From Cohort to Gestalt

Chapter 2

Ravage stalked down the aisle toward Lord Megatron. The leader of the Decpticons lounged in his throne. Although her scanners were outdated, they had correctly detected the mecha in the room.

The command trine stood to Megatron's left. Starscream glared down at Ravage, like she was some sort of messenger of Unicron. She made a note for herself. Starscream has never directly acknowledged her kind before, always referring to Soundwave instead. With his death, was she finally enough to gain his attention? Ravage never really liked Starscream, her opinion wasn't changing with her thoughts.

His trine mates seemed to not like him much either. The command trine's relationship had always been a mystery. None of Soundwave's spying methods made their way past the three seekers for long. Outside their habsuites, they were always bickering and fighting. However, Soundwave had thought it to be an act. Ravage had never seen evidence of this.

Especially now, Skywarp and Thundercracker huddled aways from Starscream. Thundercracker blocking Skywarp from Starscream. Skywarp seemed in distress looking between his two trinemates worryingly as he clung to Thundercracker. His EM field must have been a mess. When the black and purple seeker's gaze landed on Ravage, a hint of fear radiated across his face plates. Ravage was accustomed to fear, but it usually was on her victims right before she clawed or ripped out their sparks.

Thundercracker was stoic as ever, not even looking at Ravage. She didn't give him much thought. Instead, she turned to the mech on Megatron's right side. Shockwave. His yellow optic seemed to stare into her spark. Ravage tried not to bristle at his presence. Shockwave rarely left his laboratory. And it was never good when he did.

Finally, her gaze went back to the gun-metal gray mech. She used to be in awe of his strength. He took on mechanimals double his size with ease. He could turn a crowd that was pit-damned set on seeing him slaughter others to see the injustice of the arenas. The way he pieced together speeches at rallies, truly an art. Looking back, however, Ravage realized that had been a completely different mech. Megatronus, the revolutionary. The gun-metal gray being before her has killed more than Autobots and traitors. And she would find a way to make him pay.

"Finally," he drawled from his throne. The true gladiator would have sneered at the husk he had become. "Ravage, it's good to see you report."

Standing in front of him for a klik, Ravage thought of defying him right then and there. Instead, she bowed deeply, hooking a paw back for dramatic affect. "My cohort and I live to serve, Master." Ravage's very core coding wanted to retaliate at her words. An itch went through her wiring, making her want to claw at her own plating. But she remained where she was, placated.

Ravage was trained and reformatted to be a spy. Although her work usually had her in the shadows watching, she knew how to act.

"I'm glad." Megatron said from his perch. Ravage could feel his calculating gaze.

In the corner of her optic, Ravage saw red and white wings flare. "How can you just take... this beast's word? Nor she or her other vermin have reported in over a quartex! It's obvious that she's plotting, my liege. She means to finish whatever-"

"Instead of taking the glyph of a known traitor," Ravage spoke up. It was a gamble, especially since she was retaliating against the second in command and air commander. However, Megatron's tyrannous hold worked in her favor this time. He rarely cared what his second had to say. "Perhaps you will hear the glyphs of a loyal subject, my liege."

Starscream scoffed. "Please. Her creator and host was-"

"I would think you'd hold your glossa more with the trouble you're already in." Megatron firmly stated, glancing over at his SIC who tensed. Skywarp stepped closer to Thundercracker. The blue seeker kept staring ahead, immobile.