Author's Note: I love the last three episodes of Transformers Prime too much to resist! I swear! LOOOOL I just couldn't help myself and so had to add in Unicron. Though don't worry. You might just get to meet Primus! Unicron actually works out for what I had planned for the Lost Legion's city. Information regarding the 'cloning' of Megatron and also a little of the back history for both ASPECT and the Lost Legion can be found in the first two chapters of the Sixth story of this series "Twist In The Wind".

Disclaimer: I get to own Megatronus (the original), Razorwire, Arianna and Lucidus Cybertronia. Lucky me!

Kaon, Cybertron [Pre-War]

Skywarp's head jerked up sharply unable to answer the words Megatronus had whispered into his audio, his senses burning slightly with the recognition of one presence, his entire frame stilling. Optimus Prime stood in the shadows of the alley way, his massive frame familiar to Skywarp and making the Seeker struggle to draw himself out of the tight grip of his lover. Skywarp was startled to find himself behind Megatronus's back, the mech surging to his pedes and his large frame shielding the Seeker from view as he showed no sign of the torture he had just experienced as he reached for a weapon, clearly willing to take the Prime on in a sparkbeat to defend his love.

"No." Skywarp whispered, his hand curling around Megatronus's arm, drawing it down and keeping the weapon pointed at the ground. His lips brushed softly against the broad shoulder, soothing the massive mech gently, his cheekplate rubbing against the warm metal softly, even though Megatronus was attempting to protect him again. "He's not an enemy."

"Megatron." Optimus Prime shifted from the shadows, blue optics meeting gold and narrowing sharply.

"No." The Seeker put more force behind that word, his jaw clenching slightly not wanting anyone to ever again consider this mech to be the monster he himself had thought Megatron to be. There was a distinct difference between the Decepticon Leader and his protective companion, the one who had just said he loved him. His spark clenched at that, remembering the soft words and wishing he could honestly be able to answer them. "Do not make the same mistake I did, Optimus Prime."

The Prime's head twisted slightly to gaze at the Seeker before him, curiosity and a touch of confusion flickering through the vivid blue of his optics as he assured himself of the fact that Skywarp was indeed the one he both recognised and knew from future Earth.

"This is not Megatron, not the one you know..." Skywarp swallowed back a lump that was attempting to form itself in his vocal components. Shifting forwards his smaller frame was moving protectively before his lover, shielding the mech's spark with his own frame, even though he heard the low warning sound escape the back of his companion's vocals, protective. "Megatronus is..." He couldn't quite think of the right word at that moment to describe his compassionate companion.

"Megatronus?"

"Do you find something amiss with my name?" The massive mech growled low, both arms coiling possessively around Skywarp, drawing the Seeker back against his frame, his cheekplate brushing against the top of the black helm. "Optimus Prime." One optical ridge lifted slightly, though his actions spoke far louder than any words could as the mech cradled Skywarp to him, protective of the one life that meant everything to him.

"Skywarp, what have you done?" The Prime's expression was shaken as he gazed into the clear golden optics of a mech who should never have taken this particular twist of fate, not if the future was to remain as it was. "Changing events in the past will impact heavily..."

"It's changed nothing."

The Prime froze, optical ridges pressing together in contemplation of Skywarp's words.

"Megatron is still in the Gladiatorial Arena. He's still there right now, I saw it with my own optics no more than a few breems ago." He could not honestly explain it, it had been a brutal shock to witness first hand one of the most legendary battles of Megatron's Gladiatorial career, where Megatron had faced off against Soundwave. "Optimus... I cannot offer an explanation for this... other than I know both are... Megatron... or at least..."

His head twisted sharply, managing to get a clear glance back at the strikingly handsome mech who stood just behind him, all of his spark suddenly stilled. Shockwave. The realisation slammed so hard into him that it staggered him completely.

"Sky?" Worried servos stroked across one of the Seeker's cheekplates lightly, fingertips smoothing across the expanse of silky soft lips, Megatronus clearly disturbed by Skywarp's silence.

