CHAPTER FOUR
Trypticon, Earth
“It’s a wonderful feeling, isn’t it? Being in control.”
The purple, mono-eyed disembodied head situated beside Megatron was silent at the Decepticon leader readjusted himself in his throne, formed for him by Trypticon within the Titan’s command center.
“It has been so long since I was in control that I had forgotten how… exhilarating it felt,” Megatron went on, staring at the array of viewscreens before him, all showing an area of the Decepticon camp beyond the walls of the room. “Sometimes I wish I had never let it go in the first place.”
Shockwave’s single yellow optic rotated to glance at Megatron, unable to turn his head to get a better look at the Decepticon leader. “Why did you let it go? What happened to the path of redemption you had put yourself on?”
Megatron let out a sharp laugh. “Redemption! Ha! There is no redemption for me, my friend. The opportunity for that passed a long time ago; a thousand and two years ago, to be precise.”
“But you were on that path, were you not?” Shockwave asked. “You were even working alongside Optimus Prime at a point.”
“Because, at that point, I was more or less a walking corpse. The only thing keeping me operational was either Dark Energon or the Nemesis program I had uploaded back into myself.” Megatron leaned back in his seat, interlacing his fingers as he held them up to his chin. “I thought I had nothing to lose at that point. The war was over. The Decepticon dream was dead. I was dead.
“But now that I have been given a new lease on life… I can finish what I started. I can finally realize my vision of the Decepticon Empire. Cybertron will soon be mine… and with it, the galaxy.”
“So sure, are you?” Shockwave questioned.
“More so than I’ve ever been.” Megatron then turned his head to look down at Shockwave’s. “Do you doubt my capability to succeed?”
“I have yet to make an accurate prognosis.”
Megatron chuckled darkly. “Ah, you have not changed one bit, have you, old friend?”
Shockwave did not give Megatron the satisfaction of a response, his single optic staring blankly at the viewscreens.
A few minutes later, the silence was broken when an alert came from the main computer and Soundwave’s visage appeared on the main screen. “Lord Megatron, we have detected a party of several dozen Decepticons outside the perimeters of Trypticon.”
Megatron shifted forward in his seat, looking intrigued. “Several dozen, you say?”
“Affirmative. A large number of them appear to be Monstercons, formerly imprisoned at the Garrus-16 facility.” Soundwave paused for a moment before saying, “Their leader would like to speak with you, personally.”
“Is that right?” Megatron smirked as he leaned back in his throne. “Then their wish shall be granted. Welcome our Decepticon brethren in, Soundwave. Make them feel at home… and bring their spokesman to me.”
“As you command, Lord Megatron,” Soundwave responded before his image winked out.
Alone once more the Decepticon leader, Shockwave shifted his gaze back to Megatron. “You seem confident that these Monstercons share your vision for the Decepticons.”
“Of course I am,” Megatron replied. “Because I will make sure that they do.”
* * *
Steel Jaw could feel the stares of the Decepticons as he walked past them through the halls of Trypticon. Many displayed a sense of revulsion towards his strange, animal-like appearance and he met such stares with a taunting sneer.
Deep down, of course, he loved the attention. It was something he craved constantly, not caring if it was positive or negative. The fact that people paid attention to him showed that he was important; that his existence meant something to them, for good or for ill.
Walking ahead of him was the one known as Soundwave, who had just informed him that Megatron had agreed to a one-on-one meeting with the Monstercon leader. If this did not earn Steel Jaw the respect he deserved, then he would have no choice but to take matters into his own hands.
His decision to lead the Monstercons to the Decepticon camp in Verenya (which just so happened to be his last location before ending up in the Quintessons’ captivity) was not one he had made lightly. After inexplicably winding up back on Earth while Planet X was being torn asunder, Steel Jaw suggested that the Monstercons lay low while he calculated their next move. He had no idea what had happened on the planet since his involuntary departure and he was not about to make the same mistakes Leo Prime had made as leader of Mayhem. After much deliberation, Steel Jaw had decided that extending a hand to their “normal” Decepticon brethren was one of the better options he had available.
It was not ideal, of course, and he would have to resist the urge to tear out Megatron’s spark as soon as he had the chance… but restraint was a virtue for all great leaders.
Soundwave soon came to a stop before a door and, after entering a code into the control panel, opened it. The Decepticon comm officer then stepped aside and silently gestured for Steel Jaw to enter the dark room beyond.
Steel Jaw gave Soundwave a careful sidelong glance before walking into the command center, trying not to appear too overtly cautious. Situated in the center of the room was a large throne, placed in front of an array of viewscreens. As the Monstercon neared it, the throne slowly pivoted around to reveal the mighty silver and black figure sitting upon it. Red optics gleamed from beneath the distinctive bucket-shaped helmet of the Emperor of Destruction.
