Title: The Prime
Genre: Action/Drama, Friendship/Romance
Rating: T for mild transformer swearing, some violence, and crude language
Short Summary:
When a young mech destined to be the next Prime is exiled by his evil uncle, he must learn what it means to become a great leader.

Chapter Seven

"AHHH! WATCH WHAT YOU ARE DOING YOU CRAZY SON OF A GLITCH! THAT HURTS!" The voice could be heard from outside, but no one dared to go looking for the source, knowing they would end up being targeted.

Inside the darkend building was the source, sitting on a berth getting repaired, Barricade slammed a fist down as a nasty jolt rushed through his arm as it was being reconnected.

The mech beside him rolled his single eye and continued his harsh repair on his companion. He was fixing the ripped wires and reconnecting some. He had given some sedatives to Barricade but not enough to take away all of the pain. He had done it on purpose too. "Quit your complaining, Barricade. Your just lucky The Prime didn't take your head off for what you were about to do to his offspring. Which you know fairly well we weren't suppose to kill until the right time." He told him wearily.

Barricade narrowed his red glare at the cyclops mech, not amused. "Well, you are just fragging lucky that that mech didn't take your fragging head off for mech handling that femme! Why did you escape with just getting punched, Shockwave?! That ain't fair!" He snarled.

Rolling his optic, Shockwave chose to ignore the whining but did make the final repairs hurt more, causing the black and white mech yelp loudly.

"What I want to know is why didn't the really big guy do more to fragging Soundwave than knock him off feet?!" Barricade finally growled after Shockwave finished. He shot their very silent companion a dark look.

In the corner of the room, the largest mech was gently running his servos across one of his pets' back, a big black felinish Cybertronian with a single red optic and large sharp fangs. Its tail was twitching and a rumbling pur was the only soundmits was making. But nonetheless, Soundwave ignored Barricade's bantering. He was more content to just petting his large sparkcat.

"Hey! Are you even fragging listening, Soundwave?!" Barricade roared when he realized that he hadn't been answered.

"No." The large mech simply said and earned a string of swear words. He ignored it for a megatick before looking up at the loud mouth. "Inquiry: the youngling apprentice's identity." He stated blankly.

Barricade looked at him with surprise before he snorted as he sat up, swinging his legs back over the table. "Oh, him. He reminds me of someone I kno...oh." his optics brightened as something clicked and he snarled. "That little slagger! I know who he was now! He's a little Praxian brat that..." he was snarling.

"Who cares?" Shockwave remarked dryly. "What I want to know is why we just didn't end those fools when we had the chance? It would have sped up the process of this plan?"

Soundwave shook his head as he looked at both. "Instructions: clear. Scare targets. Rectify trust among Prime's people. Goal: distrust." He stated blankly.

Barricade and Shockwave both gave him an annoyed look.

"You know, Soundwave. That is really annoying. Why do you not just talk like a normal mech? We know you can." The violent purple mech remarked dryly.

"Answer: to be annoyance." Was the silent mech's reply and he almost sounded smug.

"Damn you!" Barricade growled before huffing and looking at the wall. "I agree with you, Shockwave. We should have just killed the brats and be done with them."

"If you done that, I would have killed you."

Barricade yelped in alarm, jumping high into the air at the sound of that growling voice. He leapt off the berth, whirling his cannon to life to use it. He did not hesitate to shoving it into the intruder's face and almost immediately regretted it.

Because a gleaming rusty silver servo grabbed his arm roughly, yanking the black and white off his feet. Glaring red optics narrowed dangerously at him tje large mech tightened his grip until the metal groaned in his hand and the mech cried out in pain.

"I have one simple question for you three and depending what the answer is will save your fragging lives." Megatron growled, before yanking hard on Barricade's arm, again making him cry out in pain. "Are you fragging idiots?! Attacking and harming my nephew like that was like asking my pathetic brother to rip your fragging sparks out! And then that would have destroyed my plan to making myself look like a saint to the people's optics!"

Barricade winced and then yelped, trying to tug his arm free. "The little brat pissed me off! He slashed my face!" He snarled and whined.

Snarling, Megatron threw the black and white mech hard away from him, causing him to hit the berth hard and go sailing over it. "Which makes you ever more pathetic, Barricade! You couldn't even dodge an attack that a nine vorn old mechling sent at you!" He snapped.

