Author's Note
This is my first Murder Drones fic. I'm not planning to focus on any ships except the canon one between N and Uzi. For context, this Megatron is inspired by the version from Transformers: Prime, with a bit of EarthSpark thrown in for later. If you're curious about his appearance, there's plenty of Transformers as Murder Drones art out there, though he can still transform into a Cybertronian jet mode—because I think it would be funny to see the drones react to something that can outrun and kill them. Don't expect consistency; I have a lot going on IRL, so this might get abandoned. If someone wants to continue it, I'll put it up for adoption.

The war that had waged for thousands of years was finally over. With the defeat of Unicron at the hands of Optimus Prime and the heroic Autobots, peace was restored to Cybertron, ushering in a new future.

But not everyone would see this future. Megatron, now free from the same pain and torment he once inflicted on so many, had made the decision to enter self-imposed exile, far from his home, never to return. However, fate had other plans.

In a long-abandoned research bunker on the frozen Exoplanet Copper 9, something strange began to stir within its forgotten halls.

On a large metal table, a drone of unknown origins began to boot up.

Subject: Megatron
System Diagnostics...
Energy levels: 100%
Weapon Systems: 100%
T-cog Systems: 100%
Armor Systems: 100%
Repair Protocols: 100%
Energon Fuel: 78%
Recommendation: Replenish Energon in 38 hours.

When the text vanished from his sight and his optics finally allowed him to take in his surroundings, the first thing that came to Megatron's mind was confusion. From what he could tell, he was in some kind of human structure, which was odd because he shouldn't have been anywhere near Earth or humans. Still lying down, he turned his head to get a better look.

To his shock, the first thing he noticed was the large number of human skeletons scattered around the lab. The second was his appearance. In the reflection of the observation window, he saw that his head was rounder, and his two optics had been replaced by a single black LED screen with two small red dots representing his eyes. These dots then shifted to letters that spelled "B.T.P," or what he was thinking in his head: "By the Primes!" His attention then shifted to his new body. Judging by the length of the table and the tallest human he could recall, he estimated himself to be about 7 or 8 feet tall by human standards.

Deciding he needed a better look, Megatron tried to get up, only to realize his limbs were bound to the table.

"How dare they try to restrain me," he thought, beginning to apply more force against the bindings.

Just as he was about to break free, a crashing sound, like someone bursting through doors, caught his attention.

Deciding it was best to, as humans say, "play possum" until he knew what he was dealing with, he ceased his escape attempt and went still, even managing to turn his "eyes" off.

As he lay there, his audio sensors picked up the sounds of something approaching the lab. It wasn't just doors being thrown open; he could hear footsteps and the labored breathing of a human female. When the door to the lab was flung open, however, it wasn't a human female that entered, but a small child-sized female drone with red hair, blue eyes, and an orange dress.

She quickly slammed the doors shut behind her, the look on her face one of absolute terror. As she stepped away from the doors, she allowed herself a brief respite before another, much louder crash could be heard from the hallway outside the lab.

She quickly dropped to her knees and crawled under the table Megatron was on, hiding from whatever was chasing her. His attention was drawn back to the door when he heard the sound of crawling, scraping, and slamming before it finally stopped just outside.

SLAM!

The doors were suddenly thrown open, revealing a larger, more predatory drone. It had a wide, hungry grin filled with sharp teeth, a bright yellow X displayed across its screen, white hair with strange yellow lights on its head, and a body that stood a foot taller than the small drone now hiding beneath him. It wore a black coat with a yellow armband, and on its back, it sported large, avian-like metallic wings. Its hands had three large claws each, and on its lower back, it had a long tail with a vial and stinger attached to it.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" it called, beginning to search for its prey.

Under the table, the female drone held her hands over her mouth, trying to make as little noise as possible as she watched her pursuer search the room. If she was lucky, the Murder Drone would get bored and leave, but she knew that was unlikely; they were persistent. While lost in thought, she lost sight of the drone. Frantically scanning the room for it, she was suddenly grabbed and thrown out from under her hiding spot, crashing into a set of wall lockers with a loud bang.

Before she could recover, she found herself pinned to the now dented lockers, the Murder Drone mere inches from her face.

"AAAAAAHHH!" she screamed in terror. "Somebody HELP?!"

The Murder Drone's smile widened as he started to laugh maniacally at her cries.

"MWAHAHAHA! Yes, keep screaming! I love it when my food begs for its life," he said, giving her cheek a lick.

No longer able to stand this creature's cruelty, Megatron acted. With a mighty surge of strength, he broke his restraints, finally freeing himself from the table. As he sat up, it seemed the two drones hadn't noticed him yet. Getting off the table, he swiftly approached the two from behind.

Back with the Disassembly Drone and the Worker, the former was about to deliver the finishing blow when something caught him off guard. The Worker was no longer looking at him but at something behind him. That's when he noticed the large shadow that now loomed over them both. The X on his screen switched to eyes that showed confusion. Before he could turn around, a large hand grabbed him, causing him to drop the Worker and sending him crashing through the concrete wall, leaving a massive hole.

"What the FUCK?!" he yelled as he staggered to his feet.

As the dust cleared, he finally got a good look at his attacker. His eyes widened in shock as he took in the size, weapons, and armor of the drone before him. He realized that the large drone's red eyes were staring down at him with hatred.

