Hunted Species and other TF fictions

The Seeker stirred a little and set his hand by his side. Mechanically, azure fingers explored the metal of the berth in search of angular surfaces and cool metal to caress. They found none. Slowly, ruby red optics flickered to life and a sleepy dark face rose from an ocean of gold.

“Megatron?”

Disconcerted by the absence of his partner, Starscream scanned the darkness of their quarters and then stared at the material that covered him. It was a thin film of metal, treated to absorb the energy of the berth and recharge passively the Transformer who would wear it. He had once seen some copies in one of the Museums of Cybertron, and had found the idea interesting but old-fashioned.

“Megatron?” he once again called, to no avail.

Starscream sighed and checked his internal clock. Never in the past had he recharged for such a long time, and at the same time had felt so relaxed. He sank back into the berth and pulled up the blanket, falling down into a sweet feeling of comfort. Then he played the movie of the previous night. Thousands of feelings and sensations washed through him as he recalled the lips worshiping his face and the hands caressing so sensually his frame. He shivered at the memory of the heat in his chest when Megatron’s spark had embraced his life core. Some guilt tainted this precious memory: he had given himself to the Transformer he would hate the most in the future. He had let him love him without restraint, for the sake of pleasure. His pleasure…

What should he do now? Wait until Megatron returns and welcome him with tenderness, like a bondmate should do? They were not exactly bonded… Walk outside in the search of the gladiator and fall into his arms? He could do it, but it seemed out of character… Or just walk away, find the space and time bridge, come back to the future and have his revenge against the mysterious robot that had shot him to death? Starscream tensed up at the recollection of pain he had felt when the shot had hit him in the chest. He wanted revenge. He needed to be considered the leader of the Decepticons again, and not a miserable little gladiator hiding in the depths of planet Cybertron. The most important thing when living a dark chapter of History is to be at the top of the chain of command, not at its bottom.

“I need Megatron anyway,” he whispered, remembering that the entrance of the time bridge was at the place where Megatron had found him. Only the gladiator knew where it was…

O

Starscream exited from the small quarters a few minutes later, and stopped at the edge of the terrace in front of the door, scanning the vast termitarium in search of the familiar silver silhouette. He didn’t want to wander too long among the locals of this hole. He finally detected him close to a giant driller, surrounded by three greenish mechs.

“What is he slagging doing?” Starscream murmured.

Megatron was bracing himself with both legs, pulling with all his might on an old generator that was so rusted it was falling to pieces. His silver paint-job was spattered with coats and oil, drawing dark figures on his body.

“Here, I’m almost done!” he growled, grimacing under the effort. The rusted generator finally gave up, repaying his efforts with a new spurt of dark oil on his forearms. Megatron didn’t pay attention to the disgusting stain and threw the object aside. “Perfect, you can install the new generator now!” he declared, satisfied.

“Awesome!”

“You’re so strong!”

“Wow! That’s incredible!”

Megatron nodded quietly to the congratulations of the enthusiastic miners. A warm smile graced his lips when he made out the form of his Seeker. He waved at him and, after he took his leave from his audience, walked to the gorgeous flyer. He was a little disconcerted when he saw Starscream’s nervousness. ‘Is he still afraid of me?’ he wondered, ‘Even after what had happened between us?’

He remembered perfectly the intense moments of their merging, and the strong sensations that had caused the most violent overload of his life. He was also sure that Starscream had totally enjoyed this merging, according to his ecstatic cries. Their bodies, systems and sparks had communicated together so completely that they had almost become a single entity at their climax. Megatron had spent long hours after Starscream had fallen into recharge thinking about the implications of this act. He had tried to reject the idea of being emotionally attached to Starscream, but had been rather unsuccessful. Starscream was not like the other Transformers he had met before; he was full of contradictions, weak and strong, sweet and bitter. Besides, he was the messenger warning him of his dark destiny. Megatron’s mood suddenly darkened, but not for too long; Starscream stood in front of him and raised his head, lips slightly parted. ‘So beautiful!’

