CHAPTER FIVE
--Metrotitan--
"I have an idea."
If it had been from anyone else, Rodimus would have been ecstatic to hear those words. Heck, if it had been from someone like Perceptor, he would have performed a cartwheel right there on the bridge.
But when he looked over his shoulder to see Brainstorm, all those hopes were dashed.
"Do you now?" he muttered, resuming sulking in his command chair. "I'm almost afraid to ask."
"Please, hear me out," Brainstorm said, moving to Rodimus' side. "You remember during my, ahem, time traveling fun, you guys used a time phone to talk back and forth with Perceptor?"
Rodimus raised an optic. "You know about that?"
"Yeah, Skids told me about it. Anyway, I was thinking--"
"If you're thinking about time traveling again, then--"
"No, no! That's not at all what I'm suggesting!" Brainstorm rubbed his forehead. "Look, just-- I'm suggesting we use it to contact the future."
Rodimus stared at him as if he'd lost his mind, which was a strong possibility. "The future."
"Right. See, Dion has buddies back home. If I could hook the phone up to the quantum generators -- which have plenty of juice now since the Carcerians fixed them -- I could try and get a signal out."
"And what makes you think these 'buddies' of his would come to the rescue?"
"Well, first of all, because Dion and Cop-Tur are stuck here," Brainstorm said. "And secondly, they want Megatron brought to justice, and they need him alive. So if we tell them--"
"No," Rodimus said firmly.
Brainstorm's face fell. "No?"
"Having the words 'time travel' and 'Megatron' come from you makes me uneasy. We're not going through that again."
"But--"
"No 'buts.' That is final."
Brainstorm huffed. "All right. Fine. We'll just sit here and let these Secret Order guys kill us. Sounds like a--"
"You are dismissed, Brainstorm."
Taken aback by the harshness in his captain's voice, the scientist quickly turned heel and strode out of the room. He stormed out into the hall, where Dion was waiting for him.
"I take it that's a no then?" Dion muttered.
Brainstorm shook his head in exasperation. "I don't know why I even bother. No one on this ship even trusts me with a screwdriver."
Dion frowned as he walked alongside the teal Autobot. "So what now?"
"Duh. We're gonna send that message."
Dion blinked. "I thought he said no."
"He did."
"But we're doing it anyway?"
Brainstorm put a hand on his shoulder. "You still have a lot to learn about us, Dion."
"I don't know about this. I don't like disobeying orders. What if we get caught?"
"Don't worry, I've got everything covered," Brainstorm said. "Just trust me."
From anyone else, Dion would have been assured by those words.
But when it was from Brainstorm, he couldn't help but feel agitated.
--Mothership--
Every time Megatron awoke from stasis, he saw the same image imprinted in his mind: Two robots, both small, almost Mini-Con scale, but unlike any he had seen before. They were not bipedal, giving him the impression of them being mere drones, except... they seemed to have a certain life to them.
For as long as he could remember, he had had this image but could not connect it to any particular memory. Had they been worker drones as the con facility he was built at? Or was there more to them than he knew?
Eventually the image faded, as it always did, and Megatron found himself in Hydra's chamber once again. This time, the two of them were alone, with no sign of Optimus or Magnum, or that of Shockwave and Soundblaster.
Hydra was staring at him, her face devoid of the gaiety she had displayed earlier. Adjusting her harness, she lowered herself to be closer to her former protege.
"This is not how I wanted this reunion to go," she said softly. "I only want the best for you, Optronix. I want to give you the Cybertron you've longed for."
Megatron glared at her. "And how do you plan on doing that?"
"Why, that is entirely up to you," Hydra said, her smile returning. "All of this is yours now."
"Mine?" Megatron's brow furrowed in confusion. "But... you said you had lost hope in me."
"I'm giving you a second chance. A chance to prove yourself. To make me proud."
Megatron felt unconvinced by her words. "And before?" he asked. "What were you planning to do if I never came back?"
Hydra did not answer immediately, which was all the answer he needed.
"You have no plan, do you?"
"Of course we have a plan!" Hydra snapped. "It's just... it's changed over the years."
"Explain," Megatron demanded.
Hydra shifted in hesitation. "Well, when I first formed the Secret Order, the goal was, of course, to achieve peace and unity for all Cybertronians. And... that still is the goal. At least... I think it is."
"You think?"
She let out a tired sigh. "I'm not the same person I was a millennia ago, Optronix. All of this has changed me. The people I've come to work with have changed me. I'm... I'm not even sure if I'm still in control. Lately, I've been leaving most operations to Shockwave and Delta Magnus and even Tarantulas. My body has broken down to the point that I need this apparatus to keep me alive. I allowed those Heralds to use my facilities for their own ends. I've... I've been nothing but a pawn."
"And do you still think it's worth it?" Megatron asked.
Hydra blinked at him. "What?"
"This. Is it still worth it for you to press on, even after all of the setbacks you've suffered? You've lost all of your main bases, your operations have been undermined... why even bother anymore at this point?"
Hydra stared at him in bemusement. "Are you suggesting that I give up?"
"I already have, and it took me a thousand years to do so. You've been at this for nearly as long. Maybe it's time for you to do the same."
Hydra was silent as she seemed to mull over his words. Raising up on her harness, she turned her attention to the screens that surrounded her. On one, Megatron could see what appeared to be Optimus being held in some sort of cell, barred by energy beams. Suddenly, the beams vanished; at the same time, a door opened just off to Megatron's left.
"Go," Hydra whispered. "Do what you have to. It's yours now."
Megatron frowned. "I don't want--"
"I did all of this for you, Optronix. You're not happy with it. You have every right to get rid of it."
Megatron sighed as he got to his feet. "I can't promise I'll come back for you."
"I don't expect you to," Hydra murmured. "Now hurry. I can't promise the others won't try to stop you."
Taking the hint, Megatron went for the door, not so much as stopping to look back.
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