Top Of The List

by dudenotactive

Trouble In Iacon

The tension was high in the capital of Iacon, right in front of the Hall of Justice where hundreds of disgruntled Decepticons gathered. Picket boards and holographic signs sprouted from this ocean of bots, all had something to say, most simply wanted justice for their kind.

A few familiar faces could be seen at the head of this massive protest. Bumblebee could only spectate from the safety of his office, weary and tired, he was helpless in the face of all these Decepticons.

Hatred, it was the only thing he could feel from these protesters, all because the fate of Alcatraz and its prisoners was leaked to the public. A rumor was spread through Cybertron like wildfire, word went around that the culling of Decepticons started and it did not help with the tension between the two factions. Many began to act against the council, they demanded many things from those who were in charge.

It was painful for Bumblebee to witness this event, there was something brewing in the distance and he was unable to do anything. All trust could only be left to Ultra Magnus, Bumblebee prayed to Primus that a solution could be made.

He wondered if he came out there and informed these Decepticons about the DJD, would it cease their defiance against the council?

Perhaps not, these bots already had set their mind against them, those who stood for justice, those who upheld the law. They saw Bumblebee and the guards as nothing more than oppressors, which only filled Bumblebee's spark with dread.

The door opened, Bumblebee snapped around and armed himself, "Greetings, hero of Cybertron." -but found himself frozen midway, his eyes widened with fear upon landing on the one who started it all, Tarn.

"Y-you!" He managed to let out.

"I will allow you to regain function, it would be rude to speak with an Autobot like you in this way. But do not, test me."

Bumblebee got back all control over his body, he nearly collapsed onto the floor but managed to catch himself on his desk. "How..." He huffed. "How did you get in here?"

Tarn chuckled. "A desperate Decepticon prioritized survival over honor, you should have thought twice about hiring him as a guard."

"What did you do to Barricade?"

If Tarn was perceptive, he could tell that Bumblebee was furious, not at the Decepticon that betrayed him, but at the leader of the DJD. "I sent him to Vos for further orders, he is quite the asset with all his knowledge of the council."

Bee relaxed a little, but he did not allow himself to be unaware of the danger that posed a threat to his spark.

This was the first he ever met Tarn, or seen to be in fact, he only had the description but Tarn was far more intimidating face to face. The Decepticon only stood there, his red optics glared at Bumblebee with a mysterious glint in his eyes. One wrong move and he was scrap metal, there was no way that help would arrive in time before Tarn forces Bee's spark to explode.

"Why are you here Tarn, are you after those who are in jail too?"

"Them?" He clicked his tongue. "No, I have plans. They need to be alive for something bigger than you and I."

"Public execution?" Bumblebee scoffed.

Tarn smiled under the mask. "Yes. A sacrifice that shall inspire millions."

He gritted his teeth, rage started to cloud his eyes. "You monster... These Decepticons are only here because of minor offenses! They are part of the new generation, and all you want to do with them is use them for such vile things!?"

"Captain Bumblebee, is something the matter?" A voice called out from outside.

"Best not to tell them," Tarn advised. "Or else, they will suffer."

There was a moment of silence, both glared at each other as seconds ran. "I'm watching a movie, trying to relax! Sorry if it's too loud."

"Of course Captain!" The voice said with a strange tone. "I understand how stressful these past few days are, and if y-you need anything, just call!"

With that, the two were alone once more. Bee did not want to sit down at his desk, there was no way he could just do that with Tarn around.

"Why are you here Tarn?"

"Waiting, watching, wondering..." He answered. "But mainly, I wanted to speak with you."

"Well here I am, let's hear what you have to say."

"I met Knockout, such a great guy... No, I did not hurt him." Tarn saw the look in Bee's eyes, such an odd Autobot to show concern for Decepticons. "I asked him about the death of Lord Megatron, he only told me that he could not remember the day, but all records showed that he was there. Further investigation, my research team has discovered a portion of his memory banks devoid of any... memories."

"Why do you want to see him dead so badly?"

"Closure," He simply answered. "and I was just curious actually." Tarn walked over to the wall. "There was something that Starscream said that really stuck."

"That is?"

A single red optic glared at Bumblebee with a wrathful gaze. "Megatron is a traitor."

"He's dead, no clue why he'd tell you that. Probably to confuse you."

"Perhaps..." He paused for a second, he pressed a hand against the wall and felt its cold surface. "Have you heard about the missing Nemesis?"

"Three Decepticons and a vehicon broke into the museum, fixed the ship, and launched it out of Iacon. Was that your work?" Bumblebee was not telling the whole truth...

Tarn growled. "No, it was treasonous traitors. They stole it so I would not find out the secrets left before the end of the war." Tarn could tell that Bee knew something, but there was no point to pursue it without a shred of evidence.

"Tough luck,"

"This has been a marvelous chat, Bumblebee." Tarn faced the Autobot with an unreadable look. But there was something about his silent stare that made Bee tremble.

"Disperse the premises or we will use force!"

Bumblebee snapped towards the window as the PA system warned the protesters below. He saw that it aggravated the crowd and was enraged by the gall of the Autobots. Only one problem: The voice was not someone Bee knew.

"What are you doing?" He hissed at Tarn.

"Sacrifices must be made."

"Final warning! Return to your homes or we will have to use lethal force!"

"Tarn, what are you doing!?"

"Today will be one for the history books." Tarn chuckled. "Many will remember today as the day that the Autobots took a step too far."

"Tarn!" Bee howled as the sound of jets filled the air.

Before anyone even knew it, a series of explosions rocked the earth, screams shattered through space. Bumblebee rushed towards the window with fear and shock. His hands shook as he witnessed the aftermath of a quick bombing run on the protesters, it was horrible. Many were injured, some... some didn't make it. Limbs and metal shards littered the ash-covered street.

Slowly with a quivering jaw, Bumblebee swiveled his head up towards the culprits, his eyes widened with disbelief.

There in the sky, a trine of seekers lapped around the Hall of Justice, and what was worse was that these seekers wore the Autobot badge. They were not anyone he knew, but it was obvious who commanded them.

"And Bumblebee, this office is unclean, please be mindful next time you have a visitor."

"Tarn!" Bumblebee snapped around and blasted at nothing, Tarn vanished. "TARN!"

The news spread like wildfire, a total of twenty dead, unknown number of injured.

This caused an uproar in the Decepticon community, many started to join arms with their fellow Decepticons against the council. They demanded justice for Alcatraz, justice for the innocent protestors that suffered. The seekers were to be held responsible for such a tragic event, but no guard could catch any one of them, this only fueled the hatred in the Decepticons who believed that the council was hiding the seekers.

There was no point in telling the truth, they would not listen.

The situation got worse than it was, Bumblebee knew that it wasn't the end, and the bad news is, every Decepticon in their holding cells went missing without a trace. He was worried for them and who knows what Tarn would do.

He could only hope that a silver lining of hope would come to their hour of need.

"Excellent work, Kaon, no secret will be kept from us... execute phase 2..."

Comments

[redmar]

This is rather bad but if Tarn learned the truth about Megatron he would certainly not react well. I also wonder what Tarn thinks of Predaking since Predaking did trun on Megatron after Megatron culled the other predacons.

[Roboman3000]

Tarn you son of a @$%#&