Their mining leader, Elita-1, called it for a break and D-16 sat down with Orion Pax beside him. Iron-H1 and Glyph were talking among each other with the latter constantly bugging Iron about a few scars the mech had on his chassis. The typical loose banter of the miners was a given. As Orion prodded Elita for a better ration and claiming to feel a little sluggish, D-16 slowly scanned the rest of the nearby bots until his sights rested on one particular femme.
She was RC-841. Lying on her front with her arms poised to cradle her chin and her legs up moving front and back to her sweet smile, she was on two crates above the rest lollygagging and listening to Jazz beatbox against Blaster at their own break. She bobbed her helm to the beat enthusiastically. She was always so playful, and D-16 couldn't help but admire that.
"You should go talk to her," Orion nudged.
D-16 froze up like a gear-deer on ice. "What?! No, no, I-I just happened to see her-"
The red and blue mech smirked, "For the umpteenth time. And the time before this when you locked optics, and she giggled, and you all but broke down in a small panic before retreating to your chambers to wallow when you couldn't speak to her. Yes, I remember all the incidents."
"Well, aren't you the romantic archivist?" D-16 sneered, "Then, Love Guru, how do you propose I talk to her?"
Orion opened his mouth briefly before shutting it when he actually had to think for a moment. Then he looked at Elita who was talking with Wasp and pointing him in the direction of the train, being a newcomer and all. D-16 didn't flinch when he lightly backhanded his arm with a wink.
"Watch this," Orion said confidently. D-16 only rolled his optics to watch his friend get up and approach Elita. The attempting smooth-talker leaned against the nearest crate and gave a cheesy smile. "Hey, Elita."
Their troop leader looked at him deadpan.
"After this, how would you feel about blowing this joint and catching a drink or two, just you and me?"
Elita put on an innocent, thoughtful pose, and D-16 knew right away to get out from Orion's shadow, standing up and side stepping to give some room...for when the femme punched the cocky mech in front of her in the faceplates. He stumbled and fell where D-16 had been sitting prior. D-16 could only look down at his companion unsurprised.
"There's your answer, Pax," Elita grinned before turning to leave.
"What a lady," Orion grinned despite being rejected and holding his cheek painfully.
D-16 nodded, "Yeah, she made her feelings for you very clear. I'm going to try and avoid your approach if I value my life."
The grey mech looked at RC who went into a handstand and cartwheeled slowly back into a regular standing position with a giggle. Jazz and Blaster determined the latter to be the victor, and she was their cheerleader until duty came for them. He sighed as he realized he missed his chance because of Orion being a fool. He loved the mech as his brother...but sometimes he was annoying in the most crucial moments.
Retreating back to work as well, D-16 kept a solemn face for the remainder of the day despite Orion's jabbering. He cracked a smile here and there at some of the jokes, but it wasn't the same. Then when they retired to their home in the slums, he saw her again one level above the cleaning racks. She was with her friend, Beta-5, her group leader ironically, and she was...sad.
It struck D-16 hard to see her out of her normally joyful personality. Whispers from a few bots finally revealed to him that RC's mine had collapsed and with it, two miners were crushed. It must have happened after his group left the general area to regroup elsewhere. D-16 pondered if he should at least offer his grievances, but her clique was already on top of that, and it would be out of place for him to tread suddenly into her life. She knew he existed, but they weren't really associated with one another other than passing each other on the train or work site.
That made the mech pause before looking at RC with remorse. He made his way up to her, awkwardly stepping in with the crowd mourning the loss of their brothers. RC happened to see him, and it stung him greatly that he now had to go up to her without looking inconsiderate or neglectful.
"RC, I'm sorry for what happened," he said low, almost in a whisper.
RC smiled weakly. The glimmer in her optics made his spark flutter, but he knew it was inappropriate and eventually took his leave. Before he could, however, a servo took his. He looked at RC who held it carefully.
"D-16?" Hearing his name from her made his knees weak. She then said, "Thank you."
