Chapter 1

The ground trembled as the great beast fell. Orion could hear the crowd roaring, but it wasn't for him. No, it was for the great Megatronus, his best friend, the famous gladiator. During their childhoods, Megatronus had toned his skills in fighting, and took to being a gladiator. But while everyone else only saw him grow harder, and more famous, Orion saw him as he was, a bot that was not quick to trust, but once he did he was a loyal friend. Orion only saw the good of him when hanging out.

The roaring intensified for a few moments as the door opened to let in a battered Megatronus, not letting himself be held up by a medic until once inside. Orion shook his head, knowing full well he wouldn't let his fans ever see him being held up by a medic. It showed weakness, which he hated. Orion jogged over to give the poor medic a hand, who was struggling under Megatronus' weight.

"So, how was the Rondavel’s fighting skills?"

“Owwww.... painful, to say the.....owwwwwww... least," Megatronus replied, cringing in pain as they sat him down on a bench. The medic got right to work, grafting his wounds together.

“Oh, so not enough a challenge then. Guess that makes the Rondavel species off the list," Orion teased.

“He was actually really good fighter. Too bad, we probably could've been friends," Megatronus sighed, then gave a flinch as the medic hit a soft spot in his response system, " After I get my arm cut off by Mr. medic here, want to help hide me from the imminent crowd of fans outside, ready to pounce on me?" Orion shook his head.

“Sorry, but I have to go to work right away, otherwise I'll be late to work. But I will see you tonight at the usual place. It is your 100th battle, and that in a way deserves celebration."

"Indeed it does, and don't you forget it. Violence is the world Orion, as much as you hate it. You can't deny it!"

"Yes I can, and I am. Violence is not necessary to make someone to see your point of view, do you? You just need a strong voice! Or did you forget the time when I saved your aft by merely talking?"

“Uggh, don't bring up that again. Just because you were right then doesn't make you right all the time! But anyway, I’m keeping you, aren't I? Go on now. Just don't be late tonight!"

Orion raised his hand that he heard as he walked away. He exited the building seeing the crowd already form. Some few optimistic bots looked up in hope that he was Megatronus, but were dismayed. Orion laughed to himself. Sorry, but I am not Megatronus, and I never will be, he thought to himself. He walked down the streets of Triteracon, his home city. The streets were full of Cybertronians, and celebration was flooded amongst them. It was Primus day, a day to rejoice their god like creator, who made a great sacrifice to protect the planet. His blood was their blood, and all on this planet loved him. Orion took an elevator to get to the second level. Triteracon was made of three levels, and the gladiator ring was on the third, lowest level so that if any real damage occurred, there wouldn't be anyone beneath to be hurt. That was also where most of the rough bars and run down homes were. The poor lived there. The second level was for those who weren’t poor, but weren’t rich. All the archives, learning centers, and transportation centers were. The third level was for the rich. The Primes, when they visited, would stay up there. The cities managing systems, such as power, military, and transportation management were there as well. Orion lived on the second level as an archivist. His room wasn’t too shabby, but Orion definitely felt the press of poverty around him. As the elevator lifted him upwards, he listened in to the group crowded inside the elevator. Amidst the crowd, he heard the daily gossips, stories of Primus and the Thirteen being told, and something else. Something very odd.
“You are going to join those rebels who are trying to throw down the primes? Are you insane!?"

"Better than just standing by while they lounge in their gold and wealth, not paying for what they did. I mean, they killed my brother! I know they sent assassins after him; they are the only ones who could. I would rather die than let justice be ignored."
“You can’t just go do something like that!! Think of your friends, your family, of me! What if you die? Then we pay the price, not just with your death, but probably with disgrace and banishment from the city too! Don’t make us go through that, please.”

“I’m sorry, but I really don’t care anymore. Those Primes are slaggin’ idiots, and I would be proud to join those rebels!”

Another antiprimeist, Orion thought, sighing. Lately, many Cybertronians have been rebelling against the Primes. The Primes were the guardian council of the entire planet. Each Prime was entrusted with a certain system of the planet, such as energon farming, military, and transportation. But lately the Primes have been more worried about threats to the peace, and have become stricter on rules and regulations. But apparently, some think they are acting like tyrants. I wouldn't know, since I don't what a tyrant acts like, really, but still it puts doubt in one’s mind, Orion thought. Though, I feel sorry for that poor bot. No one deserves to lose a brother. The elevator came to a stop, and Orion postponed his thoughts to concentrate on getting through the crowds. But slowly it fell apart, as if something was drawing them away to one place. A little concerned, but not worried, Orion continued his journey to the Iacon Hall. The Iacon Hall. A wonderful place full of learning. It was an archive of all history and knowledge of Cybertron, supposedly, but Orion knew it was merely very well packed full of data, not of everything. It was a simple building with marble columns on the outside wall, and a stone granite entrance that arched above the ground. Every time Orion saw it, he felt a great joy and pride to work there.

But as he neared the Iacon Hall, he didn't hear celebrations. No, instead he heard booing, yelling, and malcontent. He hurried to the end of the street, and saw a horrible sight. A crowd had circled the Primes, and one very large mech was confronting them in the center, yelling at them. Orion recognized it as Skyquake, one of the warriors who guarded the Iacon Hall, and no particular friend of his. But he grew worried as he saw the Primes grow more angered, and the personnel guards more cautious. That bot will get himself killed, and probably others too, Orion thought. Suddenly, Apocalator Prime jumped down from the transport and engaged in fighting with Skyquake! Chaos erupted as personal guards and police bots began to attack Cybertronians, and drive them away. Orion couldn't move, still shocked by all that had just occurred. A police bot came in front of him and began to attack him as well. He used his arms as a sort of shield against the baton as it continually slammed down on him.

“I’m not an enemy! Please stop and I will gladly comply!” Orion shouted, but the bot continued to hit him, not hearing his words. Finally, Orion slipped in his meek defenses, and the bot shoved him down.

“Stupid mech. You should have run away if you weren’t an enemy.” The police bot told him, and Orion grew wide optics as he realized that the mech had heard him. Then the bot wacked his baton across Orion’s head, and darkness crept in.
Orion woke up to silence. He groaned as his head began to pulse with pain. He sat up to see a medic crouching next to him, asking him something.

“Sorry, what did you say?” Orion asked, shaking his head ever so slightly to shake the grogginess away.

"I asked if you were awake, but if you can talk, it seems so.” The medic began packing his tool case.

"What happened? Why is it so quiet?" Orion asked, shaken by the silence on an international celebration.

"You'll have to look for yourself. Anyway, the worst you will probably have is a headache. I'm Ratchet, by the way, in case you feel worse later on. I have to go help the others with Skyquake, if you don't mind me leaving." Orion shook his head, and Ratchet walked off. Orion got up, wobbling at first, but finally getting his balance. My gravitational balance system must be off, Orion thought, good nothing else was affected. He looked around and became filled with shock and despair. It looked like a battle had taken place, instead of a small skirmish as Orion had thought he had seen. Injured Cybertronians laid everywhere, bits of metal lying around, and energon littering the streets with blue. His spark nearly stopped when he spotted Skyquake. His body lay in ruins, limbs hanging off by a wire, huge dents as big as his head, and gashes marred his body. Orion shook his head and stared at the ground at this massacre. He heard a moan behind him, and looked around to find an almost equally bashed bot as Skyquake on the ground with a medic beside him, packing his tools. Orion walked up, and looked at the medic questioningly. The medic shook his head and said

“It’s too late for him." The medic walked off, to tend to another patient. Orion crouched by the injured bot, grasping his hand.

