Consequence

Chapter 13: Rebels on the run

"No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots." – Barbara Ehrenreich

I said one more chapter and I lied this will take at least 1 to 2 more chapters to be completed. This is what you've been waiting on and I'm so sorry it's taken so long, however I have been EXTREEMLY busy, and with PEAK at my work coming in fast it's hard to find my muse.

Prowl shifted at Starscream's side, the seeker's hand twisted around and grasped at the cruiser's hand and interlaced their digits. A feeling of ease washed over Prowl and he turned his helm to Starscream and smiled. They were letting the warlord's speech flow over them. As soon as Megatron stopped speaking the crowd applauded and the groups began to disperse into little groups that chatted away.

Starscream smiled down to him and looked in his optics. I'll check on Prime, keep an optic on Ironhide.

Prowl nodded and touched the seeker's face before he departed. "You never struck me as one who liked seekers." Ironhide said coming up from behind. It startled the cruiser but he turned none the less.

"Not until Starscream." Prowl nodded. "How are things with you Ironhide?" He asked almost detached.

"Well." The black mech folded his arms over his chest. "You've done well for yourself."

"You didn't answer my question Ironhide." Prowl blinked at Ironhide turning his helm. "You would also do well to watch your tone."

"Yes Sir." Ironhide muttered and walked away from Prowl and up to just behind Megatron. Prowl scrutinized him sternly; Ironhide was a problem.

Optimus rolled up looking into red optics and shifted back. "It's me." Starscream said calmly. "Easy." He murmured.

Optimus didn't speak only rolled away. "I need you to power on Optimus." Starscream touched his helm turning the mech to face him. "We need you up and walking tonight." He stated. "Things are going to happen." He explained. "We need you to be able to run at a moment's notice."

Optimus looked at the seeker as a wave of disbelief washed over him. "Traitor?" He murmured.

Starscream frowned. "No." The seeker said checking his vitals. "Just following what my spark knows is right."

"Prowl?"

"He's with you too." He looked up and nodded. "Are you ready to move?"

Optimus frowned but stood weakly holding onto the seeker. "You're escort is here." He said and reached up with his hand touched the Prime's neck. "They took your collar off."

"Ordered to stay here." Prime wasn't budging over the threshold.

"You are also ordered to follow the directions of the generals in the event of danger yes?"

Optimus nodded looking down. "If you stay." Starscream said "You will be in danger. You will go with Inferno and Red Alert." As if on que the door opened.

"Heatwave." Optimus murmured.

"Yeah come on boss we're getting you out of here." Heatwave took his arm. "Gotta stand up tall Optimus we have to be believable."

Starscream looked up. "Go." He motioned the two along. "Skywarp will meet you at the designated location." He insisted. "You have less than seven clicks."

Starscream bolted down the opposite corridor. "What's happening?" Optimus asked.

"They're going to kill Megatron." Red Alert said as they turned the next corner.

Megatron laughed and nodded at Shockwave. "Ah that is an excellent plan, I cannot wait to read the report. Who is this at your side? I do not believe he's a mech I have ever seen before." He asked pointing to the distracted mech at Shockwave's left.

"Ah this is my new chief of security Roadbuster." Shockwave said motioning the younger mech forward.

Hearing his name the mech turned slowly and gave a bow. "Lord Megatron it is truly an honor to meet you. Please forgive my distraction I am concerned about the number of mechs in the room."

"Indeed, I've heard much of you…you saved Shockwave at the spaceport?" Megatron said fully drawing Roadbuster out of his work.

"Yes Sir, it was the right thing to do, every life is precious." Roadbuster answered honestly. "Just doing my cybertronian duty." He insisted.

"No slave coding?" Megatron asked Shockwave.

"No sir, with Roadbuster it is unnecessary." Shockwave waved a hand. "It's very safe here Roadbuster why don't you grab us some energon? I have matters I wish to discuss with Lord Megatron in confidence."

"Yes of Corse my Lord." He bowed. "If you will both excuse me. I will return momentarily." He turned away headed for the bar.

