Ch. 150
-Now-
Megatron glared over his command deck silently. Today had not gone entirely as planned. A fire was being contained in the ground bridge room. There was no sign of the Autobot Wheeljack on his ship, either. He was certain the two events were connected.
"Lord Megatron," Shockwave addressed him, dragging Starscream along behind him, "His modifications have been made. I have disengaged his T-cog and installed remote stasis cuffs into his wrist plating... to be activated as you command it," he grumbled the last bit, clearly not pleased, "If I may speak freely, my liege."
Megatron had already turned to look at them both, examining the small rings of black metal imbedded into the seeker's forearms that attached to each other with a sharp blue extension of light; Starscream defiantly pulled away and the warlord sneered, "You may. Carefully."
Shockwave's optic dimmed, "These remote restraints are illogical. To allow him the option of freedom by creating a remote deactivation system into the mechanisms has amassed far too many negative variables. Perhaps a more permanent solution is warranted. Or perhaps simply removing his limbs entirely would make him more manageable."
Starscream's optics widened and he struggled to hold in a whimper but Megatron glared darkly, "No. He will no longer pose the problems you theoretically foresee, Shockwave. How dare you believe me to allow such a malfeasance aboard my ship, amongst my soldiers."
The purple mech stepped back and bowed, "My apologies, my lord. I simply wanted to ensure all options had been made available to you. My concerns are for your safety and the safety of your future rule, nothing more."
"They had best be..." the warlord growled, grabbing Starscream by the arm to walk him off the command deck; Shockwave followed behind the pair as Megatron spoke, "Dreadwing had outlived his value far too long ago. I should have smelted him before he could have caused such a predicament..."
"You used him for as long as was necessary, my liege," Shockwave responded, "but his actions continue to press on even in death. His outburst allowed Wheeljack's freedom to roam the ship. I received a report before bringing Starscream to you that the Autobot escaped via the ground bridge."
Starscream smiled to himself even as Megatron gripped onto his arm tighter, "And the fire? Damages?"
"Perhaps not as extensive as originally thought," Shockwave paused as his leader activated the lift system and the two marched in, the warlord's prisoner still in tow, "The fire created an electrical short in five of the fifteen temporal stabilizing charges. Three will need to be fully replaced on the left side, one on the right. The last may be salvageable but I would prefer replacing all of them to be certain and to avoid any... displacements."
A growl came from deep in Megatron's throat, "Anything else?"
"Yes. The ground bridge computer console will need time to be reconstructed. If the circuitry was damaged by the heat, it could take a couple days more to finish. And Hardshell and C.Y.L.A.S. are in the med bay awaiting repair for wounds sustained in battle-"
Starscream let out a loud laugh that made Shockwave silence quickly. Megatron said nothing. He simply stared down at the seeker as the smaller mech cackled.
"You're both idiots!" he exclaimed, "It doesn't matter what you do! Wheeljack escaped! Your soldiers were maimed! And you killed Dreadwing- again!" his wings fluttered as he let out all of his contained emotions, "It won't matter WHAT you do!" he yelled, wrenching his arm away again as he glared up at Megatron, "They will ALWAYS win! It never mattered what we did before! Their strength was never in numbers or power! It wasn't even in the weapons they used! It was their will! It was always their driving force! You'll never beat them; you never really have and you never will!" Starscream hit his servos against the warlord's chestplate as hard as he could with his wrists cuffed, but the impact was as weak as his chassis felt at the moment, "Optimus will come, if not for me then at least to finish you off! THEY will be the ones to reunite our home, THEY will be the ones to save our species! They deserve it! After everything they've been through and everything they sacrificed, they will destroy you and everything will be as it should!"
Megatron didn't speak for a moment, even as the lift stopped and the door opened to the flight deck. His red optics locked onto the blue orbs that glared back and instead of yelling, he smiled.
"Did they have you before, Starscream?"
The seeker's wings fell flat and Megatron took him by the shoulder, leaning in close, "You may align yourself with them, but you still see them as 'they'. You've been making up for quite a bit, haven't you? You're still trying to amend for whatever actions you took against them in this... alternate plane of existence. Then allow me to do you a favor, my dear Starscream..."
Starscream felt the grip on his shoulder increase and he tried to pull back. Megatron's optics flashed as he reached around and spun the smaller mech, grabbing him up from behind in a tight bear hug. The seeker shrieked and thrashed, kicking out in an attempt to pull the warlord off balance, maybe even strike Shockwave in the helm. But the chuckle rumbling from within Megatron's chestplate told Starscream that his efforts to struggle were futile; this didn't deter him from continuing his defiance. All he had to do was free a servo, loosen an edge, anything. He didn't want whatever favor this insane mech was offering.
Megatron just smirked as he carried the seeker out of the lift and onto the flight deck, Shockwave following dutifully as readied Eradicons watched on silently in lined formations, and brought him to the edge of the flight platform.
"Here, my dear Starscream. This is for you."
Starscream shuttered his optics. He refused to look. He didn't want to see it.
Megatron must have noticed the lack of shock from his prisoner so he sat roughly on the deck and held the seeker against his chestplate with one arm as he grabbed his chin with another, "Look! LOOK!"
The smaller mech whimpered and winced as he felt his optics slowly online again. New sunlight from an early day was just beginning to break over the edge of the ship, blinding him. But quickly his vision focused. Quickly his spark sank. An unholy scream erupted from his throat and he kicked out again. He hated himself. He was begging. Now he was begging. He knew this was coming but seeing it hurt more than it should have. And fragging Primus, he was crying.