He nodded a bit oddly trying to collect his thoughts. "Y-Yeah, no, no problem. If you ever need...anything, let me know."
He left before it became any more awkward and he nearly collapsed on the bench near his recharge station groaning about how he butchered that. Orion whistled in a down tone.
"Wow...that was a start."
"Orion, I will kill you."
"Eh, I can live with that if it means putting your foot in the door."
D-16 intertwined his servos and put his lower face to rest against it in thought. She actually acknowledged him. A small shiver of delight crept up his spinal struts realizing he could talk to her more once everything settled.
In the following weeks, he stayed his distance but watched her to try and formulate a plan. Obviously, Orion's method was cheap and that wouldn't work. He spent many days pacing, practicing what to say. Finally, he mustered up the courage on the eighth day since their last encounter.
RC was on break juggling rock for her friends to show off when he came into their area. She stopped by catching two of the rocks and balancing the third with a grin before waving at him. He gulped inwardly. "Hey, Dee!"
"RC...how are you?"
"Good, good! We just got done with getting a stockpile from 4950."
4950 was a treacherous mine and one of the few constants. It could open and close at any point in time. Teams rotated on it due to the complexity, and D-16 was proud of her for a successful run. Not every team had that luck.
"That's amazing," he said. "So, RC, I was wondering if I could...um..."
The femme raised a brow then suddenly replied, "Sure, Maccadam's. I get off in about a few clicks anyways."
That stunned him and derailed his plan immediately. "How do you know what I was going to ask?"
"You think you're the first bot to try? I have even the guards hot on my trail sometimes. But I'd rather be with someone down to Cybertron," she winked. "So, D-16, impress me."
That had him turn and silently hold the widest grin he ever had. He made sure to work extra hard until it was their time, and Orion saw his giddiness and just waved his friend off with a shout of "good luck." He raced to Maccadam's, a downtown, homely bar with humble people. None of the elites ever traversed downtown much so plenty of regular transforming bots were about.
He spotted RC in a booth with her legs crossed and her servos drumming on them patiently. She smiled as D-16 took his seat across from her.
"You look happy to see me, didn't think I'd show?"
RC laughed, "Well, I was worried more that I would chicken out. You see, I'm not as outgoing in public places as I am with familiars."
"Social anxiety?"
"Well, yes and no."
D-16 slowly got it and nodded, "Transformer hassles."
RC shrugged, "Not all cogless bots are just miners, and some have to make extra rations on the side when we're considered less than...I'm sorry..."
She showed brief worry and seemed like she was about to get up and leave thinking she spoke too much, but D-16 shook his head in assurance. "No, no, no, you are doing what you need to survive. I get that. I see you, RC."
The comfort of his words made her smile return and they began exchanging stories.
"Aren't you a huge fan of Megatronus Prime, the fearless warrior?"
D-16 waddled his helm trying not to blurt out all the details and fascinations he had of the Prime. "Something like that."
RC was handed a drink by the waitress and said, "My favorite is Solus Prime and her mighty forge. She was badass."
He grinned like mad. "She was. You know Megatronus and Solus were said to be inseparable. They would fight together, make decisions together, and they were supposedly in love with one another."
"Oh? Is that so? Sounds interesting."
He began telling her of what he knew of Megatronus, including Solus as much as he could and adored her closeted fascination slowly coming into the light. He apparently found out in return Solus had made most all of the Primes' hand-held weapons, Sentinel's double-bladed sword as well, by RC knowing someone in the archives. He believed her. She seemed like someone who wouldn't lie to him.
The conversation lasted for most of the night, and they didn't even realize they were supposed to report back to their sleeping quarters until well into several drinks and a surprise visit from Darkwing. The two were laughing up a storm at a joke RC made which died when they had to sheepishly peer up at the angered Seeker.
"Date night is over, miners. Get back to the slums before I kick your sorry afts over there."
"Always have to cause a scene, don't you, Darkwing?" RC suddenly spoke up, much to D-16's surprise.