“What are you doing?” The tone of the voice was reproachful.

The Seeker’s gaze roamed on his body. Despite the disgusted expression he took, Megatron loved his look; it was as if his blue hands were running over his plating. A faint moan escaped him, making Starscream startle.

“I am making myself useful. We are the guests of Alpha Trion. We have to repay him by giving our help.”

Starscream looked shocked.

“That’s not the way you usually speak about him!”

“That’s not the way of speaking of me, or of “Megatron the Slag Maker”?” he asked. “I’d say, it’s true to the behaviour of Silvergun before he found the slagging coin!” He cupped Starscream’s face in his hands and then forced him to look up. “Let’s stop talking about this. You forgot to wish me “good morning”, he lowered his face, lips almost brushing against the dark metal. “Love.”

O

That was going too far! Starscream tried to withdraw, but lost the trail of his thoughts when silver lips covered his lip component. It was not rough, but rather sweet and expecting. Unable to rebel against the gladiator, Starscream allowed him to circle his back and waist with his arms. His jaw stopped resisting, allowing Megatron to deepen the kiss. A few cycles passed before Starscream regained control of his thoughts and pulled out.

“That’s better…” Megatron caressed his cheek affectionately and planted a kiss on his nose, “You’re still a little shy, but at least you’re not afraid anymore.”

Starscream felt uncertainty invading him. The affection that he received planted seeds of doubt in his spark. ‘Should I try my chance with him?’

“Me- Megatron, I have something to ask you…” he stuttered.

“What is it?”

A shiver ran through his back when Megatron started caressing gently the edge of his right wing. Their chests were still in close contact, allowing Starscream to feel the pulse of the gladiator’s spark. It was vivid, but gentle and comforting; nothing comparable to the dark aura and aggressive spark pulse of Megatron the Slag Maker.

“I’d like to-”

“WHAT THE SLAG!”

Starscream startled at the cry of Megatron. The gladiator seemed to have forgotten his presence in an astrosecond; he pushed him aside and started running.

“What the slag are you doing!?” the Seeker screamed, a little upset to be neglected so abruptly. “The bastard!” He turned around in order to throw some colourful insults at him and gaped when he made out a greenish mech that had appeared near the entrance of the tunnel.

“Wiper!” he heard Megatron scream. The gladiator waved menacingly at the two guards who were targeting the medic with their weapons. “Don’t touch him! He’s a friend of mine!”

“Primus… Wiper? How did he get here?” Starscream exclaimed and then ran after Megatron.

“He’s okay. A little low on energy, but in a rather good condition. He has a few wounds and bruises, which is normal when you have to go through the tunnel,” Alpha Trion explained. He set a comforting hand on Megatron’s shoulder and smile. “You can speak with him if you want. He’s fully conscious.”

“Yes, please.” A smile graced the lips of the gladiator as his tension fell. “I’d like to see him without delay.”

“This way!” Alpha Trion pointed at a black door few meters from the place they stood up. “Our medic is performing some additional repairs, but I’m sure you can pay him a visit.”

“Thank you.”

Starscream watched him leave and waited for the door to snap shut to stand in Alpha Trion’s way.

“How did he get here? I believed the tunnel was a labyrinth and that nobody could find the way to this camp!” he stated nervously. “Did Wiper explain how he had found his way out?”

“Well… According to what he said… He was stalked by the Vampiricons and found shelter in the tunnel.” Alpha Trion pulled on his metal moustache nervously. “He told me that he had no ideas about what he could find here. He reached this place accidentally,” he added.

“Accidentally?” Starscream’s voice reached a very high pitch. He looked totally upset. “You told us that it was impossible to find the way to this base. And here comes Wiper, who found the way in no time! We don’t know what had happened to him after we left the arena; he might have been conditioned by the Quintessons!”

Alpha Trion threw him a questioning look.

“Conditioned… What do you mean?”

“I mean reprogrammed. To trap us and bring us back to the Quintessons!”