"I destroyed your control unit. I removed the receiver myself..." He had made sure no other could ever use the slave circuitry that had been added and welded into Megatronus's frame and very life support systems without surgery. A medic he was not, but a good engineer was just as good sometimes. Yet, Skywarp had responded to Megatronus's pain, the reason why he had teleported to the mech's side and challenged Shockwave. His massive protector would never allow another to subdue him like that unless... there was a secondary master control implanted beneath the one the slavers had used. "I had thought..."

"Love." Megatronus's vivid golden optics were deeply troubled, his large servos cupping his lover's face, holding it still long enough for him to gaze into the vibrant crimson optics that stared back up at him with shock.

"A clone."

Optimus regarded the pair with interest, taking note of every tenderness Megatronus used with Skywarp, wondering if this had truly ever been a part of the Megatron he had once called Brother.

"I am not a clone." Megatronus rumbled, head dipping, his forehead lightly touching against Skywarp's, desperate not to lose the only person who had ever cared about him. "Please..."

Skywarp kissed him soundly, arms wrapping around broad shoulders and hugging the silver mech close, unwilling to allow anything to take what had been so freely offered. "Even if I thought you were, my Spark, it would not change how I feel about you. I saw you protect the sparkling, I saw how you protected me. Nothing will shake me in my faith in your integrity and compassion."

"If he shares the same memory files as Megatron, you cannot be certain of his ambitions or future goals." Optimus Prime had learned the hard way what Megatron was quite capable of and what lengths the mech would go to, to gain victory. "You have witnessed firsthand the brutality of the Decepticons and of Megatron himself. Skywarp, as much as I have always hoped that Megatron would understand his mistakes..."

"Oh shut the slag up." The black Seeker retorted. "I don't need you to tell me about that. Trust me... I thought like you did. I was quite ready to..." A choked sound escaped the Seeker, his fingers clenching into fists as his head twisted away from the golden gaze of his lover, his spark screaming at him for what he had almost cost himself with his own blindness. "It's not too late." A single tear streaked down his cheekplate as guilt surged through him at his own foolish... dark actions with regard to Megatronus.

"I took one life, Optimus Prime, a single life of an Autobot soldier on the mining platform I worked. It is a death that stains my servos, one that will forever taint my spark with my own dark nature. I swore it would be the only life I ever took and that I would never return to that path again. I see the pain in Skywarp's optics and I know what I could be if I ever stumble on my road to redemption. I will not be a monster, Optimus Prime. I will not be the destroyer of Cybertron, I wish only to save those as I was fortunate enough to be saved."

"I have wished many times to hear that from you." Optimus's blue optics softened slightly as he regarded the mech before him, remembering the orn he had first met Megatron and had shared this dream with him, shared a longing to see his people at peace and finally free from the darkness that touched every part of Cybertronian society. "I have long wished to..." His head shook as the words seemed to allude him, his blue optics regarding Megatronus with silent hope. "Megatronus..."

Golden optics regarded the Prime for a long minute of silence, his head tipping downwards slightly to gaze into Skywarp's vivid crimson orb. Taking his time he studied every inch of that beautiful face, he was encouraged by the small smile that was given to him.

"I won't leave you, Megatronus, not ever." A soft whisper against the massive mech's chassis, Skywarp settled against him, feeling an arm slip around his waist once more, cradled close to the solid warmth of the mech.

A massive silver servo was suddenly being offered out to the Prime.

Optimus hesitated for a moment, looking at the outstretched hand, then into the golden optics that regarded him with a new determination growing in their vivid depths. His own soon closed around it, fingers squeezing around the strong one and felt a tingling jolt surge upwards through him, the Matrix abruptly warming within him. Its quiet song abruptly filled his processors as it had a number of times for Ironhide over the span of vorns since he had first received it, yet it was singing for Megatronus, recognising something special within the golden opticked Cybertronian before him.

Optimus Prime knew... this was the true Megatronus, though there was much he could not explain about all that was occurring before him.