Darkwing placed his servos on the table and menacingly leaned over her with a sarcastic, "For you, little lady, always. Now, move it!"
They were abruptly marched back onto a train that stopped nearby and Darkwing rode with them to make sure they went home. D-16 and RC-841 sneered silently at the windows in front of them, occasionally shooting Darkwing a glare or two before RC casually leaned and whispered, "I sometimes wonder what crawled up his tailpipe and died."
D-16 tried his hardest not to laugh, biting back a smile that threatened to appear. When they were home and Darkwing watched until they entered the barracks before leaving them, a few bots were still up but Orion was fast asleep.
D-16 palmed his hips with a low voice, "Well, I, uh, I hope we get to do this again someday."
"I do too. I enjoyed that. I don't come across a lot of individuals I can talk to about stuff I like, that we both like. You get some good recharge, Dee. See you tomorrow on shift?"
"Yeah, absolutely. See ya, Cee," he said back. He saw her blush at the nickname and went back to her station in the other room. With a fist pump, he nearly jogged in place at how well the date went. He went to recharge keeping that smile.
He saw her many times afterwards, sometimes only in quick glances and tried his best to at least acknowledge her and other times, there were resting periods where they would talk a little between shifts and conflicting schedules. Even if it was just stupid complaints about things. He was willing to do anything to hear her voice.
They met again one night, and she met with him on top of their shared building watching the traffic zoom by farther out. She had a childish wonder to her sightseeing that he didn't mind her comments on. Then she struck him with an unusual question.
"Do you ever think we were made for something else?"
D-16 sat on a ledge with her pondering the question before replying, "You sound like Orion...but I suppose there could be something out there. Sentinel seems to be trying to find a way to where we don't need to mine anymore."
"The Matrix of Leadership? I always thought that was a myth though. I mean how can something like that just disappear?"
"It still must be on the surface somewhere, but Sentinel will find it one day. It can't stay hidden from us forever. For now, we can only do our part, right?"
RC wasn't as sure as him, but she nodded, "Sentinel is a valiant protector. He's my idol after Solus. It's not him I doubt."
D-16 gently patted her thigh. "One day, we'll all be able see free flowing Energon again. We'll see a new world together. I promise that. You just sometimes have to grin and bear it. We need to help keep Cybertron's citizens fueled and active. May not be the prettiest job, but we're doing something spectacular."
She gave a hum of approval and placed her servo over his, looking at him with comfort. "You always know how to make reason out of even the slightest doubts."
"A trick or two I may have learned from Orion admittedly. After all, I save the mech more often than not. You pick up a thing or two spending forever with the likes of him."
She laughed and so did he. Then he froze when she placed a simple kiss on his cheek and leaned her helm against his shoulder. He could practically feel his gears popping out of place and his vents hissing with steam. In a spur of the moment decision, he gently rested his helm on top of hers with an engine purr. She didn't seem to mind at all.
D-16 waved her off as she left with her team. He went with Orion to a separate area to report to Elita. Orion gave him a few nudges with a wink and he pushed the mech away scoffing.
The day started off like any other. He made his rounds producing Energon ore trying to beat Orion for the record. He made it a personal challenge to rival RC's team in who could fill up the most carts. As soon as the tunnel gave a warning rumble, they evacuated their equipment and support beams to let it shift and collapse on its own minutes later.
Another team took the next opening that indicated with a second rumble following while Elita praised them. In their break time, D-16 went over to watch RC's team pulling out of the tunnel area that was next to shift. She high-fived Beta and Blaster as the last cart was pushed to processing.
D-16 clapped his servos together mockingly, "Finest production of Energon ever. Marvelous. Top notch."
"Shut up, Dee," she sneered.
"How many carts did you load this time?"
"Total of thirty. Beat that," she said crossing her arms.
D-16 made a faux wince and stretched. "Ow, that's a lot. Too bad we...got a healthy thirty-four carts in."
RC scoffed, "Thirty-four, huh?"