“You must be Steel Jaw,” Megatron said, his smirk visible even in the low lighting of the room. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Steel Jaw stiffened at this, displaying genuine surprise on his face. “You… you know who I am?”
“I am aware of your reputation. I understand that you attempted to make a grab for power during my absence over a century ago.”
Steel Jaw bowed his head. “I was only trying to guide the Decepticons in a direction that was more true to your vision, as Starscream was doing a poor job of that.”
Megatron grinned. “If that is the case, then I believe we’re going to get along just fine. I have great plans for the Decepticons’ future, and I could use someone like you at the front of it.”
This caused Steel Jaw to move with a start. “You could?”
“Of course. You are clearly a charismatic and influential speaker; otherwise, how else would you have gotten all of those Monstercons to follow you?”
Steel Jaw couldn’t help but smirk to himself. Finally, he was getting the recognition he deserved. “You make an excellent point, my lord.”
“I know.” Megatron rose from his throne and stepped over to Steel Jaw, putting a hand on the lupine Decepticon’s shoulder. “Join me, Steel Jaw, and together, we can accomplish many things. Great things. What do you say?”
It did not take long at all for Steel Jaw to answer. His wicked grin threatened to split his face in half. “I’m in.”
* * *
As soon as Steel Jaw had stepped into Megatron’s throne room, Soundwave had closed the door behind him, living him alone in the hallway.
Except he wasn’t truly alone; not when the building he was in was as much of a sentient machine as he was.
“You intrigue me, Soundwave,” Trypticon rumbled, transmitting his voice at a frequency that only Soundwave could pick up. “What exactly is your stake in all of this?”
“Elaborate your question,” Soundwave replied, turning away from the door and stalking back down the hallway.
“You and I both know who you used to be. You weren’t always the subservient fool that you are now. What happened to Logos Prime, Soundwave?”
It was the same conversation he had had with Trypticon shortly after the creation of Megatron’s new spark. The answer Soundwave gave was the same one he had given then.
“Logos Prime is dead. I am Soundwave now.”
Trypticon chuckled. “I can clearly see that. But why separate yourself from your past? You were a Prime once; a figure of great importance. Why throw all that away to become the minion of some desperate warlord?”
The spiteful undertone of Trypticon’s words did not got unnoticed by Soundwave. “Am I speaking to Trypticon?” he asked. “Or to Trannis?”
The floor beneath Soundwave’s feet vibrated as a low rumble rolled through the walls. “Trannis is dead. There is only Trypticon now.”
“I can see that,” Soundwave replied, using Trypticon’s own words against the Titan. “But I can tell that some vestiges of his consciousness still remain in your programming.”
“Maybe so,” Trypticon growled. “But even if that is the case, I — or Trannis, rather — would have evolved into something greater than whatever I was before. As opposed to you, who has regressed into something far more inferior.”
“Given your history with Primes — both as Trypticon and as Trannis — I would have thought you were glad for me to abandon such a title.”
“The title itself is frivolous. It is the passion and the ambition that goes with it that you must reclaim.”
“I never had those things, even as Logos Prime,” Soundwave objected. “If I had, then none of the other Primes would have tolerated my presence. They would have seen me as a threat like Septimus or Regulus.”
“But the other Primes are no longer here,” Trypticon said. “They’re either dead or in hiding like the pathetic cowards they are. You are all that remains of their legacy.”
“What about Rodimus Prime?” Soundwave asked. “Or Optimus, for that matter.”
“What about them? They may carry the title of Prime or even the Matrix itself, but they do not have the same level of ambition as the Primes of old. They fall short of the standards established by those who came before them.”
“Like how Megatron falls short of your standards?”
There was a brief moment of silence. “You could put it that way,” Trypticon rumbled softly. “The point I am trying to make is that you do not need the title of Prime to realize your true potential. You just need to acknowledge that you have that potential.
“You do not need to be Logos Prime again, Soundwave. You just need to be in charge.”
Soundwave stopped in the middle of the hallway, staring into the empty space before him. “You want me to overthrow Megatron.”
“If you don’t, then someone else surely will,” Trypticon said quietly. “Whether it’s Starscream, this Steel Jaw fellow, one of the Predacons….”
“You?” Soundwave asked.
“Even me,” Trypticon admitted. “But I’m aware that such a move by me would not sit well with the other Decepticons and they would surely find some way to rebel against me. But they would have no reason to rebel against you.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because you’re logical. Pragmatic. Patient. All things that Megatron isn’t.”
“You clearly do not know him as well as you think you do,” Soundwave muttered.
Trypticon growled, causing the hallway to rumble again. “Who do you think is responsible for the way is he?”
“Are you sure I am not speaking to Trannis?”
Trypticon did not respond. Realizing that the Titan would not be speaking again for some time, Soundwave resumed walking down the hallway, though he had no idea where he was headed.
Deep down, he bitterly acknowledged how appropriate this was.
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