ASPECT- Allied Species for a Peaceful Existence, Cybertronian-Terran. An alliance developed two vorns previously between the Neutral Cybertronian group known as 'Fractal' under the protection of Autobot High Councillor Alpha Trion and the indigenous species known as Terrans on the planet 'Earth' located in Sector 145, Solar System designation Lucidus. Initial contact between Fractal and Terrans brought about by Fractal's response to a distress beacon of Guardian Warrior Unit, Lightspeed, coded with the frequency given to colonisation forces 'Cybertronia' under the command of Kaonian Private Citizen, Megatrons and Terran exploration forces from indigenous culture of the territory designated 'the United States of America'.

Date of colony establishment: Unknown.

Location of colony designated Cybertronia: Unknown

Theorised location of Cybertronia colony: Sector 145, Solar System designation Lucidus, third planet of system

Status of Cybertronia colonial forces: Unknown.

For the personal data tracks of High Councillor Alpha Trion.

Cybertronian Colony of Lucidus Cybertronia, Earth's Crust, Earth

Shadows slithered silently across the walls, a darkness slowly sliding its claws a little deeper into the mountains of circuitry that lay around the large stasis pod imbedded deeply into one of the walls. A deep vivid indigo sheen rippled along the dim blue of the lighting conduits, like the stain of something sickly spreading deeper into the slowly activating systems.

The air vibrated with anguish as if someone was silently screaming, their voice unheard and going unnoticed by the world beyond the single room deep within the heart of the city. The silence was broken by the muffled scrape of metal against cool transparent aluminium, palms pressed against the frosted over viewing window of the stasis pod. Long streaks of fingers ran down through the mist running along the inside, long scored marks remaining.

And somewhere in the city more lights began to flicker online, signalling the reawakening of something deadly.

The Gates of Lucidus Cybertronia, Oregon, Earth

Fine dust particles filtered down from the fine crack lines that ran along the length of the mining tunnel's ceiling, plasma burns scorched the exposed rock faces, turning them black in some places with a thin layer of sooty black. Firestar's fingers brushed against one such mark, examining the blast pattern for a moment, green optics lingering over it and nodding slightly to herself. "Plasma cannons. I recognise the blast pattern." Shifting closer, she confirmed her initial conclusion when she saw a few pede prints in the powdery rock that coated the tunnel flooring. The impressions were light, lighter than they should be for one of the Vehicons. "Aerialbots came through here."

"I'm picking up the signal." Arcee turned her head towards Firestar, lifting the scanner up to optic level and turning it so that the older femme could get a look at the readings. "Its stronger in this section of the seam then in the last few locations."

A strange sense of excitement ran through both femmes to know that they were slowly closing in on what they had been searching for, for the last few days. As much as they longed to head back to those who mattered so much to them, both knew that this was equally important, that their mission was the hope that fuelled some of those who had come to Earth.

The pair moved further down one of the off-shooting tunnels, the light from the unmined energon crystals being enough illumination for both of them to manoeuvre their way through. Suddenly there was a clatter of metal against metal, the sound echoing up along the length of the tunnel they had been following, both immediately stilled, their backs pressing against either wall, their weapons coming to bear at the first sign that they were not the only ones still in the abandoned mine system that the Aerialbots had destroyed.

The noise came again, sharper this time, the whirl of straining machinery against unresisting metal.

Blue optics met green, the two femmes sharing a silent nod of agreement and they began to inch their way forwards, moving as one towards the source of the sounds of digging.

Light suddenly streamed in from the other end of the passage where it led out into a massive cavern supported by massive building supports that were visible through the entrance. Shifting into position on either side of the opening, Firestar twisted her helm just enough to get a visual on what was within that massive chamber and what she saw made her spark clench sharply in dread.

