Here's a new chapter. Thanks for all the reviews and the favorites.
I don't own Transformers Prime as the show is owned by Hasbro.
Ch. 7: Maturing
"Follow me Phoenix." Megatron urged before he leaped up into the air and transformed.
"Carrier!" Phoenix called out before she flew after him. When he saw his oldest chasing after him, he couldn't have been more excited. They were flying out into the open air and just kept circling each other for the longest time. Phoenix kept running into him playfully of course and when their time was up, Megatron landed on the deck of the Nemesis. Phoenix wasn't too far behind and she landed with both arms wrapped around his necks and licking him.
"Thank you Phoenix." He smiled before he quickly grabbed her off of his back and pulled her into his arms. "I love you Phoenix." He whispered with a kiss.
"Love you Carrier." She smiled back.
He would do that same with Elisa that night.
"Elisa I have a surprise for you." He called out and she came up to him.
"Surprise?" She asked curiously with her tail wagging. He failed to see Starscream's gentle grin as they left the bridge and walked out onto the deck. Elisa's eyes went wide at the star filled sky before her. She flew up to Megatron's height and just stared at the sky.
"Follow me Elisa." Megatron said gently before he transformed and flew up into the sky. Elisa happily followed him and he was just grinning inwardly as he saw Elisa stare at the sky in pure curiosity and wonder.
"Star! Star!" She shouted with glee as she flew around happily. Megatron was just happy to follow her lead and watch as she kept going every which way to see the sky. "Moon!" She called out a few times. She just kept twirling around in the open night sky and couldn't be happier. Megatron was actually sad to see that she was getting tired. She slowly followed him back and when he transformed he caught her in his arms as she was starting to fall asleep.
"Thank you Carrier." She smiled and licked at his chestplates.
"You are most welcome little one." He smiled back and gave her a kiss as well.
"Love you Carrier." She said before she snuggled into his arms and fell asleep.
"I love you too Elisa."
Xxxxxxx
Megatron's optics opened and let out a sad sigh as he realized that he had been dreaming. His first flight with each femme had been a wonderful moment for him and he clung to moments like that with all he had. He slowly stood up and grumbled at another day before him. He looked around his room and it felt so barren now that the femmes had their own rooms. Even though Phoenix was in the next room over and Elisa was across the hall, he still felt sad that they couldn't sleep in his room anymore. They had simply gotten too big and were getting older right in front of him. It had been a harder transition for Elisa as he found her sleeping at the foot of his berth on several occasions, but Phoenix welcomed the open room for herself. That had been less than a year ago now and it still hurt him slightly.
He got out of the berth and walked to the bridge and the sight before him made him feel better. Elisa was standing in front of one of the monitors next to Starscream as she was still learning how to operate it and look over mining reports and other things. Soundwave had already informed him that Phoenix was at one of the mines overseeing operations.
"Morning Carrier." Elisa said happily.
"Good morning little one." Megatron said before he kissed her cheek. The femmes were fourteen years old now and the first stage of maturity had already begun for them. They were growing now. Elisa was about Starscream's height and Phoenix was slightly taller. They had gotten some muscle and Megatron teaching them how to fight. It was certainly different as they were organic and their hands didn't transform into weapons. Ever since the run in with the autobots Elisa was always nervous about going out into the field. She did her best to hid it, but Megatron saw it and when she knew she had been caught she apologized for it even when there was no need. She was getting better at getting over her fears, but Megatron knew it was still in the back of her mind.
The other reason he kept her inside was because her maturing was far more sensitive than Phoenix's. While Phoenix did get headaches and body sores, Elisa got full on migraines that made her pass out at times and her body became so sore that she couldn't move. Knockout told him that everyone matured differently and Megatron understood as his own maturing stages were painful as he grew. Things weren't getting any better as they had seen Magma more than he would have liked ever since that first meeting six years ago. Both femmes stayed well away from Magma and he was thankful for that, but they were curious about the autobots. He was worried about Elisa as she was curious about Optimus Prime. It took a while after her encounter but she had told him that Prime's energy felt different from the other's and was a strong gold color. They both saw energy differently as well. Phoenix had seen Magma's energy as a dark red, while Elisa saw it as a pitch black. He left in the afternoon to check up on Phoenix and it annoyed her to no end.
"I reported back that everything was fine." She grumbled.
"That doesn't mean I can't check up on my daughter." Megatron stated firmly. She tried to hide her smile, but failed miserably.
