Intermission 5

Monster

"I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun, I must confess that I feel like a monster"

Megatron growls darkly as he transforms and flies from the deck of the Nemesis. It had once been the crown jewel of his fleet and now it is a ruin. And he detests what lay inside it even more.

He is Megatron, the undefeated and uncontested champion of the pits of Kaon, leader of the Decepticons and he still had a master. The imaginary collar and chain chokes him. He had spent vorns clawing his way out of the mines and the gladiator pits. He had literally created a name for himself, shedding the designation 'D-16' and taking on the name of one of the Thirteen, Megatronus. It was the energon-thirsty crowds chanting his designation that had shortened it into Megatron. He took the name and recognition and ran with it. He wanted to show he had a processor under the heavy mining helmet and extra armor. Megatron spent his life getting out from under those who sought to control him and others like him. Yet, here he was again, following orders from one who cares nothing for him. Which implies that he follows those who do- which he doesn't.

(Not anymore.)

He can't help but fall into memeories of the young Iaconian mech he had met so long ago. Orion Pax was very different then, quiet and studious, not so inclined to speak out. Megatron had soon broken him of that. When he met the young mech after one of his gladiator battles he had been curious, and curiosity always was a weakness of his. They had talked for a while that orn and Megatron found himself telling the little archivist that he could not read, for those in power did not see fit to give miners the tools to make something of themselves in the world. He had not quite been surprised when Orion had suggested he learn but when the mech had nominated himself as a teacher, it had startled him, and when he found his new teacher was not so pompous as the others he had met from the Crystal City, he had been more than pleasantly surprised. Orion had been patient with him, often waiting until the dead of night for their lessons at Megatron's request. The gladiator's processor was wicked sharp, and he never needed to be shown something more than once because he never forgot. Once he learned how to read, he soaked up everything he could find on the structure of his government. There were some things that needed to be changed and he planned on being the one that changed them.

He had made sure that Orion Pax got something out of their deal, of course. He took that shy and introverted archivist and showed him the real world. He took him as brother, taught the mech self-defense and then moved on to the real training. He showed Orion how gladiators in Kaon had fun, not just at various clubs and bars, but with each other in after hour brawls. He also showed the sheltered Iaconian just how wrong his beloved system was. He liked to think that he beat all the naivety and innocence right out of the younger mech. (Even if Orion had never really been innocent.)

He never once thought his friend would use all of that against him, but, he supposes, that is the point of life- surprising you and screwing you over. He never would have dreamed that Orion Pax, his brother, would stab him through the spark so mercilessly. Oh, he knew, logically, that none of it had been Orion's choice and that he had no control over the Council and the Matrix of Leadership, but that doesn't stop him from raging at what he never had a chance to have.

So, he built an army out of spite and pain and buried sparkache down deep. He built an army of loyal followers and attacked the thing that had angered them all, the Council, and its symbol of power, the new Prime. Optimus Prime, and if his spark didn't ache the first time they battled, his chosen designation was not Megatron.

His spark throbs again and he remembers why he keeps these memories locked behind powerful firewalls. They pain him more than anything and he hates what he cannot control. It is one reason he has loved battle so since the war started; the pain of his injuries is something he can control. At the thought, he speeds up, entering Earth's atmosphere at dangerous speeds and the burn of re-entry helps focus him.

It is not until much later, when Starscream joins him again and kneels before his throne in the middle of the desert, that Megatron pulls himself out of his dark thoughts. He grins down at his Second in Command and that grin is a terrible sight to behold. Of all his many victories during this endless war, his two lieutenants were his greatest triumphs. Soundwave, his ever loyal Third, was the only mech who had ever come close to besting him in the pits and his processor power rivaled Megatron's own. Megatron had no illusions of power over that mech, he knew that Soundwave was subservient to him simply because he chose to be and that made all the difference to the warlord. Starscream, though, was a completely different story. Many wondered why he had not simply killed the mech eons ago and the answer was simple. Starscream is a dangerous, powerful weapon that he cannot trust to stay pointed in the right direction. The seeker is a schemer, liar and traitor, deceptive, everything the name Decepticon now stands for. Keeping a mech like that by his side and taking orders from only him is a symbol of Megatron's power over his army and having such a wild, unpredictable thing on a leash is a heady thing. Plus, he screams so pretty when he is in pain.

Megatron knows his worst downfall is his own pride and his great sin is his biggest enemy. His pride and what little mutilated sense of honor he has left will not let him kill a mech who is already on his knees, a mech who has been brought low by someone else. No, that is not a worthy adversary. That need, in part, is why his once brother Optimus Prime is still online. He laid the groundwork for Prime becoming the warrior he is. He had thought that if the mech could equal him in matters of the processor, than why not in the arena? He had helped to mold the mech and now that they are equal in every way, he can't even enjoy it. Optimus Prime is the only mech Megatron has ever met that could match him move for move every time, on the battlefield and off, and neither can truly enjoy it. He knows how competitive Prime can be and he knows they both enjoy someone who is their level, yet, when they finally equal and rival each other, they cannot gain simple enjoyment from it. No, they must make war and fight to the death for their lives every day. He is not so soft sparked as the Prime, but even he feels each loss of their Cybertronian brethren like the loss of a limb. There are far too few of them left in this universe and he can't help but wish for an end to their war. Soon enough, it will be their war or their race and he wasn't sure what some would pick anymore.

Sometimes, he wished for an end. Sometimes, he wished he could simply surrender.

"Master?" Starscream's voice startled him out of his thoughts and for a moment he almost regretted shooting the Seeker in the throat. Perhaps if he had not, his vocal processor would have retained its old velvet sound. No matter, it was done now and at least his wayward lieutenant disliked the sound of his new voice more than Megatron and refrained from talking quite so much.

Megatron reaches down and grabs Strascream's chin, his lips quirking and showing pointed denta. "You still have not learned your lesson Starscream. You will never take my place, never be leader of the Decepticons. They will never follow you. I am Megatron, and I am your master." He slowly curls his fingers inward, crushing his traitorous second's face plating and his claw tips drawing energon. The Seeker's optics widen and brighten before he lowers them. His wings begin to quiver and Megatron grabs the tip of one, digging his claws in, just waiting for his wild thing to break.

The sound out helicopter blades interrupts his fun. Grindor transforms and drops to one saying, "My lord, our spy has confirmed that the All Spark imprinted itself in the Witwicky boy's mind. She is detaining him."

Megatron grins and lets go of Starscream, making sure to drag his claws against the Seeker's wings in the most painful way possible. He stands from his throne, turns to Starscream, and says, "Do not think I have forgotten your treachery, Starscream. Rest assured, I will make sure you learn your lesson."

He just stands for a moment, taking in the barren dessert and the hot air and shakes his head at his own foolishness. D-16, Megatronus, that mech that he used to be may have been able to surrender and live in peace but not him. He is Megatron, he is war, and he does not know the meaning of the world surrender.

"Decepticons," he growls out loud and over the comm lines Soundwave had secured, as he transforms into his tetra-jet form. "Transform and rise up."

He had a boy to dissect and a Prime to kill once and for all.