My Madness, My Saving Sanity
Chapter Twenty Three: Insanity is a Dish Best Served...
By: Nightelfcrawler
Author's note: While this is G1 based, I've made Starscream a blend of his G1 and Armada personalities just because I find the dichotomy of it fascinating. It takes place in no particular timeline, following no particular events. Also, please review politely. If you haven't something nice to say, keep it to yourself please. Also, I despise nitpicking, please don't make comments about grammar or single spelling mistakes. Enjoy the story, don't be picky.
Further note: I have officially finished the story, so I'll be posting the chapters quicker now. Once done here, it's on to the How it Will Be story I've been working on. Anyone with ideas they might like to see, feel free to email them to me! I have the plot down, but I would welcome any input for things people might like implemented in the story.
The door buzzed loudly.
Normally anyone who dared interrupt Megatron's recharge cycle often ended up in the medical bay with a hole in their chassis.
Fortunate for the unwitting interrupter, Megatron was actually in a fairly GOOD mood today. He swung himself off of his recharge berth and smirked at the sight of a little trinket mounted on his wall. Sure, it wasn't the original working model, but the discarded null-ray he'd found in Starscream's quarters was more than enough to constantly remind him of his success.
FINALLY the little glitch was gone. Dead. Deactivated. Dust.
This put him in a VERY good mood.
He reached the door and pressed his palm to the release, the door sliding open on nearly silent hydraulics to reveal the face of his new Second in Command staring at him. "What brings you hear at this hour, Soundwave?" Megatron mused, studying the placid face of the Communications Officer. It was impossible as always to read him. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he tried anymore. Either way, knowing that Soundwave was here didn't dampen his mood. He was the ONE mech he could trust implicitly. He had always been his loyal soldier.
"Megatron's presence requested in control."
He sighed. Wonderful. The one down side to having a completely loyal minion was that he would wake him for the smallest thing. "Can't it wait?"
"Negative."
"Fine. Let's make it quick then." His good mood was beginning to wear off knowing he was being deprived of much needed recharge. As of late, previous to Starscreams' untimely demise, he had not been resting well. The troublesome seeker could be blamed for that, naturally. He was out of the picture now, but somehow it hadn't assisted him in gaining more recharge, though it had eased his restless mind a bit. The men had noticed. He couldn't say he was pleased with the fact they had noticed he was in a better mood, but as long as it helped keep them in line knowing their leader was satisfied, he supposed it couldn't read as being a weakness. Nonetheless, he couldn't give a flying slag what the others thought as long as they knew their place.
He didn't need to make an example out of another rebellious fraghead. That was the last thing he needed.
Soundwave led the way in silence, as usual. He never had been one for conversation, odd considering his unique gift for poking his thoughts into other mech's minds. Megatron smirked as Soundwave's head tilted slightly so his visored optics likely could regard him. Oh yes, always listening, always observant. It just meant HE didn't have to be as vigilant.
This is perhaps why he never felt the slight tap at the base of his neck right where the blind spot in mirrors would be; right where he'd never notice the small camouflaged silver disk that blended in perfectly with his natural paint color.
The two Decepticons rounded the corner heading to the control room, and as they did so, Soundwave's optics shifted behind his visor to regard the very slight distortion against the wall where Mirage and Skywarp crouched hidden from view.
Jumper to Loudmouth. Plan set in motion. Flip the switch.
- - - - -
Typical of Soundwave, the importance of his presence in the control room had been less than critical. He'd nearly told the Communications Officer what he could do with himself before stalking back to his quarters, sufficiently irritated. Sometimes he regretted his decision to make that mech his second. He was entirely TOO thorough where Starscream had been the opposite, only informing him of important things when he felt it was needed. He supposed given the choice, he'd rather know more than less. Still, it irritated him to no end to have to micromanage the mech.
