Chapter 4: Safeword

A/N: There's a public holiday in my country, so I took some time off writing to sleep, so that would explain the delays. Other than that, the usual second, third and fourth proof reading takes time :P Thank you to those people who have this story on the favourites/alert list:) I've changed the summary, don't know whether it fits!

He wouldn't say he was paranoid, not to Breakdown's extent at least. It had been three weeks now, and the tinge of social aversion had not left the Decepticon tyrant, haunting him from meetings to recharge cycles. A thorough examination confirmed the mechanical perfection of his anatomy and a mental scan revealed no psychosis. His communications officer commented on the benefits of a proper recharge cycle, and Megatron happily snubbed his suggestion. Living through countless vorns, the aspen Decepticon had never contracted ailments such as this, especially not from the lack of sleep anyway. It resembled the unwelcome forbearance of an assassin, coiled to strike when Megatron let his guard down, or the glazed optics of a dedicated spectator embraced by the crowd. A presence. An entity. It made him aware of its existence, but lacked a motive, an intention, a conscious will of its own.

So why? What for? To find other life forms, all Megatron had to do was tune his sensors to his surroundings. If anyone or anything so much as fluctuated his mood, the great Decepticon removed it with a wave of his hand. The arm with the mounted cannon would elucidate his point. But how do you get rid of something with no form, no tangible essence? What if it's not real? As the unnerving claustrophobia grew in size, so did his expression of indifference towards his troops. Solitude did not give Megatron the satisfaction of being alone. This feeling irked him. This faint 'feeling', and the general nature that surrounds this mystery…

…Was a nuisance.

He started drumming his digits on the armrest of his chair.

Maybe some outward portrayal of dissatisfaction towards this thing would cure him. A message. No. He would talk to himself to practise for an oration, but not to someone who was not present in person or on radio. Does he chase it away with a thought, or should he start questioning his sanity? Optic points drifted back to the three fingers, and they stopped.

It stopped. It was gone. The lingering presence plainly left as it came before. The grey tyrant quickly lost his sombre face to a curling smile, which darkened to a malicious grin. He couldn't be any happier. Furiously happy.

"Hello Starscream."

Only two people had authorisation to enter his room, and after that last incident, Megatron still allowed the F-15 to move freely into his personal quarters, for the last time. A pair of sly, blue feet drew a curve from the shadows, and the rest of the Decepticon female curtained out of the darkness. Her alluring gait reminded Megatron of their personal trysts together, and Starscream flexed her open wings invitingly, placing her weight on one foot with a fist resting on her hips. The Decepticon leader preferred the seeker to be on all fours, begging to return to his side. Stupidly enough, Starscream can be painfully transparent, and to be beaming with pride meant she must have some superb trump card behind her wings. An acute tilt of her chin teasingly bared her neck to Megatron, beckoning him to come closer. All the tyrant could think of was wrapping his fingers around that neck to snap it like a twig, and tear her black head from her blocky shoulders.

When it comes to getting what he wanted, the grey tyrant's patience could be limitless. Starscream ignored the finger-shaped dents being squeezed into his armrest.

"So Starscream, are you ready to join the Decepticon army as my second-in-command, or have you come to usurp the Decepticon leadership? Whatever the case is, my audio receptors are tired, so you can save the grovelling for later." Megatron cajoled a bitter chuckle from the female. "Ha, ha, Megatron darling, very original. But I'm not here for that…no…"

Megatron shifted in his seat, bringing a blue digit to point at the air in warning. "Ah, ah, ah…I wouldn't move if I were you…" she warned.

Four more pairs of red optics joined the room, hovering in anticipation with the sound of charged weaponry. Sauntering out of the cover of darkness, more Decepticon females circled the lone mech to bask underneath the same light. Megatron eyed the night-blue seeker behind his chair, and stoically reverted his gaze to the red femme con in front of him.

"I've always wanted a harem of females…" Megatron started counting the poised-to-be-insulted femme cons with each thrust of his finger. "Red, black, blue, purple, blue…Starscream, you disappoint me, again!"