"I even managed to dig up a few buried crystals." Phoenix said pointing to a small pile. Megatron only nodded as he looked around the area. He didn't see anything out of place, but kept an eye on Phoenix as she ordered the drones around. He was pleased to see that she was giving the right commands just as he had told her. She stood tall and proud as she kept to her task and he felt proud of her.
"How's Elisa?" She asked when she glanced at him again.
"Doing well, she was up and about and checking over reports." Megatron answered and Phoenix rolled her eyes.
"She's always doing reports. That's so boring." Phoenix complained.
"She's being cautious Phoenix."
"That was six years ago. She's got to get over it." Phoenix snapped. Megatron frowned at Phoenix's opinion.
"She would be so upset if she heard that." Megatron stated.
"Well she does. She needs to focus on training and fight." Phoenix said shaking her fist.
"She has been training."
"But she's still weak."
"Phoenix!" Megatron snapped, making her jump. "Don't you ever talk about your sister like that. She loves you very much. You would be hurt if she talked like that about you, wouldn't you?" Megatron stated strongly.
"But it…"
"No buts Phoenix. I don't want you to ever talk about Elisa like that again." Megatron growled.
"Why do you always take her side?!" Phoenix snapped aggravated.
"You know that's not true, but I don't think it's fair of you to see her in a negative light." Megatron argued. Phoenix only grumbled and Megatron frowned at her. "She looks up to you Phoenix. Don't take it for granted. It's a privilege." Megatron insisted.
"Whatever." Phoenix grumbled before she jumped down to a lower level. Megatron let out a frustrated sigh. If Elisa ever heard what Phoenix said she would be spark broken. He knew Elisa looked up to Phoenix as an inspiration. Phoenix was the reason Elisa trained and did her best to be as commanding at her. The problem was that Phoenix didn't approve of some of Elisa's habits. Elisa still loved to learn from everyone and now that she was older she learning plenty of new things and she loved it. Phoenix only learned from Soundwave and sometimes Breakdown with fighting moves. As she got older she got more and more annoyed with Knockout's maintenance habits so she didn't bother with him anymore. Elisa just thought it was so funny and they just became closer. Elisa was friends with everyone still and Phoenix kept to herself and glared at others that tried to interact with her when she didn't want to.
Phoenix hated that Elisa was friends with Starscream.
Phoenix always hated Starscream and she still did today. She hated everything about the seeker. She always made fun of his feminine like frame behind his back, she always tried to make him shriek, and she just hated that Starscream was his Second-In-Command. She thought he was the most pitiful thing on earth and she thought he was the biggest coward and just seemed to miss everything after the fact. Sometimes Elisa did her best to defend him, but she always backed down. Ever since he had the femmes, Megatron noticed that Starscream wasn't trying to overthrow him. Starscream gave his explanation as he thought the femmes were better off with him then they were with Magma. Starscream knew the femmes were safe with Megatron, not to mention that seekers were the second best caregivers aside from femmes. Starscream wisely left Phoenix alone and she was just fine with that.
The rest of the day was long and Phoenix retreated to her room without another word. Elisa felt that something was wrong, but she remained proper when her Carrier arrived back on the bridge. She waited until she felt him relax before she came up to him. She wrapped her arms around his arm and he looked down and smiled at her.
"Hi Carrier." She smiled sweetly.
"Hello little one." Megatron said gently.
"Are you ok?" She asked cautiously.
"I'm fine." He said gently and rubbed her side playfully making her giggle. He gently pushed her towards the door and she gave him a kiss goodnight before she retreated to her room.
Xxxxxxx
He flinched the next morning when he woke up. He clutched at his spark at the quick and sudden pain that attacked him and soon left. He didn't find anything in his room so he hurried over to Phoenix's room and didn't find her there. He checked Elisa's room and he saw her huddled under her berth shaking hard.
"Elisa?" He called out. She only answered with a high-pitch moan and refused to come out from under the berth. He got down and looked under the berth and he saw Elisa staring at him with pain in her eyes. "What is it little one?" He whispered. She only buried her head into her arms and Megatron knew she had another migraine. Megatron dimmed the lights as low as they would go without turning off, and started to gentle pull her out from under the berth. Elisa moaned and whimpered as she crawled out before she quickly huddled against his chestplates. She cried out in pain when he picked her up and placed her on the berth and covered her in the sheets. When he sat down next to her she went back into his chestplates. He hummed a lullaby as he cradled her in his arms and rubbed her back in comfort. He hummed the lullaby until she fell asleep. He left as quietly as he could and went to the medical bay. When Knockout saw that it was Megatron he let out a sigh as he knew what was wrong.
