Continues from HERE

Story:
“Greetings” The strangely familiar mecha spoke, cocky grin stretched wide, “my name is Megatron and you’re all going to die”

“G-Galvatron? What is this?” Sky-Byte “You’re, uh or rather you WERE Megatron… weren’t you?”

“I think Galvatron has something to explain” Optimus stepped in.

“Wh-what!? Why are you all looking at me when HE’S here to kill us all!” The pale mecha backed away from his former nemesis and former SIC.

“Oh no no” The being that claimed to be Megatron held their hands up, “Do go on, I’ll wait I want to hear this go on Gigatron tell the-”

“YOU can’t call me THAT anymore!” Galvatron bristled, wings flaring as he stepped forth as if ready to fight the strange apparition of a bot, “It’s Galvatron, it always HAS been Galvatron”

“Oh, still touchy, aren’t we!” He cackled.

“Gigatron? What’s he talking about?” Sky-byte stood nervously behind his commander, this was just meant to have been a portal inspection to see if any more monsters appeared, not another Cybertronian!.

“I’ve heard that name before” Optimus mumbled.

“What? Where?” Sky-Byte eagerly snapped at the first opportunity of some sort of explanation.

“If what I HAVE heard is true, it’s nothing pleasant” Prime’s voice didn’t raise a jolt.

“Oh, deary me, are you still that useless you’re going to make ME explain for you?” ‘Megatron’ made a mock gasp gesture before his body crumbled, it cracked and broke up into a red-tinged smoke which immediately reformed again a inch before Galvatron, the entire process happening before an optic could be shuttered, “Murderer”

That seemed to set Galvatron off and the now-dubious-commander of the Predacons surged forwards, shoulder hitting roughly into the newcomers body and sending them both flying.
Except instead of clattering to the floor ‘Megatron’ burst into smoke again letting Galvatron smash into the ground and scrape forwards.

With his back to him ‘Megatron’ spun around and hit Galvatron with a stream of energy paralysing him and keeping him out the way.

“Well that won’t work twice now will it?” The new guy had such an air of arrogant cockiness to him, but it was the kind of cockiness of someone who knew they had something to back it up.

He sauntered over to the gathered group, it was almost forgotten that there was a group there as they stood on in stunned silence at the bizarre scene unfolding before them.

“By the damn AllSpak! You all should’ve known it wasn’t me!” ‘Megatron’ roared in anger, “Look at those pathetic Scraplets!” He screamed, a gaseous blast of energy streaming at the Predacon trio who yelled in surprise the combined gang of Autobots and Predacons only just making it out the way as the blast tore a huge chunk out of the ground, flinging Slapper and Prowl off into the distance.

“I’d never make a team of such incompetent cannon fodder! And you!” He turned on Sky-Byte a gaseous tendril flying out and ripping the shark from the sky, “Look at you” he sneered, “Did you even finish your command training with Thrust? You puny jellyfish”

Sky-byte yelped in horror at the question and whined at the insult
“H-h-h-how did you know!?” he wailed.

‘Megatron’ snarled as he threw the shark, tossing him into the advancing Team Bullet Train as they tried to jump him.
“BECAUSE I AM THE TRUE MEGATRON YOU FOOLS”

“Back off my bro’s!” Gas Skunk charged the mech but green lightning bristled from Megatron and speared the furious skunk, a spinal-strut shattering blast only averted by X-Brawn swinging in to grab the terrified Predacon mid-air.

“You’re all pathetic… PATHETIC, I can’t believe anyone would believe I’d take orders from the Predacon council let alone make a team from the rejects of my own army, that council listens to ME, and none of you four are worth the Energon rations I deigned to give you” ‘Megatron’ sneered, “Teaming up with these Autobots is just more proof you’re worse than the scum scraped from the bottom of a barrel!”

The smokey entity went fuzzy before reforming as a larger more monstrous form, the bestial creature bellowed before charging the group.

Whatever this person was, if it truly was Megatron, it fought like a true warlord, devastating brutality combined with the power to take on a non-solid form made him hard to hit but his hits went harder than the gang ever felt before.

Immediately the other Autobots, not present and the remaining Cyclonus were summoned to battle. ‘Megatron’ was overwhelmed by enemies, but he didn’t care, he seemed to relish the battle, a few times he let the blasts hit, chortling at their feeble attempts.

No matter what they tried it seemed useless, he just wasn’t affected by anything they threw at him, forming a impassable wall, keeping them all at bay. It wasn’t a fight it was a play for him.

