Chapter Text
Megatron did an awful lot of brooding lately.
D-16 didn't brood. He worked. Pits, he hardly thought. Maybe, if anything, he cradled a fantasy of hope.
No. D-16 didn't brood. But he was dead. Megatron had plenty to think about. To mull over, and digest. Hot anger simmered into a cold jagged rage that just felt like home, like it had always been there. As much a part of him as the Spark in his core.
The ruins of Kaon beckoned. He stared at the remains of a once great gladiatorial colosseum, the one created by Megatronus himself for honourable warriors to prove their worth.
Bloodshed was simply part of being more.
Then? It was nothing more than a pit surrounded by rubble. The remains of the city's extensive tunnels peeking out from dismal eroding pavement. There would be a new home to hide until they could rise against the Prime and his own glimmering city. Simply a new face on an old frame of smoke and mirrors.
Megatron took a moment to grieve.
Orion Pax died with D-16. Hand in hand, as always destined. It was better that way.
Optimus Prime and Megatron were perfect strangers. It made sense that way.
"Megatron-"
The large silver tank whipped his helm around fiercely to face the intruder. Starscream. Megatron did not relax, only stared silently until the Seeker explained himself. Megatron still was not quite sure how to conduct himself around the high guard. They were all a great many vorns older than himself, and yet he was their leader. This brought him great pride, but also a conundrum of when to listen to council, and when to listen to his own instinct. So far it didn't hurt to hear out the council first before dismissing it.
"Apologies for interrupting, the guard is proposing we set camp now, the Quintesson ships will be scouting this area soon."
Megatron nodded. This was sound advice.
"In the tunnels," he directed, "there are many places to hide under Kaon."
He did not acknowledge he knew of this from Orion's archive excursions.
Starscream stiffened.
"Megatron, sir, no disrespect, but the flight frames will not be pleased. They would prefer the spires."
The young leader snorted and rounded on his new subordinate with a harsh scold.
"Say it plainly, Starscream. You would prefer the spires. Down in the mines I also preferred the upper levels, but my preference meant nothing."
Starscream got a strange glint in his optics, but bowed his head respectfully.
"Of course, I'll direct the guard to the tunnels."
The Seeker turned to alt and blasted away to the others. Megatron watched his retreat with disdain. The previous leader of the guard was far too willing to follow his instruction. He did prove his worth after their first fight fritzed the Seeker's vocalizer but no truly longstanding leader would stand down so easily. Megatron may have beaten Starscream first in the high guard hideout and Sentinel in front of all of Iacon, but he could not match the freshly spawned Optimus Prime. Yet.
Megaton shook his helm vigorously. There had to be a catch, and Megatron was not willing to wait much longer to find out.
***
Starscream was found in one of alcoves, scouting out where he would recharge with a distinctly disdainful expression at the dusty, rubble-covered floor of the tunnels. Megatron felt at ease, his own cycles of experience underground meant he knew very well these tunnels were quite structurally sound considering their age, and miles better than the smoggy soot-filled unstable energon veins deep under Iacon. Yes. The home field advantage away from home.
"Starscream."
It was the Seeker's turn to whip his helmet around, cornered.
"Megatron," he addressed with a strangely tight tone. Megatron grinned cruelly. Despite its healing, the seeker's vocalizer tended to fritz around him.
"I'm curious," Megatron pondered, caging Starscream in further to the alcove, taller than him with Megatronus' cog turning steadily in his chest. The fusion cannon on his arm was a comforting weight (the reattachment wields still stung some).
"Of what, may I ask?" The seeker was finding his composure quickly.
"You've surrendered your leadership far too easily for as long as you've led the high guard. What do you make of it?"
Megatron felt no need to conceal his thoughts. That was for the scheming likes of golden Primes.
"As said before," Starscream waved a servo with a careless flip, "we acknowledge the strength of one mech over another, and your strength succeeds mine. Even more so now," the flier dared lean closer, "it would be foolish to challenge you again. I am happy to assist you in anyway you need to maintain order over the guard."
Megatron wasn't satisfied with that answer, but he couldn't think of a rebuttal. Without concealing his pondering expression, Starscream caught the moment of insecurity clearly.
"Unless, of course, you would like another challenge. You would win again, of course. But if it would put you at ease you could prove your superiority over me again, just to be sure," Starscream practically purred. Megatron's confusion only deepened. What motive would the formal commander of the high guard have to be humiliated and harmed again?
"Anytime you wish it, I'll be ready," Starscream twiddled his digits and slid by the contemplative Megatron back into the dim tunnels.
Megatron sorely missed the council of Orion for such a bizarre proposal. But of course, he was dead.
***
"Why."
Starscream whirled around again, rapidly becoming familiar with the frighteningly silent approaches of his new leader.
"Why?"
"Why would you propose a rematch for power? You said it yourself, I'd defeat you again. Easily."
Starscream swallowed down the urge to coo. He knew Megatron was young, but in these moments he was especially naive. He hadn't the slightest clue. Starscream would have to spell it out... but subtly. He wouldn't wish to scandalize the poor mech.
"It would be for your sake, sir," Starscream layered on a bit thick, "assure the guard of your abilities and let off... some stress. I'm sure since we left Iacon you have some need to release the rage you feel for Ori-"
"Orion Pax is dead," Megatron snapped suddenly, raising a hand. Starscream appropriately flinched and instinctively covered his neck. Megatron's eyes blazed with anguished rage, hand lowering in a fist still as a threat.
"Yes, yes of course. I mean Optimus, Optimus Prime. Sparring only does so much for the tension, yes?"