"Yep, I did just beat that, Cee," he replied overconfidently crossing his arms.
"Well, from what my sister told me, you actually got twenty-four."
She pointed past him laughing. His grin faltered and he peered back behind him to see Elita leaning on an empty cart smirking and holding up a data pad claiming otherwise. He bit his lip and tapped his digits against his arms with his ego now deflated.
"I...may have intentionally miscounted. Wanting to win and lying about it isn't a crime, is it?"
RC shrugged and walked past him, lightly flicking his shoulder playfully. "Depends on what you're trying to win, hot shot."
He laughed off the embarrassment. Of course, the girls were in cahoots with one another. Friendly sibling rivalry like Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, but Elita hated dishonesty. Whether or not RC was the same way or lying the same as him knowing he would, he was unsure of. He suspiciously detected maybe the latter.
They met up again this time in their building next to RC's recharge section. The barracks were seldom with bots with them hitting a few bars or still working. He found she liked using him as something to rest against. This time he was sitting upright against a beam next to the bench and she was back facing between his legs and laying her head on his sternum typing up her mandatory report for the day of her numbers, legs completely up and occupying the remainder of the bench. He didn't mind at all.
"I still think you didn't get thirty carts."
"Yeah? And what's your proof? Where's your twenty-four? Or was it even less than that?" RC mocked.
D-16 scowled, "It's twenty-four, solid twenty-four...and a half."
"Sure it is."
He flicked her helm sneering at her comment. She merely laughed at his envy. He let go of it rather quickly, hearing her enjoy his lust for competition and being a sore loser. Orion came around the corner and saw the two which made them both pause.
"I didn't know you two were still here. I'm going to go into recharge for a bit, just letting you know in case...um...you were wanting to talk about something more private."
D-16 replied, "It's alright, Orion, it's not what it seems."
RC didn't say anything at first, and Orion awkwardly left into the other section of the level. After a few minutes, she then asked, "Do you want us to be like that?"
D-16's processor stuttered. "Like...what?"
She sat up and turned effortlessly to face him with a smile. He was afraid and slowly brought up his legs to curl closer to him while pressing against the beam when she leaned forward. His yellow optics went wide when they were nearly nose-to-nose.
"W-What about Elita?"
"My sister doesn't need to know everything about us," she whispered.
Then, every mechanical organ in his body felt like they were going to explode when her lips kissed his. D-16 had absolutely no clue what he was doing. He didn't really know how to continue but let RC take the lead. Slowly, she taught him what to do with the motions and he mimicked her to pick up on his own rhythm. The kiss felt nice. Fireworks were going off in his mind.
As soon as there was the sound of the doors opening somewhere in the distance, RC retreated calmly. D-16 had his optics closed and opened them to gaze into her star-stricken ones. He wanted more, but he knew stopping was probably the best option.
She seemed to get skittish hearing other bots get closer and broke eye contact to stand up abruptly. Nothing else was said when she left for her recharge station. D-16 barely noticed her leave, staring ahead in front of him processing what just happened. His servo crept up and slid across his lips delicately like he didn't want the foreign numbness to stop. With a deep sigh, he twitched and gave a flash of a smile.
There was nothing he could compare the feeling to. He didn't want to anyways. D-16 wanted more.
It wasn't that he was persistent, but he always snagged a kiss or two from her secretly between breaks and at the end of shifts. Orion was already aware, being friends with him and all. There was no way of hiding that and all the jokes that D-16 endured because of this.
"So, you and 'Cee, huh? Official?"
D-16 snapped a little too aggressively, optics flaring almost orange, "Don't call her that!...Only I can call her that. It's RC to you. You can call me 'Dee', but 'Cee' is reserved for her through me only."
The possessive comment threw Orion off for a second before he let it slide with a mere grunt. "Alright, RC it is."
"But yes, we've grown quite attached."
Orion patted his shoulder, "Proud of you, buddy."
D-16 then asked, "Is it...is it normal to-to feel this way about someone?"