"Another migraine for Elisa?" He asked sadly. Megatron only nodded before Knockout went to a cabinet and took out a cube of energon. "I only put a small amount of pain killers in it. Can't have her getting sick, so make sure she drinks it slowly." Knockout said as he handed Megatron the energon cube.
"Thank you Knockout." Megatron said kindly.
"I hope she feels better." Knockout said before he left.
"You know if Phoenix ever got a migraine she would never complain about Elisa again." Breakdown said to Knockout.
"Yeah I know." Knockout muttered.
Megatron was careful when he came back into Elisa's room. He picked her up and gently pushed the cube towards her. She pulled away refusing to drink it.
"Please drink it baby. It's not as strong as it was before." Megatron pleaded. She took a few gulps flinching at the bitter taste. She barely got halfway through before she pushed it away and refused to drink anymore. She turned away from him and slowly fell asleep. He knew she didn't want him there now and he kissed her head before he headed out of her room.
"I love you little one please don't forget that."
Xxxxxxxxx
"Oh great what's wrong with her now?" Phoenix grumbled.
"She's got a migraine." Megatron stated.
"What else is new?" She mumbled. Megatron growled and she shut her mouth. Starscream snickered inwardly and Phoenix didn't see it. She was staring at a monitor when an autobot signal came up on the screen. "Carrier, it's an autobot!" She called out excitedly. Megatron looked at the screen and the signal was of Arcee. "Can I go after her Carrier please?!" Phoenix pleaded excitedly.
"Absolutely not."
"What?!" She shouted in surprise.
"I cannot afford the auobots awareness. Just an attack on of them might lead to retaliation from Optimus Prime." Megatron stated.
"You're just doing this because you don't want to leave Elisa." Phoenix snapped back.
"Phoenix I've had enough of your arguments. We are NOT going after the AUTOBOT!" Megatron shouted baring his sharp denta and making Phoenix back away. "Don't you even think about leaving the ship today or Soundwave will tell me otherwise." Megatron growled before he walked out.
Xxxxxxx
Elisa did her best to try and not act tired when she got up the next day to work. She instantly felt anger around Phoenix and Carrier wasn't present.
"About time you got here." Phoenix grumbled.
"I'm sorry Phoenix, but I had a bad migraine yesterday." Elisa said quietly.
"Whatever, I'm going training." She muttered before she quickly left.
"Commander did something happen yesterday?" Elisa asked Starscream.
"We had an autobot signal yesterday and Phoenix wanted to attack but Lord Megatron said no." Starscream answered looking at her.
"Why? Was it just one autobot?" She asked confused and Starscream only nodded. "We've got big mines right now and if the autobots come after us we could lose them." Elisa said in understanding.
"That's what Lord Megatron said and Phoenix wasn't happy." Starscream added. Elisa let out a sigh before she went to a monitor and started working. "Feeling better?" He asked curiously.
"Yes thank you." Elisa said quietly. She looked over and saw Soundwave on another monitor. "Soundwave." She said politely and he nodded back in courtesy. The day was uncomfortably silent so Elisa went to the training room and saw Phoenix knocking away hologram after hologram. When the program stopped she turned and looked at her sister.
"What do you want?" She muttered.
"I just wanted to say hello." Elisa said as she headed over to her sister.
"You want to give it a shot?" Phoenix asked pointing to the screen.
"Sure." She said quietly. Phoenix stepped off the floor and activated the training module again as Elisa got into position. Phoenix watched as Elisa kicked, punched, and swiped away opponents, but she did get hit a few times and lost some points on the program. When the module was done Elisa was breathing hard before she looked over at Phoenix.
"You were a little slow today." She stated.
"My body is still a little sore." Elisa said and Phoenix rolled her eyes at the excuse.
"So what? You have to work through it and get stronger." Phoenix argued back.
"Aren't you sore at all?" Elisa asked.
"No my body pains stopped a while ago. So what's up with you?" Phoenix said in a disappointed tone.
"Knockout said everyone ages differently." Elisa protested.
"Uuuuughhh that grounder doesn't know a buffer from scanner." Phoenix snapped angrily before she stepped onto the floor. "Move over I have more programs to do." She snapped again and Elisa quietly left the room. She went back to her room and finished the medical cube Carrier had given her yesterday. She crawled onto her berth and took a few deep breaths to calm her sore body down. She let a small cry and a jump when Carrier came into the room.
"Sorry Carrier I wasn't paying attention." She said quickly.
"It's alright. Are you feeling better?" He asked quietly making sure not to hurt her sensitive hearing.
"Yeah I was on the bridge today and did some training with Phoenix. I just came back to my room to finish my medicine." She answered holding up the empty cube.
