Chapter 3: Megatronous
Breakdown gripped the unknown gladiator's leg as tightly as he could, whimpering when he saw the other gladiators come around the corner and begin to approach them slowly.
Whimpering softly, Breakdown looked up at the mech. "P-Please don't let them take me!" He pleaded, wrapping his legs as well as his arms, around him as he begged this mech to protect him.
"Give us the mechling." Roader ordered, but there was a slight stammer in his voice and it was half-hearted. "We don't want any trouble."
There was no sound from the mech with which Breakdown had sought refuge. He just stood still and silently as they approached carefully.
Finally, Tread came close and reached to grab Breakdown, who tightened his limbs around the massive leg, trembling as he saw the black gladiator reach for him to rip him loose and drag him to wherever they would take him.
The soft sound of grating metal reached Breakdown's audios and he sensed a quick, strong movement before Tread cried out and stumbled backwards, energon leaking from a deep sword wound in his side, servos clasping it as the blue fluids leaked out from around it.
Breakdown blinked. He hadn't seen any sort of movement come from the gladiator he clung to, but there was now a sword from beneath the fusion canon he had mounted on his arm, and it was dripping with energon.
When the silver gladiator finally spoke, it was in a loud, authoratative voice. "You will not touch the sparkling." He growled softly as he glared at the gladiators approaching, who had all stopped and stared at Tread as he lay on the ground, energon pooling around him.
"C'mon, Megatronous! You protected that femme all those vorns ago! Why can't you give us a useless mechling?!" Roader shouted and Breakdown felt chills pass down his backstrut. Megatronous?! He thought, staring up at the mech he clung to. He was hugging Megatronous' leg?!
Breakdown let go of Megatronous' leg, falling onto his back as he stared up at him, mouth forming a little 'o' and his optics wide. He tried to speak, but found himself unable to.
"If you want the mechling, you have to come and get him." Megatronous snarled at them, sword ready as the gladiators looked around at their much larger group, then at the single gladiator. The smart few turned and ran back down the hall, but the majority remained. "Fine." Roader responded, drawing his sword, the other gladiators following his example.
Megatronous moved Breakdown behind him before stepping forward, cleaving the first mech in half. The movements had been so quick and calculated, that the surrounding gladiators just stared in shock before trying to recover from Megatronous' massacre of their lines.
Mechs began to cry out as they tried to stop the angered rampage of the silver mech.
Breakdown lay on his abdomen, arms over his head as he tried to block out their screams and the sight of the fearsome Megatronous cleaving mechs in half left, right, and center. Energon sprayed across the walls and pooled in little rivers on the ground as bodies fell.
Shutting his optics tightly, Breakdown offlined his optics as he kept his arms wrapped around his helm. He felt like he had lain there for hours before he felt a large servo touch his back. His head shot up as he onlined his audios and looked up at Megatronous, who was streaked in energon.
"M-M-Megatron-Megatronous!" Breakdown stared up at him with his yellow optics as he was picked up by the huge silver mech.
Looking around frantically for the gladiators, he saw many bodies on the ground, scattered across the hall, but none still stood. Any survivors of the slaughter had fled long ago.
Breakdown looked up at Megatronous. "I-I-I'm sorry." He stammered, frightened that he was actually being held by his favourite gladiator, who also so happened to be the strongest and most feared mech in the Pits of Kaon.
"You have done no crime." Megatronous answered, looking him over. "But how did you get in here? And why did you come?" He asked.
Trembling slightly in his arms, Breakdown tried to think of his answer. "I-I wanted to see if I-I could see you." He answered in a soft squeak.
Megatronous laughed loudly. "Well. You have seen much more than me." He answered, looking around at the bodies, then at him pointedly.
Breakdown looked at the ground. "I-I'm sorry sir." He answered, about to speak again when Megatronous cut him off.
"There is no sir for me." He told him. "We are equals..." He looked at him and Breakdown quickly spoke before he could ask. "Breakdown." He told him.
Megatronous began walking as he carried him. "We are equals, Breakdown." He told him. "So you will address me as Megatronous, alright?" He asked.
Breakdown nodded, swallowing. "I-I wanted to know if y-you remembered my father?" He asked nervously as the big mech looked down at him with his blue optics, a small smile touching his lips, spreading across them.
"Breaker?" Megatronous asked him calmly. "Yes. I remember him. You look much like your sire did." He said softly as he continued walking.
Immediately curious and interested, Breakdown looked up at him. "What about my carrier?" He asked in curiosity.
Megatronous laughed. "I remember her as well." He answered, looking down at the skinny, malnourished mechling, his smile slightly vanishing. "Have you eaten, Breakdown?" He asked.
Shrugging as best he could in his arms, Breakdown looked up at him. "I eat when I can." He answered, causing Megatronous to raise an optical ridge at him. "And when is that?" He asked. Breakdown giggled. "Whenever we have food." He answered.
Megatronous looked down at him, feeling saddened that a tiny sparkling like Breakdown would joke about starving... Especially when it looked like he was. "What caste are you, Breakdown?" He asked, hiding the anger and bitterness he felt.
Looking up at Megatronous curiously, Breakdown laughed in embarrasment. "I-I'm the lowest, si-Megatronous." He told him nervously, frightened on how the silver mech would react to that.
Shaking his helm, Megatronous couldn't hide the bitterness from his voice now. "Let's find you some energon, Breakdown." He said in the gentlest tone he could muster.