"I thought you loved me already, but jokes aside, yes, happens all the time. Iron has a crush on Chromia, two-time racing champion. Wheeljack and Ratchet were once together...I think they were forced to be separated but don't quote me on that. Jazz and Blaster have their music thing going, Sideswipe is in a relationship with a Transformer named Jolt, don't let his brother know, and Flare-66 is with Moon-R47."
"I don't mean that." D-16 then explained, "I mean to want to protect them and-and keep them from all of...this?"
"What do you mean? Protect her from...from us?"
"You know what? Never mind," the grey mech emphasized, "I'm just thinking out loud. Sorry. Stray thought."
He didn't like how offput Orion seemed about it. He wanted to protect RC. Was there truly anything wrong with that? Orion was looking at him like there was something wrong with the way he said it, but they were immediately called away before Orion could press the issue to places D-16 didn't think were necessary.
It lingered in his mind though. RC was his now. He worked too hard and too much to win a chance to be happy and Orion wasn't acting like his happiness was right. It annoyed him greatly.
He snuck back to RC after his shift and grabbed her waist to hide both behind untouched crates. She gave a little laugh and let him pepper her with kisses before pushing away lightly.
"Stop, you're going to get me in trouble, Dee," she snickered.
"Well, if you get in trouble, I'll go down with you."
She had to place two digits on his lips to prevent him from doing anything more. "Seriously, we need to stop, or Beta is going to have a fit her best worker is gone. Meet me on the rooftop and we'll pick up on this, okay?"
She stood up and coasted her servo under his chin. D-16, however, was hardly pleased by that. He wanted to be with her now. A sliver of envy and anger arose within him, but he quickly shut it down finding the sudden feelings inappropriate.
That evening, they met on the rooftop again, but RC wasn't in the mood to be touched. It irked him. He said nothing though to deduce just why this was. He got his answer and fumed about it.
"Beta just got demoted. She, uh, was caught with her conjux off the clock by Darkwing and his ilk. Apparently, our relationship has inspired others to bloom...but they don't really want any of us together. That's why I was hesitant back at work. There were already rumors going about."
"Darkwing needs to stay out of bots' lives," he growled. "Every time someone does something outside protocol that doesn't affect the masses, they come down on us. It's stupid. Orion doesn't help keep them off our afts by enticing them with his antics. You know, I love my best friend, but I'm getting tired of saving him."
"Orion is a special breed of bot. In my opinion, he doesn't really strike me as someone who should be down here actually."
D-16 raised a brow, "What?"
RC responded, "Well, he has more ambition to discover things than any other miner and since he came to work with us, there's always something off about him, like they chose wrong. I think with all those ideas and explorative qualities, he would be an excellent archivist instead."
"Hmph," the mech snorted, not liking how they were now talking about Orion, "not to mention the constant chatter. Makes sense. You know what he told me he's going to try and do? He's trying to sneak into the archives to look up information on the Primes and the Matrix. He's obsessed. If he gets caught again, I swear-!"
"He's your friend. He wouldn't do anything to make you miserable. Elita secretly takes a shine to him. If he grows out of his more childish personality, she thinks he would make a fine leader right after her."
D-16's optics flared slightly. "And what about me, Cee? Where would that leave me?"
The defensiveness made RC backtrack. "You...You would do excellent as a leader too, don't get me wrong."
"Everyone talks about Orion always having a way with words, always being this inspiration when he isn't getting us in trouble, but I wonder if he does, what will happen to me? I'm the one who makes sure he isn't thrown in the gutters. I'm the one who saves him, and even you think he has a better chance than me, Cee?"
"No, I didn't say that!" RC snarled, "Don't put words into my mouth, Dee."
"You just did."
The response stunned RC, and she shook her head before storming off. He suddenly shot up and grabbed her arm not liking how she turned her back on him but as soon as she sent a wordless death glare at him for daring to do such a thing, he frowned at his own reaction and slowly let go of her. He wanted to tell her he was sorry, but she was already through the door.