Starscream flinched when Alpha Trion set a hand on his shoulder vent.

“Don’t worry. The Quintessons are evil, but I don’t think they would go that far. Besides, your friend is weak and will have to stay for a few megacycles at the repair bay.”

The jet shrugged this unwelcome hand off and sighed.

“You’re so naive… It’s pathetic!”

O

Megatron spotted the big frame of his old friend as soon as he entered the repair bay. The medic and his squad of technicians had left, leaving Wiper attached to several medical machines, placed in circle around him. A feeble light bathed the mech, not really enhancing the curves of his body. Megatron smirked; Wiper was an ungraceful machine, and right now, he looked like a trashed mech after a heavy drinking night.

“So… You will never leave me alone, you old rusted can!” he said as he stepped close to the berth.

The optics of Wiper flickered to life and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“There must be somebody watching over you… You have an unequaled talent to get yourself into a mess, lad!”

The reply amused Megatron; it was exactly what he had expected. He knew Wiper so well; the former gladiator had been his mentor, medic and friend. One of the rare Transformers to whom he had given his trust. Without hesitation, he reached the wounded mech’s hand and squeezed it lightly.

“I’m glad that you are safe and alive. What happened after we—Starscream and me—had left for the tournament?”

“I did as you advised. I left your quarters right after you. Fortunately… The Vampiricons came and ransacked the place. I saw them…” Wiper hissed in pain as circuits sparkled in his chest. “Sorry… I saw them, and I was afraid. I didn’t come back to my quarters because I though they would look after me…”

“I’m sorry for getting you into such a mess.”

Megatron patted Wiper’s shoulder gently. He looked genuinely apologetic.

“That doesn’t matter. After all, you deserve having friends who are ready to risk their lives for you. You’re not as boring as the other gladiators; you don’t live only for fighting. You have ambitions… that go beyond the walls of the arena. And you can stand against Skullcrusher… well, almost,” Wiper chuckled lightly. “Anyway… I heard that all trace of you was lost after you had entered the old tunnels. I didn’t know where to go, so I tried to find you. I wandered a lot through those crappy galleries… I don’t know for how long. I was not even able to think when I reached this place. I-”

“Shh- you don’t need to justify yourself, Wiper. You’re here… that’s the important thing.”

The voice of the young gladiator trembled under his emotions; he knew Wiper trusted him. However, he had never thought that his medic had such a high opinion of him.

“Megatron, don’t approach him!”

The Transformer so addressed gazed at the winged robot that ran to him and grunted in protest when Starscream pushed him aside, standing between him and Wiper.

“What’s the matter, Little Prince?”

“He’s dangerous!” Starscream retorted, pointing at the wounded greenish mech.

“What?” Megatron peeped at Wiper, who looked as startled as he was. “You’re joking! He’s wounded and can’t even move!”

“Don’t let him go away from this repair bay and don’t approach him!”

Megatron didn’t understand the origin of Starscream’s violent worries and was starting to get pissed. If anyone were to judge whether Wiper was trustworthy or not, it was him and nobody else.

“Look, Little Prince. Wiper is okay,” he replied, grabbing Starscream’s waist. Pivoting on his heels, he swapped their positions, Megatron now standing between the berth and Starscream. “You should go and see Alpha Trion and ask him if he has work to give you, hum?” he added.

“But-”

Megatron silenced the Seeker with a kiss and cut his protests short with a light caress on the edge of his right wing.

“Enough… We’ll talk about this tonight. Now, go!”

Starscream stepped back and glared successively at Megatron and Wiper. He looked like a spoiled sparkling, ready to cry. He finally walked away, wings quivering nervously.

“Have I seen what I’ve seen, or am I delirious?” Wiper whispered, “You and this little bugger-?”

“You’re delirious! We just got to know each other a little better…”

Megatron looked suddenly ill-at-ease.

“How much better?”

“Not your business!” Megatron scratched the ground with his left foot and then smiled nervously, “You should rest now, you old imbecile, instead of babbling. I’ll come and see you in two cycles.”