Growling, Barricade was on his feet again thrusting his cannon forward to aim at Megatron. But he stopped immediately when a large barrel of a fusion cannon was shoved into his face. He knew to draw back before he lost his head entirely. He stepped back, deactivating his cannon and raising his servos in surrender. "Sorry, my Lord. I am just angry."

"Keep your temper in check next time, Barricade! Because the next time, I won't stop myself from firing!" Megatron snarled before putting away his cannon. He whirled to face Soundwave. "Why did you bring him in?! He is an idiot!"

Soundwave merely shrugged while Barricade choked on his own words of outrage. But he wasn't stupid enough to complain to someone much bigger and more vicious.

Shockwave stood and bowed respectfully to the large being. "Lord Megatron." He sad respectfully.

Megatron shot a look at him before he turned a glare onto Soundwave. "Soundwave, you the one I trust the most out your lot. Answer me this and depending on your answer, I may let your subunits survive." He nodded sharply when the silent mech straightened, completely at attention. "Wise to pay attention. Did you or one of these idiots hack into the Iacon Government systems to put an order for the destruction of Vos?" He growled.

All three stiffened at that news; two for one reason and one for a completely different reason.

"Negative." Soundwave stated and the third relaxed. But then he pointed at the third. "Designations Barricade and Soundwave did not. Designation Shockwave did."

Megatron snarled as he whirled around to glare at the one optic mech, who immediately raised his servos in his defense, backing away. It did no good as the large mech lashed out, grabbing the shorter by the neck andnslamming him against the wall.

"Wa-wait, my Lord! I...I can explain!" Shockwave choked out as his vocoder began to be squeezed. He clutched onto Megatron's wrist, struggling only a little. It didn't work. He knew he would never break free from the mech's grip. "My Lo-Lord, please!"

"You knew that I had plans for Vos, Shockwave! You knew I had planned to seek alliance from the Seekers for our take over! And yet, you had the nerve to put in the order that Vos was destroyed, framing me to look the fool! To put me in the blame! Give me one reason why I should not rip your vocoder out of your body and shove it up your aft?!" Snarled the rusty silver tyrant.

Choking in pain, Shockwave let go of his Lord's wrist and quickly got into his arm compartment. He pulled out what looked like a data chip, holding it out to him. "Fo-forgive me, my Lord! But I wa-was taking certain measures to suceed with our goals! I swear!" He gasped.

Eyeing the chip, Megatron snarled before he snatched it from the cyclops mech and nearly slammed it into the computer system right near them. He waited till it loaded all of the information before he stiffened and released Shockwave, allowing him to fall into a heap at his feet.

On the screens showed access codes and what looked like a security recording. It even had schematics for Shockwave's plan.

"What the frag is this?!" Megatron demanded.

Shockwave, still rubbing his vocoder, climbed unsteadily to his feet before tapping a button on the wall. It played the security recording, which surprised all to show the youngling they had just seen that day. It looked like he was sneaking into the hall of government records.

"This, my lord, is how you will clear your name. I have taken certain percautions to do it this way. I have ensured that this false evidence will point out the youngling named Prowl will take the fall. Not you." Shockwave stated.

"Explain yourself! And do not lie your way out of it! Soundwave will tell me if you are!" Megatron snapped.

Shockwave nodded before pointing at the schematics, motioning to Megatron to read it. "I came up with this plan of deception to assist you into gaining the trust you need from The Prime and the High Council. The destruction of Vos, a city that had a shaking relationship with Iacon as it was, is to help. By pointing you out as the accussed, it will have shaken The Prime's trust." He explained.

Megatrom growled at him, his servos starting to ball up tightly. "That is suppose to be a good thing?!" He snarled.

Shockwave backed up a step before pointing at the frozen image of the mechling, Prowl. "It would have its uses, my lord. You see, it would shake up The Prime's trust in you, and then when you prove that it was not you but a Praxian brat, he will feel so terrible that he even blamed you that he will not be looking at you when you decide to kill him." He told him.

There was a pause. Megatron now did look interested. He even stepped back, allowing the cyclops to have more room. "Interesting theory. But why the Praxian?" He asked curiously.

