Attack on Prime

Cat and Mouse

"So...that little trip you took with Megatron and Mikasa during the coup, wasn't just a little trip," Hanji concluded as she stirred the whiskey in her cup, "You wanted to learn about Megatron's motivation."

Armin nodded his head.

"I won't press you on what you do know, but I do already know that Megatron's staying in the first place because he still cares about Optimus," Hanji told him.

"Y-you know?" Armin stuttered.

"Why does everyone keep asking that?" Hanji demanded in an offended tone, "Megatron literally calls me the 'mad scientist' for a reason."

"Wait, who else knows?" Armin asked.

"Aside from Mikasa, because she was with you, Levi is another one," Hanji answered, "Levi told me Megatron didn't say it outright to him, but that it was implied."

Hanji could still see the apprehension in Armin's eyes and sighed. "Did Megatron threaten your silence?"

"I have no reason to tell his business," Armin explained.

"Did he still do it?" Hanji asked.

Armin nodded his head. "You know that he doesn't like humans. Actually trusting one would be out of the question."

"But you're clearly different," Hanji proclaimed as she picked up her drink, "He went out of his way to bring and let you keep a book that pertained to your interests. He even read the damn thing."

Hanji sighed and tapped her finger on the table. "The nickname Megatron gave you is close to your actual name. Did he...call you anything else prior to that?"

"...no. He didn't," Armin answered.

Hanji stared at Armin for a while before resigning in defeat. "Go sleep. I won't say anything; I promise."

Armin stood up and walked out of the tent. Hanji groaned in irritation, setting her whiskey on the table. She had a glaring suspicion, a very minor one, about why Armin had the vial in his possession along with the book. It was part of the reason she got Armin to be her lab partner again, but she didn't expect any of this.

"Damn it, buckethead, what the hell's your problem?" Hanji hissed to herself. She knew Armin was lying about the nickname thing; she didn't press because Armin was already so stressed. She heard it during the coup, but she wasn't sure what it was.

She knew why he was staying, but it didn't make sense. Why Armin? Why has it gone on for so long? She thought it over. She couldn't beat Megatron in raw strength. No human could. Even if Megatron wasn't a metal titan, he still had his gladiatorial experience. So...what did she know about him?

A gladiator, a former friend to Optimus before the war started. Megatron resented him for years before having to die and realize he was wrong about everything. He's a murderer, a tyrant, a monster. His relationship with Optimus could be classified as...complicated, but Optimus does trust Megatron enough. So what does that say about Megatron's psyche right now?

In theory, Megatron should feel guilty about what he's done. If he didn't, Megatron would have continued the war. He didn't kickstart it again when Optimus supposedly died, and when he found out that Optimus was alive. Megatron knows Optimus cares enough about the humans, which is why he hasn't destroyed Paradis. Well, Megatron is willing to harm the ones in Marley, but that's because they aren't aligned with Optimus. That happened in the coup. Megatron was killing the enemy sent to kill the Survey Corps.

Then Megatron stopped Eren from taking his life. This is a tricky situation. Megatron hated Eren, but Optimus cared for him. So stopping Eren would've solidified Optimus' trust in Megatron, but Megatron didn't have to go after Eren. He didn't have to stop him from committing suicide. He got Optimus' trust prior, so why bother with Eren?