"You are pathetic, hunting something weaker than yourself!" Megatron growled, aiming his Fusion cannon at the drone. "Now you shall face a true challenge." The whirring sound of his main weapon powering up filled the room.

The Drone was still in shock. He didn't know what to do; he had never faced a drone like this before. The company never said anything about Copper 9 having War Drones. Deciding his best chance was to fight, he switched his claws for a sword and a gun.

"Pathetic, huh?" he grinned. "Well, I'll show you why I, Serial Designation R, am the deadliest hunter on Copper 9!"

With that, R launched himself at top speed towards the Warbot, only to find himself dodging streaks of incoming purple laser fire. Just when he thought he was about to land a blow, he was struck by his opponent's free hand, sending him crashing into another wall.

"Then allow me to demonstrate the skills I honed in the pits of Kaon!" Megatron said as he extended his wrist blade and charged at R.

Back with the Worker Drone, she hadn't moved from her spot, captivated by the brawl unfolding before her eyes. She had never seen anyone stand up to a Murder Drone before, let alone win.

R came in for another slash with his sword, only to be parried again by the larger drone's blade. Forced to retreat and put distance between them, he took cover, but his eye flashed a warning signal, alerting him that he was on the brink of overheating. He cursed under his breath. The battle was taking longer than he anticipated. He had thought his opponent would be slower due to his size, but he was sorely mistaken. Already, he had taken more damage than his self-repair systems could handle. Most of his right arm had been blown off when he tried to block one of the laser cannon shots, one of his wings was severely damaged, making flight difficult until repaired, and most humiliating of all, his tail had been ripped off when he tried to stab the large bot with his nanite acid stinger. The big guy had grabbed it and, with one effortless yank, removed it.

"Are you finished, coward? Did you really think you could challenge me... Megatron?" Megatron bellowed at R.

"What the hell are you? No drone is this powerful," R shouted back, hoping to keep him talking while his repair systems worked.

Silence hung in the air as R listened for a response, but there was nothing. Then he heard the sound of large metal feet charging. Before he could dive away, Megatron crashed through his cover, grabbing him by the throat and pinning him against the wall.

"Gahk! W-what the...?" R gasped, trying to break free, but Megatron's grip was unrelenting. Then he noticed something... that look in his eyes, that red glow.

"You're not a drone! You're a bot... But... how?" R managed to say as Megatron's grip tightened, causing cracks to appear on his screen. "How are you alive?!"

"Know this, filth," Megatron growled. "I AM MEGATRON! I WAS FORGED IN THE FIRES OF KAON! IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN YOU TO STOP ME!" As he finished speaking, he plunged his wrist blade into R's chassis, tearing through his systems. Finally, with a mighty surge, he ripped out R's core, killing him instantly.

With his opponent now dead, Megatron let the corpse fall to the ground and crushed the core in his hand, the remains dropping like sand to the floor.

"And so falls another fool who dares challenge me," he said as he stepped over the body and turned his attention to the small Worker Drone, who had yet to move from her spot.

"I have no interest in harming you," he began, still aiming his cannon in case she decided to try something. "Do you have a name?" he asked her as he stepped closer.

Still paralyzed by what had just happened, she quickly realized that the larger drone had asked her something.

"S-Sarah," she stammered. "My name is Sarah."

Megatron nodded in acknowledgment. "Tell me, Sarah, where am I?" he asked her.

"Copper 9," she answered quickly, her fear starting to give way to curiosity. "But why do you wanna know that? Don't you know where you are?"

Megatron let out a sigh as he looked out of the hole he had created in the wall during the fight.

"Much has changed while I have been gone." He paused, turning back to look at the drone he had bested. "I suppose I am now lost."

Meanwhile, elsewhere on Copper 9...

Serial Designation N, wiping the last traces of oil from his metallic lips, and surveyed the aftermath of his latest hunt. The eerie silence that followed was soon interrupted by something that shouldn't have been there—a faint, rhythmic hum. N's screen flashed a curious yellow question mark as he scanned the room, his sensors locking onto a faint glimmer in the shadows.

Tucked away on a forgotten workbench, half-buried under a pile of debris, was an old blue and yellow cassette player. The device was battered but unmistakably unique, sporting a strange, angular logo that piqued N's curiosity.

"What's this?" N muttered, intrigued by the odd relic. His usual prey never left behind something so… peculiar.

With delicate fingers, N brushed away the dust and picked up the cassette player. It was surprisingly intact, despite its age. As he turned it over, inspecting the details, he noticed two cassettes already loaded inside. Driven by curiosity, he pressed the play button.

Immediately, the silent room was filled with the rich, soulful tones of jazz music. The unexpected melody caught N off guard, and for a moment, he stood still, mesmerized by the sound. A smile slowly spread across his face, and soon, he found himself swaying to the rhythm, his usual cold demeanor melting away in the warmth of the music.

"This is… amazing," N whispered, his optics glowing brighter with excitement. "J and V have to hear this. They're gonna freak!"

Without a second thought, N carefully stashed the cassette player in one of his coat pockets, eager to share his discovery. But as he prepared to leave, he failed to notice a sinister change—the once dormant device began to emit a faint red glow, and a low, autotuned voice murmured from within, "Soundwave: Operation Infiltration."

Unaware of the hidden danger he now carried, N took off, the echoes of jazz still playing in his mind as he flew back to the spire. Little did he know, this encounter was about to set off a chain of events that would shake Copper 9 to its core.

To be continued...