“Guys I think I’ve noticed a pattern” Team Bullet Train had attempted to hit them with their combined form but ‘Megatron’ had glanced past every attack, now two of them stood behind Midnight Express as he spoke, “He’s not the powerhouse he’s making out to be, he’s only letting one attack hit him, never any combined blasts, nor any blasts from our combined forms either. It must be for a reason!”

“You’re right, ever since I powered up he’s been giving me a wide berth too” Optimus nodded to him, “T-AI what do you make of this?”

The holographic battle computer’s AI came over all of their intercoms
“I’ve been examining him as you’ve fought him and you have definitely picked up on a distinct pattern if anything he’s also examining all of you fighting too, simply playing a game of cat and mouse!”

“Well, how do we get rid of him! He’s scary!” Dark Scream cowered behind Sky-Byte who was doing a somewhat adequate job of pretending he wasn’t scared of the ghostly mecha too.

“The portal he came through is still open, he’s drawing power from there, I don’t know from WHAT he’s drawing power from but it’s awful whatever it is, It just has some kind of sickly aura to it, and it’s limitless”

“That’s impossible” Prowl growled, “No power source is limitless!”

“Well, whatever he’s getting power from is certainly near-limitless at the very least then” The hologram shrugged, “I can’t say much more than that”

“If the power is coming from the portal then I know what we must do” Optimus whispered, careful of the gleeful ‘Megatron’ whose attention seemed elsewhere, “We need to open a space bridge over his portal, it should cancel his out, or at the very least I hope it will”

“Best plan we got at the very least” Cyclonus nodded, “Keep ‘im distracted as yer computer lassie cancels his power out”

“Uh, right” Optimus nodded.

“GRAAAAAAAAH” ‘Megatrons’ roar brought all their attention back to him.

“M’lady!” Cyclonus cawed in shock and panic.

Galvatron had indeed risen again, with the others distracted by their distanced group huddle of let’s-make-a-new-plan, ‘Megatron’ had turned his attention back to the downed Galvatron as evidenced by a patchwork of whip-like lashings upon the mecha’s back.
Except now Galvatron had bitten back, taking on his ‘Devil Saurer’ mode the beast form had it’s paws wrapped around ‘Megatrons’ chest and waist his jaws clamped over his shoulder, causing the metal to buckle and crumble.

“Ugh, you at least got more powerful since we last met, but I suppose leeching power from others does that, hm?” ‘Megatron’ squirmed almost struggling to free himself.

“You should know!” Galvatron hissed, suddenly dropping to the ground.
A familiar purple light shrouded the area around them specks of light falling to the ground as gravity in the affected area was warped. ‘Megatron’ was flung up into the air before being flung at high-speeds back to the ground but he avoided the attack by morphing into mist again.

Galvatron rose up before furiously blasted the ground with fire, a flame that danced and pulsed under the pressure of the augmented gravity within the circle but billowed out viciously when it left the area, it made approaching them dangerous.

Yet as the fire continued, ‘Megatron’ was unable to reform under the dual-gravity and heat assault but it left another problem.

“T-AI, can you activate a space bridge?” Optimus barked over the comms.

“I can try but the gravitational distortion is making it hard to pinpoint!” She warned.

“Just do it!” Optimus gestured and gradually the large team shifted closer to the mini-arena trying their best to avoid the baying flames the poured out from it, “He can’t keep up this assault much longer”

He was right, coolant dripped off Galvatron like bullets, whizzing to the ground at rapid speeds due to the gravity but evaporating before they even got close from the fire. The wingbeats that kept Galvatron airborne were getting slower and more laborious as his altitude slowly dropped.

Soon the rip in space that ‘Megatron’ had entered through fizzled dangerously. The dwindling flames layering the ground leapt anxiously almost forming a face as ‘Megatron’ cried out.

“No! My lord needs it bigger to enter, not smaller!” He howled, his gaseous body billowed out wildly a tendril wrapping around Galvatron’s leg and throwing him to the ground immediately ceasing the dual-attack. Instead of reforming, however, ‘Megatron’ leapt through the portal. As soon as it closed the Space bridge sprung up in its place, leaving silence in its wake.

Looking over the motley crew Optimus told T-AI to get ready for a lot of patch-ups.

By the time everyone had their dents, gashes and bangs patched up Galvatron was conveniently nowhere to be seen. Cyclonus slipping out was less subtle as his tail feathers were spotted turning a corner.
Optimus held up a hand, signalling the others to stay and followed.

