Chapter Text
Being under a deep stasis your brain processor begins to fill the silence and run old memory banks of before the war, when you still had Orion and Megatron by your side.
A particular one has been on repeat.
It always starts the same.
You were being dragged by Orion to a prohibited section of Iacons database. Orion worked here enough to know everything by memorization but you were still filled with worry that you would both get caught.
“Why are we here?” You yelled in a whisper, gritting your teeth. He shushes you, a small smile on his lips as he continues pulling you. You ignore it, attempting to pull away from his tight grip on your hand. “You idiot! You might not get in trouble but I could lose my scholarship!” You referred to your science scholarship that you’d won a while back.
Orion swiftly pulls you behind a somewhat hidden door, being able to blend so well with the walls next to it. You’re about to whisper to him again until your optics meet exactly what was inside the room. Datapads upon datapads lay around the quiet and barely lit room. It was definitely aged by the way the datapads lay scattered, uncared for and built with old tech. But it seemed a corner was cleaned, as neat piles lay there. “You know how you’re always asking why I get home so late?” Finally comes his voice as he leads you to the corner. You both have separate quarters but half the time you’re both always crashing at each other's home, too lonely to spend the nights alone.
“Uh yeah?” He seats you down on one of the chairs, two being present as if he’d planned to eventually bring you.
He brings up a data pad that lay nearest to the chair, “I’ve been doing some reading-“
“Forbidden reading.” You cut him off, “You know this part is restricted, even though you’re a data clerk you could still get caught and-“ he covers your mouth with his hand, pushing the pad up.
“It’s about Cybertron.” His blue eyes lock into yours, illuminating against your own in the dark room. He’s clearly serious and you finally give in, letting out an exhausted sigh. Orion takes this as a sign and smiles, pulling your chair closer to his. “I found this room a while back by accident.”
You give him a stern stare and roll your eyes when he only gives you a weak smile. He continues,”Anyways, a lot of it is something I thought you’d be interested in too…” he begins to show you articles upon articles, dated eons ago by Cybertron. All had one thing in common. That Cybertron had been built from inequality. That it was no wonder why the system was failing now, all because it wasn’t built well to begin with. This upset you the more you read and eventually it became too much. You pushed what seemed to be the two hundredth data pad away, rubbing your head. Hours had passed. Orion places his hand on your shoulder, having been reading beside you.
“I can’t…” you begin, but unable to find your voice you finally choke out, “We need to do something. Anything. About this.” You turn your head to Orion who nods determinedly back at you. “But.. where do we start?” You knew something had to be done, Cybertron corruptions couldn’t continue.
Orion stands up, holding a hand down to you, “I’m not sure…but something will be done.” You take his hand.
Your memory warps to a week later.
You’re sitting in your quarters with a data pad in your hand, for the past couple of days you’ve been stuck in here, going through data and forming your thoughts.
A knock is heard before the door to your building is opened. It’s Shockwave. You’d meet him during a science award ceremony and since then became close friends, despite living in different cities. He’d found your theories on Cybertronian evolution interesting and similar to his own, thus why he tends to visit you so often. He’d gotten close enough to you that he’s at the point of entering your house without you opening the door for him.
The scientist walks up to you, “I haven’t heard from you in a couple days. I was beginning to get worried.” He speaks softly, sitting by you, he tilts his head softly, his red eye gleaming down on you. His voice holds hints of curiosity and worry. You reply with a low mutter, continuing to read. When you don't reply he leans his head forward, his one red eye staring you down. He peers over at your data pad, scanning the article you’re on.
When he finally gets an understanding of what you were so invested in he hums in thought. He says your name, placing his hand on your shoulder. You finally snap out of your deep thoughts, jumping.
“Oh, hey. Didn’t see you come in. What’s up?” You ask, setting the pad down. He quickly picks it up. He points at your tablet, “Oh, that, I was doing some reading and I discovered-“ but before you can finish the sentence he’s pulling you up and into your room, slamming the door behind you both.
You blush, letting out a confused sound, “Right now? It’s early-“ he covers your mouth.