"Good." Megatron said as he sat down and looked her over. She still looked a little pale, but he knew she was recovering. She looked away from him shyly as she wasn't sure what to say.
"I…I…heard that you and Phoenix got into a fight." She said quietly.
"I can't afford any losses right now. I have to be on guard with everything." Megatron said strongly.
"May I ask why Carrier?" She asked cautiously.
"I've been thinking about a few things in the war. Perhaps we need more resources…off world." He said quietly. Elisa's eyes went wide at the statement.
"Carrier…what are you saying?" She asked fearfully.
"I might have to leave this planet for a time. I need a better army." Megatron stated. Elisa looked away and he knew she was hiding her tears, so he grasped her cheek and made her look up at him. "I can't fight both the autobots and dragons with what I have right now. I need more Elisa." Megatron explained.
"When are you leaving?" She asked.
"Not for long time. Not until I can be certain that you can be taken care of while I'm gone." Megatron answered.
"Why don't I go with you?" She asked curiously.
"Elisa, I'm not saying this to be cruel, but you are not ready for the field work. There are many places that I would have to go and I'm not sure you can hold up the pace." Megatron said sincerely.
"Is it because I'm not training as much as Phoenix? Carrier I promise I'll train more." Elisa pleaded with tears going down her face.
"Elisa…shhhhh." Megtron whispered before he took her into his arms.
"I'm sorry Carrier. I'm sorry." She sobbed as he rubbed her back.
"Elisa, don't cry please. I hate to see you cry." Megatron said gently.
"But I'm not strong enough for you." She cried bitterly.
"Yes you are Elisa. I know you are very strong, but I don't want anyone else to take advantage of you as well." Megatron said with concern.
"You're going to take Phoenix aren't you?" She said sadly. Megatron inwardly flinch knowing she wouldn't take it well.
"I can't have her ruining what I have here. Her behavior yesterday tells me all too well that she is not ready to be in charge of a larger unit, like the Nemesis. If I take her with me I can teach her those values." Megatron explained calmly.
"But don't you trust me?" She nearly cried out.
"Of course I trust you. That is why I need you here. You already understand the planning and tactics that go into being a leader, not to mention the patience for it. I know you will be safe under Starscream's protection, but I know Phoenix would try and slaughter him because she has always hated him." Megatron added. She blinked in realization and was starting to understand what he meant. She understood that he felt that she was more mature and leaving the Nemesis in her care because he knew she would protect it. She suddenly wrapped her arms around him and he returned the gesture.
"Thank you for trusting me." She smiled. He kissed her head and brought her back to look at him.
"Once your body sores are done things will get tougher. I want you to be ready for when I leave." Megatron said more sternly. Elisa nodded in understanding.
"Are you going to tell Phoenix?" She asked.
"Not anytime soon. I don't want her going around with too much pride." Megatron answered, making Elisa chuckle.
"I promise I'll do my best." She said sincerely.
"I know you will." Megatron smiled and snuggled her close in his arms. He had to admit it was a hard decision to make, but they just did not have the fire power against the dragons to hold their own at times. He had been considering leaving for a while already, but now he was certain he had to do it. He was a little concerned about how Starscream would react to his absence, but he had already discussed some things with Soundwave. He wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon, but he would keep his word to Elisa. He was going to be stricter with Elisa on protocol and he didn't want her to back down from him into submission. He wanted her to take his orders without question and keep up with his pace on the Nemesis.
Out in the open Phoenix could let out her energy and he could train her one on one so she might let out some frustrations. He also wanted her to see that there was more to the world then constant fighting with autobots or other dragons. All she wanted to do was fight the enemy and while that was a good quality in a decepticon, he didn't want it to consume her. He wanted her to grow up and survive and have a family just like any Creator would want for their child. He wanted the same for Elisa too, but Phoenix had some more learning to do.
Xxxxxxxx
True to his word, when Elisa stopped with her body pains, he was more demanding of her. At first she did protest, but he didn't back down and he did get her frustrated. Phoenix looked at her wide-eyed one day when Elisa started shouting at him.
"I've already checked these three times for you!" She snapped. He stood his ground as Elisa continued to glare at him.
"You know the dragons come back looking for scrapes on empty mines once we're done." Megatron pointed out.
"How do you except me to look for the scraps when you want me to go to another mine?!" She demanded.
"You have to balance the work out Elisa." He said calmly.
"But nothing's good enough for you!" She shouted back.
"Maybe because you focus only on one thing." Phoenix teased.