"All we wanted was to be heard. The primes were ignoring us, and we wanted them to listen," The bot said quietly, hacking up energon, “But then they do all this.... I wish I had never done this. Now many bots are offline because of me and Skyquake. Well, at least when I join the Well of Allsparks, I'll be able to say sorry," the bot hacked up a huge amount of energon, and slumped to the ground. The lights in his optics flickered and died, and Orion closed his optics in grief, not just for this poor life, but also for all hurt and forced to hurt, because of this confrontation. He stood up, and looked at the scene before him once again, to see if this was really real.

"This can't be real, it just can't be!" Orion muttered to himself. He slowly limped to the Iacon Hall, where the bot in charge paid for a transport to take him home. As he rode the transport back, his heart was heavy, and his mind thought of only one thought. What is happening?

Chapter 2
That evening, Orion found Megatronus at the night fuelers. The gladiator had a cube of high grade in one servo, laughing at some joke or other. Orion paused at an archway close to the door, leaning against it to ease his aching gears and joints. Even though the medic said he probably would only have a processor ache, he could feel the effect of the almost brutal beating the police bot gave him. The pain was really starting to kick in, and Orion was beginning to worry what Megatronus might do. He did have some anger restraint issues... Orion shook his helm. Don't think like that, he told himself, if you tell him slowly, maybe he'll listen. Tell him calmly, and don't let him do anything stupid. You can do that, right Pax? Oh Primus, who am I kidding? At least he is probably overloaded on high grade. Megatronus noticed Orion, and beckoned him to come over.

"Orion, why stand so idly when there is energon to drink and battles to celebrate?" Megatronus called out, invoking the cheers of his fellows. Orion tried to hide his wince with a smile as he realized he would reveal his obvious pain if he walked over. Orion looked at Megatronus, who was looking at him with a concerned curiosity. Orion tried to smile bigger and pushed against the wall. He tried to hide his limp, but deep concern etched on Megatronus' face told him he was doing horribly at it. Megatronus rushed over to him, putting an arm over his shoulder, helping him to the table. There goes the surprise, Orion mused to himself.

"Hey, Orion, what did ya do to yourself? That don't look like a little stiffness in the gears. Rough day?" asked a bot, named Conker. Orion nodded, then wincing as he sat down. Ooohhh, I should go see Ratchet after this. Scrap this hurts.

"Ah, well, we all have those, don't we? Have a drink, you look like you need it," Conker said, passing over a cube. Orion nodded his thanks and quietly drank his energon. The others began to have small chat again, but Megatronus kept his attention on Orion. Orion kept quiet, not looking at Megatronus. Then, finally, someone mentioned it.

"Hey, guess what? Apparently, something big, and I mean big, happened at the Iacon Hall today, almost right after your battle M! Somebody rebelled, right in front of the Primes too! It was a madhouse apparently, and lots of bots got hurt. Did you see that Orion?" All the bots looked at him, and Orion shut his optics. The others looked at each other, confused.

"I did more than see it," Orion said, “I got caught in it. It was more than a madhouse. It was a slaughter." Orion saw the others go wide optic.

"What happened?" "Yeah, tell us!" Orion became almost overwhelmed by the bombardment of questions.

"Hey, now, everyone let him speak. Can't you see he is overwhelmed?" Megatronus called out, and everyone quieted down. Megatronus looked at Orion expectantly.

"I was coming up to the Hall, when I thought I heard something strange. Booing and yelling, instead of cheering, as you would normally hear. I rounded the corner, and saw a bot (of who I shall not name for his sake) confronting the Primes. He aggravated them enough to make Appocalator Prime jump down from the transport and attack him," a series of gasps filled the room. Orion realized others in the room were listening too, “guards and Police bots began to defend the Primes against other rebellers, as I came to realize them as, and it became chaos. I got...hit by the wave of innocents running away. That is why I came in limping. I managed to get knocked out as well; when I came to, it looked like a battle of the legends had occurred, instead of a riot like skirmish," Orion ended. The whole place was silent, and mourned for those hurt.

"The worst thing was...was," Orion tried to say, choking on his words, " was when a bot died in my hands," another round of gasps came, "Yes, bots were killed today, in front of our most beloved archive. His last words were: All we wanted was to be heard. The primes were ignoring us, and we wanted them to listen. But then they do all this.... I wish I had never done this. Now many bots are dead because of me and bzzzzzzz. Well, at least when I join the Allspark, I'll be able to say sorry," Orion replayed the bots last words, letting everyone know his pain. He had purposely left out Skyquake's name to protect him, as much as he didn't want to. But he thought he would give him a little peace; he definitely wouldn't get any at the archive once he was well again. He looked at Megatronus, and what he saw was exactly what he feared. Megatronus' optics burned with a fury so hot, Orion thought it could have melted metal. One bot put a sympathetic servo on Orion’s shoulder plate, while others murmured their apologies.

"There is no need to apologize," Orion told them, "it isn't like you made me see this and partake in it."

"This is unacceptable!" Megatronus stated. Oh no, Orion thought, "it's one thing to prance around and lounge in their power, but to actually attack a bunch of innocents, like a massacre, that is something else. It's wrong," the others murmured their agreement.

"Somebody needs to stop all this madness. But who? Who can reign in the rebels and show the Primes they're wrong?" Conker asked. Everyone went quiet, thinking their own thoughts.

"We can," Megatronus said, "we can! Who better than a couple gladiators, mechanics, miners, and an archivist. They will listen to an archivist, if not us. Am I right, Orion?" Orion stared at him for a nanoclick, before shaking his helm vigorously.

"No, absolutely not. You know how I hate violence! I will not participate in actions that would create it! Besides, even if I joined, we would have little hope in doing anything. How could we stop... terrorists and possibly trigger happy Primes? Tell me how to do that without hurting anyone Megatronus, and I may, may join you." Orion said, much to the others dismay. But none argued; they knew his decision was final, and understandable. Megatronus grimaced at Orion, but said nothing.

"Today, we have seen much evil;" Megatronus began quietly, “The Primes who have ruled so peacefully have killed many of our brothers. One lone bot stood up to them, and they did not have the patience or wisdom to listen. They killed and injured bots just because one wouldn't obey to their every wit and whim! You say you hate violence, but let the violence of others slide without doing anything? That is not the bot I know! The bot I know stood up to a terrorcon, got right into its face plate, and told him to calm down, not to use violence, and succeeded. A terrorcon would listen to you, and now that your precious Primes are doing something wrong, you whimper and cower and refuse to do anything? That isn't you! You know it, and I know it,” Megatronus said, directly to Orion. Orion stood up slowly, and crouched over the table to get closer to Megatronus.