"Well, simply, you wanted him out of the way in the first place, which is why you told Soundwave to hurt him when you called us about the younglings coming to Kaon. His intellect, as you worried about, would have proved a nuisense when your plan fell through." Shockwave explained. "I took the measure to make that would be the final screw to his undoing. With this false evidence pointing the Praxian to be the one who framed you, The Prime would have his trust so shakened up. Knowing him, he will not have the wretch because of his age, but exile him. As it is, Praxus does not, did not have a good relationship with Vos. They actually loathed each other."

Slowly Megatron nodded as it sunk in. "I see. So you are putting the blame on Praxus." He then frowned darkly and looked at Shockwave. "One problem, Shockwave. I had plans for Vos. You knew I wanted Seekers a part of my future army. But now I cannot have any because they were all destroyed!" He growled.

Shockwave actually looked smug as he lift his arm and pressed a control button. "Were they?" He asked as there came a click and then a rumble.

Everyone looked to see that a door in the room slid open and emitted a sound that perked all of their attention. Megatron's especially. He walked right over to the room with Shockwave behind him and looked in. What he saw made his optics light up before he grinned cruelly.

Sniffling, whirling, sobbing sparklings were all over the room's floor. There were a small handful but they were alive. Many of them were sobbing in fear as they looked up with alarm but some were in deep recharge. But all of them were Seekerlets. There was only one adult large Seeker standing watch over them and that one made Megatron frown.

"Who is he?" The tyrant asked, eyeing the Seeker looking back at him.

"His name is Cyclonus. He is my contact from Vos. I made a deal with him that if he helped me with my plan, he would not be dismantled like the rest has." Shockwave stated, though he looked as if he wanted to blow the Seeker to pieces. "He wants to join the Decepticon cause, my Lord. He has been quite usef. He even took the liberty to ensuring that two of the Seekerlets brought here were Silverbolt's own offspring." He motioned to a rather large blue Seekerlet clutching onto a small light purple one, who was wailing as if he was in great pain. Both looked terrified but miserable nonetheless.

"Two? As I understand it, I recalled there being three of Silverbolt's brats. Where is the third?" Megatron asked frowning.

Shockwave shook his head as he gave Cyclonus a dark look, who grimaced. "He says that he could not find the youngest of the three. During the Iacon Attack Droid raid, Silverbolt's mate rescued it from being taken and then ended up dead. He searched for it but he could not find it." He grunted.

Cyclonus grimaced again. "I would have kept looking if that Iacon wretched scout hadn't showed up. I had but just deal with the other two." He tried to defend himself. "The youngest was so small and weak as it ws so it is more than likely he is dead. He would not have survived the wilderness if he managed to get out of harm's way." He explained.

Megatron growled at the thought but was pleased nonetheless that he had Seekerlets. "Good. You, with Shockwave, will be in charge of them. Begin their re-education in the next few cycles. I want them to be the toughest little glitches of my army." He turned and went over to the computer, pulling out the data chip. "Be prepared in the next few cycles. We will have the final drawback of our plan by then."

Barricade nodded grumpily. "Yeah, we'll be prepared." He paused and frowned. "For what?"

Megatron turned and gave the black and white a sneering smirk. "For the death of the Prime." He told him wickedly.

"What, is The Prime sick?" Cyclonus asked stepping out ofthe room of noise.

"No, idiot. We're going to kill him. And his little brat too." Shockwave told him sharply.

Cyclonus gave a short harsh laugh. "Great idea. Who needs a Prime anyway?" He said quite pleased.

Megatron growled as he turned a glare onto the Seeker. "There will be , idiot." He then gave the Seeker a look to shut up when he started to ask. "I will new the new Prime. If you stick with me, I will ensure that you have your revenge against Praxus for the total destruction of Vos." He told him with dark pride.

Cyclonus paused staring at him before he stood completely straight like a soldier. "All hail Megatron Prime then." He simply said.

Oh, Megatron loved the sound of that and even chuckled as he turned away. "Good. And nefore we kill my dear little brother and take what is rightfully mine, I think I will get rid of the little Praxian pest. If he stays around like my brother insists, he will ruin everything." He stated.

Barricade then chuckled wickedly as he stepped after his lord and master. "I think I might be able to help out with that." He said and earned a curious look from Megatron. "Cause I know that brat is. And I don't think anyone would be too happy about his creator's identity."