O

Wiper watched Megatron leaving the repair bay, and once he was sure he wouldn’t be interrupted, he contacted his new masters through his communication link.

(I’ve found Silvergun and the Little Prince. Should I bring them to you tonight?)

(No, I don’t want the winged Transformer to be hurt.) The voice of Beta 15 was horribly screechy, but it didn’t matter. He was his master. (Try to be imaginative. You have to find a way to have him follow you. Use your imagination…)

(At your command, my Master.)

Beta 15 cut the comlink, leaving him in complete silence. It was perfect for Wiper; he needed calm and quiet to come up with a strategy.

Starscream spent his working time moaning about Megatron being naive and imprudent. The task he had decided to handle didn’t do anything to brighten his mood. He was checking one by one the surveillance cameras at the entry gates of the base; they were very primitive and not in a very good state. It pissed him off a little more.

It was only when he felt the need to get some energon and recharge that he decided to return to his quarters. More precisely, the quarters he shared with Megatron…

When he entered the place, Megatron was sitting on the large berth, busy wiping away the last traces of oil and dirt from his immaculate paint job. He had just gotten out the wax shower, and some droplets of wax shampoo still shone on his chest. Starscream stood silently beside him, allowing himself a few minutes to observe the one who pretended to be his bondmate. He had to grant him that: he was handsome. Strongly built and well-designed.

But that didn’t change anything about the “Wiper incident”.

“You still think Wiper is trustworthy, don’t you?” he asked in a reproachful tone.

Megatron chuckled.

“It’s late. I was starting to wonder about your whereabouts…”

“Don’t try to elude the question!”

The gladiator looked up and grinned. “Yes, I believe Wiper is our ally,” he replied.

“Then you’re an idiot!”

Starscream cried as Megatron caught his wrist and pulled him down on to the berth. By reflex, he hid his face with his free arm, dreading the reaction of his partner. The gladiator pinned his body with his own weight, imprisoning his hips between his thighs; Starscream concluded he would be beaten and then raped.

Nothing came, except a light stroke on his right wing.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Starscream. I want to explain to you why I believe Wiper.”

The stroking on his wings soothed the tension within his body and mind very quickly. Starscream withdrew his arm and stared at Megatron. The gladiator smiled at him and leaned forward, kissing him on the forehead.

“Good. At least, you agree to listen,” Megatron whispered. “Wiper is my only friend. I met him on the first day I was thrown into a gladiatorial tournament, and I would have died without his help.” He leaned again and trailed his lips along Starscream’s jaw line, enticing a gasp. “I was inexperienced and lost. It took only a few breems for my opponent to wound me seriously. I rebooted at Wiper’s repair bay, with the old can tending to my wounds.”

“Continue…” Starscream moaned as Megatron was now sucking at the cables of his throat between his explanations.

“He convinced me that I had a high potential, and that I needed a coach and a medic…” Megatron pursued as he reached Starscream’s cockpit, caressing the metal gently. “He became both of them. He even helped me a few times when I rebelled against the organization of the tournaments or Skullcrusher’s leadership. He risked a lot, but wasn’t afraid to fight for me.”

“Hum… !”

Starscream moaned loudly when Megatron removed the canopy, exposing his inner circuits.

“He’s a friend, Starscream!” Megatron cupped the Seeker’s face within his hands, forcing him to stare at him with foggy optics. “A friend who is dear to me, even if I don’t show it. So, yes… I trust him!”

Starscream didn’t protest about that statement; he was unable to think. Instead, he crushed his lips against Megatron’s, calling for more caresses and attentions. The young gladiator didn’t need any persuasion to respond. Very quickly, he made his partner lose his mind and forget his very name, transforming him into a pool of desire and pleasure. Once again, Starscream abandoned his body to skillful hands and glossa, and surrendered his life core to the wild spark. Overload claimed him in an explosion of colours and a concert of cries.