A dozen Vehicons filled the chamber, all using mining equipment to excavate the collapsed entrance to what appeared to be a massive transport gateway of some kind. Carved pillars stood on either side of the enormous doors, each five times her height, their designs reminiscent of something she had once seen... it reminded her of the work of a particular engineer. Shock registered again. Skywarp. The massive pillars demonstrated the elegant but functional design that she had once seen in a building designed by one of Cybertron's once prominent engineers. Yet, how was that possible? How could a structure that was clearly built by the Lost Legion of Cybertron have been built by a mech that had never been associated with the quiet peaceful movement that had occurred before Megatron had truly gained power on Cybertron?

"Keep digging! Lord Shockwave wants this cleared before his return."

Shockwave? That definitely didn't make sense. The well known dark hand of Megatron would not bother with things to do with Earth, especially not something that had long since been relegated to legend and myth amongst their people. This would be more like Megatron to attempt to discover and exploit not Shockwave.

A very fine vibration suddenly rippled up through the floor and walls of the cavern, making every Vehicon stop what they were doing and congregate close to the main entrance way. Energy seemed to ran through the length of the stone encrusted columns and through the massive walls that spread out from the half uncovered doors. The central emblem emblazoned on the walls began to pulse softly at first, a slow beat though steadily increasing in rate, as if the charge were building up for something.

A holographic image suddenly formed over the central floor panel before the massive doors, a tall mech with fine silver armour and with golden optics that spoke of so many things. His face was however familiar in its lines and strength, but not what brutality should have been there. Megatron's face.

"Lord... Megatron?" One Vehicon questioned softly, his head bowed low, his entire body hesitating as he gazed over the holoform, unable to work out if it was a current projection or of one from a distant past that had not occurred according to the Vehicon's knowledge.

"Lucidus Cybertronia greets you, Travellers, we offer you peace." Unseeing golden optics stared past all of the Vehicons, the image flickering slightly as whatever powered the holographic projectors clearly didn't have enough charge to hold the image fully.

"Pre-recorded message." One of the purple coloured mechs remarked to another, ready to shift away and continue his work and ignore what was clearly a pre-programmed greeting. "Might as well get back to..."

"Decepticon signatures detected." A very computerised voice intoned from the vicinity of the doors, a scanning field rippling outwards from the same symbol and ran across all of the Vehicons present. "No sparks present."

Suddenly the flooring beneath the Vehicons flashed brightly just once, a powerful wave of energy surging upwards, blinding both of the femmes as they were forced to shutter their optics against the blinding, but silent detonation. The next moment several thumps sounded, metal against metal and stone, the shock field shorting out each of the Vehicons' systems, leaving them nothing more than silent piles of circuitry that lay crumpled about the silently waiting image of a mech who looked strikingly like Megatron.

"Autobot signals detected."

The two femmes hesitated, before Firestar stepped out into the opening and took a single step forwards. The optics of the holograph actually turned towards her, the unfocused gaze slowly beginning to sharpen and life seemed to flow into the image, the stiffness fading out of it.

"We come in peace." Firestar said to the image, her weapon levelling at the unmoving lumps of what had been Vehicons, the sparkless drones of Megatron's forces. Carefully allowing her weapons to slide back into place, she lifted both hands in a sign that she was no longer armed or wanting any kind of confrontation.

Arcee covered Firestar's back, blasters still levelled at the two entrances to the cavern, the side entrance where they had come in and the much larger one to their left where mining equipment still sat waiting for the Vehicons to return to them.

"To any that find our city, I give this warning, do not disturb the seals to the city. If you have a way to flee this world, go now. We are lost." Megatronus's face showed a deep horror, the holoform's features twisting and displaying the grim determination of a warrior, shoulders still remaining straight, as if trying to hold the world together with his force of will. "There is a danger deep within this world we did not see until it was too late for us to escape his grasp. I have seen the light of our race, I have witnessed the greatest good our world had ever held. The very heart of Primus." Hands were touched lightly against his chassis, golden optics glimmering with something like silver fire at their core, a spark of something more than just Megatronus within. "I have also seen the greatest evil imaginable. I have stared into the face of Unicron and known his darkness..."

Arcee stilled, her head twisting back to glance at Megatronus with a look of deep worry spreading across her features. "Unicron? No... it is not possible."