The door slid shut behind him as he entered his quarters and only half-heartedly glanced at the sensor to ensure no one had entered his room. If Starscream had taught him anything, and he was very grudging to admit this at all even to himself, he had taught him to constantly watch his back. Never trust anyone, and make sure your room was your sanctuary. Thankfully no one had entered his room, as the security perimeter remained inert. He smirked and sank back onto his recharge berth and lay down, shuttering his optics and cycling his vents with a satisfied sigh.
Finally, some peace and quiet.
Oh, but it wasn't to last.
Not nearly five minutes into his rest cycle, something clattered.
Megatron's optics on-lined within a nano-second, and scanned the room intently without moving from his bunk. There appeared to be no one there. So then what had clattered? He saw nothing out of the ordinary, nothing had fallen to the floor as he kept his room very sparse and clean. There was nothing TO fall. Perhaps it had just been a creaking wall-board, but then Megatron had not gotten where he was by ignoring simple noises that might have been nothing.
"Where are you?" He said out loud, sitting up to stare intently around the room. Someone was here, he had that uncanny feeling of being WATCHED. He also knew that not all mechs were created equal. Some had abilities that made it very irritating to keep track of them, after all. "Show yourself glitch, and I might spare you unnecessary agony."
"Oh, I'm shaking in my thrusters." Came a very familiar hiss in his ear.
Megatron visibly jumped. This was something rare in itself as NO one took the Decepticon leader by surprise. Nonetheless, the hauntingly familiar voice of his former and supposedly DEAD second in command took him by surprise. He whirled about so fast that his gun slammed into the wall as he attempted to figure out just WHERE the seeker was hiding.
But there was no one there.
Megatron swore loudly, stumbling to the center of the room and slamming his fist into the security scan console. Immediately the room plunged into darkness before violet light flooded the small chamber to identify any hidden devices he hadn't personally sprayed with a compound that would not glow under this light.
Nothing.
Not entirely true, the Null Ray on his wall hadn't been sprayed. He'd not thought it necessary to do so, given the demise of his former second in command. Now, he began to idly wonder if it had been a wise decision. Slowly, he made his way over to the device and plucked it from it's mount, turning it over to critically inspect it. No energy signatures at all emanated from it. He glanced around the room, scanning for energy signatures.
Nothing.
So where had the voice come from?
Megatron frowned. Perhaps it had been overactive circuits. It was possible. Unlikely, but possible.
"Something the matter, oh mighty one?" Came a low hiss in his ear again.
Megatron whirled violently around, cannon charging instantly. "I know you're here, Starscream. I'm not going to even ASK how you managed to squirm your way out of this one. I SAW you disintegrate! But I know you're here. Show yourself."
"Oh, but I'm not here, mighty Megatron." Starscream's voice sounded amused, borderline laughing at him. "Look for yourself."
"Enough of your tricks." He scowled, slowly surveying the room in search of wherever the Seeker was hiding, or transmitting. He would not fall for another of his schemes again. "Come out, Starscream… so I can send you back to the Pit!"
"Oh I don't think you'd like that, mighty Megatron." Came the sarcastic reply, seemingly vocalizing from all around him. It was impossible to spot where the Seeker might be hiding, the voice came from behind him every time, yet nothing was there. Something was definitely fishy here.
"I don't care what I'd like or not." Megatron snarled, his patience quickly wearing thin. Starscream was the ONLY one who could have ruined the good mood that, ironically, he himself had created in the first place. "Show yourself, coward."
"As you wish, mighty Megatron." Came the sneering reply. Something shimmered at the corner of his vision. The seeker seemed to materialize right out of nothing. "Go ahead." He urged with the same sarcastic drawl to his voice as Megatron swiftly lifted his cannon to aim at his chassis. "You'll only blow a hole through your door." Megatron only replied with a fully charged blast of his fusion cannon. The blast tore straight through the seeker and slammed into the entry way, blowing the door straight off it's track and melting metal around the now gaping hole.
Starscream stood unscathed, smirking knowingly at him.
Megatron slowly lowered his cannon, optics wide with fury. "How…." He hissed in an infuriated voice.