His cries of pleasure.

When he woke up on the following day, Megatron was already gone. Like the morning before, he had covered Starscream with an electro-thermal blanket. He had also left a data-pad close to one of his hands, which Starscream grabbed while cursing himself for being so lazy.

The hologram of Megatron’s face appeared. The gladiator was smiling when he had recorded the message.

“Hello love! Today, I’m having a look at the mines from which the cybertronite is extracted. I plan to visit Wiper a few cycles before our recharge time. I know you are still worrying about this; I suggest you join me at the repair bay. I’ll contact you while I’m on my way.”

Starscream sighed and dropped the data pad on to the berth. He stared at the ceiling a long time, trying to remember the occasion he had learned about Megatron’s concept of friendship.

“Optimus Prime paid your ransom in energon cubes, and I’m fed up with seeing your idiotic face. You’re free!”

Ironhide stared at Megatron in shock. So did Starscream before wailing in outrage.

“What?! You’re sending this Autoscum back to Optimus Prime? That’s utterly stupid! Let’s kill him instead!”

Megatron waited for Soundwave to take the Autobot away to reward him with a punch on the right side of his faceplate, followed by another in his stomach. Starscream staggered on his feet and then collapsed to a heap.

“I- I was just asking, my Leader. Don’t take offence at it!” he pleaded.

“You were questioning my leadership, as usual!” Megatron growled, looming dangerously over him.

“No! No! I swear-”

A silver foot caught him in the face, silencing his pleas.

Starscream startled in his berth, remembering briefly the pain that had ensued upon his awakening. Rethinking the unpleasant side of this memory, he decided not to replay it, and allowed himself some additional breems of recharge.

That day, his tasks were not very gratifying from his point of view. Once again he worked on the surveillance camera network, trying to improve its efficiency but had to give up due to the archaic nature of the hardware. He then switched to the defence systems, which didn’t get his hopes up. The weapons were old-fashioned, and even worse, in a state of decay. Bugged and rusted. Looking up at the dome-like ceiling, he felt the old sensation of claustrophobia seizing him. Primus, he needed to fly so badly! Feel the caress of the wind on his frame. Shake his body with strong accelerations and decelerations. Megatron’s attentions were sweet and thrilling, but he needed to fly!

(Starscream… Love? I’m going to the repair bay. Can you join me?)

‘Megatron!‘ The Seeker stopped his activities, not willing to answer. Being called “Love” disturbed him deeply.

(Little Prince! I know you’re listening.)

“Yes, I’m listening. I might be a little late. Wait for me and don’t go there before I’m here!” he finally replied.

(Excellent! I’m glad to see that you worry about me. Perhaps it means that you care for me?)

“Stop dreaming!”

(We’ll discuss this in private tonight!)

O

Starscream actually took his time to finish his work. The idea of finding his way back to the future was tempting. The prospect of being loved by his gladiator was sweet. These two options were torturing his mind and tearing his spark apart. Boredom put the end to it when one of the automatic weapons broke in two in his hands. He decided to do as he promised and walked to the repair bay.

When he arrived, the place was all dark, as if the electricity had been cut, and silent as a grave.

“Megatron? Are you here?”

The Seeker engaged his infrared and walked in the direction of Wiper’s berth. His feet suddenly felt contact with something hard; lowering his head, he made out the shape of a mech. He bent down and saw a hole in the helmet, clearly created by a blunt object.

The medic had been attacked and deactivated.

“I knew it!”

He jumped to his feet, ready to run out of the place but stopped when the light came back. Starscream caught immediately the sight of Wiper and Megatron. The younger gladiator was standing in front of Wiper, but it was easy to understand he was his prisoner. He was grimacing in pain, caused by the blade dug at the base of his neck.

“What have you done?” Starscream roared as he pointed his null rays, “What do you want? Let him go!”

“Calm down, Little Prince. I don’t want anybody to be injured here! I just want you to follow me to my masters, the Quintessons…”

“The Quintessons… are not… your masters!” Megatron retorted with effort. “Wiper… Why?”