"I just saw at least fifty bots get killed today, got badly injured myself, and you are asking me to help do that again. Do you realize what that was like for me? Seeing all those bots dead? It was like my spark was being broken. The very people I looked up to, and trusted, killed innocents. It was as bad to me as it would be to you to see me die! And now you are asking me to help create more! You must be rusting inside that processor of yours," Orion almost yelled out at Megatronus, but kept his cool. He knew Megatronus would be hurt more if he talked calmly and quietly. Yelling Megatronus could handle. Severe scolding, not so much. Megatronus, optics filled with hurt, looked down in shame. Orion wanted to apologize, but instead limped outside, and sat down beside the door. The pain in his leg was sharp, and Orion numbly wondered how he was going to get home. He sat under the dark atmosphere, looking for distant stars. He heard the door open, but didn't look to see who it was until they sat down by him. He peered over to see Megatronus joining him in star-gazing. Orion let his cooling system vent out in a sigh, and resumed gazing. For a while, they just sat there, enjoying the view. Orion shifted a bit, but hissed in pain when his leg seized up. Megatronus rummaged through his supplies in his supplies case, or backpack as some nicknamed them, and got out some neural patches. He motioned to Orion to sit up a little more so he could put the patch on.

"I keep a lot of these on hand, knowing that sometimes the medics at the arena aren't perfect at getting rid of the pain," he told Orion, to answer his questioning stare, “Neural patches are the best. That’s my little secret to looking strong right after a battle,” Orion chuckled, shaking his head.

"And I thought I knew all about you," he said before wincing in pain as Megatronus put the patch on. He then activated a switch on the patch, and Orion felt instant relief as the patch turned off his neural system in his leg. He leaned back and dimmed his optics to rest. He felt Megatronus lean back as well.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you like that. That was bad of me," Megatronus apologized, still leaning back, with one servo behind his helm.

"It's okay. I forgive you. I wasn't really all that angry, just upset by it all. After today, I don't want to see any more violence for the rest of my cycle. I've had my fill. But when you talked as if we needed to rebel, my processor overloaded, I guess. It wasn't your fault, just me freaking out," Orion told him, brightening his optics and slowly sitting up. Those patches sure take off the pain, Orion thought. He began to get up, and Megatronus rushed to help him. Once up, Megatronus helped Orion home, walking through the almost empty, quiet streets. The distant rumble of a ship passing over them, and the quick sounds of a night fuelers filled the air.

"Sometimes, I wonder if there is somewhere we bots can go to just, get rid of it all," Megatronus said, "Just to let go our worries, our stress, our pressure. Maybe I can go to that one planet in that spiral galaxy, you know, the recent one we discovered has carbon life forms evolving on it. You know the red planet?" Megatronus added when Orion showed his confusion. Orion thought for a nanoclick, and then realized what he was talking about.

"You mean the planet we named Mars?"

"Yeah, that's the one. I forgot what it was called."

"Really."

"What! We gladiators aren't programmed to remember the unimportant info we obtain!"

"Mars is a very important planet. It is teaching us a lot about evolution in carbon forms, so we can predict what will occur in the future!"

"Yeah, important. How about, more, a hobby. I don't agree with the word important."

"You can't be serious."

"Dead."

"Uggggghh" Orion moaned, and gave up.

"Hey Megatronus, why are you thinking such deep thoughts? Isn't that my job? You know how dangerous thinking is for a gladiator, right?" Orion teased a little after processing over what Megatronus said earlier. Megatronus just rolled his optics.

"I guess hearing about that riot you witnessed is getting to me. It also annoys me that I wasn't there to protect you," Megatronus looked sharply at Orion, who was chuckling slightly at Megatronus' peeve. "I'm being serious, Orion, I am very annoyed. You are like a little brother to me; I would never forgive myself if something happened to you."

"I feel the same way, brother," Orion replied, and smiled. They finally reached Orion's apartment, and Megatronus left him by the door. He began to walk away when Orion called for his neighbour to help him out.

"Just be careful, okay? I won't be around for a few days, so you won't be able to reach me for help. So please be cautious; you never know what lies around the corner!" Megatronus yelled out to him.

"As if by chance there is a psychopath waiting around that very corner, ready to pounce on you!" Orion replied. Megatronus shrugged, raising his clawed servos in the air. His claws reminded him of the time he first used them. It had been an unnaturally dark day on Cybertron, since there was a meteor shower occurring. They formed a cloud like cover over the surface, casting shadows. He and Megatronus had been hanging out, just talking about recent lessons, when a crazy old rusting bot had approached them with an odd looking weapon and an energon container. Orion had been scared; he started to back away. However, Megatronus stood his ground, moving into a fighting stance, and told the bot to go away.

"I will hurt you if you try to harm us," he added, staring at him warily.

"Megatronus, let's just run!" Orion pleaded, "You'll get hurt!"

"Oh, no, no, youngling, you are going to get hurt whether you run or fight," the bot said, his raspy voice sending shivers down his spine. Then the bot launched himself at Orion, seeing him as the weaker one. Orion stared wide optic as Megatronus yelled out, spun around for momentum, and swung his clawed servo towards the bot, just before he reached Orion. He remembered how they aimed right for the bots very spark...

"Orion? Hey Orion, are you okay?" Kraken asked, shaking him out of his memories. He nodded, and then looked back to where Megatronus was. He was long gone by now, leaving the street empty. Kraken helped him up to his room where, once inside, he laid on his berth. He let himself relax. I hope tomorrow will be better than today, Orion thought. His optics dimmed as he fell deeper into recharge, and finally, he offlined them.