“This kind of talk could be considered treason. I was afraid of talking about it with you. Now I know.” He whispers to you, his arm clenching the side of your arms, his canon arm also squeezing you. You nod, half confused. “I’ve heard whispers. Of a revolution. Led by a mech who calls himself Megatronus.”
“Like the prime?” You scoff, squinting your eyes in disbelief . “How dumb-“
“I agree. But it’s worth checking out.”
“Checking what out?”
“He’s holding a speech at one of his tournament battles. He’s a gladiator in my city.” You’ve heard of the Pits of Kaon, but not having experienced or been interested, you’ve never bothered doing research on it. “Come with me.” Shockwave insists.
You think about it for a second. But if Shockwaves words are true then you could potentially meet this Megatronus and help build the revolution. Surely they’d need your help. “Alright. Let me know when. I’ll let Orion know as well.” Shockwave seems more than happy from your reply by the way his arm at your side softens.
His hand goes to your chin, “It’s tomorrow. Soundwave will be coming too.”
When you nod in agreement and understanding, he lets out a short vent. He was happy that you'd be taking part in something important like this. He knew how capable and how smart you were. He chooses to change the subject, pulling you towards your bed. As you talked you’d noticed he’d glance towards your door here and now. Probably worried the conversation was being listened on but you shrug the worry away, continuing as you were. He’s laying beside you as you both talk about science when the memory shifts again.
You’re walking down the city of Koan, Soundwave, Shockwave, and Orion by your side. You’d all just exited a subway when you immediately noticed the posters that hung on the metal walls. The council, covered by a red mark across them and words that read, “liars” covered almost every wall you walked by.
A huge crowd could be seen in front of you the closer you got to a big open dome, all wanting to get inside the arena.
The four of you waited until you were able to enter, swiftly finding seats and waiting for the show to begin. You’re in between Shockwave and Orion when Orion crosses his arms, “Are you sure about this? I mean there are crowds here but this just looks like a usual thing.” He asks over at Shockwave. Before Shockwave can speak, your turning to Orion.
“Didn’t you see the posters outside?” You ask him, “You won’t find that in the main city. There’s definitely something going on here.” Orion stares at you for a second before nodding.
“Alright. Hopefully this isn’t a waste of time then.”
The sudden voice of an announcer begins, the crowds quiet as Megatronus is introduced. A large door slides open and a grey mech steps out from the shadows. His form is large and imposing, sharp and experienced, sticking out from everyone here. The crowd goes wild, yelling and screaming from the mere sight of him. The mech says nothing, staring off into the crowd. He doesn’t say anything, as if basking in the screams but after a short bit he simply raises a hand, the crowd immediately falls under silence again.
He stood at the center of the arena, his figure looming over the crowd, as they starred in a fixed silence, “Fellow Cybertronians…” he begins, his voice booming throughout the entire arena. “For far too long, we have lived under the rule of the corrupt high officials, who hoard power and resources for themselves, while we, the ones who do the hard work, receive nothing in return but pain and suffering.”
With his hand still in the air he clenches it, bringing it down, “We have been forced to fight in these pits, like caged animals, for mere entertainment. Our freedom is exploited, our strength and abilities used for their own gain."
Megatronus shoots his arm up in a balled fist, "But I say, enough is enough! We are more than just simple listeners, we are warriors. We have the power to change our own destiny, to create our own future. It is time we take this to them. We will convince them that we are no longer their subjects, rather, beings who deserve freedom! And they will listen.. we will rise up!" He finishes and the crowd goes wild. They chant his name.
The four of you are more than listening at this point. You're all leaning forward, intrigued. Then for a second, Megatronus’ optics fall on you. His optics lock with yours before he nods and then turns his head, waving to others in the audience. Eventually he makes his leave and returns back inside one of the large open doors.
“We need to talk to him.” Orion is the first to speak as the crowds begin to trickle out. The three of you agree and you’re all getting up to talk to Megatronus.
Since it’s your first time there, you all have trouble finding directions to where he might be. You ask around but everyone just shakes their head or is still pumped up, yelling over you. Eventually, Soundwave suggests splitting up.
