halfway and shot down the missiles, as Starscream could have told Shockwave he would.

The humans temporarily forgotten, it would take them awhile to climb out of where they were trapped anyway, Starscream again waited for Shockwave's enemies to land. He wondered why they had not opened fire yet, Megatron would not have hesitated like this so what was his former leader planning? He did not wait to find out, Starscream fired a few more missiles, impressed at how the Vehicons batted them out of the way, someone had been taking a lot more care with their training than he ever had.

"Shockwave!" Megatron growled, "Stop hiding behind your puppets and come out and face me!" Starscream wondered how Megatron knew, why was the Decepticon leader even bothering pursuing his former lieutenant in the first place? "Are you afraid?" Megatron goaded, his red optics boring into Starscream's. "Unsurprising that a mech of such lowly origin would be such a coward."

The sound of approaching planes distracted all of the mechs and they turned to see six Japanese fighter planes coming towards their direction. "Distract them!" Megatron growled, and the Vehicons quickly transformed and took off.

"Starscream, grab the humans," Shockwave ordered and Starscream quickly bent down to scoop up a human in each servo, his claws circling around their fragile bodies with a tight grip.

Megatron brought his cannon to bear but a shout of "No!" stopped him from firing. Starscream was shocked to see Optimus Prime run up to them, one arm out in Megatron's direction in an act of supplication. What in the Pit was going?

Starscream did not have time to ponder this because a ground bridge opened behind him. "Starscream, throw the humans into the ground bridge." Wondering at the order but not able to hesitate, Starscream turned and threw his two burdens into the open ground bridge.

"No!" Optimus Prime shouted again, running towards the ground bridge and Starscream.

"Starscream, your usefulness is at an end." The seeker had no time to panic for his senses went dark and his form crumpled to the dirt.

{Nemesis – Bridge}

It had been a horrible day, Megatron concluded, and it was far from over yet, he was sure of that. They had returned to the Nemesis with the body of Starscream, which Knockout and Ratchet had taken to the medical bay for analysis. Shockwave had sacrificed a pawn and hoped to gain what in return? Soundwave had found the identity of the two humans: Hiro and Aiko Nakadai, the biological parents of Miko.

A leader had many unpleasant duties and one of them was to inform a member of his crew of the passing or capture of a family member or close friend. Megatron had never shirked this duty, although he felt wholly inadequate at trying to console the grieving mech. Even though Miko was human she was under his protection and it was his failure to take in all the variables that had resulted in her parents being abducted. It was his duty to inform her of their capture, but he would leave the consoling to her guardian to perform.

When Bulkhead warily brought Miko on to the bridge Megatron was glad to see that she was blessedly quiet. Even she could realize that being summoned by the Decepticon leader was no joking matter. Her wide brown eyes were gazing at him with barely controlled fear, no doubt she thought he was about to scold her for some wrongdoing. She would probably wish it had been a scolding once he was done talking to her.

Before Megatron could begin a beeping sound, indicating a hail, came from a console. Soundwave looked at Megatron and he nodded for the go-ahead, eager to delay the inevitable conversation a little bit longer. The human girl would no doubt cry and he had no idea how to handle tears.

The view screen opened a window for the hail and Megatron's spark jumped at seeing Miko's parents kneeling on a table. "Lord Megatron," the voice of Shockwave drifted through the speakers, cold and emotionless as he remembered it being. He quickly motioned to Soundwave but he could have saved himself the trouble as the communications officer was already working on tracking the signal. "For hundreds of years the chaotic doings of the Decepticon and Autobot forces has been left unchecked, destroying our home planet and colonies, leaving sparklings as orphans and doing nothing to restore order to our people. Thanks to you we are a scattered people, we have no home and must be beggars to races inferior to us. I say no more. I will bring peace to the Cybertronians, I will turn this Earth and its neighboring planets into a proper home for my people. Those who accept my code will live prosperously under my control, those who do not will meet the same end as these two unfortunate beings."

"Otosan? Okasan?" Miko said, startling the mechs on the bridge for they had completely forgotten her.

Her parents looked up, gasping out "Miko?" as their eyes searched for her but she was too far back from the view screen's camera to pick up.

"Oh good," a different voice purred, and Megatron swore mentally that he knew it, "the daughter is present."

A mech's arm came into view, a cannon powering up and pointing at the two humans. Bulkhead was too frozen to move but a Vehicon near him grabbed the girl just as a shot was fired. Miko screamed, the drone's servos surrounding her, trying to shield her from seeing the burnt mark on the table but the girl did not have to see it. She had heard the cannon blast, and no one needed to tell her what had happened.

Collapsing in the Vehicon's grip she sobbed, fighting the urge to upheave her stomach contents. Feeling her body beginning to shut down, Miko turned to look up at the Vehicon who was holding her. "Haru?" she whispered and then her eyes closed, and her body went limp.

Megatron wheeled on the screen but it had gone blank, the line had been disconnected. "Did you find him?" he asked Soundwave, needing to hear something positive to salvage this disaster, something with which he could work to right yet another wrong he had helped commit.

Decepticons: 20

Autobots: 9