Chapter 32: War Anticipation

Hundreds of miles away in Megatron's throne room.

Megatron: (To Clockwerk) So there was once this Earth thing I was fascinated with called Reality Television. It was so bad I wanted to vaporize everyone on it! Except for this one guy named Donald Trump. Out of professional courtesy of course. I heard he went on to have a spectacular career becoming US President and thousands and thousands of very loyal followers that I would compare to my Decepticons.

WRITER NOTE: I PROMISE THIS WILL BE THE LAST POLITICAL JOKE I SWEAR. (Also Megatron is canonically a Trump supporter. Don't believe me? Look it up on Youtube.)

Slipstream: Sir! We have just spotted the Autobot Dinobot, Grimlock but didn't engage.

Megatron: Don't attack him. It is a sign of the Autobots' arrival…..soon. They would not just portal all at once.

Despite being the worst and mortal of enemies, at this point, having fought for thousands of years and through many experiences, Optimus Prime is the one who knows Megatron the most and Megatron is the one who knows about Optimus Prime the most.

Clockwerk: Megatron. Will the so-called "Constructicons" be participating in the oncoming battle?

Megatron: Nah. They failed to bring me Optimus, so I'm just gonna leave them in England.

Clockwerk: What about the other Combiner team, the Combaticons?

Megatron: Once Swindle left for his scamming, the others mostly disbanded, but we still have Brawl and Onslaught joining the battle. We don't need a mighty combiner! We already outnumber the Autobots! Still…. It won't be the same without Soundwave…. do me a favor once the Autobots get here: threaten one of them to tell you where he is?

Clockwerk: Certainly. Though, I have sensed a bit of jealousy in him that you made me Second-in-command over him before I was even fixed. He probably went on his mission to prove his….. Superiority….

Megatron: That sounds very like him. He joined the Decepticons a while after you left and has been extremely loyal to me ever since. Equally as Shockwave, but never as annoying as Lugnut.

Clockwerk: I will admit, I have a bit of a superiority complex myself, except to you, old ally.

Megatron: Say? Weren't you the leader of a group known as the Fiendish Five?

Clockwerk: Why yes. We found an infamous thief named Conner and his wife and killed them right in front of their son.

Megatron: The son was….Sly Cooper I presume? Why didn't you kill him when you had the chance?

Clockwerk: The five of us tore out pages of the family heirloom, the Thievius Raccoonus. I left the traumatized child alive to try and prove that his thief bloodline was nothing without the Raccoonus. Alas, I was wrong. The Cooper retrieved the pages from my group and that is what led to my temporary demise at his hands.

Megatron: We have all made mistakes for those like us who want to dominate.

Clockwerk: Why…did you bring up my former group?

Megatron: Well, with Shockwave's new invention, the one he used on the mouse girl…

Clockwerk: Ah. I see what you are pondering…..

In Shockwave's lab, Shock is armoring up for his first battle in a while (The armor resembles the parts on his WFC Siege toy). Penelope has also crafted her own weapons, a sword and blaster, despite still being hesitant about going into battle as a Decepticon for the first time.

Penelope: (Sighs) Shockwave, I know what is expected from me at this point but…. I'm not gonna kill any Autobots….

Shockwave: (Puts hand on her shoulder) I know how you are feeling. Megatron would prefer it if you did, but at least give the illusion by lightly blasting or using combat skills.

Penelope: I'm also not harming any organics that might tag along!

Shockwave: That makes sense. You were one of them.

Penelope: What does Megatron plan to do if he defeats Optimus Prime?

Shockwave:... He plans to kill all the remaining Autobots….then take over every world country one by one until he fully conquers Earth. He thought if he could not rule Cybertron…the weaker planet he knows is the next best option….he thinks it is….logical…

Penelope: He's not going to commit GENOCIDE IS HE!?

Shockwave: He only plans to terminate all of the people that oppose him. Those who worship him or don't question nor negatively comments about his dictatorship, he leaves alone…..our Decepticon motto is "Peace through Tyranny" after all.

Penelope is still very unsure of being on this faction, but cares for Shockwave.

