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shadow_vector2010-04-30 06:38 am
Redeem 16 Where Loyalties Lie
Bayverse
Megatron, Skywarp, Starscream, Vortex
no warnings
A/N Plot ensues. And I start actually attempting to be post-ROTF canon compliant. Yeah, good luck with that, right?
16. Where Loyalties Lie
Nemesis
Skywarp was stripping off the jamming nodes, a few kliks ahead of Starscream’s return. Two small crews of drones hustled to pick up the nodes and put them back in storage, racing between his legs. “Good news?” he asked as Starscream flew in, twisting to land on his feet.
Starscream looked uncomfortable. “I do not know. It appears that he is online. But that the humans have taken him.”
Skywarp frowned. “Megatron…was held by these humans as well?” Skywarp always was good at piecing these things together.
“Megatron was in stasis,” Starscream said, helplessly. Not sure how that changed anything. Or if it did.
Skywarp handed the last of the jamming nodes to a crew of drones. “How do we find out where he is?”
“He is on an aircraft carrier. That is all I know.”
“That doesn’t narrow it down much. Signal?”
“They were able to block my energy signature on Diego Garcia. Doubtless they can use the same technology on Barricade in one of these carriers.” Starscream crossed over to fill out the flight log, more for some distraction than anything else. He’d thought, the flight back here, that Flareup had given him some useful information. But suddenly, once again Skywarp threw his shortcomings back in his face. All without meaning to, of course. Which made it worse. There was no vindictiveness in Skywarp’s spark toward his Trine mate. It just happened, all the time, that Skywarp highlighted Starscream’s inadequacies.
“What do we normally do in these situations?”
“Normally? We ask Barricade.” Or Soundwave, but somehow he didn’t really want to bring the satellite in on this. He was aware how bitter he sounded.
Skywarp brushed against him, coding himself into the flight log as well. “We’ll find a way,” he said, softly.
“A suggestion?” The two jets whirled to face Vortex, lounging in the hangar’s shipside door. “Might want to bring your copter friend on board.”
“You?” Starscream’s snort was derisive.
An unreadable expression flickered across Vortex’s optics, and his rotors went rigid. “I was talking about Blackout, actually. The one who spent the last mission window in Tunguska? Yeah, maybe you don’t have the monopoly on giving a scrap about Barricade, you know? Just thinking, that following that, you might not have exclusive access to all the clever ideas.”
“What are you even doing here?”
“Duty officer. My job to investigate flights not pre-logged.”
“And the results of your investigation?” Starscream’s optics narrowed.
“Seeker Binary on a compatibility flight, looks like,” Vortex said, blandly.
Starscream hissed. “Why would you lie for us?” Behind Starscream, Skywarp looked intrigued. As if somehow, here, something was being revealed.
“Because what Megatron doesn’t know, he can’t stop.” He shrugged in acknowledgement of Skywarp’s curious head tilt. “We lose mechs all the time. This is a war. But,” he shook his head, “Not to the humans. We don’t have the best rules of capture, not like the Autobots,” he ignored Starscream’s outraged hiss, “But even we have our boundaries. And the humans crossed them with Megatron.” He looked up, defying Starscream to call him out for eavesdropping. “And by the way,” he shifted his feet uncomfortably, “Skywarp, Megatron wants to see you.”
*****
Skywarp ventilated himself to a false kind of patience. Summoned to speak to Megatron, and then forced to wait. Such petty power games. Had Megatron always been like this or had his captivity by the humans changed him? He began to get a glimmer of understanding why Starscream might not have had much to say. How does one report this sort of casual and petty disrespect in a way that does not smack of discontent? Better, perhaps, to say nothing. Better on one level.
He waited for Megatron to finish reading—very thoroughly, apparently—the latest report on his datapad. Then he waited another handful of kliks while Megatron eyed him up and down, studying the changes his new alt form made on him. The gaze was partly curiosity, but partly, also, intimidation. I shall stare at you, you must allow me to stare. And judge.
He bore it all with patience. This is not about me. This is about Starscream. And…he felt a sudden urge that he tried fiercely to separate from his processing. He would not allow himself to side automatically with Starscream. He must be objective. But he would not, he resolved, let Megatron handle the matter. If, in fact, there was anything truly that needed handling.
