by Henry921 » Wed Aug 13, 2014 2:59 am
- Motto: "All I have to be is exceptional."
- Weapon: Battle Blades
Chapter Two
Cybertron, Fortress Kolkular, Decepticon Capitol City Kaon -Three months after the fall of the Sentinel Prime
"Attention, Megatron," Soundwave reported from his side at his master's throne, "The bounty hunter has returned."
"Finally," Megatron sighed, lazily waving a hand to his door guard. "Show him in, Blackwall."
Blackwall opened the gates to Megatron's throne room, and in he stepped: the one-handed bounty hunter, dragging his prize of three Cybertronians, each wearing binding masks of gray steal, concealing their faces and optics, their hands bound by stasis cuffs. Their legs skidded along the floor of the throne room before they were tossed before Megatron.
The Decepticon leader deigned to stand up, examining the trio. "And these are...?"
"Rack, Ruin, and... I forget the third guy's name," the bounty hunter answered, waving his hooked hand in the general direction of the trio. "Spark siblings. To my knowledge, one of only four sets of triplets."
"Five," came the hollow reply of Shockwave, positioned at Megatron's left. "But they are the most ideal candidates to undergo the combiner process."
Megatron nodded, then stepped towards the bounty hunter. "You've done well...?"
"Lockdown."
"Lockdown," Megatron affirmed. "As promised, you will be given the 30,000 shanix reward, as well as your pick of weaponry from my armory. Blackwall, give him a badge."
Blackwall stepped briefly out of the throne room then quickly returned, handing Lockdown the purple badge. The bounty hunter hesitated than accepted it, glancing back at Megatron. "I didn't agree to join your revolution."
"There are only two factions left on Cybertron now," Megatron replied. "Only two ideologies dictate the future of this planet. The Autobots'... and mine. I may have need of your talents in the future, and this badge guarantees you are under my protection and can operate freely in my territory."
Megatron sat back in his throne. "You are among the privileged few now. This badge is a sign of strength and ability, and your place in my confidence."
Lockdown looked down at the badge and stepped out of the throne room.
Once Blackwall closed the door behind him, Lockdown tossed it to the ground and went on his way.
-
Argus IV, Outside Council Jurisdiction - Five months, sixteen days after the takeoff from Cybertron
"We're here, Captain."
Megatron sat at the captain's chair, glancing at his personal terminal, still displaying Lockdown's response to his instruction to meet. He was musing, and hadn't heard Mainframe's statement from the helm.
Rodimus, quick to remind the others he still had some authority aboard the Lost Light, replied from behind the captain's chair: "Take us in!"
"Uh, Captain, it might be wiser to move into orbit and send a landing party instead," Hound recommended from the tactical station.
Rodimus was quiet for a few nano-kliks then nodded. "Fine. Let's do that. Radio Magnus and get him up to the bridge."
Megatron finally turned his attention from his terminal and stood up, activating his own comm link on a wide frequency. "Trailcutter, Swerve, Nightbeat, Chromedome; report to the hangar. You'll be joining the landing party." He turned to Hound and Mainframe. "Move to geosynchronous orbit. We'll be back up in a megacycle, if that."
Rodimus was already on his way to the turbolift before Megatron could turn around. Once the two were descending from the bridge and alone in the elevator...
"Good choices," Rodimus told him. "Chromedome and Trailcutter hate you. Swerve is scared of you, but you're probably the only guy he hates enough to shoot at when he's afraid. Nightbeat might tolerate you, but he actually likes me."
"Fascinating," Megatron deadpanned.
"You really comfortable bringing this group with you in a confined space?" Rodimus asked.
"Trailcutter already dealt with Lockdown once before, Nightbeat and Chromedome will be able to read his reactions, and Swerve might have some knowledge about this seedy setting he's holed up in," Megatron replied. "And you... well, I'm sure you have some useful insights. Eventually."
Rodimus was briefly silent but quickly recovered his composure. "Didn't expect you to take the time to figure them out."
"My intelligence teams -the Justice Division, the Secret Service- provided files on every Autobot they could," Megatron replied. "I've known more about our comrades than you have for nearly two million years."