"That's not why we're here!" the red jet stomped her foot to quell any wandering ideas from the tyrant.

"If I have a yellow and green female, I would have the entire set." The armed females pointed their guns at the grey helmet in the centre of the room, leaving Megatron and Starscream to gaze 'lovingly' at each other.

"Collected another band of misfits, my little Starscream? Have you forgotten what happened to the Combaticons and their (heh), unwavering loyalty?"

"Which is why I've decided to cut to the chase," Starscream injected. The weaponry ceased their growling and followed their owners to the ground. All knees pointed towards Megatron were now respectfully touching the floor.

"All hail Megatron, leader of the Decepticons!" the females chanted, leaving Starscream reticent in recognition of his authority. "I present to you the finest female combatants of our beloved Cybertron. The liberation of one archaic rule will bring more talents to your side, Megatron...if you can grant me leeway, then surely you can allow them to serve you to the best of their abilities."

Females were scarce in the Decepticon army for two reasons: because most were not built for military combat, and those who struggled to break free from domestic stereotypes, died in battle at the hands of other male Transformers. Exploiting the ideals of Decepticon femininity, Megatron ruled that no female shall enter the army, and in vorns to come, a certain animosity grew against the female populace who took to arms. At the end of Starscream's oration, a heavy quiescent atmosphere followed.

Megatron rasped. "The finest, you say? And I suppose you would want your old job back for these collectibles."

Nervous stares were traded with agitated scowls, passed back and forth between the femme cons to their commander, but Starscream remained adamantly quiet. 'Patience everyone, patience…he's only testing you-'

"They must be as good as you say, since they passed your high standards." Megatron opened his comm. link. "Soundwave, we have some new recruits on board. Get someone to escort them to their new quarters." He snapped his arm shut, before arresting the red jet's attention. "Starscream shall stay here."

The Decepticon females looked back at their excluded commander who gave them a meaningful nod, and they blinked back to look at the dull floor below them. Standing by the opened door to escort the females out, Skywarp and Thundercracker could not keep their surprise to themselves. In his new life had Thundercracker not seen so many female Decepticons before, congregated around their leader and dangerously armed. Skywarp's fears were elevated when he peered at the red seeker, kneeling in submission. A friend would be happy to see their comrades return undamaged, but many Decepticons knew the grim consequences for defying the Decepticon leader, and Starscream's penchant for being notoriously treacherous. The red jet's gaze flickered to their newly rebuilt wingmate, scrutinising Starscream rather quizzically.

'Hmm…nice…' Thundercracker followed the length of Starscream's lithe feet to her hips, until the navy blue and white seeker passed him. '…'REAL nice…'

Megatron almost leapt from his chair when a small cassette ejected from Starscream's arm. Lightburst goggled at Megatron, staring at his gargantuan feet before she turned to her foster creator for a direct order.

"(Go child, follow them)." The small Cassetticon looked up at her mother's stoic expression, and let her hand slip from the blue arm, trotting away to join the other females. Delicate flecks of energon sprinkled the ground from Lightburst's wings, and the door glided shut, leaving the couple alone. Pacing leisurely down the halls, Skywarp and Thundercracker admired the females' shapely forms from behind, while other passing males greeted the females with glazed optics. The smallest of them clipped on her visors and facemask, prompting the rest to quicken their pace. Starscream's wingmates found their feet marching faster to keep up with their female counterparts, until the escorted group and mech seekers were dashing away from the spare quarters.

"H-Hey babes! Where're you goin'?" the largest of the females looked indifferently over her turret at the purple seeker. She did not know what a 'babe' was, but considering Skywarp's question, he probably referred to them. Some Earth slang of sorts would have to be acquired and understood at their leisure.

"We were told by Lady Starscream that you mechs would doubt our abilities. To test our mettle and prove our worth, we are going out to collect energon. We will return soon with a desirable amount."

"What Tanky said!" The purple female ahead of her grey comrade chirped in reply.