Penelope: What do you plan to do after he takes over?

Shockwave:...I have a few ideas….I will not be as committed to Megatron after he fulfills his ambition, so I think I will maybe….develop weapons…..

Penelope: Why would you develop weapons after some form of world peace…..no matter how tyrannical, is achieved? Even if Megatron, after taking over, wants weapons to exterminate his opposers….innocent lives….., is it worth it?

Shockwave is silent for a moment.

Penelope: What is the point of building them if the war has been won?

Shockwave:...You may be right. Let me ask you, what do you plan to do if we win?

Penelope: I know it will be hard, but I want to find a way to get to Cybertron. Study it. Discover what's left of its beauty. Now let me ask you, do you leave this Decepticon Lair frequently? You know what's out there but have you ever fully gone out for a long time and experienced what's around this planet?

Shockwave:...No.

Penelope: Do you sometimes aspire to?

Shockwave:...Yes.

Penelope: Does Megatron ever allow you?

Shockwave: I…never ask.

Penelope: Out of fear of him?

Shockwave: No…..I just never have…..I only go out when he commands or asks me.

Penelope: (Takes his hand) What if…..I propose…If we win….we go out and explore the wider world of each other's planets? Maybe together.

Shockwave: That sounds like….a logical idea.

Shockwave leaves the lab for a moment. Thundercracker, who was walking past and heard most of the conversation just says one thing to Penelope.

Thundercracker: (Sighs) I think I know how you feel.

He leaves. Back in the Throne room.

Clockwerk: Why…. did you keep my incompetent and backstabber of a predecessor in as second for so long?

Megatron: Starscream…was a loyalist of me like many at first when he joined, but as time passed…..pretty quickly….he questioned my decisions as leader and kept saying he would make a better one then started backstabbing me again and again…yet I always let him back in as… suddenly a part of me back then felt I didn't need a single second-in-command as I already had enough loyalists and could lead the whole battalion on my own…..and it was absolutely hilarious to see him always plead for mercy after a betrayal or failure as I threw him around, blasted and beat him! (Laughs)

Clockwerk: I will prove my loyalty to you Megatron once I slaughter some Autobots and a certain someone….

Megatron: I know you have been very anxious to finally rid the last of his kind….as for me…? Optimus Prime…..your days are numbered before one shall finally fall!

CURRENT AUTOBOT LINEUP: Optimus Prime (Leader/Commander). Elita-One (Current Second-in-command), Bumblebee, Bulkhead (Brawn, no not that one), Prowl, Wheeljack (Inventor), Ratchet (Medic), Ironhide (Weapons specialist), Jazz, Hot Rod, Arcee, Grimlock (Dinobot), Windblade (Main Air support), Blurr, Springer (Triple Changer)

CURRENT COOPER GANG LINEUP: Sly Cooper (Leader), Bentley (Brains), Murray (Brawn), Carmelita Fox (Temporary member due to complicated relationship with leader), Coopercus (Young Transformer), Dimitri Lousteau, Panda King

Autobot count: 15 (22 counting the Cooper Gang)

CURRENT DECEPTICON LINEUP: Megatron (Leader), Clockwerk (Current Second-in-command), Shockwave (Scientist and occasional medic), Barricade, Lugnut, Shadow Striker, Knock-Out (Flamboyant Medic), Brawl, Onslaught, Penelope/Baronite (Shockwave's assistant), Alpha Strike (Also known as Strika), Astrotrain (Triple Changer), Shatter and Dropkick (Triple Changer duo)

CURRENT SEEKER (Decepticon jet group) LINEUP: Slipstream (Current Commander), Thundercracker, Skywarp, Thrust, Dirge, Ramjet

Decepticon count: 20

CURRENTLY MIA: Skids and Mudflap (Were sent by Prime on a "Recon mission" to Korea (Which one not specified) and have been missing for years and are now pronounced dead), The Constructicons (Megatron just left them in England), Starscream (Has escaped the 'Con base, but is still speculated to be somewhere in Peru), Soundwave and his minions (Are in an unknown location in Antarctica. Unknown if any of them are currently still online)

#PeneloWave