"'Our comrades'?" Rodimus repeated.
Megatron was silent.
-
Callum Trading District, the southern border of the Argus IV surface, shortly after
"You call this a bar?" Swerve asked, glancing around at the various organic patrons, most of whom were taller than he was. Swerve himself could barely see above the countertop.
"It's an ideal place to disappear," Nightbeat replied, glancing around. "They don't seem to be fleeing in terror of us..."
"Think this place does Engex, or will we need to use the bio filters?" Trailcutter inquired, looking at the various liquids behind the counter.
"We should've brought you along for the last bar trip, bud," Swerve replied, ever eager to strike up a conversation with his crewmate. "Singing's always better than watching Whirl and Cyclonus hurl chairs at the Stadovian federation goons..."
Megatron tuned them out, turning his attention to the back of the bar, away from the hustle and bustle of the counter. Turned away and saw him sitting at the rear, in a dark corner, with a long stretch of table to himself.
"Trailcutter, cover the exit," Megatron instructed. "Do not get distracted."
"Yeah, yeah," Trailcutter replied, crossing his arms and pouting.
"Nightbeat, Chromedome, with me," Megatron continued, walking towards the table.
"Aye, Captain," Chromedome answered, somewhere between snide sarcasm and complete indifference.
Once the trio were out of earshot, Rodimus passed 50 shanix to Trailcutter.
"I'll watch the door," Rodimus told him. "Have one on me."
Trailcutter complied before Rodimus had finished his sentence. The co-Captain turned to Swerve. "And you... make some friends. See if you can find out how long Lockdown's been here."
"Why?" Swerve wondered.
"If he's in neutral space, he's either chasing a bounty... or hiding," Rodimus answered. "And I think a Decepticon war criminal might be a good offering, if we need one for this mess with the Council."
-
Megatron sat down across from his former subordinate, Chromedome and Nightbeat taking a seat across from them. Close enough to see, too far to hear the low whispers.
"Hello Lockdown," Megatron greeted.
Lockdown turned his attention away from his drink just long enough to glance at the badge on Megatron's chest. "That's a good look for you. You always knew how to wear red."
Megatron briefly glanced at the purple Decepticon badge on Lockdown's chest. "The war is over."
"So I keep hearing," Lockdown mused. "But we're all still fighting each other. Only thing that's changed is Megatron lost his way."
"Then why'd you bother to tell me where you were?" Megatron asked.
"Had to see it for myself," Lockdown answered, staring down at his drink. "Autobot Megatron. It doesn't seem natural."
"You've been working with Autobots yourself lately," Megatron pointed out. "Are you still playing lapdog for the former Chief Justice?*"
"That's not what you came here to ask," Lockdown replied. "So just get to that part."
"Very well," Megatron agreed. "Where is Lugnut?"
Lockdown tilted the drink in his hand, quietly staring down at the remaining liquid. "Lugnut is dead."
"Don't play the fool," Megatron instructed. "Where is Lugnut?"
"I abandoned him on that iceball Arduria," Lockdown answered. "We met some of those squid aliens... you know the ones."
Megatron dropped his confidence for a moment. He leaned in close, to ensure neither of his compatriots could hear him. "Quintessons?"
"Is that what they're called?" Lockdown wondered. "They seemed to know a lot about us. They did something to Lugnut's brain... not that it took them much work."
"They're butchers," Megatron told him. "Deceivers. Were you working with them?"
"No, just trying to take the Titan they hijacked," Lockdown answered. "Remember the good old days, when you first sent me out there to find the Titans?"
Megatron reached over and took hold of the back of Lockdown's head, shoving him face first into his drink, shattering the glass and leaving a deep indentation in the table. The bounty hunter coughed out some Engex as nearby patrons quickly switched tables, moving further away from the two robots.
"Were. You. Working. With. Them?" Megatron asked again.
"No," Lockdown replied. "They were using the Titans for something... reworking them. Trying to use the gravity well of the space bridge to make something."
Megatron released Lockdown's head and stood up. "Hope I never need you again. I won't be so gentle the next time I need information."
"I was gonna' say... your punch isn't what I remember it being," Lockdown noted, wiping the Engex from his chin. "Your new badge must've made you soft."
