Introduction: This happens between the end of Many Voices and the beginning of Revolution. Just a little bit of what's happening in Kaon.
Dried energon stained the walls and darkened the cracks in the treaded floor. It ran freely in the streets as well. Springer had been out there, and had seen it.
He braced himself against the side of the big door to the arena and heaved. It slowly slid into the wall grinding as it went. Springer pulled harder until it opened the rest of the way, exposing him to the light of the sun, and the sweet but sickening scent of spilled energon and crushed internals. Corpses had been pushed to the side of the arena and in the middle stood Megatronus. He looked out at the stands as if reminiscing. Behind him, to the right, stood the lanky, faceless mech who accompanied him everywhere now.
"Well," Springer said. "You wanted to see me."
"I wanted to see you a joor ago," Megatronus turned and smiled. "But I'm glad you've finally come. Why so defensive, my friend?"
"Don't know," Springer forced himself to relax a little. "Worried you might want to execute me too, for beating you in that match."
Megatronus snorted. "I won that match."
"I beat you fair and square, Megs," Springer crossed his arms. "So what is it you do want from me?"
"I just thought we'd talk," Megatronus said. "I was thinking of offering you a position."
Springer had worried about that. "I can't."
Megatronus blinked. "Why not?"
"You aren't an idiot," Springer said. "And neither am I. You know I can beat you in a fair fight, so you know I'm not scared of you and as long as I'm working under you I'm going to be threatening your authority. Also I'm grateful to you for freeing me, but I'm not about to pledge myself to a cause devoted to creating chaos and anarchy."
Megatronus frowned. "You would rather take the Council's side?"
"I'd rather take no one's side," Springer said. "Got to have a little freedom. I don't want to kill other mecha for a living anymore."
Megatronus glanced back at his silent shadow, who nodded.
"If you turn my offer down, you'll regret it," Megatronus said. "Because eventually, you will need to take a side, and the other one is none too accepting of former gladiators, if you know what I mean."
Springer met his former rival's optics. This mech could be a force for good if he tried. But there was too much hurt in him, too much bitterness. Megatronus wanted to see Cybertron burn.
"No," Springer said, and turned to walk away.
"I'll let you think about it," Megatronus said. "You have twelve orns. If you aren't with me, you're against me."
Springer walked back through the doors, down the stained hallway and out into the celebrating, rioting city where energon flowed in the gutters and the sky was orange with smoke.
Two orns later found him in Iacon. Maybe Megatronus was right, and he would need to pick a side. If he had to pick between corruption and anarchy, he would pick anarchy. But you heard things, even in the gladiator pits of Kaon.
He knew there was a third option.