A hiss of pain escaped him as Wiper pressed on the piece of metal in his neck. The greenish mech smiled at Starscream, ignoring the expression of revolt painted on his face.

“Stop this!”

“If you obey my orders, he will survive. If you try to resist, then I’ll dig this blade deeper and deeper… and it will end piercing his spark casing!” Wiper whispered. “What do you choose? His life or his death?”

“Wiper… Why are you… doing this?”

Starscream couldn’t help chuckling, somehow amused by Megatron’s naive question.

“Why is he doing this? It’s exactly what I’ve told you; he had been reprogrammed by the Quintessons to capture us. He’s not your friend anymore!” Starscream barked, still pointing his gun in Wiper’s direction. “And I’ve told you to wait for me!”

Megatron screamed in pain when the blade dug deeper into his circuits.

“Don’t forget. Be uncooperative, and he will pay!” warned Wiper.

Starscream glared at him. The old expression of the predator ready for the kill was back on his face.

“Don’t touch him!”

“It’s me who is giving orders here, Little Prince!” Wiper retorted very calmly. “Follow me and I will spare him.”

Starscream flew off the handle.

“Oh, so you’re giving orders?”

“As I said-”

“If you think you can deceive a Decepticon, then… you’re pathetic!”

The null ray shot grazed Megatron’s chin and ended up in one of Wiper’s optics, propelling him a few meters backwards. The mech slammed against the wall, pushing a horrible cry of agony as the right side of his face exploded. He slid slowly to the floor, his face smoking and streaming with energon from the gaping hole.

Starscream caught Megatron as he collapsed to a heap, and pulled out the blade as delicately as possible. Megatron screamed in pain and buried his face in Starscream’s neck to muffle his cries. The Seeker held him tight, finally overwhelmed by the feeling of protection and possession.

“Here, it’s finished.”

Megatron was offline when Starscream came back to their quarters, at the hour when all the other mechs were deep in recharge. It had taken at least two cycles to explain the reason of Wiper’s treason to Alpha Trion, who stubbornly refused to accept that a living being could reprogram a machine to betray another one.

‘Slag you, stupid sentimentalist Autobot!’

Silently, he walked to the berth and sat on the edge, observing the faceplate of the young gladiator. He looked sad and bitter. Starscream now knew why.

He had thought a lot about Wiper’s betrayal and its consequences.

O

When he awoke, he was surprised to find himself sitting at his command desk, with his terrible Commander as his only company. Megatron looked at him with a smug smile, which meant that no good was coming from this situation. Starscream reached his face and caressed the surface; there was no trace of the kick, last painful memory he had before the blackout. Without a doubt, Megatron had ordered the Constructicons to repair him before bringing him to the command room.

“Why am I here?” he asked in worry.

“To learn a lesson in life.” Megatron pointed at the screen, “Shut up and watch!” he ordered.

Starscream complied, afraid to be beaten up again. The scene was the reunion of Ironhide with the other Autobots. Optimus Prime was walking at the head of his troops, and didn’t hide his happiness when he stood in front of his fourth in command. He fell to his knees and hugged him, oblivious of the dangerous red light that stained the blue optics of Ironhide. He didn’t see the hand of his old friend switching to a knife, and then plunging into his neck.

Optimus Prime screamed and fell backwards, while the other Autobots cried in horror at the betrayal.

“That’s brilliant!” Starscream exclaimed. This time, he was sincere and looked at his commander in awe. “How did you get the idea?” he asked.

As a matter of explanation, Megatron left his throne and walked in his direction. Starscream felt his circuits tremble when he stood in front of him, eclipsing the light coming from the ceiling.