"Tanky?" Skywarp stopped galloping behind the femme cons heading towards the elevator. Small hands pressed the buttons to call for the lift, and the females entered the elevator quite orderly, despite their unforeseen actions. The same purple femme con popped her head from her teammates' limbs to meet the stupefied mechs.

"See ya' laterrrrr, boys!" the giggling stopped when the elevator carried the females to the surface.

"Wuh-?" Skywarp turned to his wingmate for an answer. Thundercracker scratched his cheek with his hand, waiting for Skywarp to absorb the femme con's words. His comrade was done when he clicked his hanging jaw shut. "…Well! 'S not like they can get enough energon in a place they don't know 'bout. Not as high as my head…females should stay where they belong!"

"And where's that?" Thundercracker raised an optic in the purple jet's direction. Skywarp thrust his arms out, as if to violently hug the air.

"On each a' my arms, duh!"

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"Megatron, the femme cons have escaped! …They, uh, gone out to get…energon?"

Megatron clipped his communication link shut and kept his gaze to the blank screen reflecting the seeker lingering at the back. The tips of her blue feet kissed each other, and her hands were chained together by each slender finger. It was no surprise that she would give the females a pre-planned command, on immediate acceptance into the Decepticon ranks. Casting them to a safe distance away from hostile troops prevented them from gaining any unwanted harm, at the same time (or on the pretext) of gathering favours from their leader. The grey Transformer prowled around the red seeker, waiting to steal the moment when her bravado would split and her cowardice flee to all corners of the room. Why was she grinning, and so widely too? At least he should stab an answer from her, before emptying her body of its spark. He smiled with her. It's nice to play her game when he was going to win anyway.

"…Do you, 'hear' that, my love?" she cooed. 'Tch. LOVE. What sentimental hogwash. Only an Autobot would voice this word so unsparingly'. "Or…do you NOT, 'hear' that…?"

The presence. Now she had more than one answer to give him, and he wanted them badly. Megatron pressed the palms of his hands onto her wings, until her back touched the wall. The darkness was not so enveloping after all, as there was no need to adjust his vision and catch the Cheshire grin plastered on her face. His chest scrapped against her cockpit, sparing little space between the two. "My dear Starscream, always causing trouble."

"And what would happen if I was gone?" she quipped. 'Everyone knows the answer to that', he huffed, 'other than a celebration party.'

"Then I would have conquered the Autobots, and ruled Cybertron a long time ago."

Starscream pretended to look hurt by his words. "And what if, when I am gone, you are too?"

"Only in form, never in name." The Decepticon leader was realistic, at least. He moved an arm to cup her chin, resting his cannon on her shoulder. "Get to the point, female."

Starscream felt a warm thumb stroke the contours of her face, eying it warily without betraying the smile on her countenance. "My, my, your trigger finger's getting itchy."

"And why not, after all you've done…" he pinched her chin tighter. Megatron had never felt so much emotion stir in his spark before. It was easy for Starscream to do so, being an aggravating thorn in his side, starting with her wagging mouth.

"Let's say, millions…no, billions of years later, will there be (anyone)…ANYONE, who will carry the principles of your greatness? Will they value it as much as we all do now, treasuring your morals in our cold, black sparks?"

A low growl was sufficient to goad the red jet to a conclusion. "Get. To. The. POINT."

"The legacy of your empire rests in my body, Megatron. A part of your essence resides in me, and it has been telling you: it's here, Megatron." Starscream's grin threatened to cut her face into half. "Vorns go by, and no female has been able to give you what you want, accomplish what I have done. Who knows why, maybe their systems weren't compatible with yours. But mine has given you something you've long desired for. An heir, Megatron. Your heir."

"…A spark…a growing spark…" he swallowed the air, but held his breath. "Wait," the caliginous leader narrowed his optics to sharp slits. "It's not mine, you lying harlot-"

"Say what you want, it has been calling out to its natural creator, and it's you, Megatron. It calls for YOU! Admit it! You felt it yourself! And if you still don't believe me, you can cart my tailgate to the med bay for 'certain' confirmation. Consider yourself lucky, Megatron."