"And your badge?" Megatron asked, not looking at him.
"It made me stronger," Lockdown replied. "You ought to know."
Megatron gestured to Chromedome and Nightbeat and the three headed away. Lockdown flagged down the nearest server for another round.
"Love the company you're keeping these days," Lockdown called after Megatron's retreating back.
"Hard to get a reading when he's face down like that," Nightbeat pointed out.
"Fun to watch, though," Chromedome noted.
"True," Nightbeat agreed.
"We're going back to the ship and changing course," Megatron told them.
"What'd you find out?" Nightbeat asked.
"That we have bigger problems than we thought."
"What's a bigger problem than all out war with the Galactic Council?" Chromedome asked.
Megatron was silent.
-
Fortress Kolkular, after Megatron's restoration and Scorponok's defeat
"Attention, Megatron," Soundwave reported. "The bounty hunter has returned."
"Finally," Megatron nodded, lazily waving his arm. Lugnut opened the door to his throne room, and Lockdown stepped in, carrying a burnt-out husk of Autobot chassis on his shoulder, dropping it before Megatron's throne.
"As requested, the Autobot scout Sidequest," Lockdown told Megatron. "Unfortunately, he wasn't willing to be captured alive... I'll let you have him for 40% off the asking price, if you still want a trophy."
Megatron did not look at the Autobot corpse placed before him, his attention fixated on Lockdown's chest. "Where is your badge?"
"What? Getting hung up on that?" Lockdown asked. "I travel off world all the time Megs, now that half the planet's bolted.** I have to play neutral sometimes to catch my mark."
"I told you before that you had to choose a side," Megatron told him, still seated in his throne. "There is no neutrality anymore."
"Megatron, come on," Lockdown requested. "Why are you getting hung up on this?"
"Because this badge is more than just a method of identification," Megatron answered. "It's a statement of purpose. A demonstration of strength."
"You know I work for you, Megatron-"
"You work for the highest bidder," Megatron told him. "Which happens to be me. I allowed you your autonomy, as I have many independent agents. I was blindsided by treachery often enough... from Scorponok, from Bludgeon, from Starscream -Primus knows from Starscream- but each of them still wore my badge. They each accepted their place and their role in the end."
"Megatron, I'd never betray you-"
"I believe you," Megatron confirmed. "Because after today, you work for no one else. Lugnut."
The bruiser closed the door. Lockdown turned and raised his EMP generator to fire on the guard, only for both his arms to be restrained by the former gladiator.
"Megatron, what are you doing?!"
"Soundwave," Megatron instructed.
Soundwave pressed a button above his chest. "Laserbeak, eject. Operation: branding."
Laserbeak transformed from his storage cassette mode and flew to Megatron's shoulder. Megatron rose from his throne and stepped towards Lockdown, still flailing in Lugnut's arms.
"Turn him to face me," Megatron instructed.
Lugnut complied, rapidly flipping Lockdown around. Megatron raised his left arm, Laserbeak walking from his shoulder to his forearm, the bird peering at Lockdown's chest.
"Initiate him," Megatron commanded.
Laserbeak's yellow eyes glowed a dark orange, and tiny lasers fired from each optic, cutting into Lockdown's chest and beginning to slice his chassis, delving into the spark chamber.
Lockdown screamed. "Megatron, you lying bastard! This isn't what we agreed upon!"
"I never lied," Megatron told him calmly, watching Laserbeak cut in. "I told you when we met. There are only two ideologies left: theirs'... and mine. My will alone dictates your actions now, bounty hunter.
"I will make you stronger," Megatron continued, speaking quietly even as Lockdown shrieked in pain. "You will be allowed a degree of autonomy, a measure of self-reliance. But your life belongs to me now and forever."
Once Laserbeak had finished etching, Megatron reached into Lockdown's chest and ripped out a piece of spark casing. He placed it on Lockdown's chest and let Laserbeak resume his laser cutting.
Megatron watched, Lockdown still howling. "Peace through tyranny... now and forever."
-
*More Than Meets the Eye: Remain in the Light
**Transformers: Monstrosity