“I was once betrayed by a good friend of mine.” Megatron’s hand shot around his neck, pulling him out of his seat. “He was somebody that I really trusted and admired. But one day he was reprogrammed and betrayed me. I started having doubts, and eventually, the most important person in my life abandoned me.” The pressure on his neck tightened, evidence of Megatron’s growing anger. “Then I realized that the so-called friends could hurt worse than enemies. I then chose to have no more friends, only enemies. At least, I know my enemies will never change their minds about me. They hate me. And even better than petty feelings such as friendship or even love, hate never grows weaker, only stronger!”

Megatron pushed him roughly backwards, sending Starscream into an uncomfortable seating position on the command board. The Seeker tried to regain his composure and swung his legs over the edge of the board in the hope to have Megatron step back. His action didn’t get the result he expected; Megatron didn’t move and Starscream’s legs were stuck against his thighs. He quivered when the Decepticon leader leaned over him, setting his hands beside his hips.

Primus! This scene had a terrible taste of déjà vu…

“Although I appreciate the loyalty of my enemies, I don’t like it when they try my patience too much.” Megatron made a predatory smile and set his forehead against Starscream’s, obviously loving the panic he evoked in his prey. “You are my closest enemy, Seeker. But you try my patience a lot. Next time you challenge me so grossly in public, I won’t bring you to the repair bay. You will have to crawl to it!” he threatened.

O

‘Primus. You kept your promise so often! I understand now how you became such a monster!’

Starscream startled when a finger traced the edge of his left wing. When he turned around, he saw that Megatron was now sitting on the berth.

“No… You shouldn’t-”

Megatron didn’t care about his protests and eagerly caught his lips in an urgent kiss. Abandoning briefly the idea to protest, Starscream let himself to be guided to the berth, waiting for the caresses to chase away his turmoil. However, the dramatic event of the day had kindled the gladiator’s fire. He held his Seeker close, arranging the electro-thermal blanket around them.

“How do you feel?” Starscream asked. He didn’t want to settle uncomfortably in this berth. Not with the idea he had in mind.

“The medic patched me up. He said that the pain would ebb in a few cycles. He forbade me to get out of this berth tomorrow.”

Megatron slid an arm around his waist and caressed his back lightly. Starscream got the message; he didn’t want to be alone the following day. His spark broke in two.

“Good.”

“What about Wiper? Is he going to be… fine?”

The Seeker hid his face in Megatron’s chest as he reached the top of shame. He had never felt remorse when betraying Megatron; however, this time, the mere idea disgusted him.

“He’s alive. I shot his CPU, not his spark. However, Alpha Trion told me it would take time to repair him. Part of his memory bank had been destroyed, erasing a great part of his memories. A complete upgrade will be necessary to ensure his viability as a Transformer able to move and think, and not as a… mindless statue.”

“I see.”

Megatron didn’t add a word, leaving Starscream to his torments. The Seeker let the gladiator caress him until the gentle strokes ceased, a sign that Megatron had fallen into recharge. Starscream fought against his plan for a good cycle before withdrawing from his embrace. He sat by his side, observing the face of the Transformer.

“I’m sorry for what I’m going to do,” he whispered. “I know your change into the Slag Maker is unavoidable. It’s written… I must grab this opportunity to return to my era!”

He reached Megatron’s face and pushed a discreet panel on his forehead, unveiling a small port. He did the same to his own forehead and connected them to each other. Megatron’s anti-hacking system wasn’t very elaborated, allowing him to browse through his memory files. He found very quickly what he wanted; the memory of Megatron when he had found him, with the coordinates of the factory.

Once it was finished, he disconnected the link and set their panels back. Megatron didn’t awake during the process, looking surprisingly serene and even… fragile.

“I have to tell you one thing in case I don’t return to you,” Starscream murmured as he leaned down and kissed the sleepy mech on the lips; “I was glad to meet you at the time you were a decent mech. I think…” He stopped, ready to cry. “No… I’m sure I could have fallen in love with you if our destinies were different. But you are destined to become the Slag Maker, and me, your challenger and the future leader of the Decepticons. We can’t change this,” he concluded in a broken voice.

Starscream gave him the last kiss and then reluctantly left the quarters. Go to: Chapter 7 – Chapter 9