Chapter 3
Megatronus skulked down the street after he walked Orion home. He burned with a fury so hot; he almost wished it wasn't there. Almost. But the fury gave him strength, courage. Especially for what he was planning to do. But right now Soundwave wished to see him, and he sounded urgent. He turned down streets and alleyways. Hmm, I wonder what Soundwave wishes for me to see. It must be important if he wants to meet me in the middle of the night, he thought to himself. He finally reached the meeting point, and looked around for him, but only saw darkness. His optics narrowed, confused as to where Soundwave was. He heard a clank behind him, and he spun around to find Soundwave standing in the pathway.
"Soundwave, my loyal friend. You never fail to sneak up behind me. Now, what is it you wished for me to see?" Soundwave handed him a data pad. Megatronus grabbed and studied it to find nothing but encrypted documents.
"You asked me to come in the middle of the night for encrypted documents?" Megatronus asked, a little skeptical of his silent friend. Soundwave nodded.
"Laserbeak infiltrated the Primes archive and found the documents. I believe they contain all the original laws created by the thirteen," Soundwave explained. Megatronus, shocked, looked at the data pad with new respect.
"As interesting that is, why is this important now?" Megatronus asked.
"There are 42 different laws in that data pad. We now only have 39. One was publically removed, but the other two have not been mentioned anywhere. They just disappeared. I want to know why."
"But I can't decrypt these. I am only programmed as a security bot, and a gladiator! Surely you don't want me to waste my time learning decryption code programs to learn what two insignificant laws are missing?"
"But Orion can," Soundwave pointed out. Megatronus contemplated this.
"Yes, he could. But I won't give them to him soon, understood? Orion was at the riot today, in front of Iacon hall, and he was wounded by the wave of bots running at him," Megatronus said, flipping through the data pad. Soundwave frowned. He witnessed the whole thing himself, and he knew Orion wasn't hurt by the crowd, but by the police bot. But he kept silent. He was a master of secrets, if someone else was keeping one, he wouldn't tell. Soundwave began to slink off, his goal obtained, for now.
Megatronus looked up to find him gone, and let out a vent. He then continued on to his other intended destination. He thought about what Soundwave told him, and about what happened yesterday. I am so glad Orion is just okay, he thought, his fury coming back in full swing. Nobody stopped him as he again began to stalk down the street, knowing to well not to mess with an angry gladiator. His thoughts stoked his fury, making him clench his servos. What if he hadn't been just knocked out, Megatronus thought, what if he had been put into critical care, or worse. What if he had been one of the one's to... NO! He told himself. That won't happen. Pax knows how to take care of himself, even if he doesn't know how to fight. But in the end, he couldn't stop the thought slinking into his processor. What if Orion had died? A shaky vent came out, nearly a sob. He clamped down on it. Keep it together, only a few more blocks before you can let it all out.
Then, with relief, he spotted his goal. The Scarrows arena. The beginning of gladiators and arena’s. All gladiators dreamed of going there, but only the best actually do, due to the fact that to go in is practically a death wish. Only two rules stood for any gladiator to go in. Win 100 battles, and be able to beat their worst loser. This place really showed whether you really were that good, and where true battles were fought. He marched through the entrance and went to the control center, where the director probably was at this time. He slammed open the doors and marched in, confidence filling him with strength.
He spotted the director, who was somewhat flabbergasted at his loud entrance. He was a short bot, but as some organics across the stars would say, very meaty. Not fat, but muscular. From his structure build, he could tell he was sparked as an engineer. Not as bad as some castes, but certainly not all that good. Megatronus let himself feel some respect toward the director, who obviously worked hard to get to his status now. The bot did not have any distinct coloration, and no particular feature unique to him. But the gladiator next to him was a different story altogether.
The gladiator was a tall, robust figure, with a dark and looming demeanour about him. He had a detachable helmet on, with only a strip of opening to let his optics see. They were a dark, purplish blue, hinting the malice within. Megatronus noted this, as he had not seen many with that type of colour optics. But it was known to happen. But what came after purple, no one knew. It was rumoured they go red when they are completely lost, but that had never been heard of since the days of rebuilding: a time where bots began to rebuild after the Thirteen and Unicron fought. That was a long time ago. The bot had a very strong build, which suggested why he existed as of now. Scars ran down his chassis and faceplates, making him look fierce. But Megatronus knew better than to cower at mere scratches. He had seen, and done, a lot worse. Megatronus walked up to them, ignoring the low growls coming from the other gladiator.
"Who in the pit are you?" The director asked rudely, obviously not liking the abrupt interruption.
"My name is Megatronus, and I wish to fight here," he answered.

