I don't even know where to start with this one. I'm sorry to all I lied to when I said I was back to a regular schedule. I know that probably doesn't mean much since it's almost been two years. Luckily, someone very special to me has been kicking me to high gear. I'm gonna try to get into a regular schedule. Probably won't. But damn it I'm gonna finish this fic. Even if it kills me!
I don't own Transformers Prime, but this story is all mine!
Megatron clutched his side as he entered to protective confines of the Nemesis. He was leaking energon and was limping, but he had a wild grin on his face.
"Finally, after millions of stellar cycles of trying, victory is finally in my grasp. And it's all thanks to you." Megatron turned around watched as his trump card entered the ship. Starscream carried the unconscious medic, movements fluid and exact. His face plate conveyed zero emotion. His green optics looking through his 'leader' rather than at him.
Megatron limped towards his enslaved second in command. "You should have stayed offline, Starscream. It's ironic in a way. You should have died stellar cycles ago, but you always managed to weasel yourself out. Now you've found yourself in a fate worse than death." Megatron chuckled. "Isn't that right? Say it!"
"That's right, Lord Megatron." Starscream replied robotically.
"Yes, that's right." Megatron chuckled as a small group of vehicons arrived. Several troopers helped their master to the med bay as Starscream followed. Starscream dropped Knockout's body unceremoniously on a berth in the medbay. With their lead medic out, Megatron accepted a simple patch job and left the bay as soon as possible. With his SIC in tow, Megatron burst into the main deck of the Nemesis. Various vehicons stopped what they were doing observed their master. Soundwave turned from his terminal, looking curiously as his leader should still be in the med bay.
"Decepticons," Megatron boomed, "Today we faced a dark day. Our very home was taken right from underneath us. Our very infrastructure was threatened not only by the Autobots, but two of our very own!" At this various vehicons gasped dramatically. "I barely made it out unscathed, but today is not a day for sorrow. No! Today, we achieved a strategical victory against the Autobots! The first test of the Processor Destabilizer's full potential was a complete success." He gestured toward Starscream. "Our treacherous first lieutenant is now under my complete control, and soon the Autobots will follow until there is no one left to face my rule!"
The main deck was filled with the roar of applause. All the vehicons cheered at the end of their Lord's speech. Various high fives and group hugs ensued amongst the crowd. One even tried to hug Soundwave before his intense blank stared quelled such nonsense.
"Enough!" Megatron yelled, the room immediately fell quiet. "There will be some serious clean up that needs to be done after Starscream's failed coup. We need to make sure no virus were left in the Nemesis' mainframes. Everything needs to be in tiptop condition before we stage the final assault on the Autobots. You are dismissed." With that most of the Vehicons made their leave.
Breakdown, who arrived during the end of the speech, walked over to his leader. He stares curiously at Starscream. He waved his servo in front of the seeker's face, but received no response. "He's really out of it."
"Oh it's more than that." Megatron chuckled. "Starscream no longer has any thoughts, feelings, or free will of his own. He can't even feel pain."
"Oh really?" Breakdown smirked, swapping his servo with his hammer. "May I?"
Megatron's grin grew wider. He nodded his head and gestured towards the seeker. Breakdown reeled back and swung, cracking Starscream across the helm. The seeker didn't physically react to the swing. He stood steady and stared forward, energon dripping from his lip. Breakdown laughed and swung again and again. Megatron showed off his razor sharp teeth as he smiled even wider. Megatron nodded his head to the seeker. Starscream stood at attention. He grabbed Breakdown's arm midday way through his next swing. The seeker flipped the con on to the floor with a loud thud.
Breakdown groaned, "Oooowww, what was that for?"
"Cold, remorseless, immune to pain, unwaveringly loyal. He is the perfect soldier." Megatron looked at the horrible state the seeker was currently in. He felt an immense pride knowing that it was his fault that the seeker was probably suffering inside.
"Lord Megatron!" A vehicon soldier interrupted. "Shockwave is requesting a ground bridge. He says that Airachnid needs medical attention." The vehicon pointed at the terminal Soundwave was operating. Shockwave was clearly on the other line.
Megatron almost forgot about Shockwave what with everything that happened in the last solar cycle. Megatron furrowed his brow and bared his teeth. "Let him in. Come Starscream. I have somethings to discuss with my intel officer."
Megatron stormed out of the main deck as fast as he could still with a limp. Starscream followed at an even pace a few feet behind. Soundwave watched as the door slid closed behind them. He went back to his terminal, accessing the camera's of the ground bridge terminal. A smiley face appearing on his screen.
Megatron stomped his way to the main ground bridge terminal. Shockwave was already there, handing off an unconscious Airachnid to a nervous vehicon. Shockwave turned spotting his leader and his SIC acting strangely.
"Lord Megatron I-"
Megatron grabbed Shockwave by his neck and lifted him into the air. Shockwave grabbed Megatron's wrist with his good hand.
"Have I done something to displease you?" Shockwave inquired.
"Where were you?" Megatron demanded.
"I was out on an energon scouting mission." Shockwave replied quickly.
"I don't remember authorizing such a mission, nor do I remember allowing you to take Airachnid with you. Why was she damaged?"
"Her skills were invaluable. I discovered a vein of energon that would have sustained us for stellar cycles, but accessing it was a delicate procedure." Shockwave explained evenly.
"Where is the energon? If you dare to defy me than you should at least come back not empty handed!" Megatron's optic twitched, losing patience.