Surprised, Breakdown looked up at him. "Can I bring some for my sister?" He asked him quickly, causing the mech too look down at him in slight surprise. "Sister?" He asked curiously, causing Breakdown to nod quickly. "Lightstar. The mechs she works for keep forgetting to pay her."
Megatronous frowned, looking at him. "I see." He said calmly. He knew the truth... The mechs probably chose not to pay her, and she was just trying to soften it for her little brother. "And what does your sister do for work?" He asked.
Breakdown wondered why the gladiator was so curious, but he had always been a talkative sparkling and so told him. "She always says that I'll know when I'm older." He answered. "But the mechs usually come to work with her at night."
Venting loudly, Megatronous felt anger well up in him. 'See?!' He thought inwardly. 'This is why I must try to create equality... A place where all Cybertronians are seen as the same... Never separated by these silly castes.' He thought, bringing Breakdown into a room and setting him down on a chair and placing down a small amount of energon in front of him.
Looking at it, Breakdown looked up at him. "This is too much." He told the silver mech, feeling like he was trespassing on the other mech's territory.
Starting in surprise, Megatronous looked down at him. "What do you mean that's too much?" He asked incredulously. It was barely more than a mouthful.
Breakdown looked up at him. "I'm not trying to be rude." He told him. "This is two days' worth... Aren't you hungry?"
Megatronous couldn't believe it. Here this strange little sparkling was, who was obviously malnourished and starving, and yet, he was worried about someone else being hungry? He shook his helm. "No, Breakdown. I am not hungry." He told the blue mechling. "And I want you to drink all of that, but slowly."
Nodding, Breakdown took a small sip of it, Megatronous watching him while he shook his helm. "Where is your sister now, Breakdown?" He asked.
Looking up from the energon, Breakdown shrugged. "She said she had work somewhere in Kaon. She didn't tell me where though." He answered, causing the mech to nod. "Stay here. I will be back." He ordered, disappearing.
Breakdown felt slightly scared when the huge mech vanished out the door. What if those other gladiators came back? It was only a few moments before Megatronous came back, leading Lightstar and Soundwave with him.
Squealing with delight, Breakdown hopped off the seat and ran to his sister, jumping into her arms.
"Breakdown! What are you doing here?" Lightstar asked in surprise as she held him.
"I found him being chased by others." Megatronous told her and she looked up at him, shuddering at what could've happened to her little brother if the massive gladiator hadn't found him. "Thank you so much." She said softly while Soundwave just stood nearby silently.
Breakdown peeked at him over his shoulder before sitting up in his sister's arms. "Is it true you have simbiotes? Can I see them? Do you have a Cybercat named Ravage?" Questions poured out of his mouth as Soundwave just stared at him through his visor.
"No, Breakdown." Lightstar told him. "You can't bother the gladiators!" She said, looking at them. "I'm so sorry this happened. He wasn't supposed to come here." She said, holding Breakdown tightly.
The little mechling crossed his arms and glared at her. "You shouldn't be here either!" He told her. "You're a femme, and you said that it's bad for femmes to come in here!" He said accusingly.
Lightstar sighed. "Breakdown, that's a totally different story from a sparkling coming alone into the pits!" She answered.
"Your sister is correct, Breakdown." Megatronous told him, causing him to look up at the silver mech quietly. "You may not come into the pits alone any longer." He ordered. "But, instead, either myself or Soundwave shall meet you every afternoon." He told him.
"What?" Lightstar cried. "You can't just encourage him to come down here! He'll get hurt!" She said, clutching Breakdown close to her chassis.
Megatronous shook his helm. "Not so long as Soundwave or myself am with him." He answered. "But Breakdown must agree to never come into the pits without one of us with him." He said, looking at the blue mechling who was already nodding vigorously. "I promise!"
Venting, Lighstar shook her helm in disbelief while Megatronous looked at her. "As it is, I have angered some of the other gladiators, but am unable to escort you out." He looked at the so far silent mech. "Soundwave will bring you back to your home and make sure no one follows." He said, the visored mech dipping his helm slightly in acknowledgement.
Megatronous handed Soundwave a bag, who took it and then motioned with a slim digit for them to follow, Lightstar obeying.
"BYE MEGATRONOUS!" Breakdown called over her shoulder, the silver mech smiling and giving him a brief wave.
Snuggling down against his sister's chassis, Breakdown kept his arms wrapped around her neck as Soundwave led them through the streets towards their home, taking detours and releasing his bird-like simbiote, Lazerbeak, to patrol from the air and make sure they weren't followed.
Finally, they reached their home just as the sky was darkening. "Thank you." Lightstar said softly as the tall mech turned to them, laying the bag into her servo before vanishing into the darkness.
Breakdown lifted his helm slightly when he saw him disappear, then lay back down tiredly as his sister carried him into his room, laying him down on the berth.
"Are you mad?" Breakdown asked her tiredly as he lay on the berth.
Lightstar sighed and shook her helm. "I'm not mad, Breaky... Just worried." She said. "You have no idea what those mechs could've done to you."
Yawning, Breakdown shut his optics. "I'm sorry." He told her softly as he fell into recharge.
Seeing that her brother was recharging, Lightstar checked the bag, finding to her disbelief, that it was filled with cubes of energon and some coins. She shut it and held it to her chassis, tears of relief in her optics. "Thank you." She whispered.