“Logical. We’ll meet back here or comm if anything happens.” Shockwave walks off, taking a random hallway. Soundwave quickly ejects Ravage and Lazerbeak. He hands you Lazerbeak, suggesting he’ll keep you safe if anything happens. You happily nod and take him before Soundwave walks off as well.
The bird lands on your smaller shoulder and begins nipping playfully at your cheek as Orion bites his lip in a nervous state. You pat his shoulder in reassurance. “We’ll find him. I have a good feeling.” Orion nods and then quickly walks off as well.
You’re left with just one hallway but instead of taking it you glance at the arena. Maybe if the metal doors weren’t blocked you could enter where Megatronus had entered and follow through there? You quickly walk over to the pit and seeing as how nobody else was here, you leap over it, Lazerbeak lifting off and once you land he’s quickly back on your shoulder. You give the bird scratches as you inspect the door, giving it a hard push.
The metal door barely budges. But it does move. You whisper for Lazerbeak to give you a second and he moves off as you begin shoving the door with all your force. The bird attempts to help by pressing itself against the door as well.
The door barely shifts, but it’s enough to squeeze your figure through.
Once you manage to squeeze Lazerbeak through the crack you turn to find only one hallway leading to a corner. Lazerbeak takes his place on your shoulder and you begin a light jog. You’re unsure if what you’re doing is safe but you needed to see Megatronus. You needed to let him know that what he was creating couldn’t be only built up by himself.
A couple minutes of walking in the silent and barely illuminated hall gets you to an open door. The floor is different as you step in it, dirty and with metal scraps sprawled on the floor. You’re too distracted by it to notice red optics watching you. You go to turn on your headlights when a sudden hand reaches from the dark and grabs you by the neck. You let out a startled noise, the hand slamming you against a wall.
His eyes make him stand out, shining a bright red against your own. “Who are you? Capital spy here to assassinate me?” He finally asks, his voice a deep growl. His much taller and stronger form makes it easier for him to be able to lift you off the ground and you begin panicking, feeling the pressure of his large hand begin to affect your brain module. Lazerbeak reacts, flying towards his head and begins picking at him, trying to blind him. Megatron lets out an annoyed growl, swatting and missing Lazerbeak.
With the distraction you’re able to shift your arm into your acid canon. You spray his hand lightly, enough to slightly burn him and he lets out a yell, releasing you. The drop is fast as you’re prepared and land on your feet. You quickly turn on your headlights to get a better view of him. He's able to successfully hit Lazerbeak, sending the bird into the ground. The sudden lights have him disoriented. He stretches his injured hand, blocking the light.
He growls, “You’re tricks won’t keep you alive, spy.”
“I am not a spy. I just wanted to talk.” Megatron pauses at this, his optics adjust to the light and he sets his hand down. He’s still guarded as he stares down at you, glaring and waiting for you to talk. You raise your hands so he knows you won’t try anything, he still keeps himself guarded, his stance wide.
You sigh, introducing yourself by your name, “Me and my friends wanted to talk. It’s about the revolution.”
“What of it?”
“We want to do more than just yell and cheer for you on the sideline. We want to join you. We have experience with politics. You’ll want to play your cards right for this and you’ll need our help.” You say as you walk over to Lazerbeak, you calmly pick the bird up, he’s not injured, just a minor crack on his beak. You press him gently to your cheek in a comforting manner.
Megatron eyes you, taking in your words. His voice is calm, “How do I know you’re not just lying to me? Getting me to lower my guard? You followed me-“ his voice raises, “How do I know if you weren’t following me to offline me while my back was turned?”
You snap at him, “You attacked me first!”
“That is true.” He quiets down.
“Look, you hurt my minicon. And that tells me a lot.” You rub under Laserbeaks beak, glaring at Megatron. “You’ll end up using your fists to answer against the revolutions and ruin it for us all. My friends can help.” He glances at the Lazerbeak, almost as if he was regretting his actions.
