Chapter Text
He just woke up with a sharp invent, assesing the unfamiliar surroundings.
He could feel the cold floor beneath his digits, ceiling placed really high above him. I mean it wasn't anything new for him. He was used to this. He was one of the shortest bots after all.
The atmosphere was weird. He could different feel EM fields nearby, some relieved anger and dominance, other fear and loyalty. The thing that worried him was dark, purplish color of the walls. It was nothing similar to what he was used to. He got up and on high alert started looking around.
He didn't even remember what he was doing before. Why was he laying on the floor?
He knew one thing for sure.
Something's not right.
He remembered. He was on a spying on lower council's member mission, so close on taking him down, before he passed out and him being unconscious could mean two things.
One - that someone may have knocked him out. The only problem with that, was him being one of the most wanted cybertronian, so his pursuer would most likely turn him to prison and he wouldn't just left him laying around alone on the ground.
Therefore, there was no way it could be this one. There was a second option, more believable, especially recently. He passed out of energon... but he would feel the outcome kicking in.
He didn't feel any of the withdrawal symptoms. His systems didn't notice him it was low. It wasn't high either, but it was enough to make him believe it couldn't be that option either... so what was he doing here..
All of his sensors were on high alert. His pursuer could be somewhere in the hiding, just mocking him, playing with his victim.
He began doing something he was qualified in the most.
Scouting.
However, he didn't know if it was still his the greatest asset looking now, that he's the greatest assassin's of all time. Well, at least that's what they called him now.
I mean probably scouting still wins this battle, because reconnaissance of the area is still the most important aspect in planning a murder.
He sidled around, careful as to not make a sound as came to the conclusion he is familiar with this place.
He still wasn't sure if that was it, so he continued his search for clues.
Suddenly he saw someone and shove up behind a wall just in time, before he could got spotted.
His eyes were open wide in shock as he was still looking at the bot that was passing by. He couldn't believe it...
It was Knockout. But how? The last time he checked he was missing. He thought he was dead.
The theories and thoughts had started running through his mind. Maybe Knockout was being held here as a hostage? Maybe he should go to him and help him out?
But he should be stealthy. Nobody could see him if he wanted to help out his best friend.
But he waited so long for them to be reunited. Two long years.
After the war on earth and fighting Megatron they all came back to Cybertron. He finally started living his own life and stopped worrying about constant fighting for life... but the truth was he didn't know how to live a normal life.
With almost all of it spent at war he had no clue what he could do anymore, what was his purpose.
He felt isolated from the other Autobots. He lost the track of who he was.
Then he went racing with Knockout and he turned out to be the only mech that understood him. They had so much in common, both loved earth culture, racing and was often visiting him at work. They understood each other better than anobody else.
He got lost in thoughts again.
FOCUS. He had to stay concentrated on his task.
He wanted to go leave his hideout, but imiddiately stopped himself, when he heard another bot and sharply pressed himself against the wall in terror.
It was... Breakdown?!
No... it couldn't be.
He's... dead.
Or is he?
Maybe it's an illusion. Some kind of hologram.
He perked up and took a peek for his processor, which still was covered in denial.
No, he seemed too real. Some memories started flipping through and he shuddered at the notion all of a sudden. He looked around once again, though this time his optics moving frantically from one place to another, analyzing in panic. He recognized this place.
It was Nemesis. The Decepticon ship.
The same one Megatron scheemed every attack on them back on the Earth nack in a war between Autobots and Decepticons. The same one with which he had so many unpleasant memories.
But he hadn't seen Megatron for a really long time. Besides he wouldn't believe he would have kidnapped Knockout and resurrected Breakdown with dark energon after his change of ways.
After Megatron himself had seen through his own actions and understood he and Optimus have the same vision of a free Cyberton? No, it wasn't present time, more like memory. His memory. Or hallucination?
He followed him and had seen him having a conversation with Knockout. Not that he could hear anything from that far, but he decided to give it a try anyway, having to stay unnoticeable coded in his programming.
But from the facial expressions he could figure out what they were saying. The one of the pros of being mute was becoming proficient at sign language, reading facial expressions and words from just someone talking, without actually hearing them.
But it was also one of the aspects of being a scout.
He could say the both of these things gave him this advantage and made him an outstanding spy. The one Optimus always wanted to have in his ranks.
He was muttering to himself when they were talking as imitating them. Maybe because he hated silence and hadn't anybody to talk with lately.
Well, maybe not that long. He actually chose that way and there was no going back now. He could live with that anyway.
Since his argument with Optimus. He still called this an argument even if after this ,,squabble" they both went separate ways.
And he wasn't sure he was an Autobot anymore. Of course he wasn't, it would be weird. They wouldn't let him. Not that the fractions mattered anymore.
Or if he could call Optimus his mentor, or even his friend.
Since that event everything just started falling apart.