Shockwave paused, but then his voice came out steady once again. "The mission was a failure. As you can clearly see from Airachnid's state."
Megatron glared at his intel officer. Due to Shockwave's lack of a face plate and forever even tone, he was a damn good liar.
"Don't get smart with me." He slams Shockwave into a wall and lets go of his neck. "I do not want anymore unauthorized missions. I expect a full report within the next megacyle. Understand?"
Shockwave stroked his neck and simply nodded his head. Megatron growled, gesturing to Starscream to follow him. For a split second Starscream brought his toxic, emotionless eyes to meet Shockwave's own blank ones. The cyclops stared as Starscream followed their leader.
"The fool actually did it."
Later…
"You incompetent fools!"
Megatron and Starscream entered the medbay right as Knockout threw a medical tool at a vehicons faceplate. The red medic was absolutely fuming and the reason was easy to guess. On top of the wound Starscream inflicted onto Knockout was a thin sheet of grey metal that was horribly out of place compared to his red paint job.
"Is this what you idiots call a patch job?" He demanded, shakily gesturing to his chest. "How the slag did you fools manage without my expertise?"
"I don't know Knockout. Why don't you remind me?" Megatron said grabbing the medic's attention. Knockout paled as the warlord stomped closer. "Because I am having trouble resisting the urge to eviscerate you here and now for your prior betrayal!"
Knockout sputtered, "Please forgive me Lord Megatron! It'll never happen again." He got down on his knees and begged for his life. "It was Starscream! He caught me at a moment of weakness. You know how he worms his way into your helm with his smooth, rugged voice and piercing optics and-" Knockout's own optics widened as he just noticed that Starscream was in the room. He narrowed his eyes clenched his dentas. He roared and activated his saw. A vehicon grabbed the mad doctor in a half nelson as he tried to slice the seeker head wide open. The saw just barely missed Starscream's faceplate, yet he didn't even flinch. Knockout stopped his attempt at assault and shoved the vehicon off of him. Knockout looked carefully at the seeker. He waved his saw in front of his face, but got no reaction. The medic deactivated his saw and snapped his fingers in the seekers face. Nothing.
"What's up with him?"
"The Processor Destabilizer. The same fate that will befall upon you if you don't start being useful!" Megatron roared, causing the medic to jump. Megatron pointed to a berth which was occupied by an unconscious Airachnid. "I want her out of stasis. She has important information that I need."
Knockout immediately got to work to save his own skid plate. Knockout nervously checked her vitals. Everything seemed to be in working order. She had some char marks and scratches here and there, but the wounds were superficial at best. Knockout couldn't figure out what caused to stay knocked out for this long. The best they could do now is wait for her to wake up, which didn't make Megatron's sour mood any better. So they sat in awkward silence, waiting for the she spider to wake up. Knockout twitched his leg nervously as he attempted to ignore Starscream's blank stare. The piercing green stare made his blood run cold. His optics looked like poison.
Airachnid shifted in her berth, releasing a groan in pain.
"Oh thank Primus." Knockout whispered to himself as he went to Airachnid's side. Knockout eased the stirring con. "Lay back down, hag. You sustained some minor damage and the best thing you can do is rest. Get some beauty sleep for once in your life."
"I'll," Airachnidd panted heavily and clutched her helm, "Rip out your… still beating spark."
"Aaaaand she's back. She'll make a full recov-"
Megatron shoved the medic out of his way. "What happened during your scouting mission with Shockwave?"
"Scouting mission?" Airachnid clutched her head in pain and confusion. "We were flying in the middle of nowhere in the planet's southern hemisphere. We stopped at a seemingly random location and he ordered me to drill. I was digging until I entered into an open cavern, then everything went to black."
Megatron growled, not liking the answer. He snapped his fingers and Starscream's claws were inches from Airachnids optics. Airachnid nearly flinched, but steeled herself.
"You better not be lying Airachnid. Whatever excursion you and Shockwave were on better have been just a simple failed scouting mission. As you can see I no longer have any patience for treachery on this ship. Understood?" Megatron glared at both the medic and spider.
"Understood." Was their quick, simultaneous reply.
Megatron narrowed his and growled, "Good." He pivoted and exited the medbay. Starscream following him out.
The medbay was quiet for a few nano clicks before Airachnid broke the silence.
"We're on thin ice from now on."
"Or else become a mindless slave, perfect." Knockout finished. He sat at his station and groaned, "What the slag were you and the cyclops even doing out there really?"
Airachnid clutched her helm, trying desperately to clear her headache, but failing. "I can't remember."
Meanwhile…
Shockwave entered a storage facility. Unopened crates lay strewn across the room. Various weapons adorned the walls for the Decepticon's usage, but there was a spot empty. Shockwave took out from his subspace what looked like a cross between a ray gun and a grappling hook. He placed it in the empty spot right next a more advanced replica. He also took out a small rectangular cartridge. He rolled it around in his digits, examining it. Before crushing it in his hand, chuckling to himself.
Later…
Megatron paced around in his private quarters. Starscream stood in the middle, optics moving back and forth, following his liege. Suddenly Megatron stopped.
"I've stalled for long enough. You can take simple requests, but it's time for a real test run." Megatron chuckled, but he got no reaction from the seeker. Megatron faced his SIC. "I have been patient for long enough. Tell me the location of the Autobot base."
For a split second something happened. It happened so fast that Megatron thought he was seeing things. For a split second, Starscream's eye twitched.