"RC, please talk to me."
"RC, I need you."
She never responded to her commlink, no reply whatsoever. They seldomly talked on it anyway, but he figured he could try it. There was painful silence between them for a few days. He still didn't fully understand what he did wrong nor why he responded like that. D-16 looked at his worn servos and grimaced. Was it truly wrong to react like that?
He then wondered if Megatronus and Solus ever fought like this. His inspiration and hers were meant to be together maybe like they were supposed to. They were supposed to be together, right? Yes, he would make sure of that.
He went to her with a solemn expression, pitiful and remorseful. RC didn't acknowledge him at first as she was still upset how he took the conversation off the rails. Maybe he did go a little too far. When she turned around finally, he placed his forehead on her chest with a sigh.
"Call me an idiot."
"Okay, you're an idiot," RC said without missing a beat. Just as snappy and to the point like Elita.
He couldn't help but smile at how she said it and replied, "I'm sorry, Cee, I don't know what came over me. Can you forgive me?"
She hissed, "It's going to take a lot more than that...but I'll think on it."
That was more than enough, and he went upright to gaze into her stricter but considerate optics. "I shouldn't have made the conversation all about me. I just...get a little tired of Orion always being the first everyone considers between us. His ideas are great, don't get me wrong, but I want a say too."
"Then why don't you put in your opinion more and talk to him? Telling me how you feel about Orion isn't going to fix anything. I think your infatuation with me has gotten to your head, Dee. Let's take a breather and you go keep an eye on your friendship first. I think that's where all this is coming from. You always let him lead. Maybe it's time you took charge."
RC gave him one last brief kiss and left it at that. D-16 stomped his pede down irritably. From progress to stage one again. Orion Pax seemed to accidentally interfere with his life away from him too. Granted, he loved the mech as a brother, but Orion's antics would be the death of him.
D-16 considered their break a necessity for the time being, and he would do as she suggested in dealing with his and Orion's relationship first. Maybe that's where the anger was really coming from. He agreed and left her alone.
Of course, then Orion pulled a wicked stunt two months later after salvaging their friendship and happened to find him a sticker of Megatronus Prime's symbol...
D-16 saw red knowing Sentinel's true nature. He saw nothing but a traitor, a bot he had looked up to, all of them in fact, that destroyed their chance of creating their own futures and robbing them of their cogs for slaves to exploit. He thought of RC and the others...all the effort she put into surviving down in the mines with him wasted by a lie.
He deserved to pay.
Watching Sentinel cower, struggling to scurry back now flightless and without his weapons like a scared sparkling brought him little satisfaction. He didn't want to see the mech just beg for life; he wanted to see him die.
Then Orion did the stupidest thing and got in his way. The hole in him was trivial as D-16 couldn't believe his friend would do that. But he would, wouldn't he? The fool. Even as he tried to hold onto him, all he saw was prodding, arrogant, idiotic Orion Pax who always got them in trouble, who always had to break the rules, and who always tried to be this positive light but didn't know when to quit being a nuisance and make the hard decisions. No, he was always in D-16's way...just like Sentinel and just like all the bots who obeyed the coward.
His head snapped up with optics now a blazing red. "I'm done saving you."
Letting go, he didn't care about Orion's fall. He picked the mech up so much that it became unbearable. Never again. D-16 grabbed Sentinel without a second thought, a false Prime. Not even that. Over his head, he ripped the mech in half and gazed out into the audience of the High Guard and the miners gathered, all displaying forms of shock, a few in fear. Then he saw her.
RC was looking up at him next to Jazz. She was horrified. In his rage though, he barely acknowledged that. He grabbed the cog of Megatronus Prime out of the lifeless husk and inserted it into himself. His body changed and he stood with intimidation with his newly formatted weapon.
"I am Megatron!"
The High Guard was smitten but the miners were scared. RC looked at him with fear and a slight twinkle of disappointment. He kept his dark expression, but deep down it cut him to see her now look at him like he was the monster. When she took a step back, just one, it all but made him wince. That was until Orion Pax shot out of the core of Cybertron with the Matrix of Leadership in his chest.
