Primus Inter Pares

Chapter 3

"Hell hath no fury..."- Anyone who has ever been wronged

Holt Institute, New York, USA, z- fourteen days

The security guards at the Holt Institute were not used to excitement. Very little happened at the Institute that required their direct intervention. For the few younger guards, the near endless status quo was the bane of their lives, and they longed for any kind of excitement to break up the monotony. For the majority, however, many of whom were retired police veterans, the peace and quiet was very welcome indeed.

It was with mixed emotion, then, that the Autobots were greeted when they arrived at the institute. When they first arrived, the sight of three driver less sports cars quickly raised an alarm. In less than a minute, a group of guards were making their way down the slate grey steps from the building to the forecourt. With the modern trend for car bombs, the human's thoughts had immediately jumped to the worst conclusion.

When Jazz, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe transformed, outright panic ensued. Several of the younger guards drew their guns with shaking hands, whilst yet more simply staggered backward or cried out in alarm. Jazz quickly gave the twins a knowing glance, sensing that any sudden moves could start a conflict, one that would not go well for the humans. Slowly, Jazz raised his hands in a placating gesture, waving his black gauntlets up and down in the kind of gesture used to quiet panicked animals or children.

"Hey now, guys", he drawled softly, "there's no need to be hostile. We're on your side."

"Yeah", joined in Sideswipe, moving out to Jazz' left. "We come in peace."

"We 'aint gonna hurt ya", Sunstreaker continued tersely, mirroring his twin's movements. "Now put down the damn guns, before someone does something stupid."

For a moment, neither side moved. The security guards were not convinced by the giant robots attempts at being friendly; most of them had only ever heard the term 'Transformer' in relation to electrical equipment, and the strange sight of the large mechs had driven away any sense of calm or control. In turn, Jazz could feel the slight static build-up as the twins began preparing to pull their own weapons out of subspace. If he didn't get control of the situation soon, both sides would open fire, and the humans would lose.

"Gentlemen, stand down!"

The order came from the direction of the steps. Jazz looked up and saw a man in a short sleeved khaki shirt and faded blue jeans running toward them. Despite his casual appearance, the newcomer seemed to exert a quiet control over the situation. The security guards lowered their guns as he approached, and at his signal holstered their weapons completely. The man stopped just in front of Jazz, and looked up at the mechs.

"You'll have to excuse the actions of my colleagues", he began, smiling warmly. "Since we found your artefact, security has been on high alert. Especially since we heard about these 'Decepticons' of yours. The name's Lucas Holt. And the Autobots will always be welcome here."

O o O o O

Decepticon warship "Nemesis"

Megatron paced along the width of his holding cell like a wild animal, glaring with unchecked hatred at the two Decepticons guarding him. Every few seconds, the security field that protected the entrance to the cell pulsed, arcs of bluish energon sparking into brief, violent life, and tinting Megatron's armour with ghostly light. On the far side of the brig, Swindle and Blastoff watched him with something between mild amusement and cold derision. They had taunted Megatron at first, but had quickly grown bored and simply contented themselves to seeing out their shifts. Now they stood in near silence, only whispering to each other occasionally.

The doors to the guards left slid silently open, revealing the form of Megatron's former second in command, Soundwave. The tall mech entered the room slowly, carefully moving his gaze from the prisoner, to the guards, and back again. After a few moments, he approached the two Combaticons and handed Blastoff a data pad. Megatron couldn't hear precisely what was said, but could make out harsh, aggressive tones. A few more moments, and several sharp gestures later, and the two guards left for the exit, casting suspicious looks at both Soundwave and Megatron as they did so. Soundwave waited for the pair to leave, then approached the cell.

"Traitor", Megatron hissed at his former friend, whilst continuing his pacing. "Come to gloat, have you? And to think I called you 'friend'."

Soundwave stared impassively at Megatron, his optics and faceplate betraying no emotion. He simply watched the former commander pacing back and forth, studying him like a specimen in a jar. Infuriated, Megatron stopped his pacing and walked up to the cell entrance, coming face to face with the dark blue mech.

