A slender dragon approached from behind the rock that overlooked the Decepticon encampment, his eyes fixated on the enormous warlord that lounged at the highest point. On his shoulder perched an unnaturally large crow, to which he occasionally chittered in songspeak. Songspeak was the language of the birds and he used it frequently to communicate with his companion.
"Soundwave." The warlord rumbled. His tail flicked tirelessly against the stone. "Speak."
Soundwave eyed Laserbeak, then returned his gaze to Megatron. "Laserbeak... reports.. visual on... Knockout and... Breakdown." He rasped.
Megatron's head swiveled around, his crimson eyes narrowing. "Where?"
"Unknown.. regions." Soundwave continued. "Accompanied... by humans."
"Humans?" Megatron's lips curled back in a snarl. "Those treacherous idiots! What did they have to say for themselves?"
"Humans... looking for.. girl and... Autobot medic. Want to... work.. with Decepticons."
Megatron paused, a look of intrigue passing over his expression. While his main objective of destroying humankind remained very much in play, perhaps he could use this opportunity of a temporary alliance to his advantage.
"I shall pay these humans a visit, then, and see if they can be of any use to us." Megatron mused as he rose to his paws. "Remain here to oversee the troops. Should Dreadwing or Skyquake return with important findings, notify me immediately."
With that said, Megatron unfurled his mighty wings and took to the skies, leaving Soundwave and the rest of the camp behind. He never once considered working alongside a human, but this could possibly be the edge he needed to finally destroy both the Autobots and humankind once and for all.
Soundwave watched until Megatron became nothing more than a grey speck in the sky, his tail slowly swishing behind him.
No sooner than the warlord had left, a painfully familiar voice filled the air.
"Where's Megatron going this time?" Starscream loudly complained. "Gallivanting around the forest while I'm stuck babysitting Vehicons!"
Soundwave crept around the side of the rock to investigate, knowing better than to ascend it for a better look. Standing across the clearing was Starscream. Alone. Foolishly venting his frustrations for the world to hear.
Little did he know the aptly named "eyes and ears" of the Decepticons was listening very closely to each and every word that spilled from his maw.
The silver-scaled seeker paced around his patch of the clearing, scraping his talons against the stones among the grass. His tail lashed furiously behind him like a whip.
"That... obsession of his with humans is going to get us all killed!" Starscream snapped. "We should be focusing on the Autobots, not some pesky humans insects who are hardly worth our time! If I were leader, I'd march straight into the Autobot territory and tear everything down until I found their precious camp!"
Laserbeak let out a soft caw, ruffling his feathers in obvious irritation as he shuffled closer to Soundwave's head.
"•🎶He doubts Master's plan. He should be punished🎶•." He cawed.
Soundwave huffed softly, his warm breath pushing steam through the frigid air. "•🎶In time, he will be. For now we must follow the plan. Megatron knows what he's doing🎶•."
"•🎶The plan will not matter if that foolish idiot tries to usurp Master again.🎶•" Laserbeak leaned forward and cocked his head, beady eyes trained on Starscream. "•🎶Master should've killed him a long time ago. He causes too many problems.🎶•"
"•🎶Yes, I know.🎶•" Soundwave chittered in response, rolling his eyes. He turned and slipped behind the rock throne, having heard enough of Starscream's muttering. "•🎶Have patience. The best things often come to those who wait.🎶•"
Starscream would get what he deserved sooner or later. For now, Soundwave kept what the supposed second-in-command had said in mind for when Megatron returned. Until then he'd make sure nothing suspicious took place.
•
•
•
A small group of M.E.C.H soldiers trudged through the snow in a tight formation. Vex led them at the front, her breath escaping through the vents in her mask as white clouds. M.E.C.H was not properly equipped to handle long-term cold exposure, leaving her and her men at the mercy of winter.
They had been walking for nearly two hours, begrudgingly following the more well-prepared pair of dragons ahead of them deeper into the unknown. Vex was beginning to wonder if they truly knew where they were going.