"NO! LEAVE THEM ALONE! LEAVE THEM ALONE!"
Megatron smirked as he looked down at the mountain hiding the Autobot's base, "I cannot, my dear Starscream. They still have you chained to them in ways that have left you blind to your destiny. And your destiny is beside me. Fate has always brought you to stand by my side. To ensure you do so now, I must save you from the last thing that holds you back from your true potential."
The seeker sobbed loudly and shook his helm, "I was NEVER destined to stand beside you! I felt like I had no other choice-"
"And now I am reminding you of that," Megatron turned to look at a Vehicon posted nearby, "How long before we are within range?"
The Vehicon perked, "Shortly, my liege. We have already begun preparations to fire the Nemesis's main weapon. The blast radius will ensure no survivors."
Starscream shrieked again and Megatron had to hold him down with both arms to prevent him from slipping away, "Good," he grunted, "inform me as soon as we are in range. I want this moment recorded for our historical archives with as many details as possible."
The Vehicon bowed, "It will be done, my lord."
As the drone stepped away and the warlord stood, Starscream still tight in his grasp, the seeker tearfully turned to look at Shockwave, "Listen to me, listen! They have to live, don't let him do this! To allow their deaths would be illogical-"
"Do not try to sway me, Starscream," Shockwave retorted firmly, "My emotions towards any of this are nonexistent. And your ploy to use logic as a means of preserving them is flat at best. Decepticon rule is the only option we have. Lord Megatron is right. Soon, it will be your only option as well."
The seeker shook his helm slowly in disbelief. This wasn't happening. Wheeljack's escape hadn't been long enough. What if he had only managed to bridge to the Autobots ten minutes ago? What if he hadn't gone there at all?
Starscream struggled again and finally managed to slip from Megatron's grasp. The escape felt intentional and he fell to his knees but he quickly scrambled up and ran to the edge of the ship even as he felt the warlord's claws grab onto his arm again.
"OPTIMUS!" he yelled, "BRIDGE OUT! BRIDGE OUT OF HERE!"
He didn't care if every Decepticon heard him. A small part of him hoped he was being heard inside the base. A larger portion hoped he was screaming at an empty shelter.
His cries stopped when Megatron pulled him back against him again and turned him to see the Vehicon from a few moments earlier returning.
Megatron took a large intake, not bothering to hide his fang-filled grin, "We are ready?"
The Vehicon nodded silently.
Starscream shook his helm and looked up at the warlord. Desperation didn't suit him anymore, he thought, but frag it all he had come this far and done so much and seen more than ever and Optimus and Arcee and Ratchet and Bulkhead and Bumblebee and Breakdown and Knockout and Soundwave and the children, he fragging couldn't let this happen... not when it all started with them really believing him and following his lead. So... desperation it was.
"Please," he begged, grabbing onto Megatron's arm, "leave them alone, let them live. I'll join you. I'll swear in again. An energon pact, a free-range cortical patch, a merge, whatever the FRAG I need to do to keep them alive, I'll do it! I'll tell you everything! From the timeline before, to what's been changed, to everything I've been up to! You'll have it all! Just let them live! They won't matter after you have what I know! Emperor Megatron of Cybertron, I can promise it will happen! Just keep them alive! Keep them alive, and I'll give you everything!"
The warlord gently set his servo over the trembling servos of the seeker, patting gently, "Oh yes, I know you will."
Starscream's wings flattened and Megatron leaned down again to look him in the optics, "You will give me everything I need to take control of Cybertron and of Earth. Knowledge, power and your support for your leader and your faction. It will start here, today, in this moment. But do not worry, my dear Starscream," he smiled, petting the smaller mech's helm, "it will all start as soon as they are gone."
The seeker felt more tears coming. He couldn't find words anymore. His legs began to tremble and Megatron held onto him, watching his expression as he gave the order.
"Fire."
Starscream's optics widened and he shrieked as the Nemesis's front cannon fired. The seeker couldn't look. His arms went over his helm to muffle the sound of the blast but it still reverberated through him like pain through nerve endings. His whole chassis was racked with an unspeakable agony the likes of which he had never known before. His spark stopped working, his mind stopped working, his optics wouldn't stop the flow of tears and his vocals wouldn't stop screaming. This pain... this pain he had felt with small looks of disappointment from understanding blue optics and the guilt that followed after was simply a distant relation to this feeling. True pain. True anguish. True torture.
His wails became more prominent as the sound of the blast ebbed away. Megatron continued to watch him until the light from the plasma began to dissipate as well and his optics scanned the remains of the mountain.
"Search the base," he ordered, "Bring me proof of their deaths. All of them."
Shockwave looked back at the still waiting Eradicons and nodded on his leader's behalf at the command, watching them take off and begin circling the tumbled structure carefully.
"Starscream?" Megatron murmured, pulling the smaller mech's arms away from his helm, "My dear Starscream... I did this for you. Now that you are free of them, now that I have returned you to your rightful place, I want you to look me in the optics, my dear Starscream," he took the seeker by the chin, forcing him to look up at him, "I want you to know without any hesitation that there is no one else who will come for you. I want you to know that there is no one else who can save you. I want you to know, that on this day, I eliminated the only blight upon you that dared keep your destiny chained in darkness. Because our fates have always been entwined. The lord and his commander, the master and his servant, the leader and his second. This will never stop. I will make sure it never stops. So today, my dear Starscream, I want you to look me in the optics and tell me with a clear acceptance of everything I can and will do to you and for you... I want you to tell me that I've won."