"Well?", he asked. "Are you going to at least tell me why you are here?" Soundwave shook his head silently, signalling in the negative. He stepped away from the cell, and tapped a control on his chest plate. The plate swung open, and a gloss black audio cassette ejected, quickly unfolding into the sabotage mech, Ravage. The panther-mech landed softly, circled once and looked up at its master.

"Ravage", Soundwave stated, his harmonious yet emotionless tones echoing around the small room. "Exit room and stand sentry. Deny all access." He waited for Ravage to leave, then turned back to face Megatron.

"I apologise for the silence", he said. It took a few seconds for Megatron to realise that Soundwave hadn't actually said anything. Not out loud, anyway. Before he could respond, Soundwave continued. "It took me a short while to create a telepathic bridge that you would be able to hear. We need to talk."

"About what?", Megatron snarled. "As I see it, we have nothing to discuss. Get out of my head!"

"Silence is necessary", came Soundwave's thought-speak again. "We are being watched. Starscream has this room under constant surveillance, so I cannot risk open conversation. But I needed to get a message to you."

"Okay", Megatron thought to himself as clearly as possible, playing along for the moment, intrigued as to what Soundwave had planned. "What message?"

"You are not alone, Megatron. You still have supporters here. We are working on a plan to free you. But we need you to trust us."

"Why should I trust you? How do I know this isn't some kind of trick?"

"Listen to my voice, old friend. You can hear the truth of the matter."

And he was right. It dawned on Megatron that the voice in his head was different from the one Soundwave normally used. Instead of his dead-pan, monotone utterances, Soundwave was talking normally. So far as Megatron knew, he was the only one that the telepath ever talked to in that fashion; the only one that he trusted to see the true Soundwave. Put simply, he was telling the truth.

O o O o O

Holt Institute, New York

Jazz and the twins followed Professor Holt down a long, well lit corridor beneath the Institute, heading for one of the secure holding vaults. The dark granite floors and polished steel walls echoed with the footsteps of the three giant mechs, a deafening clamour that meant that the professor had to shout to be heard. He had given the Transformers a brief tour, telling them about the history of the Institute. The Holt Institute for Advanced Sciences, founded by Lucas' late grandfather, had been set up as one part science lab, one part museum. The idea had been to base new technologies on the designs of lost civilisations; Lucas had confided in the Autobots that his grandfather had started out with the goal of finding the legendary city of Atlantis, a dream that had sadly died with the old man. Only now, it seemed, Lucas had found something far more amazing...

"Gentlemen, we're here", Lucas finally announced, as the group came to a halt in front of a massive set of titanium doors. He allowed the computer next to the doors to scan his retina, checking his identity, and continued talking as he did so. "We stored the, er, device, here, in our deepest vault, for two reasons. Firstly, we wanted to keep its existence a secret. Secondly, something about it was messing with the buildings electrical systems."

The large doors, a full six feet taller even than Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, ground slowly open, revealing a dark room beyond. As the doors reached the halfway point of their transit, the lights in the corridor began to flicker, buzzing loudly before sparking and going out altogether. A pale green light shone dimly in the darkness, giving away the location of the vault's sole occupant. A moment later, Jazz activated the headlamps built into his chest, bathing the room with cold, white light. There, resting on a plain metal podium, sat the Matrix. Or it's twin, at the very least.

The atmosphere was electrical. Jazz could hardly believe it; he was standing in a room with an exact copy of the most revered artefact possessed by the Autobots. All at once, he both understood Prime's decision to send just him and the twins, yet at the same time felt that only Optimus Prime should be the one to collect it. Here, in the presence of the ornate device, he felt both humbled and awed. A collective deep breath from behind him told Jazz that the twins felt the same way.

O o O o O

Decepticon warship "Nemesis", z- thirteen days

"Starscream! This is an outrage!"

Starscream looked up from a discussion with Onslaught, the Combaticon leader, and saw Blitzwing storming toward him, his features etched in fury. The triple changer was flanked by Astrotrain and Crankcase, a recent addition to the ranks from Cybertron. The trio marched down the length of the throne chamber toward where Starscream sat, on a dais at the far end of the room. Starscream ushered Onslaught back slightly with a wave of his hand, and settled himself back into his newly constructed throne. He smiled to himself, revelling in the power he now held.