A Prime. Primus made him a Prime...after all he sacrificed to make Sentinel pay for his treason. Envy, wrath, and pride all swelled inside D-16...no...Megatron was his name. Megatron saw red, and it was here to stay.
Fighting his former friend was the nail in the coffin. He hated Orion and he hated the Primes. His defeat with a damaged weapon and a look of betrayal from his new enemy made him loathe the mech more than ever. The Matrix would be his or be destroyed. How dare he?
Banished. That was Prime's first action. Megatron growled his enemy's name and limped past him only to see RC for a brief second. She was to the side...and she didn't try to stop him. It stung his spark and in the heat of the moment, he glared at her. She didn't try to go to his aid, didn't even move to try and say a word against the injustice. Traitor.
As he drove up to Cybertron's surface with the High Guard he now commanded, hatred was all he could feel. None of his fellow miners dared to come with him nor RC. They were never his family, and she never truly loved him. That had to be it. Well, they could keep Iacon. A new world above will feel the wrath of the mighty Megatron.
A year later...
Autobots they called themselves. Pitiful name. He hated it. Optimus Prime was leading former miners and civilians now equipped with cogs of their own. They didn't deserve them. He planned to take Iacon by storm one day and make all of them pay for their treachery.
The Quintessions seldom came around once they figured out of Sentinel's death. They would attack again but for now, the surface of Cybertron in the midst of his established Kaon would be there to take on them as a Decepticon empire. The Decepticons were prepared for anything this time. No more sneak attacks like the stunt Airachnid pulled.
Megatron watched his legion grow to even obtain grounders like Swindle and Breakdown who didn't agree with Optimus Prime's ideology. He accepted them with a brief warning. They obeyed with loyalty. There was one face he wanted to see more than anything, but she never did come to him. He sneered at that but kept it a secret.
Not longer after he gained more followers did a battle occur. The Autobots were on the surface, and he didn't tolerate that. With a heavy command of destruction to all, Megatron led the Decepticons to intercept. The Autobots apparently learned how to use weapons installed in them between the last time he saw many of them.
Iron-H1, now dubbed Ironhide, had a set of twin cannons and one extra on his back. With a snort, the red mech charged the nearest Decepticon, Lugnut, with a battle cry. Others like Wheeljack and Sunstreaker were quick to provide back up. Megatron fired at anyone in range until he saw a blur of pink and white. It distracted him long enough to suddenly get hit by a hard-striking Chromia.
He was livid and quickly grabbed her to slam her on the ground to get her away from him. He stomped forward quickly searching the battlefield when he spotted a cartwheeling femme who then kicked up under the chin of an unfortunate Seeker. He saw her then avoid blaster fire to use agility he had never seen before to constrict and kill another by wrapping her leg around the neck and bending it to touch her aft to pop the helm clean off. Megatron was ultimately stunned by that.
Sure enough, he gazed at the one and only Arcee now with a beautiful coat of armor and certainly doing a number on his troops. His spark skipped a beat like it had done so long ago. A flash of a smirk played on his mouth even if it was a loss to him. He had never seen her fight and wasn't disappointed at all by her combination of her flexibility and her fighting skills. He jumped into her battle eagerly, punching away his own Decepticon and catching her arm after sneaking up on her in the same motion. The look he got was priceless.
"Miss me, Cee?"
Arcee narrowed her optics and abruptly kicked his wrist to let go of her. He was surprised by that but all too excited to play along. He threw a fist her way and she caught it in return to flip over it and cause his arm to twist which she then sent a hard kick to his faceplates in range when he had to pull forward to lessen the tension. In his brief stun, she swiped his legs out from under him, a move he knew she learned from Elita, and displayed an impressive energy sword to point down at him in warning.
She all but grinned mockingly, "Hello, Dee."
He would never allow any bot to call him that ever again but hearing it from Arcee rang different. "You still look beautiful."