Two mechs stood by the bar laughing. "Well if you insist darlin'."

Roadbuster smirked as he approached. "Double Dealer." He addressed quietly. "Hows the family?"

"Sold em for top dollah'. " The chopper laughed. His companion jabbed him.

"You must be Fallout." Roadbuster shook his hand then proceeded to make two cubes. "Whens this happening?" he asked quietly. "I need to know where I need to be in the fray."

"Soon." Springer stated dropping the Double Dealer accent. "If Shockwave manages to escape you need to stay with him. We need to ensure he's either killed or that if he escapes that he's followed."

Fallout came around. "Can you do that?" He asked pouring his own cube. "Or do we need to have a different contingency plan?"

"You want me in deep with this huh?" Roadbuster had to sigh. "Fine." He nodded. "We'll get this done. If he gets out I'll follow." His voice rose. "Have a good evening you two, pleasure to meet you." He nodded.

The two mechs nodded and waved as he moved away. "We're going to need more help I'm sure." Springer said.

"It's inbound." Magnus assured. "We've also got plenty of mechs on the inside." He smiled at Gatejumper as she walked by on Triage's arm.

Heatwave nodded to a guard as he and Chase escorted the Prime through the hallways. "Where are you headed?" A guard asked.

"Lord Megatron ordered him to the polisher who's just in the next room for a shine, before he's brought out to the public." Chase stated matter-of-factly.

The guard looked over the Prime with a serious eye. "He's very clean already."

"You want to go tell that to lord Megatron?" Heatwave asked. "Cause I'll comm him right now telling him one of his guards is questioning his orders."

The guard thought the better of it stiffening. "No Sir proceed."

Optimus almost faltered but held his helm up as he entered the next room with his two escorts.

Skywarp frowned as they entered closing the door. "Primus alive."

Optimus fell forward weakly and Heatwave grabbed his arm. Skywarp ran up grabbing him around the torso. "He's so weak."

"We need to get him off site." Heatwave said. "Back to Starscream and Prowl's palace. Get him into Prowl and Screamer's quarters and get him some energon. I'll gather forerunner and the hatchlings."

Skywarp nodded. "Come I'll get you where you can rest."

Optimus leaned down over the seeker's arm. "Thank you." He murmured.

"My pleasure…I know we were on separate sides of the war sir, but I didn't fight to instill slavery in others." Skywarp said and looked at the other two mechs. "Grab hold I'm porting us all out of here." He said softly. "I'll port you both back in a few minutes."

Heatwave came forward with Chase and the pair wrapped their arms around the Prime who leaned over the seeker and in a flash they were gone.

Megatron laughed again speaking to newly appointed senators. When the alarms went off signaling Prime was no longer on the premises. "That's our cue." Springer activated his weapons and began to fire on Decepticons in the area. A wide spray of laser fire in the midst of the crowd.

Ultra Magnus ran on Megatron firing repeatedly. The warlord he pressed past a few guards taking them down easy. The hall was beginning to become chaotic as mechs and femmes ran everywhere. "Defend me!" He told Ironhide who was immediately able to arm his cannons and begin to return fire.

Gatejumper was pushed behind triage at the far of the room. "Darling stay back we don't want ta get involved." He was panicking. "Oh the energon." He murmured softly.

"Yes we do want to get involved." Her voice resonated as she held a weapon to the medic's helm. "On your knees Darling."

Triage nodded and knelt putting his hands on his helm. After GateJumper had put stasis cuffs on him she came around his front. "And the name is Arcee." She stated firmly. "Stay here." She insisted and pushed off of his back.

Triage shifted back behind a table and hid, with no ability to fight or to defend himself he kept himself shielded.

The room was filled with weapons fire. Magnus and Megatron were in heated combat as the two mechs both fired on each other; causing outward damage. Ironhide came around Megatron and Magnus grabbed him tossing him over his back down the stairs to the throne. Ironhide rolled down the stairs compensating he turned firing one single shot in the direction of the larger mech.