Chapter 4
The next cycle, Orion woke up feeling stiff and with aching joints all over. He groaned as he got up off the berth. He walked out his berthroom to get some energon when he heard a knock at his door. Confused, he quickly limped to the door to find his room neighbour, Kraken, standing there nervously.
"Kraken. What is wrong, you don't come around often, not that I don't mind of course!" Orion added quickly, scolding himself for being so rude.
"Oh, nothing’s wrong, I was just wondering if you needed help getting to Iacon hall today? Since you were pretty beat up last cycle," Kraken replied. Orion nodded at him, thankful for the offer.
"I would gladly accept that offer. Thank you. That is most kind of you," Orion answered. Thank Primus Kraken works as an archivist guard. I would never be able to get to the hall otherwise.
"Alright then, umm, so do you want to go now, or should I wait for a bit. I don't know when you go to the archives, so sorry if I woke you up..." Kraken rambled on, slowing down at Orion's soft smile.
"There is no trouble, Kraken. Do not apologize for merely coming to ask if I needed assistance. I need some energon before we go, but that’s all. Please, come in while you wait. Do you need any energon?" Orion asked as he led Kraken to a seat inside his home. He got a cube of energon, and looked over at Kraken, awaiting an answer.
"Oh, uh, no, I couldn't, Orion. It's your energon," Kraken, shaking his head.
"Have you had any energon today?" Orion asked firmly. Kraken vented, and shook his head. Orion grabbed a second cube and limped over to him. He set them down before trying to gently ease himself into a chair. Kraken jumped up to help him though when a loud click sounded and immense pain consumed his leg, originating from his knee joint.
"Here, let me look," Kraken said, and bent down on his knees to get a better look. Orion removed the kneecap so he could see the wiring. Kraken winced.
"What is it?" Orion asked, grimacing.
"Whoever did this to you either slammed their entire weight onto you, or purposely punched your knee to put you in pain. Either way, it does not look pretty. But the good news is that the medic who obviously worked on you did a pretty good job of making sure it will heal properly. It looks like a nerve wire just came loose, that's why it was so painful. Though I'm not a medic, so can't say for sure. Let me try something..." Orion suddenly heard a click, and the pain subsided.
"Whatever you did, I think it worked," Orion said, and relaxed in his seat. Kraken vented, relieved his friend wasn't in pain anymore. He sat down as well and finally drank some of the energon. Orion hadn't realised it until he sat down that Kraken was very anxious and worried for him, especially when fixing his knee wiring.
"I’m okay, Kraken. There is no need to worry. It was merely a loose wire," Orion told him, trying to ease the poor bot.
"It isn't that, I just, well..." Kraken stammered, and then stopped.
"Go on," Orion encouraged, "what is it that’s making you anxious?"
"I just want to know what really happened yestercycle that made you hurt so badly. The Primes and the officials say it was a rebellion riot, but I know you wouldn't be part of that. So what really happened?" Kraken asked, looking mildly ashamed that he had to be the one to remind him of the events last cycle. Orion shut his optics for a moment, then opened them.
"It was a riot caused by rebellious bots, so they are not lying to you about that. But what they left out was how they dealt with it..." Orion trailed off, and looked down to the table.
"If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. I would understand completely," Kraken said, feeling very, very guilty to have brought the whole experience again.
"They killed many innocent bots, and severely injured twice as many others. Most of the bots were just citizens watching the parade. But the guards and security drones attacked them anyways," Orion replied, then let out a long vent at Kraken's faceplate expression.
"I can't... it couldn't... I don't believe it!" Kraken exclaimed. Then he mumbled something to himself.
"What was that Kraken? I couldn't catch quite what you said," Orion asked.
"Nothing, just musing to myself," he replied, and vented. They both had an unofficial moment of silence for the poor Cybertronians lost last cycle. Then Kraken stood up to stretch. He grabbed his cube and Orion's cube and headed toward Orion’s energon preparing station.* He set them down, and went back to Orion.
"Ready to go now?" Kraken asked.
"Yes, I believe so," Orion answered, then slowly got up. Kraken wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and helped him get to the streets. They then decided to go on the TT, or transit teleporter, seeing as it was the quickest way. They made their way through the streets, crowds, and abundance of sympathy from others. They finally made it to the TT, and Orion relaxed on a seat as the transit began to move. He watched Kraken as he fiddled with his digits, looking very nervous. At first he ignored it, but when he started bouncing his leg up and down, Orion noticed something was up with Kraken.
"Why are you so anxious, my friend? There is nothing to be afraid of," Orion asked.
"Ah, well, just nervous. I mean, after yestercycle, I'm feeling a little jittery. Know what I mean?" Kraken said, trying to stop showing his anxiety, but failing ever so slightly.
"Kraken, tell me the truth. You are a guard at the Iacon hall, very well trained in combat, and we are in a very crowded area. If, I stress on the if, the Primes attacked here they would be fools. You know this, so an event like last cycle cannot be what’s concerning you. What is it that is bothering you?" Orion scolded, and then crossed his arms, waiting for a reply. Kraken, a little surprised by the outburst, merely looked at the floor of the transit, confliction raging across his face. What is he hiding inside, Orion thought, that could make him act like this? He usually is very open to me, even if he is shy about it. Finally he spoke.
"I would rather keep it to myself. I'm sorry, Orion, but it is just... a bit too personal for me to share."
Orion felt two emotions at this statement, concern and pride. Pride because Kraken usually gives in to pressure, the poor soft being that he is, and concern for his wellbeing. What was so personal and anxiety rising that he could act like this and not tell his friend, albeit them not being the closest friends. But he let it go, knowing not to cross the boundary when it came to one's personal life. He learned that the hard way when he was younger. He had been pestering Megatronus about his past life in Kaon. At first, he dealt with it, but then he snapped and punched Orion in the faceplate before yelling him that he didn't want to tell him about his past, and to mind his own business. Megatronus then ignored him for a 7-cycle, until Orion made it up by apologizing and buying them tickets to a gladiator match the next cycle. Megatronus had accepted the apology, and gave one himself. But Orion never knew what had happened to make him snap like that, and had realized that some bots have boundaries when it comes to personal lives, and it was in his best interest to not cross them.
Orion was shaken out of his thoughts by a loud blare sounding from the front of the transit. He peered out the window to see bots lined outside, some holding signs, and some throwing things at the transit. Orion just barely managed to dodge a piece of scrap metal covered in some form of energon as it came flying into their cab, clattering to the ground. Kraken crouched and lightly brushed it to get a bit of energon, and tasted it. He quickly spat it out.
"Processed energon," he explained, shaking his head to get rid of the taste.
"Processed energon! You mean someone actually harmed themselves just to throw a piece of metal at a transit? Where is the sense in that?" Kraken shrugged, and sat back down on his seat. Orion continued to look out, and saw most of the signs were arguing against the Prime's rule, and about yestercycle's events.
"I, of all bots, know that what happened last cycle was unacceptable. I also know that civil disobedience is a good, if questionable, way to say what they want to, but aren't they acting a little, over the top, as some may say? Throwing objects at a simple transit? Hurting themselves while doing so? This could easily get out of hand," Orion said to Kraken, waiting for his opinion.
"Well, you have to admit that it is making a statement. While it may seem like they are throwing simple objects, when they cover them with processed energon, it basically says 'look, we want a change, and we aren't afraid of spilling energon to get it'. See what I mean?" Kraken said. Orion vented, staring off into the distance.
"But is all this violence and energon-shed really necessary?" Orion said quietly, and Kraken stayed silent, not knowing how to answer. They eventually passed the group of Cybertronians, and arrived at the station. They walked, or in Orion's case, limped, to the hall. There they were greeted by many of the archivists and guards of the Iacon hall. Most of them almost doted on Orion, much to his great embarrassment. Some of the off duty guards offered to take Kraken's duties so that Kraken could help him around, while other archivists took some of Orion's more strenuous jobs. As they walked into the main room, they saw Alphatrion standing near the rec centre, in deep conversation. As Orion looked at him, he realized that Alphatrion seemed more exhausted than usual. But that was no surprise, what with how last cycle went. His bluish-purple and red armour looked dull in the bright light that filled the room, and his tall stature looked even taller as Orion could tell that he was trying to keep himself up. Alphatrion is definitely in need of recharge, Orion thought. They walked up to him, and they saw Skyquake in the chair. To say they were shocked would be putting it mildly.
Skyquake's body was practically in ruins. All his limbs were covered in professional medical patches to numb the pain. Weld marks marred his armour, well what was left of it. Future scars ran down his limbs, and his faceplate looked like it would need corrective surgery in the near future to stop it from crushing into itself. His legs were mangled, and Orion knew he wouldn't be walking for a while yet. As they walked closer to the two, they could hear Alphatrion scolding Skyquake for his stupidity.
"What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed, and you certainly got others killed for your actions!" Alphatrion said, his deep, sad voice making it much more severe.
"I couldn't just sit around and do nothing! They parade the streets, thinking themselves sooo great, and at the same time offend and punish those beneath them for being born into their caste, as if we could actually do something about it, and that we are just too lazy to change our caste. Yeah right. I will not just stand by and do nothing, when they personally bully, offend, and push my own brother around!" Orion scowled at his words, as much as they rang truth.
"Yes, but was it worth it!" He called out, gaining the attention of the two “Many innocent bots died, and others like me were injured seriously. Was it worth it in the end? To have bots die by your actions, when your brother will most likely suffer even worse now as punishment!" Orion snarled out, hardly keeping his anger in check.
"Orion." Alphatrion said, and stared at him pointedly. Orion nodded, and let his cooling system run its course, calming him down.
"Well now, we couldn't have our star archivist hurt now, could we," Skyquake sneered, obviously ignoring Orion's words, except for him being injured. Orion narrowed his eyes. As always, Skyquake is being his selfish, arrogant self, and doing his best to offend me, Orion thought.
"Skyquake, he's right," Kraken added, “And while Orion isn't our 'star' archivist, that would be Alphatrion, he is a very important part of our community. Orion knows more than half of all the passwords and codes here, and if he had been hurt beyond repair or, Primus forbids, offlined, well we would be in a lot of trouble." Skyquake gave him a look of loathing, which Kraken cowered under, but vented and nodded in submission. Orion thought about Skyquake's brother for a few moments. If what Skyquake says is true, then Dreadwing must be around the Primes a lot, or he isn't safe where he dwells.