Galvatron had snuck off to a rather unused room, but it seemed to be one their sparklings had taken a liking to and had been blissfully unaware of the fuss of the outside world. Still in his large Devil Saurer mode, Galvatron had the twins between his forelegs, wings gently curled around them, as Cyclonus leant on one leg also cooing over them.

Optimus watched the parents for a while, aware of Galvatron trying to ignore him.

“What was that!?” Optimus jumped a little as Sky-Byte jumped up having followed him regardless of his ‘stay put’ order.

“I’d rather not discuss it” Galvatron bowed his head.

“T-AI broadcast this across the base” Optimus made a gesture for the AI, “This is serious, we’re not leaving until you tell us exactly what your history with that mecha is”

Galvatron flinched and curled in on himself, the sparklings peeped curiously and Cyclonus patted his neck.

“O…of course he’d whip me…” The ten-shifter whispered mostly to himself, claws fumbling with nothing on the floor.

“What’s Gigatron? How did that guy know about Thrust? Why does he have, what I assume to be, your name?” Sky-Byte rattled off the questions burning at his processor.

“Gigatron is the name given to a specific type of SLAVE, Sky-Byte, Or did you really think I just happened to have so many alternate modes? The more modes a slave has the more use they are to their master!” Galvatron hissed, “I was Megatron’s personalized Gigatron slave, he ordered me to look like him and be a powerful plaything.”

“Uh, buh, what?” Sky-Byte suddenly shrank down and looked around as if a magical sign would appear and explain it all in an instant.

“I… I thought as much” Optimus mumbled.

“Yeah… Happy? That WAS the real Megatron, back from the dead somehow…” Galvatron’s toothed lip curled as he thought about it, “He used me as a toy for whatever whim and desire he wanted, to fight or play, to bring him fuel and entertain him. I had no life, he didn’t even care that I had a name, he never called me it, he only called me ‘Gigatron’ forever making sure I knew I was nothing more than his pet!”

“Now I understand your desperation to change your perceived fate” Optimus spoke putting on his best, most gentle voice.

“Well, fine, you want the rest of the story, here we go. I snapped, okay? I couldn’t take it and when he was busying himself ranting at me for another mistake I jumped him, I managed to smash the back of his stupid helm open on the floor and I didn’t stop, I kept going. It burned me, my slave coding ripped away at my internal systems and burned at my processor! It was agony but I couldn’t take it! His incessant demands and constant whipping! I just… I killed him… And where did that leave me? I was a slave who managed to break my control coding juuust enough to kill my master, I’d be slaughtered the moment I left. So I lied, I used my similar appearance to my advantage… I claimed to be Megatron. It sort of worked, Megatron was an arrogant blowhard, he had his army, his empire so he lazed around his mansion all day and hardly made public appearances doing nothing but bathing in his luxurious ill-gotten gains. So not that many people really knew what he truly looked like. So I got away with it for a while, when people made a remark I passed it off as getting some upgrades and modifications. Yet, my slave coding still functioned, it needed orders, and luck saved me! As some bots were getting suspicious the Predacon council alerted me to rumours of a super weapon on some barely noticeable planet far away, so I took it, the order satisfied my slave coding and got me away from the main citadel. As for troops, of course, I picked the ones who’d never recognise me for what I really was, they were all the runts of their respective field with little privilege never given a chance… Thrust was going to fail you, by the way, Sky-Byte, your panicking and his short fuse just didn’t… yeah… I just ran away and dragged you all with me! Then I realised the Autobots were here, so I did as little as possible and hid in the base whenever I could fearful that they would recognise me for what I was, and I forced you all away and tried to ignore you all so I could distance myself further from my perceived problems… But of course, I felt as if I had Fortress Maximus I could use him to rule! Then no one would make me their slave ever again! I wouldn’t be captured and executed for killing Megatron! I thought he’d be a key…”

“And then when you thought you found a way to change fate you abandoned Fortress Maximus in favour of something that could ‘change your fate’, it makes sense now” Optimus nodded.

“F… fail me” Sky-Byte merely whispered to himself, “Slaves? Falsehoods? B… but Meg-ah, Galvatron! I… you… is this true? I… Thought this was so much more, while Thrust was teaching me the ways of being a commander, I, I had such a sense of unfulfilled yearning! I felt like there was something missing! Then when you offered me a place on this team it felt like I had a purpose was this all for nothing!?”