Starscream came forward, with the warlord distracted. The seeker Growled as he pressed his weapon against Megatron. "Not today." He muttered as he fired against his former leader. Starscream bellowed into the action, after firing one shot, Megatron limply fell to the ground.

Starscream looked beyond the hulking mech to see the larger Ultra Magnus fall to his knees clutching his torso plate.

"MAGNUS!" Springer cried out and killed two drones as he made his way to the throne.

Ironhide gasped as his slave coding ebbed out of his mind. Prowl struggled with Ironhide, who now was free of his slave bond and firing wildly at the cruiser. "Traitor!" Ironhide growled. "I'll kill every last one of you!"

"Who is the traitor now?" Prowl asked. "You called yourself an Autobot!" He fired two rounds that missed the pick-up. "Defender of those who were in positions like yourself."

"Your mate killed the only thing I have ever cared for!" Ironhide sneered. "I'll take from him what he stole from me!" Prowl dodged again and jumped forward catching the larger mech off balance pushing him back into the energon table. Spilling drinks and confections in their row. "I'll kill you!"

Starscream appeared suddenly and pulled Ironhide off his consort and tossed him effortlessly. "You will do no such thing." He growled and hissed firing two rockets in the direction of the mech, who turned and fled knowing he could not fend off the cruiser and the seeker.

Soundwave and Jazz were fighting off Decpticon drones at the doorway. Trying to keep the numbers in the room manageable for the other mechs. They used the doorway to funnel the incoming mechs, to lower their numbers, slow them down, in an effort to keep some sort of containment. "Go!" Jazz said. "I got this." He turned kicking down a mech to the ground pulling out his side arm.

Soundwave shook his helm. "No." He insisted. "I shall not leave you."

Laserbeak disengaged from Soundwave. Soundwave pressed her down on his chest. "No." He ordered. "Stay here." He pressed her back again. "DOWN." He insisted.

Laserbeak leaned up and bit his servo wide open with a shriek and pressed back against her sire and pushed off of him taking flight. "Laserbeak!" Jazz's hand was on fire but he kept firing.

Across the room, Roadbuster pushed Shockwave back. "Sir…we must go." He said looking up to the throne. "Megatron is offline we must away sir. We cannot combat this many rebels." He insisted. "Starscream and Prowl are leading the rebellion we need to get out of here immediately."

Shockwave nodded and saw a mech coming toward them. "Please." Ironhide stopped with them. "Take me with you…I …please."

"You're not my concern mech." Roadbuster kicked him away.

"I can help you… please." Roadbuster looked at Shockwave who nodded.

"Hurry go now." Shockwave ordered them out, senators flooding out the doors with them in an effort to hide themselves in the chaos.

Ironhide and Roadbuster backed up keeping cover as they escorted the Cyclops out of the fray. "What of Optimus? We have to go back for him." Ironhide tried to ask. "We must find him!"

"He is lost to us!" Roadbuster said. "MOVE! Lord Shockwave is the priority now." He stated. "With Megatron dead, and Starscream a traitor; Shockwave is rightful Ruler of Cybertron. GO!" He insisted and pushed the black mech out the doors. Laserbeak landed on Shockwave's shoulder and the group vanished into the crowd.

Autobot rebels had taken control of the room finally. The world began to grow quiet and weapons fire was only heard outside the hall.

Springer struggled to hold the energon lines on Magnus' torso. "No do not die." He frowned. "We have so much more to do." He uttered. "Please I'm not ready to go…" He was loosing his composure.

Magnus nodded and reached up thumbing his hands over the smaller mech's face. "Springer." He smiled.

Triage frowned and looked up. "Let me go to him." He said pleading with Arcee. "I'm a medic please." He said coming up to her from behind his hiding place.

Arcee looked at Prowl and then back down as she unlatched the stasis cuffs. "Go …no funny business." She ordered. "I'm watching you."

"None." Triage stood and ran forward. "I'm a medic please let me see." He knelt down. "Bonded?"

"Yes." Springer clutched one hand onto Magnus' hand and his other his own torso in the location the commander had been shot. "Please…we're fading."