"If your brother is being 'picked on' by the Primes, then bring him here. He would be safe and well protected. We wouldn't let anything happen to him, especially I wouldn't. I would extend him that courtesy, as much as you and I don't exactly... get along," Orion said
"As if he would want your help! He is a proud bot; he would not ask for help from others for protection against tyrants!" Skyquake scoffed, then wheeled around to roll away, "I am going to have a light recharge; should anyone need me, I shall be in the library dorms," he added, and finally went off, muttering to himself as he did. Orion vented, shutting his optics off for a few moment as he regained his emotions. That was bad of me, he thought, I almost lost my temper at him, and that would not have helped me or anyone else at all. I really need a tip off of Alphatrion on how to do that.
"Orion, are feeling better after last cycle's events? I was told by Kraken that you were hurt somewhat severely," Alphatrion asked, turning to them once Skyquake was out of sight. Orion nodded.
"I am feeling a little bit better, but still very sore," Orion replied. Alphatrion nodded, content with his answer, and walked off to check on some new archivists. Kraken helped Orion to his workspace, then left to go do some errands for him. Orion looked around the familiar room, making sure everything was in place. Three computers lined the wall, with a separate desk for each one. Each had a massive amount of storage space, and some of the best technology of the cycle. A rolling swivel chair sat in the middle desk, and Orion pulled it out to relax on. Once he was seated, he immediately got to work. As he was describing his view of yestercycle, he heard a small notification from the computer to his left. He rolled over to see that someone had left him a message earlier, and he opened up the file. Megatronus' voice filled the room as the computer relayed the message.
"Hey Orion, I know this is pretty early, but I don't have any other time free for a good while. I am in Kaon right now, and I was wondering how you are feeling this cycle. I bet you are sore. Hehehe. Wish I was there just to tease you about it. Also, I just wanted to tell you of some news. I know you won't exactly agree with this... no, you will probably yell at me for this, but I went to the Scarrows arena to join them. It was a little crazy. First I beat this gladiator who was already there, and when I did beat him, they told me that he wasn't from that arena, but from a small arena in Kaon! I couldn't believe it when they told me, so I just scoffed at them and began to talk to the director. But they insisted I go to Kaon and fight there, and so I agreed. So anyway, now I fight in Kaon. I will still visit, but I may be gone for far longer periods of time. But, to be honest, I feel really good about this. I am very proud of myself right now. Anyway, I have some files that Soundwave has asked for you to decode. I won't say what they are, but I will say we are both very sure that you will find some, interesting things in there. Alright, have to go now, comm me back this evening. "
Orion stood there for a few seconds, trying desperately not to glitch. Scarrows arena, then a Kaonian arena? Was he trying to kill himself? As much as he was a gifted fighter, he would die within a cycle! And why was he still meeting Soundwave, much to Orion's warnings. That mech was dangerous, and was actually a wanted bot in some cities.
"I am going to kill him. I am going to fragging kill him," Orion muttered, closing the file recording.
"I don't believe you will need to. His time in Kaon will do the job just perfectly," a voice behind him said, and Orion spun around to see Alphatrion standing in the doorway.
"Alphatrion, sir, I didn't hear you standing there. My apologies," Orion stammered, embarrassed that he was so easily sneaked up on.
"No apologies necessary. I did not want to be heard. I merely came to check up on you, and overheard the message. Is your friend always that reckless and arrogant?" Alphatrion replied, walking over to the computers.
"I wouldn't call him arrogant. Reckless, yes. Overestimating himself, yes. Getting into trouble all the time, yes. But arrogant, no. He just... doesn't doubt himself that much," Orion answered, spinning around to the main computer.
"And is he always sending messages like that, and getting into trouble?"
"Yes, quite a lot actually. For some reason, trouble is drawn to him like scraplets to metal." Orion got up to get a disk from the storage closet, limping the entire way.
"Do you want to take a cycle off tomorrow? You limp seems to be taking a toll on you," Alphatrion asked, giving him a servo to sit down.
"No Alphatrion, I'm fine. No need to worry about me. You should concentrate on making sure Skyquake doesn't get killed by anyone who wants him in tiny pieces of scrap metal. Not that I would actually mind..." Orion assured, and then waited for Alphatrion to stop chuckling before continuing, "Besides, there is too much work that needs to be finished. The new recruits have been slacking off a little lately, so usually I end up being the one to finish the work," Alphatrion scowled at him.
"What have I told you about that? You need to stop doing their work for them. They won't learn otherwise."
"I know, but sometimes they leave things that I would need soon, so I am forced to do it. Other times it is so interesting I can't leave it alone. I’m, sorry, Alphatrion. I will try to stop," Orion apologized, making Alphatrion shake his head and force the scowl on his faceplate, as much as it wanted to smile at Orion's constant wish for new knowledge and learning.
"You are so different from other Cybertronians, you know that? When others think it is interesting to know who won the last gladiator battle, you think the same about vorns old dead bots who created a city. It is very rare to find one such as you who takes a vivid interest in history, even when you know most of it already. Please, please don't let anyone take this away from you. I hope to see you one day in my mantle, continuing my work to teach the past to our fellow bots," Alphatrion said, looking at him with a calm pride and compassion. Orion stared at Alphatrion shocked, shuttering his optics on and off, to see if his imagination was playing a trick on him.
"Me? But, but I'm nothing special. I am only a mere archivist. You, you're the one and only Prime left from the Original Thirteen, as much as you gave up the title later. How could I ever hope to be as good as you?" Orion stuttered, utterly shocked by this.
"But you are special Orion; you merely do not see it. You are very skilled at being an archivist, and like Kraken said, we would be in deep trouble without you. You don't need to be a Prime to be special. You don't need to need to be a genius, or a scientist, or of a high caste. You need a strong spirit, which you definitely have. I trust you Orion, and my trust is very hard earned, as you have learned. I will be very assured of this archives future in your hands Orion. But do not worry, that cycle will not be so soon. Now, I must go. I have a few certain new recruits to talk to about abandoning work for early lunar cycles off." With that, he made his exit, leaving a humbled and mildly shocked Orion Pax.
"Thank you sir," he said softly, and turned back to his work. He couldn't believe it. Alphatrion wants me, ME, to take over the archive when he has had enough, or when he... offlines, he thought. That would be the greatest honour of my life! Wow, lead archive of the Iacon hall, one of the most well-known archives on the planet. Wow. He saw a blinking light in the corner of his optic, and swivelled to find that Megatronus had left a file attachment to his earlier message. He opened it, and it read:
Orion, please look over these documents for me. These are the ones I mentioned in the message. They are of great interest of Soundwave and I, and I think you will be interested in them too. -Megatronus
Orion looked at the files with distrust, but opened them against his better judgement. He saw that the files contained 42 different entries, all double coded by the looks of them. Scrap, he thought.
"Well, I best start a decoding program on this," Orion said with a vent and transferred the files to his main computer. He began the programming with a click, and walked off to do other jobs waiting for him.
A few joors later…
Orion felt exhausted as he slumped down on his swivel chair. Kraken had helped around most of the cycle, but it had still drained him, and Alphatrion had called Kraken for some errand, leaving Orion in dismay. I wonder how I am going to get home now; he mused, but brushed it aside. He could always stay at the archive’s dorms, so it wasn't all that bad. He opened up the files, to see how far it had gone.
"Oh, come on," he complained out loud, "In the amount of time it took me to record the events last cycle, help the recruits wipe archive disks, clean Trackstar's office, and go to three joor-long meetings, it has only decoded one entry?!" He let his head fall against the desk with a thud, and groaned. He stayed that way for a few nanoclicks, and then lifted himself up. He opened the entry, and instantly wanted to destroy the computer. It was merely one of the 39 laws to keep the peace on Cybertron. Wait... he thought, there are 39 laws, and these files obviously hold the current laws. So what are the other three? I know one was publically removed, and no one really disagreed with it at the time, but I don't remember there ever being two other laws. Maybe this is what Megatronus and Soundwave find interesting. He began to read the entry, to see which one it was. He realized it was about the succession of Prime, but not before he saw that it was different than the current one. It read:
The title of Prime shall not be given to one born from a Prime, or related to a Prime, unless chosen by the people to gain said title. Any Cybertronian may become a Prime, but only by popular vote of the people, or being granted such title by Primus himself. Only in war, or when all Primes are suddenly unable to take leadership, may those related or in high status take the mantle of temporary leadership until a new Prime is chosen.
Oh my Primus, Orion thought, and he nearly collapsed then and there. The title of Prime wasn't inherited? Orion put his helm in his servos. This changes everything, he thought, for the past fifteen generations we have been allowing the mantle of Prime to be inherited, when it wasn't supposed to? We common bots are supposed to choose a Prime. This is crazy. This isn't right. I... I should tell Alphatrion. But... wait. He's, well, was, a Prime also. Did he know of this? Orion's optics widened at this revelation. He could be in this... I can't ask him. But I need to tell someone. Who? Who can I trust? Then his thoughts brushed across the file's messenger. Megatronus. I'll tell Megatronus. I can trust him. He programmed the decoding process to continue while the computer screen was off, and he then turned it off. He heard Kraken walking down the hallway, and quickly got ready to leave. A sense of dread filled him as Kraken walked him home and as he settled down for that pre-lunar cycle**. He sat quietly at his table, thoughts brewing on his revelation that cycle. Gah, why me? First, I get caught in a troublesome feud massacre thing that my processor still won't admit occurred, then I realize that our Primes, the very bots I look up to, have been lying to us for millenniums. What am I going to do? Orion let out a shaky vent, but he didn't leak. He hadn't done that since he was a sparkling, and he sure wouldn't do that now. But he trembled just the same. He finished the cube of energon that had been sitting there for a while now, and put it away. He went to his berthroom, and laid himself down to rest. Some recharge will do me good. This is all probably some horrible mistake, and things will calm down in a 7-cycle. Yeah, just a horrible mistake. With that, he fell into a fitful recharge.