“Oh, Sky-Byte… I’m afraid to some degree, yes. I lead you all off on a merry little adventure for nothing and then I was cruel and shut you all out emotionally as I feared the repercussions of my actions, but, we did find Fortress Maximus! We did have a mission! I was just not the right one to lead you all… I hope I did at least, even if it was founded on a lie, give you some sense of purpose to fill that emptiness. I hope the four of you found some sort of happiness…”

“But Galvatron” Optimus stepped in cutting off any response from the Predacon, his tone dark, angry, “If you started your life knowing nothing but slavery and cruelty, why did you corrupt the Autobot stasis pods? Why did you fill them with evil!? Why did you strip them of agency!?”

“What!? Prime you can’t be serious!? Fill them with ‘evil’, are you listening to yourself? They were already dead! All of them!” Galvatron looked up at him a glare in his optics.

“No, they were alive! We all saw it!” Optimus snapped back.

“Get a grip Prime! They died before we even found them! I merely planted an AI of my own design into them! It animated the bodies and copied the remaining lines of code in their processors to mimic attitudes! The AI just… got a bit too ahead of itself, started running errors and acting out on its own. I just reset them when I got them back. They were walking talking shells!”

“T… Then Scourge…”

“That’s right he’s likely just dropped and reverted back to his lifeless shell already. You’d think I could inflict the same thing I suffered to others?”

“How would a slave know how to program AI?” Sky-Byte piped up and immediately looked away when Galvatron glared at the mention of ‘slave’.

“I had free time when Megatron didn’t need me or was at rest, I busied myself with books and tinkering with devices, I’d been making prototypes of my little bats for millennia!” His wings puffed out with a sense of pride.

“And in the end, you bungled everything and started treating your own underlings more like your own protoforms despite your lies to them” Optimus seemingly accepted his answer or at least had done for now and his tone had returned to something lighter.

“That’s not a lie is it Galvatron?” Sky-Byte, however, took a more morose tone.

“What!? No!” Galvatron flared up again.

“Ey don’t think that of y’ mother” Cyclonus piped up for the first time for the entire story. He’d picked his place long ago and it was at Galvatron’s side regardless of his past.

“No, no, that wasn’t a lie Sky-Byte, I… I did get attached to you all, I didn’t want to, I thought it would all end in tears, I mean if this failed I’d certainly have been found out and killed and then you’d be left alone with the knowledge of… this, I didn’t want that I didn’t want you left alone, so I tried to keep you away. But, we’re all the screw ups of our times and I couldn’t help but see parts of myself in you all and want you to be safe. It just took featherbutt here to finally make me come to terms with it and notice your reciprocating behaviour and the somewhat unintentional low-level bond that was building” Galvatron sagged down again, looking to the floor his head only turned away slightly when Sky-Byte approached him.

The Predacon said nothing advancing on his former leader, his face was droopy too as he processed all of this information and would likely spend a while longer thinking about it, but for now, he knelt down and flopped against Galvatron’s free side and silently curled up next to him only reaching out a little as Rupture scooted over to peep and grab at their favoured brother.

Optimus sighed, he knew he wasn’t getting anything else out of him today, and might not for a while yet, he uttered a small thank you before telling T-AI to cut the audio feed. He quietly headed back to the command centre by himself only briefly passing the Predacons who rushed to join their patchwork family.
He could believe a lot of the story, his suspicions about ‘gigatron’ were correct, but that still left some answers.
How did Megatron come back?
How did he get these powers?
And, who was this ‘lord’ of his?
All in due time likely.

Personality:
Megatron is used to being ‘lord of an empire’, so he is arrogant and lazy, very content to let his new monster lackeys pick up the slack whenever he simply does not want to bother getting his hands dirty. After his death, his aggression only mounted, rather than conquer and rule all he’d rather see it all die and be reduced to nothing. Total and utter destruction is his pleasure, as is pain, he greatly enjoys tormenting and playing with his enemies and cares not for the emotions of those around him unless they’re cowering in fear. He is a frightening madman bent on brutal senseless destruction.

Notes/Extra:
• It might be obvious for some but his ‘lord’ is Unicron.
• The creature from the previous part scanned Galvatron’s processor as it drained his energy and Unicron picked out Megatron from his memories to bring back and make his pawn. However, Megatron turned out to now share Unicron’s views upon his resurrection and doesn’t need to be tortured into obeying, he wants to see everything destroyed.
• He can no longer transform but he can reform his body at will into whatever he needs, within reason.
• His goal is to open a portal wide enough so Unicron can enter their realm and consume it all.