Now that he thought of that, it was more of a fight for his life than a dispute. Like, really, he could've been dead.
FOCUS
,,Did you submit a report to the Megatron?" Breakdown sure was worried.
,,Oh puh-lease, enough with that face. I haven't... yet. Everything will be fine, you'll see. He can't do anything to me anyway.. yes maybe we've lost it, but they probably don't use it anyway. That one is way too dangerous and you know Autobots"
Knockout smirked, but as soon as he pivoted away and marched forward his face turned stone cold.
They were sure talking about one of the relics. Of course his mind would play that kind of trick on him.
He had been in something similar before and it was sort of a dream... nightmare. Something like that was on his daily basis occurrence. Totally normal.
He deep down wanted to make himself uselful, so his subconciousness gave him tasks to do so. This time he had to stop Decepticons from taking the relic.
But he didn't have to care at all.
...Right?
....
Why does he even care about hiding?
It doesn't matter. It's all a dream.
Haha yes, it was a dream. It doesn't matter if he got spotted and even if he will, he would wake up.
And what's the best strategy to wake yourself up from the stasis?
He made his decision .
He went out of hiding and started roaming around smirking. Breakdown and Knockout had already left by now.
He had a plan to get out of this place.
He had a feeling of being watched, but he didn't care. It was probably Soundwave.
Good. He wanted to be noticed.
He was probably already on his way to inform Megatron about his presence.
He was hoping to encounter Megatron and ,,talk" to him.
Soundwave went to the Megatron in a rush and told him about the detected intruder.
Megatron demanded to search the ship for possible backup, that unfamiliar bot could brought with himself.
,,We're gonna give him a warm greeting" Megatron rumbled and also gave order to check if there was any sign of ground bridge opening on Nemesis.
Soundwave gave report. There was only one, though from unknown place that couldn't be localized. That was odd circumstance. It was impossible to mask such a great energon signal.
Besides, he knew one bot could never invade a ship unnoticed, because of their defensive systems. It was probably an autobot spy, that wanted to get their servos on his plans.
He had to show this intruder who's in charge here. Show him no mercy for breaking into his ship and show him how foolish he is for doing such a stunt.
Maybe if he would tortured him enough, he would find something useful to use against Autobots.
When he was just about to leave the room, he saw the doors burst open violently and in the entrance, he saw a small, mostly black bot with hints of yellow looking cocky.
Was he smirking at him?
This bot definitely had a death wish.
"Hey Megatron, just let's do this quickly"
The mech said, neglecting the fact of standing in front of the vicious leader of Decepticons and sauntered forward into the room.
He isn't running away nor showing any remorse of fear. His processor must have been damaged.
This meant he wanted a duel.
Perfect.
It will end up quickly with him thriving over. He would end up being his trophy and a warning to any bot that would dare disrespect him like that ever again.
He would firstly rip his one servo off, then a pede, smash him onto the floor and when he would be begging for mercy, he would gloat in his lament.
He would get every information coded in his imprudent, mindless processor and then rip his voice box and tear his spark-
"What are you doing..." Megatron inquired slightly shocked. He knew the bot was vacuous, just didn't know he was that much crazy.
He was laying in front of him on the floor and grabbed Megatron's pede pressing it with his servos onto his head.
The size difference was amusing, because he was so small in comparison to his own pede, that it was not only on his head but almost on the whole length of his chasis.
"Go on, don't mind me. Just make sure to use all of your weight, when you're pressing. You can even make it a little play if you want"
When he had a dream like this, the best way to get out and wake up was simple.
Getting offlined.
This is the fastest way. Effortless. He had a few tricks that were always working out in his dreams and he couldn't wait to use them right away. The most used one by him was just trying to be as annoying and provoking as possible.
....
Megatron was disturbed by the display. This bot suggested it like it was the most common thing to say. If he heard it right, it sounded like as he was just encouraging to exterminate him.
Soundwave finally broke the silence, standing in the back of the room behind Megatron and played "Illogical" Shockwave's voice.
Therefore, he needed to teach him a lesson about entering an enemy ship.
"What kind of trick is that" Megatron accused with voice stern as a thunder, indeed pressing pede against his helm as he insisted.
The bot grinned.
In the meantime Starscream marched into the room and leaned over the wall enjoying the spectacle, grateful that Megatron isn't relieving his anger on him, at least this time. He was under Megatron's feet countless times. It was nice to see for the first time someone else underneath it.
"You know if you are too deaf you can just say so. I bet this problem keeps on repeating, just looking at how old you are"
He wasn't that old and Bee knew that, but that was the one of the things that came up to his mind to annoy him quickly.
And apparently it worked out pretty well.
Megatron, provoked by the insults, started throwing him through the whole corridor in rage, beating him up, punching so hardly it left huge scars and dents leaking of energon in his frame and ripping wires from his abdomen, while Starscream just watched the whole show chuckling with servo covering his faceplate.