"Triage worked as fast as he could with what little resources he had trying to seal off lines.

After almost five minutes, fingers covered in energon he finally sat back. "The damage is too severe…. I'm sorry." He muttered and stood. "Please everyone back!" He ordered and looked at Arcee silently as he reached out to grasp the throne's curtains pulling them closed around the two mechs.

Triage looked down sadly and then up to Arcee. "Any time now…" He nodded. "There's not much ah can do at this point." He shook his helm. "They go together now into the well."

Arcee frowned and motioned him down the stairs passing over Megatron's dead body.

Springer crawled over to Magnus lying against him on the ground. "I'll see you in the well." He murmured smiling at Magnus as best he could.

Magnus clutched him. "We did what we set out to do." He muttered. "That is all we could ask for." His hands pressed over Springer's helm as he drew it closer kissing his face. "I love you." His vocal processor began to falter.

"I Love you too." Springer said softly. "Into the allspark I commend our sparks."

Magnus had already succumbed optics going dark and Springer allowed his spark to darken and gutter out with that of his bonded mate. Their bodies lay, empty husks of the mechs they were, but reminders of what they had come to do.

Starscream stepped up onto the stairs and walked up near Megatron's body. "MEGATRON IS DEAD!" He said loudly. "WE RECLAIM CYBERTRON FOR THE TRUE PRIME!" he stated. "He will lead us! We will end this slavery! We will end this war!" His voice lowered. "All HAIL OPTIMUS PRIME!" He called out.

The resonating response was vast. "ALL HAIL OPTIMUS PRIME!"

Jazz looked around the room. "Casulaties?" Starscream asked.

"Springer, Ultra Magnus." Jazz replied. "Laserbeak fled." He admitted. "We've got troops outside that are in need of medical assistance. There are a lot of bodies that have gone grey."

"Triage?" Starscream asked. "Will you see to the injured? We'll get a group gathered to collect the dead."

"Yes sir." The mech nodded. He looked to Arcee who motioned him forward.

"Watch him." Prowl told Arcee quietly as she passed him.

"Yes sir." She responded. "Good to have you back." Arcee turned with Triage still keeping him under weapons and motioned him forward.

"I never truly left." Prowl responded and looked around his Optics falling on Starscream. "Ironhide is gone with Shockwave as well it seems." He sighed. "I was hoping he wasn't completely broken." He shook his helm. "Though he and I had completely different circumstances."

"Ironhide was in love with Megatron, at that there is no turning him back. We'll have to deal with Shockwave in due time." He stated. "He will be an issue." Starscream stated coldly. "This is our base of operations now, let's focus on the clean up for now and getting security covered in this building."

"What of Megatron's body?" Prowl asked honestly as Jazz stepped up beside him.

"Yeah what are ya gonna do with the big lug?" Jazz kicked the mech's prone body.

"I'm going to have Skywarp warp him somewhere where only he would know." He said calmly. "No one is getting that body." Starscream stated. "For any reason under Primus." He turned and frowned down at the body. "Jazz could you go find Soundwave and see if you can get him to help you with how many casualties we have? I also need to know how many guards have surrendered, we need to figure out holding cells."

"Sir." Jazz nodded and turned away to find his own consort.

"You've been waiting years to kill him." Prowl stated. "Megatron I mean."

"Yes…" Starscream mused. "That is true." He sighed.

"Than why are you so shocked by this?" Prowl's hand lay against the seeker's arm.

"Because," He turned cupping the cruiser's face in his hands. "I did not believe I ever actually would kill him." He smiled down. "I'm free of it now, his burden."

Prowl smiled up at him. "I love you."

Starscream nodded and pulled the cruiser into his arms. "And I you." He admitted softly. "Please lets get things cleared up here and we'll have time to be together soon." Starscream broke his hold and pushed back. "Skywarp will warp you back home to Optimus' location."

Prowl nodded. "We'll await your return."

Starscream nodded. "I have much to do until I return." He insisted and opened his comm to Skywarp.

To be continued