“Have you made any progress?” Somehow, from Megatron’s vocalizer, it sounded already like an accusation. You should have done more by now. I should not have to call you here.
“I have not seen him in a long time,” Skywarp said. “It takes time to rebuild that trust.”
“I thought you said your Trine bond was as strong as ever.” A more direct assault. Skywarp winced for how Starscream would have reacted.
“It is, but you want me,” he said, slyly, “to be certain, don’t you? You do not want me to merely speculate and cobble together some hasty suppositions.” Let’s see if Megatron caught that parry.
“Of course not. Any evidence you bring must be completely objective.” No: he missed it entirely. Either he was unused to oblique challenges, or so caught up in his own web he didn’t notice another strand. If he wanted objectively acceptable evidence…. Skywarp did not want to bring that thought to its conclusion.
“Objective evidence…for his unhappiness.” Skywarp spoke a bit more aggressively this time, reminding Megatron of his early charge. Time to see if he would amend that, or continue that farce.
Megatron tilted his head, coyly. The effect in all was more than a bit ghastly. A hint of a smile. “To see if his unhappiness has led to…unwise choices.”
“Of course.” Skywarp knew when to nod and obey. Still, he couldn’t resist one last challenge. “My lord,” he said, dropping his eyes. “Surely, in his defense, he was instrumental in retrieval of the Tunguska energon. Without his help…”
Megatron waved a hand. “Yes, yes. He knows where he is best. But some things, Skywarp, are above his capabilities.” Skywarp couldn’t tell if Megatron meant that to sting or not. It did.
“So, what are the plans for the energon? I hear some of the more damaged mechs are scheduled to come out of CR.” His turn of tone to the casual irritated Megatron, but Skywarp decided he liked Megatron slightly irritated. He had called Skywarp here, toyed with him, yet relied on Skywarp’s honesty. He couldn’t risk putting Skywarp off much more. Not if he expected Skywarp to do his bidding. Even Megatron realized his goads had limits.
“I have a plan.”
“I am certain you have several.” Let Megatron hear flattery in that if he wished. Skywarp intended none.
Megatron leaned back against his chair, spreading his knees apart, steepling his claws together. For a long moment, he observed Skywarp through the tangle of his long digits. “The Fallen,” he said, softly. “He made a promise. I gave him everything in service of that reward. And in the end, he tried to betray me.” His eyes went hard. Skywarp understood: this was to be a lesson for him—do not betray Megatron. He nodded.
Megatron continued. “He promised, and he shall keep that promise.”
“He’s dead.”
“At the moment.” A vague gesture with one hand, as though that were the merest inconvenience.
“You can’t—return him to life?”
A sharp bark of a laugh. “Not to life. His plans conflicted with mine. Too old fashioned. Too small in scope. I do not need another,” he stressed the adjective, “dissenter in my ranks. But he has power. And if I can access that power, without the nuisance of his sentience….” He let the thought trail off. His optics watched Skywarp’s face carefully. To bring his point home (he was not one for subtlety, Skywarp noted), he added, “You have promised me, as well.”
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...wait, this is a Megatron. Of course he hasn't realized this. I'm beginning to think any canon Megatron is blind to his own shortcomings....
Anyway, my oblique StarCade shipping is still growing. And still totally your fault. (Thank you for that!)
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I think that Bayverse Megatron is even less self-aware than the others--being frozen, vivisected and then dying via direct contact with the Allspark--probably not so good for the sanity, you know?
Oh dear god I know. I'M shipping them now. o_O
But that's only fair since I think SOMEONE has infected me with a fatal case of Cliffjumper/Sunstreaker.
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Yeah, I think being in what amounts to a coma for ages on end then killed and then brought back to life probably fries a few synapses in the process....
I hardly think it's a fatal case. Just a drawn-out and sometimes annoying addiction.
...and I know, I just know, that if a prompt for them shows up on TF Rare Pairing any time soon, I'm gonna be all over it like white on rice.
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You Movie-Warp is interesting. Unusually shrewd for a Skywarp. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.
I wonder what Megatron would think of Barricade being taken by the humans?
Zat out.
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