"What seems to be the problem?", he simpered, knowing full well as to why Blitzwing was so angry. He just wanted to watch the arrogant mech fume for a while.

"The problem, Starscream", Blitzwing roared, "is that you have not fulfilled your promises. It has been two days, and the reinforcements you promised haven't arrived, the energon you promised hasn't materialized, and you still have yet unveil your plans to defeat the Autobots. And now, we find out that you have actually lowered our energon rations!"

"And?" Starscream hissed, dropping his friendly façade. "When you backed me in this little coup, I made it very clear that these things would take time. But I get the distinct impression, gentlemen, that these aren't the real problems. Your promotions are."

"You're right", Astrotrain growled. "You promised us new positions, new ranks. But you haven't even included us in your plans. Instead, we've been shut out."

"First we try, then we trust", Starscream replied simply. "You haven't been very trustworthy in the past, so you'll forgive me for not inviting you into my inner circle just yet. Get used to it."

"Get used to this!" Crankcase snapped. Without warning, the grey and dark-blue mech's shoulders whirred into life, pulling a twin pair of blaster cannons from his back and into firing positions either side of his head. He clenched his fists, still by his sides, as if bracing himself to fire. To his left, the two triple changers pulled their own weapons from subspace, aiming them at the Seeker commander. "As of now, we're taking over. We're more powerful than you will ever be, Starscream. You were useful, for a time, but it's our turn now. You have served your purpose."

"I have served my purpose?", Starscream snarled, rising from his throne, his optics flashing dangerously. "You dare to threaten me? Imbeciles! You know nothing of my power."

In Blitzwing's mind, it was all going so well. He had his blaster trained on Starscream's head, ready to pull the trigger. He had even figured out his parting words to the Seeker as he watched the life draining from his optics. But he never got to do it, or say what he wanted to say. As his finger tightened on the weapon's firing stud, he caught a flash of purple energy off to his right, and the world went sideways. The impact threw his shot wide, sending the blast crashing into the wall behind Starscream, showering the red and grey jet with dust and debris. The next thing he knew, he had been thrown to the floor behind Astrotrain.

From Astrotrain's point of view, one second Blitzwing had been about to finish Starscream with a head shot, the next, his fellow triple changer had been thrown to the floor. Astrotrain span just in time to see Skywarp, in all his black and purple glory, launching himself into the air to perform a jumping kick. The strange thing was that the kick would not connect with anyone. Just as the obvious question of 'why' began to form itself in Astrotrain's mind, there was a shuddering crack, and Skywarp disappeared. Half a second, and another crack later, and the kick connected with the back of his head, sending Astrotrain sprawling across the floor.

Crankcase tried to draw a bead on Skywarp, firing as the young Seeker sent Astrotrain crashing to the ground. The shot missed, scorching the space where Skywarp had been instants before. The gunner cursed under his breath, and turned back to face Starscream, who hadn't moved from his position on the dais. He was not alone, however. On one side stood Onslaught, on the other stood Skywarp. Standing in front of the dais was Thundercracker. The light blue mech was glaring menacingly at Crankcase, crackling swirls of energy dancing around his gauntlets.

"Back down", Crankcase said. "My fight is with Starscream, not with any of you. Leave now, and you won't get hurt."

"If your fight is with our brother", Thundercracker countered, "then your fight is with us." With that, he clapped his hands together, sending a screaming wall of cohesive sonic energy crashing into Crankcase, sending the mech crashing onto his back, unconscious. Thundercracker smiled to himself; his own and his brothers' unique abilities made them difficult to best as individuals, but on the few occasions that they worked together they became nearly unstoppable.

Starscream stalked down the three steps from the dais, his trademark grin barely gracing his features, and began walking toward Blitzwing, who was beginning to stir. Starscream motioned to Thundercracker, who moved to a position behind the bone-white mech, grabbing the triple changer's head with his left hand and pulling it back viciously. He placed the blaster on his right arm almost tenderly against Blitzwing's throat, and whispered something to him that made his optics widen with fear. Starscream stopped a few feet away, looking down at Blitzwing with a disapproving expression.