When Megatron looked back glaring at Starscream, he shrieked and stood still with his hands down in nanosecond. Megatron rolled his optics returned to the ongoing matter.
He started wondering why the bot isn't even putting up a fight. He was just in pure numbness, smirking, letting himself being tossed across the hallway and almost ripped apart.
"Is that all that you've got? For a so merciless leader I heard you are, I expected something more... remorseless"
Why he was saying this as if he was invincible? His spark was barely felt by now, said it so weakly and quietly it was scarcely managed to hear. However, Megatron couldn't allow letting himself disrespected like that. This bot had to pay the highest price.
Megatron sent internal com to Soundwave to check if he wasn't just a lure, for Autobots to sneak onto the ship, but came to nothing. He was alone.
Megatron walked forward with heavy, enraged steps to bot, which he had just thrown.
Bot was still conscious, though barely alive, laying against the wall in the puddle of energon.
Megatron expected him to plead for his mercy, beg for forgiveness, and honestly was startled by his anomalous behavior.
The bot was still weakly grinning at him in pain.
He had to admit, that he admired the bots endurance and persistence, though it's cockiness reminded him of annoying yellow scout, before he ripped out his voice box apart. He was like Knockout and Starscream worst features merged together.
He also noticed the lack of insignia on his almost destroyed by now chestplate.
Even if he didn't respect him, he could use a bot like him in his ranks. He kept Starscream after all his betrayals, why he wouldn't keep another. This version at least wouldn't be trying to kill him. He would be just... infuriating.
His thoughts were interrupted by the bot, who grabbed his servo with canon and pointed it towards his own head, waiting for him to shoot with a smirk and tilted his helm.
His optics widened, couldn't believe at what he was seeing.
He started feeling uneasy in his presence, though he rose his curiosity. This black bot was most certainly insane.
"What is your designation?" Megatron inquired, still a little harsh and the intruder's smile slowly vanished away.
"No, idiot, just shoot"
He couldn't believe what the mech was saying, but his glare was as pierceful as his own.
He couldn't just shoot him. He wasn't that cruel, was he? Is that what other bots are portraying him as?
The cruel tyrant? Was that bot thinking he really was no better than that frag Sentinel himself? He hasn't got insignia, and yes, he killed every bot that disobeyed joining him.
Then why did he feel this one was different from the rest? Why would he want to get himself killed in the first place? He was an interesting asset and he wanted his questions answered, especially that he noticed his EM field was... slightly different from the others.
He felt something different about him. Something peculiar, extraordinary.
Did he really just make all of the hope for a better Cybertron disappear to the point this bot decided to just give up?
"No" Megatron exclaimed and Starscream was left speechless with his intake open.
,,Wuh-wha- ....Wait" The bot seemed frustrated and almost dissapointed by his decision.
,,Master, with all respect, after all the insults he proclaimed? He could also be a spy sent by-"
,,SILENCE! Or maybe you want to be next Starscream?"
Starscream flinched at the notion. He shut himself up and just stepped away quickly muttering something unhearable. Meanwhile bot's shocked faceplate yet again shifted into a smirk.
,,What a terrible leader you are. Even your second in command is turning up on you. The autobots were right, I should've run as soon as they grabbed disk with your plans on it and now I must perish by hearing your unbearably annoying voice" He gesticulated as he was immitating Starscream behaviour and exaggerating his sneered, sassy expression.
Megatron had seen trough him little scheeme though.
"You have no reinforcements with you. Your claims seems to be convincingly refuted" Megatron noted that the bot's optics flickered a little, almost unnoticeable. If he would stood farther, he wouldn't notice this minor, yet important detail.
"And you're no Autobot"
Scrap, he didn't forget that Soundwave could scan the area for possible signals of mechs, but he thought Megatron would woke him up by now.
"...I may be" Bee muttered, optics fixed away on the ground as sudden idea appeared in his head.
There was still one option left. Trying to annoy anyone in his sight. Soundwave would listen to Megatron, so it would be futile, but Starscream on the other hand seemed like perfect fit, easily frustrated.
He turned his head to the seeker and proceed.
,,Yet I'm left to wonder why you keep someone as unsignificant and infuriating as your second in command. Your senses are clearly tasteless"
He learned from the best.
,,Why you little-" Starscream seemingly was losing it accordinding to his plan, but was grabbed by Soundwave, so he wouldn't do anything stupid.
"And this... purplish bot... what his name was? I don't remember, but as far as I see he does nothing, besides staring and judging your every movement"
He knew him mocking Soundwave wouldn't make him step into an act, but also savvy that Megatron wouldn't let this go unpunished.
Megatron seemingly couldn't restrain his wrath, stepped forward and punched him with brute force that let his vision go black.