"Yet, how do you explain the Dark Energon Megatron has used?" Firestar whispered, her optics returning to the features of the mech before her, a part of her spark reaching out towards that pain and wishing that somehow things might not have ended as they had for whoever this was.

"I plead with you, Autobots, do not disturb this, our last resting place. For any such disturbance will most assuredly reawaken that which we have held at bay for many orns." The hologram of Megatronus shimmered and a familiar mech stepped up from behind the massive silver mech, a pitch black and crimson Seeker, whose optics reflected a knowledge of so much to come.

"We do not have much time, Love." Skywarp's voice was a soft whisper of sound, one servo reaching out to lightly touch the mech's arm. "The infection has already spread into the security systems... the outer sections of the city have already fallen to the Unicron's auto-defence drones. We must unleash the Heart now..."

Anguish and spark deep fear flickered across Megatronus's features as he seemed to turn back and glance at the two Autobot femmes that stood before his life size hologram. "I beg of you. Retreat now... We are lost, but may Primus guard you all and protect you from the darkness."

The message abruptly cut off as the message that had been recorded long vorns ago ended and the hologram re-set to the one of warm greetings that had earlier appeared to the Vehicons.

The once blue glow that had rested behind the emblem of the Lost Legion in the centre of the doors was slowly beginning to mist over to an inky, staining purple. Slowly, ever so slowly, the massive doors began to rumble open, as if in quiet invitation to the two femmes. The lights beyond the massive doors flickered slightly, beckoning them closer.

ASPECT Headquarters, Devil's Tower, Washington, Earth

A piercing scream suddenly tore through the stillness of the ASPECT base, a sound that shredded the sparks of anyone who heard it, an unceasing cry from the broken Guardian that had once been one of the mechs who had protected and defended the long hidden city of Lucidus Cybertronia. The brilliant crimson mech lay sprawled within the stasis frame that had been built to support his tainted systems, blue optics were wide and staring upwards at the ceiling. The mech's mouth opened wide, the sound having died as the damaged vocals cut off the sound, yet his face was still twisted with the agony that seemed to afflict him every moment he continued to live.

Razorwire stood beside the berth, an injector full of sedatives being pressed to the access port on the inside of the mech's elbow, there was a soft hiss as the device released a mixture of fluids into Lightspeed's systems. It was barely noticeable at first, but the flailing limbs seemed to grow more sluggish against their restrains, the mech's dazed blue optics beginning to shutter after a moment before finally drifting half shut.

"I don't know how much longer we can continue to do this." Arianna said softly as she gazed up at what had been the very reason that ASPECT had been formed, her startlingly intelligent gaze sweeping over the crimson form of the mech who had been identified only recently as Lightspeed, the very first member of the Lost Legion, the child whom had first trusted in the Legion's Leader with his life and been one of the rallying points for the peaceful movement. "His pain is so great..." It deeply cut into the hearts of every single member of her team to see one of their Cybertronian allies remain so broken, nothing had worked in relieving the great suffering the Technobot experienced.

There was a flutter of purple through the vivid blue of the mech's optics, like something trying to claw its way out of Lightspeed's body, as if the mech was desperately attempting to contain whatever had infected his systems.

A sudden scream of terror tore through the entire room as Lightspeed tore himself from his restraints, body arching and shaking with such force that he almost dislocated a number of joints. As abruptly as he had started, he slumped, blue optics consumed by the sickly purple taint of something truly evil.

His mouth opened and it wasn't his own voice that escaped, but the rumbling words of something far more terrifying.

"I have awakened."

And it was the very world that screamed in response to the presence stirring deep down within.

Unicron is definitely up to no good! This story is going to be split a little between the 'past' selves of Skywarp and Megatronus and the future versions. you will be able to tell by the location as the former occurs on Cybertron and the present occurs on Earth. I'm really rather tempted to have fun with what I saw at the very end of the first season of Transformers Prime. It seems like fun to see a little of the original relationship between Megatron (the gladiator) and Orion Pax, which I would find interesting. What do you think?