* Energon preparing station is basically a kitchen, for those who didn't quite get what I meant.
**evening, again for those who didn't quite figure out what it was.

Chapter 5
"I am most certainly, without a doubt, going to fragging kill you," Orion said, but with no conviction as he watched Megatronus squirm with pain shooting through his circuits. Only his first match, and already he was acting 20 orns older.
"With the way these battles are turning out to be, you may not have to," Megatronus joked back, trying to relax against the chair he was sitting in. Orion shook his head, but couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him. It was early in the solar cycle, being that Orion had little time to talk to Megatronus with the usual time he woke up at. For that reason, Orion decided to sacrifice a little recharge to talk with his friend, being that he so mistakenly forgot the night before.
"As much as that is true, I would appreciate it if they realized that only I have the right to kill you, being that you are the one being a pain in the aft in my lifecycle. They barely know you. Hence, I have the right to snuff your spark, and only I do," Orion declared, trying to keep a straight face while doing so. Megatronus grinned maniacally, and leaned in to watch the screen intently. Orion kept his face, and Megatronus grinned even bigger.
"How long are you going to keep that up for?" He asked, and Orion burst out in a chuckle, "Finally, you broke. I was worried; you might have broken your record if you kept going for a few more nanoclicks!"
"Megatronus!" Orion groaned, letting his helm fall back. Megatronus also laughed, before continuing.
"Anyway, have you gotten anywhere on the document?" Orion stiffened. Megatronus frowned, did I say something? Or maybe it didn't get through. He wouldn't have lost it, Megatronus thought.
"Orion?"
"I will... tell you later. I did find something, but... wait; I still haven't finished scolding you yet! Where was I, oh yes, at the part where I said I was going to kill you! Have you any idea what these bots are like! You must have space madness if you truly want to fight there! These bots will kill you, and I mean they will really snuff out your spark and most likely use you energon as nutrition! Do you really want this Megatronus?"
"I must do this Orion, I must become stronger. Only the strong can defend themselves against the primes," and only the strong can defend their friends from them, Megatronus thought, I must protect you Orion. I am merely a toy for mecha to watch perform without you to teach me Orion, my brother. But Orion was oblivious to the inner promise as he continued.
"Why is suddenly everyone thinking that there is war going on with the primes? I mean, yes what happened was horrible, and so on, but why must everyone react so violently? Isn't there a way to settle this peacefully? Why war, why violence, why energon-shed, secrecy, paranoia, and fear?!" Orion ranted, "Why must there be so much anger and fear?" Megatronus was silent. Orion looked down.
"I apologize. I am still very shaken by what happened, and what is still happening. There is so much harm and death everywhere it seems. It, to be very honest, frightens me. It frightens me greatly," Orion murmured. They stayed silent for a few breems, taking comfort in each other’s presence, even if by video only.
"Let us talk about more cheerful things," Megatronus suggested.
"What cheerful things?" Orion answered, grim. Megatronus growled, and crossed his arms.
"Enough Orion. We do not deserve to wallow in self-pity. So stop with the depressing mood. I am getting rather tired of it."
"Fine. Anyway, to the topic of the file you asked me to decode," Orion said.
"Ahhh, yes, how goes our little project?"
"Not good, I am afraid. It has only decoded one or two entries so far; it is very well encrypted. But..." Orion trailed off.
"What is it Orion? What have you found?" Megatronus asked, concerned. It isn’t often Orion doesn’t know what to say, or so he thought.
"The first entry, well, it is... it..." Orion stammered, his courage about telling Megatronus failing.
"Orion! Tell me, what is it?" Megatronus demanded.
"It most likely will please Soundwave, for certain. It... It states that primes can only be chosen..................."
"Orion. Speak clearly. I cannot hear you mumbling like that. Stop the pathetic cowering talk and speak like a mech!" Megatronus exclaimed, getting impatient.

"It stated that a Prime can only gain the title through election, and that it isn't inherited. It showed that everything we have believed so far may be wrong," Orion said, curling his servos into fists on the desk, and looking down. Megatronus froze, and merely stared in shock. Prime's, were chosen?

"This...this changes everything. For the past several generations we have let the primes just ignore this rule. This is not acceptable!" He suddenly roared, startling Orion out of his stupor.

"Megatronus, please calm down! You will make someone overhear!" Orion hissed.

"I do not care, Orion. This is not acceptable! As I said, for the past several generations we have let the primes inherit their power, rather than earn it though the populations vote. How can I be calm when, after everything that has happened recently, we actually have something to fight with?" Orion looked at him emotionlessly, nothing betraying his inner thoughts.

"You truly want a fight with the primes? I cannot stop you, but only warn you, it will not end well. They have not lasted as long as they have on sheer luck. They are cunning. I won't help you create more violence, but if I must, I can educate you on more...political topics."

"You...you would do that?" Megatronus said, "even though it is against law to teach lower class mechs and femmes of politics?"

"Yes." Orion answered. Megatronus smiled softly, a true genuine smile, one Orion had not seen for some time.

"Thank you, my friend. Ever have you been at my side. I don't know if I will ever be able to repay you."

"You don't need to Megatronus. You never have," Orion stated, and looked out the window, "I need to go soon, I will talk to you when I can. Please, don't do something stupid while I am away!"

"No promises. Megatronus, signing off." The video feed went black, and Orion sighed as he shut off as well.

"Orion, shutting off."