Starscream cocked his helm, taking a submissive hunched pose in front of the massive silver mech.
Megatron pondered this openly again.
"Hit me," Starscream blurted out before he could bite his glossa, "hit me and see how it feels."
A crease of doubt appeared between the brows of Megatron's faceplate.
"Why? You have yet to challenge me."
"What, never felt the urge to hit your little friend? Hm? Orion Pax and his glitch-brained absurd schemes-"
Starscream yelped as his entire face stung with a great clank of metal against metal. Megatron had hit him.
"Of course! But I didn't because he wasn't an infuriating worm like you!" the younger bot hissed.
"Again," Starscream panted, array growing hot. Oh, he'd been craving this.
"Why?" Megatron roared, properly angry. He had no idea what Starscream's angle was for this. There was no audience to impress.
Starscream laughed, maniacal.
"Why did you rip Sentinel in two? Why did you to attempt to fight a bot with the Matrix? Why did you choke me to near death? What drives you to the edge of animal violence?"
Megatron's expression deepened to greater anguish. Optics flickered as he dug deep in his processor. The fire red lights lightened to a frightened amber. He backed away from Starscream.
"Stop," he commanded, voice thick with emotion.
"No, no I won't," Starscream cackled, pursuing Megatron, "you liked it. It felt good. It got you hot in places you never felt before in that little cogless miner form. I feel it too. I felt it when you first jammed your helm into my teeth. Bliss, pain and bliss."
"Stop!"
Megatron stopped retreating and strained against the urge to shut up the seeker the way he had before.
Orion had once brought back a data pad from the archives, one about interfacing. They'd giggled and skipped recharging on the roof of the miner housing to read it. Without a transformation cog they could not replicate the diagrams, panels below firmly locked in place for eternity. It didn't stop them from trying, clumsily. Megatron held those memories preciously, feeling like they'd gotten away with being more than 'faceless cogless miners, just like Orion said they could.
Megatron's HUD lit up with interfacing protocols as the memories rushed through his processor. Cycles of neglected array burned.
"I can feel the heat from you," Starscream practically moaned, swaying closer, "come on. You're our lord, Megatron. Yours to take however you please. It's only natural."
"Stay back!" Megatron shouted, finally shoving back Starscream who yelped, falling flat on his aft.
It twinged something in his array. He wanted to pounce on the seeker again, threaten and beat him into dented metal.
Megatron stormed away, heavy pedes shaking the tunnel's structure. He refused to acknowledge any of the HUD requests to deal with his newfound interfacing code cascades.
***
Shockwave showed Megatron the brand of Megatronus' helm. It was sharp edges and clean cuts with perfect symmetry.
"Very good," Megatron mused. Shockwave was a stable presence. His ancient Empurata punishments were unsettling at first but quickly became steady and familiar. Shockwave wasted no words on frivolity.
"Approval noted. I will begin casting."
Megatron made to move on and watch the rest of his new subordinates when Shockwave reset his vocalizer obviously.
The new leader paused, waiting. Shockwave didn't turn to face him again, and neither did Megatron.
"Starscream was an insufficient leader. Your ruthlessness is far superior," Shockwave stated. Megatron's spark clenched slightly, taking it as a form of reassurance from the ancient scientist. He appreciated the praise, and instead inquired into to the former part of the statement.
"How was he insufficient?" Megatron asked, "besides his obvious contentment with stagnation?"
Shockwave was quiet for a long moment, heat of the small forge lighting them both in red, harsh lighting.
"Starscream craved domination. Not of Sentinel, but of himself. It was... grating."
"Hmm."
Megatron left the makeshift forging room and into the cold darkness of the tunnels once again.
The burden of leadership was a give and take. Megatron resolved to never be taken from.
Not knowingly, at least.
***
"Harder! Harder!" Starscream cried out.
"Shut your Primus forsaken intake before I weld it shut!" Megatron snarled.
Starscream answered with a whimper as Megatron punctuated his threat with a hard punch to the helm, leaving the seeker dazed and blissfully wordless. The frame beneath Megatron jerked suddenly, spinal strut arching into a beautiful shape above the berth.
"You overloaded from that? Pathetic," Megatron cackled at his semi-conscious underling. With Starscream sufficiently too out of it to speak while his processor rebooted, Megatron could shut down his optics and imagine his spike was thoroughly pounding a different valve.
"Orion-" Megatron muttered, motions growing gentler. Then the vision of Orion morphed into Optimus Prime and then dreadfully, to Sentinel. Megatron's angered grief raised an ugly head and he started to move viciously again, frame below creaking dangerously with a small voice making a noise of pain.
"Shut up!" He snapped, slapping the face that dared make a sound. The slap turned into another punch, into folding the seeker almost in half while punching him in the tender minimally armoured side. Starscream's protoform was thoroughly bruised but he always came crawling back for more.
It didn't feel good. Not how it seemed to feel good for Starscream, somehow. But Megatron was so, so angry and there was a perfect place to put it.
It was at times like this, after overloading and Starscream was fragged and beaten into a deep stasis next to him, Megatron felt like D-16 wasn't dead.
D-16 was far too alive, crying out in never-ending longing. Trapped, forever at the edge of the fall into the core of Cybertron, clinging to a dying Orion he could never save but doesn't know it yet. The hanging fragility in his processor made it difficult to know exactly when D-16 ended and Megatron started. Surely they were separate, or else Orion Pax was-
No.
He stared at the plain steel ceiling of his private quarters on the Nemesis.
Orion Pax was dead. D-16 was dead. Megatron killed them both that day.
Only Megatron remained.