Megatron's Darkest Secret

“It wasn’t my fault!”
“Then whose was it?!”

Currently, the leader of the Decepticons had Starscream pinned with his fist against the wall of the control room. His hand was circled around his throat, and it wasn’t exactly a light grip. Megatron snarled again.
“Who was it?!”
Starscream had his optics shut in terror, and he felt his body was trembling, yet, he did not give up. His spirit was way to hot and flamed to be burnt out by the likes of his leader. So, with all his hate teaming out of one look as he opened his crimson optics to gaze into his tormenter’s, he gritted his teeth and said, with all the deep resentment and hate he could muster, three stingingly deadly words:
“I hate you.”
Megatron, at first, didn’t seem to be affected by it at all, but that was what Starscream thought. For inside Megatron’s mind, every single hurt from the moment he saw the seeker rose to the surface like the rising tides of the ocean. He looked deep into Starscream’s optics, and saw everything that made him just want to die from shear pain. Hatred … undivided, pure hatred, and hurt. Painful emotions, which he could not bear to see from what was his …
His grip lessened as his optics widened in what was quickly becoming horror … painful, very painful sadness. It wasn’t long before Megatron had let go of the seeker and stumbled backwards, his teeth gritted and gazing at his hand as though an alien had just had control over it. He was shaking badly, Starscream noticed, and he saw Megatron shut off his optics and put a hand over his face, but not before the seeker had seen his expression. It was of deepest sorrow, and regret.
“M … Megatron?” He questioned, totally forgetting his anger in the wake of his leader’s very revealing state of emotions. He did not move, however, but merely looked on as Megatron continued to tremble, his hand over his face. Slowly, he lowered his hand and looked over at the seeker with no emotions written on the metal.
“Starscream …” He said softly, “Its time I showed you something I should have showed and told you a long time ago.”
He moved over to one of the consoles, and sat down in one of the chairs; he looked over and motioned for the seeker to come over also. He did, and Megatron opened up a panel on his chest where CD’s could be stored. He hesitated, and then placed the CD in the drive. But he did not play it.
“Starscream …” Megatron was looking at him in the most peculiar way, as though he was afraid to show the seeker what was on the disk. “Do you remember your parents at all?”
The seeker looked startled at the question, but shook his head in a ‘no’ fashion.
Megatron nodded, and almost sorrowfully said, “I thought so …”
And he played the disk.
It showed Megatron when he was back on Cybertron, many years previously. He had obviously received a message of sorts, for he was standing stock still while a battle waged around him. Then, suddenly, he jumped up with a loud scream of joy and flew off. Unlike what Starscream had seen of his leader from the years he had known him, it was not in any way evil, but real, pure joy.
The scene changed. It showed a femme lying on a recharge berth, looking tired but happy. She was holding a bundle in her arms, and it was then Starscream had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach area.
No … it couldn’t be …
There was the sound of a door opening, and then Megatron appeared.
“I came as soon as I heard the word ... I'm late even still.” He said, quickly sitting on the recharge berth beside the femme.
“No …” she murmured, and calmly smiled as Megatron awed over what Starscream now knew was a baby in the cloths.
“An heir, an heir of Karna” Megatron said, still awing over the child.
“Metatisic would have been proud of you, I know.” The femme smiled. “And have you thought of a name for your son?”
Megatron laughed, the awe still clear in his voice. “I thought nothing but getting here. Heard the word, I screamed so loud I believe the stars of every heaven could hear me. heh ...”
“Then why don't you name him so? Capture the moment of your joy?” The femme replied.
“Hmm?”
“Starscream”
At that, the seeker’s optics went wide.
Megatron looked up pondering, his optics aloft. “Starscream … Starscream … heavens heard him.”
And the femme laughed warmly, and Megatron reached down, and picked up what was unmistakably Starscream as a baby. He held him up, and the baby laughed as he was lifted up. Then the video ended.
Megatron sighed softly, and looked over at Starscream, knowing that he was not going to react well to this startling revelation. He was correct.
Starscream was shaking, his optics shut and his rage barely concealed. As Megatron went to say something to him, the seeker threw himself out of the chair and almost ran out of the room.

Starscream was pacing in his quarters, not able to believe that Megatron … of all Transformers, was his father. He would have given anything to have someone else as his creator, but this … this was too much. Too much to bear after a terrible battle with the Autobots and other things besides.
He fell on his recharge berth and curled up into a ball, not wanting to think anymore about this terrible revelation …

***

A week followed, and everyone noted Megatron’s subdued nature. It was normal for the leader to be angry about a loss, but not silent, even glum. What was more weird was that Starscream was nowhere in sight.
The seeker had avoided Megatron ever since he had showed him that fateful video, and Megatron wasn’t sure if he wanted to go in there and talk about it or ring the seeker’s neck. Something had to snap, and it wasn’t going to be him.
But this is your son, Megatron, said a voice in his head. The son you abandoned.
‘You’re not helping matters!’ Megatron shouted in his head.
Well, why not think about what Blizzard would want? The voice replied.
Megatron was sitting in his room currently, and that thought came to mind. Blizzard would want him to at least talk to Starscream, to try and make him understand.
‘Alright,’ he replied back to himself, ‘I’ll talk to him.’