"Save the flattery, Megatron."
"I can't admit you still look magnificent after all this time? Optimus Prime's lieutenant as I've heard a few rumors floating about," he hissed in the last part. "You chose the wrong side."
"I chose what I felt was right...even if I had to let you go to make that decision," Arcee frowned.
The tip of her blade pressed against Megatron's throat which he all but chuckled at. The ferocity was new; he liked it. She would have made a fine Decepticon with his throne.
A sudden explosion burst near them and Megatron took his cue to throw her off and flip upright into a battle-ready pose. She fell back but recovered in her own way, sword at the ready. In response, he pointed his triple-barrel cannon at her, reveling how she stared it down fearlessly. He wouldn't shoot her, but he wasn't about to give up in making her see how foolish she was being.
He was then tackled by Optimus and growled as they toppled into a roll. Arcee got struck by Slipstream, breaking up their little reunion against his will. He struck Optimus in rage at the interruption but never lost sight of her. Slipstream made her do fancy footwork to avoid being stabbed and shot. She prioritized her agility to make the most of the battle when she was rendered weaponless. She was a fighter, through and through.
He headbutted Optimus and threw him away with a dangerous roar. Before he could get to Arcee, the Autobots were starting to get overwhelmed, and Optimus had no choice but to call it. Arcee transformed making a circle and swiping Slipstream's pedes out from under her as a last insult. She fled alongside Prime, a hint of envy crawling back to Megatron.
First, the Prime steals the Matrix and now, he steals his girl. A snort echoed out of Megatron's vents in hatred for that mech.
"Permission to pursue, Lord Megatron."
He held up a servo solely focused on Arcee leaving him. With a strained smile, he shook his helm. "No, let the cowards run to lose another day. I can wait to take what I want."
And he planned to make good on that. Autobot prisoners were tortured and executed, some of them the same miners he once worked alongside. He found the irony of it, but there was one Autobot he needed that no one could capture. It irked him so. Each attempt was met with high defense from Arcee and the Autobots she commanded. No one touched her.
Fine, the game was afoot.
Megatron never did stop thinking about her though even at their base. He remembered their first kiss. She was so eager. He wanted more, but she refused. Now that he had the power, he figured he could just take what he wanted. It was never that simple. She would never come to him...
While he sat on his throne, he had a thought. It was a far cry from it working, no guarantee. He reached to the side of his helm and wondered if she still had her original commlink frequency.
"Arcee...I need you," he all but whispered.
He set his servo down after a minute of silence peeved. Just then, he got something back.
"Didn't think you would be calling me," Arcee blurted out.
"You didn't change it after all," he smiled.
"No, a part of me hoped that the miner I knew, the mech I cared about, would someday come home."
"Iacon is not my home and never will be. I'll take it over as something else, and the mech you knew was a loyal fool."
"Then the mech I knew did die fighting Sentinel, or was it long before that? You crossed the line killing him like that," Arcee hissed back. He didn't answer as he heard her beg, "Please, Megatron, don't let that be the last memory I have of you..."
He suddenly replied out of the blue, "Join me instead. I can't go back, but you can come back to me. My Solus, we are meant to be together."
Arcee seemed hesitant to respond. His expression dropped with a hint of sadness not long after.
"No, Megatron, we aren't."
His expression twisted darkly. "Then I'll make sure you won't forget me..."
Before she had a chance to say anything, he hung up his end of the commlink. If she wasn't going to come willingly, he would force her to. All of them would bow before Lord Megatron. No more waiting for others to decide for him, no more pretending that his needs weren't as important. Everything would be his even if Cybertron itself must fall.
AN: Dark, huh? So, to those who made it to the end presumably having watched the movie, did you like it? I loved it, but I had to just test waters for where this pairing lied since the main four don't really interact with any of the other miners in heavy detail aside from a scene with Jazz. Hopefully, they make a sequel but I thought I would explain the origin of Megatron's more possessive nature as well.