"Make sure that signal stays online." She murmured to the soldier on her right. "We may need a lift out of here if things don't go as planned."
The soldier appeared to shudder at the thought of being stuck out there with man-eating dragons. He quickly checked his wrist comm, ensuring it still functioned.
Walking alongside Breakdown and Knockout was Silas, who had insisted on accompanying Vex despite her being capable enough to go alone. He very much wanted to meet their so-called "leader" and see what he could learn. They appeared to be intelligent enough to understand basic military principles—reduced to more primitive levels, of course—and they seemed to share his taste for violence. However, he wouldn't let that blind him to the fact that they were still animals, and animals are always unpredictable.
"What can you tell me about this 'master' of yours?" Silas asked, his arms folding behind his back as he craned his neck to look at Knockout.
Frankly, Knockout was getting tired of Silas's ceaseless questioning, seeing no point to it other than gathering information and being an overall nuisance. Were all humans this chatty?
"Well now, Lord Megatron is the most magnificent leader to ever exist!" Knockout exclaimed, though he only half-believed his own words. "He's conquered countless territories and strikes fear into the hearts of anyone who dares to cross him! It is a pleasure to be serving him."
Silas hummed to himself for a moment. This 'Megatron' character seemed too outlandish to believe, pulled straight from the pages of a fairytale, but these were dragons after all and he knew next to nothing about them aside from their physiology. Even then, his knowledge was limited to what he had managed to gather from previous samples.
"What do you know about the subject we're searching for? 'Ratchet', I believe the girl called him." Silas grimaced at the mention of Taylor, no matter how slight it had been. She was a loose end—a loose end that could become dangerous if he did not find her soon.
"Just that he is a dear friend of ours who we long to see again."
Knockout and Breakdown stopped in their tracks as the enormous form of Megatron suddenly descended through the trees before them. The warlord flared his wings as he landed, kicking up a blinding cloud of snow.
Vex shielded her eyes, then squinted through the shimmering flurries to see what had happened. Upon seeing Megatron, she gasped softly and took a few hesitant steps back. He was by far the largest dragon she'd ever seen.
Beautiful yet... terrifying. She could only admire for a few seconds before she was forced to regain her composure.
"Lord Megatron!" Knockout managed to say. "We were just talking about how glorious of a leader you were!" He slapped on a smile and chuckled nervously. "H-how did you find us...?"
Steam puffed from Megatron's nostrils in displeasure. "That is irrelevant. Now..." He gazed down at Silas, narrowing his eyes. "This must be the human that wishes to create an alliance."
"I wouldn't say alliance. More like business partnership." Silas said. "I am Silas, and we are M.E.C.H. Unlike the rest of mankind, we wish to study and examine your species. Proper research is nonexistent, so we are doing it ourselves."
Vex held her tongue. An outburst now would get her reprimanded—or worse.
Megatron lifted a brow, intrigued but otherwise unimpressed. "Your initiative is... admirable." He mused. "You managed to capture the one called Ratchet, who I often find to be more trouble than he's worth, did you not?"
"We did, but he escaped with the help of a girl. Your lackeys here said you know her well."
Taylor.
Megatron chuckled darkly, his lips parting to reveal his jagged teeth. Yes, he knew Taylor all too well...
"Indeed. We have quite the history." He said, slowly lashing his tail behind him. "It seems we have a common goal. You lack in tracking and hunting, but I can remedy that issue—so long as you provide me with the information I desire."
Silas frowned. "And what would that be?"
"Information about humankind. More specific details will be revealed later, but give me information and I shall do the same for you." Megatron flashed his teeth in a sinister grin. "So, Silas of M.E.C.H... do we have a deal?"
Silas remained silent for a moment, then nodded his head. "We do. I look forward to working with you."
Megatron chuckled. "As do I."
A sense of unease tightened the knot of anxiety in Vex's gut. Something seemed off here. Neither party was exactly telling the truth. It would only be a matter of time before one turned on the other. Perhaps Silas had finally met his match.