"Shut up Phoenix. I didn't ask for your opinion." She growled at her. Phoenix gritted her teeth, but Megatron stepped in before they could argue further.
"Elisa calm down." He said gently, but she ignored him and stormed out of the bridge. He looked over to Soundwave and on his screen mask it showed Elisa leaping off of the Nemesis deck and flying into the air. He then switched to a map to show that she was heading towards one of the mines that he instructed and he had to smirk. He hoped that she would come back to the bridge that night, but she ignored him and went to her room. When he came in she wasn't pleased.
"Go away." She stated firmly.
"Elisa, no need to get angry." He said calmly, but he realized too late that he sound like he was teasing her.
"Stop making fun of me and get out!" She snapped. He grumbled inside as he realized she had misinterpreted his tone.
"I'm not making fun of you Elisa." Megatron stated firmly.
"Fine, now leave." She muttered bitterly.
"Elisa…" He started.
"I have a lot of work to do tomorrow and I plan to finish it. Now please leave me alone!" She snapped before she turned away from him and refused to look back. He walked over to her berth and she did her best to get away from him in her angry state. He kneeled down and kissed her head but she didn't respond and refused to move.
"I love you Elisa. Please don't forget that." Megtron whispered before he turned and walked away.
"I love you too Carrier." Elisa called out before he walked out of the room and he had to smile.
He knew everything would turn out alright in the end.
Xxxxxxxx
Three months after the femmes turned fifteen, the decepticons found their biggest energon mine to date. The mine had a large tunnel that lead to a large stockpile inside a mountain. Megatron could not have been more pleased, but he could see Elisa's nervousness as she knew this was their security for his departure. He final told Starscream and he was surprised that the seeker was more surprised than gleeful with Megatron's departure. Phoenix was, of course, more than happy to explore with Megatron. She did tease Elisa about it, but Elisa held her ground against Phoenix and she quickly stopped, disappointed at the wrong reaction. The night before his departure, he stood on the bridge and sky was cloudy that night. A premonition for things to come perhaps, but he couldn't be sure.
"Carrier?" Elisa called out from behind him. He turned and beckoned her closer with a wave of his servo. She stood at his side and stared up at him with her bright blue eyes and he just had to smile. He leaned down and placed his helm against hers and he could hear her breathing hard. He couldn't hold back any longer and he pulled Elisa off her feet and into his arms. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she silently cried. He kissed her neck and cheek as he just refused to let her go. He didn't know what it was, but with just one look at her, it made him want to abandon his plans. It made him not want to leave her side, or take her with him instead of Phoenix, but his sparked ached as he had to stay with the plan. He wanted the decepticons to survive, because it meant that Elisa and Phoenix survived.
"I love you little one." He whispered as he held her tightly.
"I love you too Carrier." She whispered back with a grip just as tight. It took a while but he finally put her back down on her feet and gently wiped her tears away.
"You know I will always be here." He said pointing to her spark. She nodded and smiled weakly at him. "Will you stay with me tonight Elisa?" He pleaded.
"I'd love to Carrier."
He held her close to his chestplates when they finally got into the berth. Megatron let out a sigh in content as she felt warm against his cold metal. It was a time like this that he wished that he was organic like her.
"Want to know a secret?" He whispered playfully, making her smirk.
"What?" She whispered back eagerly.
"I miss you two on this berth." He answered quietly.
"Awww, Carrier." Elisa said with sympathy as she placed her head on his spark. He held her close and rubbed her back as she soon fell asleep. He finally slipped into recharge not long after. The next day, Starscream and Soundwave waited for him on the deck as Elisa said goodbye.
"Bye Phoenix." She said quietly giving her sister a hug. "I love you." She added kindly.
"Love you too sis." Phoenix said quietly before she let go of Elisa. She gently hugged her Carrier again as he gratefully returned the gesture.
I love you Carrier
I love you too Elisa.
"You know where to find me." He said to her and she nodded in understanding. "You take good care of her Starscream." Megatron said sternly.
"You have my word Lord Megatron." Starscream said with a nod. Megatron turned and transformed without another word and Phoenix leaped after him with her wings wide open. Elisa watched them as Soundwave opened the space bridge and they quickly went through it. She continued to watch it until the bridge went dark again. Starscream and Soundwave watched Elisa in silence as she took a deep breath before she finally turned around and silent walked back towards the bridge.
I know this chapter might seem too lovey dovey but it's need to show the relationship between Carrier and daughter. Yes I know Megatron might be out of character, but again it's needed. This is a big decision for Megatron and a big change for Elisa. Don't forget that mountain is from the mine start of season one.