"Tsk tsk. Losing your temper does not become you, mighty Megatron." Starscream sneered. "Especially when you have no one to receive the blows of your tantrums."
Megatron glared intently at the seeker. It was a trick. That was all. Now that he was able to stop and regard Starscream more calmly he could see there were subtle differences about him. He appeared paler, washed out, as if faded by the sun. There was also a slight transparent quality to the mech. He could faintly see through his body to the still smoldering wall behind him. "I don't know how you managed this, but you continue to grate on my nerves, Starscream." Megatron hissed. "I will not be tricked by another one of your ploys. You have played this card before, you think I would be fooled by it again?"
"Forgive me for underestimating your intelligence." Came the sarcastic sneer. "You have obviously… seen right through me."
Primus… he was making jokes. That was never a good sign. It showed Starscream wasn't afraid of him. And when Starscream wasn't afraid of him, he was the most irritating glitch in the world. Megatron scowled and stomped past the seeker, slamming his fist into the communications panel. "Soundwave. I have an intruder in my quarters. Run a scan for any unauthorized signals."
"You won't find any."
Megatron made a point of keeping his back to the seeker, ignoring him. There was little that Starscream could do with whatever hologram he had managed to project. All he had to do was find the object projecting it, and he would be free of this irritation.
"Megatron."
"Yes. Where is it?" The tyrant demanded.
"No foreign signals detected."
Megatron paused, feeling rage simmering deep within him. "What?! Check again."
"Scans run twice. Result confirmed: no foreign signals detected."
"Told you." Came the soft sneer from behind him. Megatron snarled and whirled about, glaring at the smug seeker who regarded him with folded arms. "You see… haven't you figured it out yet?"
"Figured WHAT out, glitch!?"
Starscream leaned forward, blue optics glittering. "You DID kill me. And I've chosen to HAUNT you."
The expression on the tyrant's face was one that would be ingrained permanently in the seeker's memory files for eternity.
- - - - -
"Are you certain?!" He asked for what had to be the tenth time in the last few minutes.
"Affirmative." Soundwave ingrained calmly, turning to face the tyrant with his usual blank expression. "No foreign objects. No foreign signal. No traceable energy signature."
"Then WHAT caused that little glitch to suddenly show his ugly face here again!?" Megatron snarled, pacing up and down his room furiously.
"Inconclusive. Not enough data." Soundwave replied, watching his leader stalk to and fro. "Suggestion, self-diagnostic."
"What?!" Megatron whirled on the new second in command, crimson optics alight with fury. "Did you just SUGGEST this could be a manifestation of my own processor?"
"Affirmative." Came the reply, only after a very small hesitation. "Self-diagnostic: best way to eliminate option."
Megatron frowned. Soundwave had a point. If his processor was glitching it was best to find out now rather than suffer with that… abomination. Haunting him indeed! "Could this be sabotage of some sort?"
"Probability: likely."
"Then I will see to a full self-diagnostic. However…" Megatron scowled. "You are to mention this to NO one, do you understand?"
"Affirmative."
"Do not interrupt me. I will inform you when I am finished."
"Understood."
"Good. Now leave."
Soundwave turned and exited his chambers, stepping through the gaping hole in the wall without a second glance back at the tyrant. The Constructicons would have quite a job cut out for them repairing the damage, but for now Megatron had just ordered everyone to stay well away from his chambers. No one dared disobey him when he gave an ultimatum. He turned to his recharge berth and lay down again, sighing in frustration as he began to pull up the self-diagnostic protocols.
"You realize that won't work either, don't you?" Came a smug statement off to his right. His jaw tightened as he pointedly ignored the presence of the Unwelcomed One. "There's nothing wrong with you, other than the obvious of course."
Megatron promptly shut off his audio receivers and off lined his optics, plunging himself into blissful silence.
Orns later….
Diagnostic complete. No anomalies.
Well slag.
"Told you."