Megatronus leaned back in his seat, mulling over what Orion told him. He got up from the terminal, and exited the room to the street outside. It was quite bright today, the sun creating a powerful glint off the surface. Megatronus took in the sight before heading on his way to the arena, ready to get his small amount of possessions onsite, say a few goodbyes (not that he was one for much sentimentality, but for the other gladiators sakes), and get some last minute practicing before moving on to his new arena. He strode down the busy walkway, watching the civilians go by. Many gave him a wide range, glaring at him like he was some sick beast. He didn't mind it much, but on a nice day like this, it certainly dampened his mood.

They are frightened cowards, he thought, they don't care I'm a cybertronian, just like them. Why can't they get past their bigotry and treat me like any other? But as always, a tiny part of his mind told him the answer: they should be afraid. Someone like him could cause serious harm, and definitely kill others. He deserved to be feared by others. He was a loose cannon, unpredictable, and a lower class mech. Not someone to be friends with.

Megatronus was shaken out of his sombre thoughts by shouting, and a huge mass of mech running into him, barrelling him over. He quickly shoved the mech off of him, and discovered it to be Dreadwing, Skyquake's twin brother. He got up and pulled up Dreadwing as well, dusting himself off.

"Dreadwing, comrade, you should watch where you are going. You will run over more unfriendly of mechs one day, who would not be unwilling to beat you into pulp," Megatronus lectured lightly, making sure the mech was ok. Though he did not know the mech well at present, he had plenty of memories of him and his twin. Although Skyquake was deplorable at best, Dreadwing had been a quiet youngling, and stayed out of the way.

"My apologies, Megatronus. Now if you will excuse me-"

"Captain, there he is!" A voice cried out, and Megatronus spotted some enforcers running towards them. He gained a defensive posture, while Dreadwing seemed torn between his fight or flight instinct. The enforcers shoved past Megatronus and grabbed Dreadwing, putting him in stasis cuffs. He gave a good fight, but was still subdued by the enforcers.

"What is the meaning of this?" Megatronus demanded, trying to stop the enforcers. They shoved him back, and he began to growl.

"Stand down! This mech is no threat!" another voice called out, and Megatronus turned to see what he assumed was the captain of the squad. The captain strode up, his cool composure calming everyone.

"What is going on? Why is Dreadwing under arrest?" Megatronus demanded again.

"He has been charged with theft, causing public unrest, and for communicating with rebelling mecha. There are others, but they are more minor. I am under the orders of the primes to bring him in," the captain explained, a small wisp of guilt passing through his optics, "I cannot argue with the primes, even though as much as I do not believe he should be arrested." Megatronus looked at Dreadwing for a moment, then the captain, and made his decision.

"When were these supposed crimes committed? Why do you disagree with them?"

"There is not enough evidence to support him being the suspect. As for time, sometime yesterday was when the thievery occurred, as well as the other minor charges. The other charges are being investigated by the guard of the primes," the captain answered.

"What, that can't be, he was with me the entire cycle yestercycle! He could not have done so," Megatronus lied. The captain gave him a long stern look, and then subtly nodded.

"Well, then. Dreadwing, is his statement true?" The captain asked. Dreadwing nodded briskly. "Then I see no need to arrest you. Please, Dreadwing, next time an enforcer tries to make an arrest, tell your alibi first before making all of us run six clicks to catch you. It makes you seem less guilty." The enforcer stated, and motioned for the mech to be released. The other enforcers grumbled, but unlocked the stasis cuffs, and all too unkindly pushed him away. The captain swatted at them, gave his apologies, and left, taking his suspicious squad with him.

"That, right there, was the first uncorrupted enforcer I have met. I wonder what his name was. We could certainly benefit from an ally like him, don't you agree, Dreadwing?" Megatronus peered over at the mech, and found him unmoved from his spot, staring at him with narrow optics.

"Why did you aid me?" Dreadwing asked, getting straight to the point

"Why would I not?" Megatronus countered, "You are a friend in need, so I gave you what you needed."

"I would hardly consider myself to be your friend, what with our...unfriendliness when we were younger. I also doubt that a mech such as yourself would give aid to a stranger without preamble, even to a well-known mech such as I. So why did you aid me?" He asked again, growling slightly.

"Dreadwing," Megatronus said, "I have known you since younglinghood, and you have an honourable spark. It was your brother who did the misdeeds and you who paid for them, as I recall. I consider you a friend, truly. But I understand your concern. Shall you indulge me with a walk?" Megatronus asked, turning to walk on. Dreadwing, still suspicious but less worried now, hesitantly walked beside him through the streets. They, at least Megatronus did so, enjoyed the scenery as they walked, basking in the silence between them.

"Forgive my impudence, but you still have not answered my question. Why did you aid me?" Dreadwing finally spoke. Megatronus chuckled.

"My, you spare no time. Very well. I see you are concerned I wish for something in return, a payment or debt for rescuing you. I can understand that. But, rest assured, I do not wish for anything from you besides friendship and loyalty. They are what I treasure from friends highly, and the only thing I require from them. Are your concerns settled now? I merely helped you because I saw need to. You were wrongly accused, and I would rather lie about one's alibi than to give the enforcers, and primes, satisfaction. Do you not agree with the end results?" Dreadwing thought it over, and nodded.

"Yes. It is agreeable. Where are we off to now, if I may implore?" Dreadwing asked.

"I am heading toward the arena. I am moving cities, so to speak, and I need to collect my personal items from the resting quarters given to me. Care to join?"

"Gladly. But, where are you moving to?"

"A Kaonian arena. A visitor from there came, and sparred with me. He turned out to be from the arena, and suggested I join. I accepted his request. Therefore, I shall be going to collect my items and say a few farewells to fellow gladiators," Megatronus explained.

"If you will, I would be honoured if you would let me watch you spar. I have seen a few of your matches, and they are quite impressive," Dreadwing stated, hooking his servos together behind his chassis.

"Gladly. Maybe, if you are up to the challenge, you can join me. It shall be interesting to see what a seeker like yourself has as a servo-to-servo strategy," Megatronus replied, putting up his servos-not unlike a boxer-for emphasis. Dreadwing gave a tiny hint of a smile, and nodded. They walked along, not caring for the stares given, or the hateful glances. It was a bright day on Cybertron, and anybot would be a fool to not enjoy it.


In the darkness, he waited. Watching, calculating, and bidding his time. He would get revenge. He knew it would come, but patience was not his strong suit. It burned him that he had to wait, that he had to cower in this pit of his. He ached for the sun, ached for the light. But not for soothing. Noooooo, he wanted it to crush in his servo! He wished for energon to run down his chassis, and to hear the sounds of mechs and femmes screaming. He wanted glory, he wanted power. He would have it, no matter the cost. He just needs to bide his time. His revenge would come. He would have vengeance. But his weapon has not revealed himself yet. He knew where he was, who he was, but he had not yet revealed himself to him. A young mech, who's namesake follows his original name. He almost chuckled at that. How the mighty fall, he often thought, but how the mightier still rise to great power. Yes, with this mech as his vessel, his weapon, he would get revenge against his brother. He just needed to wait, and wait, and wait, until the time was right. The storm on the horizon is brewing, and all shall crumble to its very might. So, as he sat in the darkness, he smirked, knowing his enemies would never predict his coming. He had them in the palm of his servo. Alphatrion, and any other prime who lived, would pay. They would all pay, and they would all burn.