When he doesn’t answer you sigh, annoyed by his silence, “Guess I was wrong. It was just a waste of time coming here.” You begin to walk past him, towards where you had come from.
His voice commands you to stop suddenly. You raise your back, half turning. “What is this group you speak of?” You smirk at his interest.
The memory warps again, skipping a few months ahead. During that time Megatron had quit being a full time gladiator, instead using the arena to give speeches. You find yourself sometimes going but half the time you were too busy with Orion planning for the future. You had formulated a plan to get the high council to listen to what you had to say and thus you were getting ready to visit and make an appointment.
Orion leaned on you as you both lay in your berth. He was reading and writing things down on his holographic keyboard as you were finding the quickest route to the High Council Pavillions. “We can go by this street…” you mutter to yourself, clicking on some streets. Orion glances over at you, tilting his head. He’s stuck staring at you as you grow frustrated. Due to the growing news of the revolution there was an increase of activity meaning that the streets would gain traffic throughout the day.
Orion couldn’t help but admit he’d enjoy seeing you like this. When you were deep in thought and the way you’d furrow your brows. It reminded him why he admired you so much. He’d remember the first time you met and how you had bumped into him while he had been holding so many data pads. You were looking for a building and he had clumsily bumped into you. You’d laughed it off and helped him. He’d remember how his system began to overheat due to embarrassment but you’d reassured him it was fine. You’d even offered to take him out for a drink after work. The memory was held close to his spark.
You turned to Orion, who’s optics were now locked on your lips, “Alright, let’s just head out now and hope for the-“ your optics quickly scanned his face but he paid no attention. Your lips purse in confusion as you call his name. His eyes don’t drift from your lips. You roll your optics and playfully smack his cheek. He lets out a confused sound and his optics shoot to yours. Your faces are close but he doesn't move away, you can feel his fans blowing hard as his frame begins to warm up.
Orion had always been like this, a nervous bot when it came to anything intimate. With how good he looked you were surprised at how he hadn’t found a conjux already but then again, the revolution took a lot of time away and before that he had always had his nose stuck in a data pad every time you saw him. You never bothered to ask about his romantic life, not interested. You figure he didn’t see you in that way since a lot of the time you’d do intimate things like fall under recharge together and read while laying on each other's side. Although he’d blush nothing came from it and you didn’t bother with that. You were comfortable where you were at with him.
You began to lift yourself up, brushing off his stare and letting out a laugh. Orion quickly follows, his hand going over the one you have on his cheek. You pause in question. He glances down, a nervous look in his optics. He bites his lip, as if fighting himself internally. He adjusts himself so that he’s able to turn to you fully, you do the same, still unsure as to what he was doing.
He lets out a small sigh, leaning into your touch. “I know… what will happen. In the future. What the potential of a revolution means.” He begins, “If this doesn’t go as planned. We could have a .. a war on our hands.” You listen intently, unsure what he could be getting at.
He closes his eyes, a short warm exhale hits your palm, “Although I am nervous. I’m glad you’re here. You’ve always been here. I’ve known you for millenniums and for that I am thankful that you’re still at my side.” He whispers your name.
When he doesn’t say anything, instead opening his optics to a half lid, you see it as your turn to speak, “Of course, Orion. You’re my best friend. I’d never leave your side.” You reassure the mech. His hand rubs yours and he raises his free hand, brushing your lip. Your optics widen at his intention.
“I just… want to make sure you know one thing before all of this.” He leans ever so closely, his head lifting from your palm. He uses the hand he had on you to entangle them together. He clasps your hand, giving it a small squeeze. He wants to kiss you. It’s obvious with the way his hand glides over your lip and to your own cheek. He’s slow with his movement, taking his time to make you comfortable and enjoy the moment. With the way you didn’t push or deny him, his spark fluttered at the thought of you feeling the same. He’d felt this way since the day he bumped into you but he’d never admit that and just say it was when you both began to plan for the revolution. The fire in your eyes during meeting with the others made him realize he had to say something.
Your lips part slightly, ready to say something. You’re unsure on what to even say so they remain that way. You decide to close your eyes and just relish the moment.