'Luck…LUCK…?' Megatron almost forgot what agonising pain he wanted Starscream to suffer, when a fine idea dawned upon him. So that was it. He WAS lucky after all, and the Decepticon tyrant calmed his nerves to a fit and into a comfortable smile. It matched hers perfectly. He had to thank Starscream later, for not letting him forget his original intentions for her.

"Finished, my little Starscream?" he asked, and his aerial commander gave a firm nod. "Now I have a story to tell you. Let's see, where do I start…"

"I love stories," the red jet flexed her wings from being unpinned to the wall, leaving her leader to fold his arms behind his back as he crossed the room. "In my vorns as a gladiator, I fought all kinds of Transformers and subspecies alike; I remember this particular female I had battled once. She was much larger than most mechanisms, and her battle scars only covered her ankles. She didn't win through sheer stature alone, no…she had the finesse and grace of a dashing turbofox. Doubting her speed (or making any false presumptions about your enemies at ALL) was a fatal mistake, but, I crippled her and tore the female apart. A fun challenge."

"Riveting," Starscream added. Megatron stopped pacing and turned to look at the listener. "Life is full of surprises…"

"Yes indeedy, all mighty Megatron." A bored expression slowly overcame the piquant seeker.

"…When I ripped her armour to the circuits, I found not one, but two, healthy bright lights, beating back at me. She was with child, but their sparks continued to flicker, even when she lost the means to stand upright and all six arms stopped functioning. Amazing, isn't it?"

A heavy trepidation started sinking into Starscream's systems when he ambled to her, and placed the femme con back to her original position on the wall. Her knees gave way, when a black hand arrested her neck and pressed her to the floor.

"…Today, there shall be no death at the hands of Megatron," he hissed in a dangerously low tone. "Only punishment, of the greatest degree…"

"…What say you to that?"

"Well, if you didn't, I-...I-" Her optics fervently searched for some mercy in Megatron's own, but the anticipation of what was to come remained. A weak grin and a dry cackle managed to escape her lips. "I-…wouldn't see it, any other way. Perf-…pfh-…ah…splendid."

"Hey, Soundwave, come in Soundy! Tell our leader the girls are back from their shopping trip!"

"Skywarp, state the approximate amount of energon collected."

"Well, lesee, ehhhhh….woah. WOAH…WOOOOOOOOOOOOAH…"

"What 'Warp here meant to say was…it's three energon cubes from touching the ceiling. But don't congratulate them yet, 'cause they're not here."

"Where are they located."

"They said they'll stay somewhere else, and left us their contact number 'when we need their help'."

"…See? SEE? They belong, RIGHT here! In MY'ARMS! (And they can help themselves to ol' Skywarp too, eh-heh-heh)"

"…What?"

"My arms, 'con! My FRAGGIN' ARMS! …Hey, um, Soundwave? Is aaaah….is 'Screamer okay?"

"Hey bucket brain! I've got a joke fer ya'!"

"Get lost, Rumble! …Or Frenzy…(they all look the same-)"

"Whaddcha' call a stumpy limbed Decepticon?"

"I dunno, a seacon turtle, you geeky retard?"

"Nyope! But Starscream can show you what one looks like! Turtle soup down Med Bay Lane! HYAHAHAHA-!"

"(Slag…)"

A/N: On the subject of female Decepticons, I don't see enough females in the army, for many reasons I'm not bothered to talk about. Since the Decepticons are bad guys (from the 80's no less), of course they are sexist! Evil, EVIL Decepticons! Yarh! XD (Probably the simplest valid reason I offer to those who might find the idea offending). I don't hate women, I'm just showing the other side of the coin. There are people who hate women, and people who love them to bits, so everyone's got their own ideas. The G1 Transformers had a lot of strong, assertive women in the T.V. series, and I have to say they stand out more than the female Transformers today! Okay, except for the brainless one in 'The Girl Who Loved Powerglide'; I pity her for her lack of intelligence and being constantly slapped aside :P