***

The seeker was rocking slightly on his recharge berth, his legs drawn up and his arms wrapped tightly around him. His optics, normally bright and full of mischief or battle lust, were dim and unfocused. He was terrified of the truth … terrified of even walking outside. He didn’t even feel the need to fly that week, although it probably would have done him some good. Flight takes the mind off bitter things such as this.
His door unlocked and opened.
He knew who it was, of course. There was only one other person that could unlock his lock at the moment without resorting to a jack hammer to do it, because he had set it to his ultimate security. Too bad it didn’t work on the leader, who had access to anything no matter the level of security.
Megatron stepped into the room, closed the door and locked it again.
He did not say anything for a moment, and the silence was too agonising for the seeker at this point in time. He unfolded his arms and let his legs down in one quick movement, so that he sat in a normal sitting position.
“You haven’t been out all week.”
Starscream did not reply, but sat stone still as Megatron unfolded his arms and sat down next to him, careful not to get too close to the volatile seeker. They sat in silence for a moment, before Starscream suddenly turned around and gave Megatron a good hard punch right in the side of his face. Unlike most times when you tried to hit the Decepticon leader, he jolted sideways and placed one of his hands down on the bed to balance him. Normally, he would suspect it and block it instantly, but he seemed to think that this time, it would be better for the seeker to take out his rage on something, preferably someone who could take it.
Starscream was seething, and he was on his feet and trembling all over. His teeth were bared, showing small fangs that he bore as a hallmark of being a Decepticon. Not like they were used for anything, they were simply there.
He was in pure denial. He could not stand it, he could not bare it. As Megatron stood up, rubbing the side of his face, angry tears spilled out of Starscream’s optics, and he could only manage one word:
“Why?”
It was a mere whisper, before Starscream fell against the wall of his room, holding himself as though no comfort had ever reached him. He felt so alone, and petrified of the terrible truth.
Megatron watched him sorrowfully, feeling so helpless. He didn’t know what to do for his son …
He sighed, and walked over to the seeker, who had fallen on the floor, curled up and shaking like a leaf. Megatron crouched in front of him, and reached out to touch his arm. Starscream stoped trembling, and looked at him.
Suddenly, he made an incoherent shout and tried to run away, but Megatron caught him around the waist.
“LET ME GO!!” He screamed, kicking and squirming in his leader’s grasp. “JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!”
“No.” Megatron said calmly.
“NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Starscream pushed with all his strength against moving Megatron’s arm, but he then gave up, falling limp in his arms and sobbing. Megatron let him go and he stumbled forwards before whipping around, his face contorted with rage and pure horror.
“I HATE YOU!” He screamed, lunging at him and punching every part of Megatron he could reach. The punches weren’t what hurt the Decepticon leader the most, but the emotion that drove it. But he let him. He let the seeker pound the living crap out of him, because he knew he deserved it.
Starscream’s anger became overwhelmed by sadness again and every punch became less and less. He eventually collapsed on his father’s chest and cried, punching him ‘till he merely could not no more.
Megatron reached up and touched him, but it did nothing to quell the tears. It was too early for him to talk to him, as Starscream was too overwhelmed still to take anymore. So, he picked up the seeker (who didn’t know or care what happened to him anymore) and placed him on his recharge bed. Starscream curled up into a ball, shaking, his optics shut tight. Megatron knew he would not get a word out of him this day.