"This is precisely why I have kept you at arms length, Blitzwing", Starscream said, his voice low. "You can't be trusted. Not that they can be trusted, per-se." Starscream motioned to the Combaticons, who were filing into the room. "But here's the thing; they know how to keep a bargain. They have the patience to back someone who has the drive to achieve, because they understand that sometimes it is important to let someone else get what they want, to do the hard work, to bleed for it. To take them to the power they crave, without the problems of having to lead. It doesn't make them trustworthy, but it does make them useful."

"Now, here is what you're going to do", he continued, kneeling down next to Blitzwing. "You are going to think very carefully about what I say next. I have received some very interesting information, information that can take me, and the Decepticons with me, to ultimate power. Are you going to blow that chance by attempting another botched coup, or are you going to play along and have the brains to use this opportunity? Your choice."

Starscream stood slowly, stepping backward a few paces. At the same time, Thundercracker released Blitzwing, mirroring his brother's movements whilst keeping his blaster trained on the traitor's back. Blitzwing let out a gasp, before nodding slowly. "All right", he whispered. "You win. This time."

"Good", Starscream said simply. "Now get out. I have things to do." He turned his back on his would-be attacker, and walked slowly back to the dais, twirling a small object between his fingers as he did so, a small black and yellow audio cassette. Starscream approached Onslaught, and handed Laserbeak over to him.

"Find Soundwave, and get him to extract the coordinates we need", Starscream said. "This is it, the key. Our time has finally come."

O o O o O

Mere Crisium, Lunar Crater

Megatron strained against the door to the Decepticon lunar outpost, trying to force it open. The station, set up two years previously, had been without power for some time, and the mechanism had seized up from lack of use. He growled slightly, forcing his servos to the limit, pushing with every last ounce of his strength. Finally, after moments that seemed like ages, the door began to slide open, gases from within the airlock escaping into the airless void around the former Decepticon leader.

It took Megatron nearly an hour to find the power generator, the pitch black warren of corridors making his task even harder than it would have been under normal circumstances. It took him another twenty minutes to attach the small portable generator he had brought with him from the emergency shuttle. When he finally got the connections to marry, and the power to transfer, he took some time to review how he had gotten into his current predicament.

Soundwave had arranged it all. He had taken Megatron, in his alternate form, to the shuttle bay. Megatron had to smile at the audacity of his old friend; he had actually placed the white Walther PPK into his chest cavity so the other Decepticons wouldn't see him. Soundwave had used his various creations to full effect, calling on Rumble and Frenzy to take out the guards at the shuttle bay, and sending Ravage to make sure they were not followed. Megatron had left alone, leaving Soundwave to rally those forces that were still loyal to him. A few hours later, the shuttle had reached the Earth's only natural satellite.

As the base began to power up, and the lights slowly came to life, Megatron began to explore the base. The outpost had been set up as a listening post and secondary base of operations, built by the Constructicons in the lunar crater the humans called "Mere Crisium". Compared to the Nemesis, the base was a modest affair, but it would do, Megatron mused. Most importantly, the base communication system was powerful enough that it could reach Cybertron. If Megatron was going to retake control of the Decepticon forces on earth, he would need reinforcements. Especially, he thought to himself, if I'm going to deal with Devastator and Bruticus.

He knew precisely who he would contact, but whether or not they would help him was a different matter. Megatron had made many enemies over the course of his life, and not all of them were Autobots. Dealing with Starscream and his little insurrection was going to be a mammoth task, one that he could not afford to fail. Breaking from his reverie for a brief moment, Megatron realised that he had found himself in the command chamber. Suddenly tired, he slumped into the control throne, breathed a deep sigh, and allowed his head to fall against the back of the chair with a faint clank. He closed his eyes, listening to the eerie silence of the lunar base, broken only by the occasional creak or distant hum of activating machinery.

Sitting there, lord of an empty domain, betrayed by almost everyone around him, Megatron felt completely and utterly alone.

Authors notes: Transformers, as always, are the property of Hasbro/HasTak Inc., not me. More's the pity. Please read and review, if you can. All thoughts, comments, and constructive criticism welcome!

Thanks again for reading, I hope you enjoyed the story so far!