Eyes of the Eons

Chapter 4: Take the Road Less Traveled

"No, stop."

Megatron fell to his knees, unable to support his weight any longer. Everything hurt. The pain inside of his mind was unbearable and his pride had been stripped away.

His own limbs were no longer his to control.

"Stop?" Unicron laughed cruelly and blasted him again.

"Please." Megatron looked up wearily. "I am begging you."

"What care would a god have for the squeaks of the insect beneath his foot?" Unicron asked.

Megatron breathed heavily, his arms shaking as he struggled to pull the top-half of his body from the floor. Just as he gained some height, Unicron's purple lightning flashed again, tearing through Megatron mercilessly.

As he screamed, Megatron could only think of all the other bots whose screams he had caused. He could imagine what it was like to once again be underfoot.

He remembered the cold nights in the pits of Kaon, his hands caked in dried energon as he rocked back and forth to stay awake. The screams in the distance as hunters found their prey.

Now, he was those like unfortunate victims.

As Megatron's cries of agony echoed around the bounds of his mind, those countless other voices seemed to yell with him.

"Uni-cron." He gasped once the lightning stopped. "Stop this. We share the same blood, we sho-"

"Silence!" Unicron snapped. "Your words bore me, Megatronus."

"I only as- gaahhh!" Megatron collapsed again as everything turned purple and he began to drown in the pain.

"-atron! Megatron!"

Megatron's eyes opened and he sat up quickly, frowning at the sight of trees and black skies. Something shifted on his leg and Megatron turned his attention to the human as the events of the last two days came back to him.

"Ah." He sighed in annoyance. "It's you."

"Nightmares?" She asked in concern. "You were yelling in your sleep."

"No." Megatron looked away. "I don't get nightmares."

"Oh." Minerva sat back down and was silent for a moment.

"I get it." She said quietly. "It's easier to pretend them away."

Megatron scowled. "I don't have nightmares."

Minerva didn't reply, instead sighing and closing her eyes again as she leaned against his knee. Megatron turned his head away from the forest and looked at her, ignoring the whispers of screams that plagued his thoughts.

Nightmares had been rare for him on the Nemesis, but when they did happen, he'd usually go for a flight or talk to Soundwave about surveillance. Neither of those were an option anymore.

He was alone, save for this ignorant child who he found extremely difficult to get away from.

"I like talking about it." Minerva said quietly, her eyes still closed. "Not to people, but to myself. Alone. Complaining always makes me feel better; do you want me to leave you alone for a little while?"

Megatron looked into the darkness of the forest and creased his brows. "No."

"Okay." Minerva yawned and shifted, nestling further into the crack between his leg and his knee. "Good night, Megatron."

Megatron watched her fall asleep. The girl's chest rose and fell in a silent, steady pattern. He watched her breathing for a long time before eventually, the monotony of it lulled him back into a warm darkness.