***

It took a battle with the Autobots to open the seeker up enough to want to talk.
Ever since he had come home from a big battle with the Autobots, in which Megatron had saved his life, Starscream had been sitting silently on his recharge bed, not moving. He was thinking of everything, and surprisingly, it was all beginning to make some startling sense.
Megatron then came in. Starscream didn’t even need to look up to know it was him. He knew it was bound to happen sooner or later.
It had been a few days since Megatron had, how shall we say, come to visit. And Starscream knew that not was as good-a time as any to talk.
He took a deep breath, “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” He looked at Megatron. He looked as tired and sad as Starscream felt. “Why did you leave me in the dark about this?” He sighed. “It would’ve changed so much …”
Megatron looked away. “I couldn’t tell you …”
“Why not?”
“Because …” Megatron took a breath himself, “It was a personal anger thing. I sent you away as a mere child to protect you when the war started, but you grew up not knowing who you are, and I hated myself for it.” He sighed deeply. “It was just something I didn’t want to face. But all that hatred you look at me with … its … it’s a mirror of what I did to you, whether you knew or not.”
“You abandoned me to protect me.” Starscream said, anger tinted in his voice, but also shock. “Did I want to go?”
Megatron shook his head. “No, but I told you it was for the best. You agreed, but look at you! You can’t even remember it even now. I bet you couldn’t even remember my name until I found you beaten and broken after returning from your trip to Earth.”
Starscream looked up, and Megatron looked him in the optics.
"It wasn't your fault ... it was mine. And my failures as a father became the sin you had to bear … and I saw it every time you hated me.”
“Megatron …” Starscream stared at him, in a state of shock and despair. He reached out a hand and touched his shoulder. Megatron noticed.
“If you had of told me all of this a long time ago, then I would not have hated you like I do – did.” He corrected himself quickly, and continued. “I might have understood much better about it when I was younger … and more understanding …”
“But I couldn’t!” Megatron said, and his optics brightened in sudden alarm. “I could never tell you …”
Starscream slowly shock his head. “You don’t understand … do you know how much better my life would’ve been if I had a father present in it?”
Megatron recoiled with a wince. “And have you risk yourself in the war?” He shook his head. “I could not do that.”
“I AM in the war now!” Starscream suddenly stood up, trembling in new anger. “YOU even made me risk my life on occasions! Even if people knew I was your son, don’t you think they would be even more scared or our combined strengths as leaders than want to kill us more?”
“If I had of shown you any compassion they would’ve killed you.” Megatron said, his head in his hands. “If I had of cared for you they would have destroyed me for thinking I was soft … I couldn’t put you though that.”
“And putting me though a world of pain was a better option was it?” Starscream said sarcastically. Megatron did not reply.
Silence was thick for a while, until Starscream turned around to face him. Megatron still had his head in one of his hands, and the other in his lap. He looked so troubled and so much weaker than Starscream had ever seen him that he sat back down next to him with a sigh.
“It’s funny.” He said in a matter of fact tone that soon changed to grief. “All my life I've studied the royal Decepticons ... but I never ... I never dreamed I would be one.” He shook as he said the words. Megatron opened his optics to look at him.
“Your lust for power was really just your birthright fighting to make itself known to you.” He said. Starscream looked at him, shocked.
“You mean ---“
“Of course you’re a prince, Starscream.” Megatron interrupted. “And all princes have a desire for power.”
Starscream was staring at him wide opticed.
Megatron’s expression was neutral. “Which means that if I were to die, believe it or not, you are the rightful heir to the throne.”
Starscream closed his optics, and then a small smile appeared on his face. “Then I guess I can still kill you if I want to.”
Megatron looked at the floor, and then said quietly, “I think I would’ve deserved it, frankly.”
“No.” Starscream shook his head. Megatron looked up, surprised. “You at least told me the truth ... for that … I am grateful for that.”
His leader sighed gently. “I really didn’t want to tell you in case you never accepted it …”
“I can’t NOT accept it.” Starscream sniffed. “It makes too much sense for me to ignore.”
Megatron briefly smiled. They sat in silence for a while, before Megatron then looked at him.
“I forgot to give you this,” He said, and reached into his subspace pocket. There was a brief glow of light, and Megatron held out a small crown. Starscream gasped.
“It’s the prince’s crown.” Megatron said, looking at the single ruby imbedded in the single spike in the centre of the crown. “My father gave it to me … and now it’s yours. You used to love it.”
He reached over and slipped it on Starscream’s head. He blinked, and started to tremble.
“Starscream?” Megatron said, concerned.
His optics were wide with terror, “Oh Karna …” He whispered, “I … my memories … I think …”
He slowly fell into Megatron’s arms, shaking as he felt the pictures, as clear as photos, come back to him …

***

Much, much later, when the sun outside had begin to set, was when Starscream had started to come conscious again. Megatron had stayed in the same place the whole time, except his back was against the wall and they were both more stretched out. He still held him though, firmly but gently.
Starscream’s optics glowed, and he stirred. His crown had fallen over one of his optics, and he slowly moved it back onto his head, his systems still coming back online. He felt rather than saw his father still holding him, and then shifted his body a bit so he was more comfortable. He sighed, feeling the angry and hurtful emotions seeming to drain away as he did. Megatron heard him, and looked down at him, knowing he was feeling better.
Starscream then tensed up, and moved so that he could look up at his leader. He looked down, and Starscream saw the faint traces of energon on his face. No … he couldn’t of … that’s not like him … is it?
Starscream looked down again, and snuggled in closer. He had never known real comfort from one related to him in any way, and it was a good feeling to have.
“I remember,” He murmured, “I remember the day you sent me away. I remembered that you hugged me, but you were trembling. I never noticed that before, until now.”
He felt Megatron move, and knew he was looking at him. He continued:
“But for some reason I began to forget you … I was only very young, and I was scared …. But you told me you would be back for me someday …”
He felt Megatron hold him tighter.
“But there is one thing I don’t remember.” Starscream said, and moved his head to look up at him.
“Dad?”
Memories started to come back to Megatron as well as he heard that one word come out of his son’s mouth. He remembered that it was the very first word he had ever heard the seeker speak. He looked down at him and saw that Starscream had a sleepy smile on his face.
“What was mum like?” He said.
Megatron, for once, gave him a smile and started to tell him about Blizzard.

The End

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