TF: Paranoia?
Rating: PG-13
Series: G1
Pairings: Megatron/Red Alert
Summary: Megatron will always manage to win, because he has a secret weapon. Yet Red Alert still keeps fighting.
Warnings: Past non-con
Disclaimer: As per usual, the good things in life are not mine to have, but belong to someone else... in this case Hasbro, Takara and IDW and anyone else I’ve forgotten…
Authors Notes: For the tf_rare_pairing June Challenge prompt - There is no truth to what I speak
Feedback makes friends. Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno.
“There’s no sign of Decepticon activity in the area.” Red Alert reported. But there is, it’s a trap, don’t you see!
“Red?” Inferno watched his friend twitch, the obvious internal struggle clear to him only because he knew Red Alert so well.
“It’s a trap.” The security director hissed, fists clenched in frustration.
“Red, ya always say it’s a trap. Surely yer sensors would have detected anything?”
“They would.” Red Alert conceded, hands relaxing as he rested them back on the console.
“So, nothing ta worry about then.” Inferno smiled gently. Ever since Red Alert had come back from the base in Kaon, he’d been far more paranoid than normal. He’d gone over his security systems again with a fine toothcomb, questioning everything he’d done.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“And how do you know your precious Autobot won’t betray you?” Starscream goaded Megatron as he laid out the plans for the latest energon acquisition.
“Because he won’t.” Megatron snapped. “There’s no way he can resist. No chance of it.”
“And how are you so sure?” Starscream couldn’t resist prying. Ever since Megatron had been out to the Kaon Wastes, he’d been confident of their victories.
“Because my dear Starscream, I have the security director’s spark in my hands.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He wasn’t even meant to be out here. The Autobot base at Kaon had a perfectly adequate security system, but Red Alert was now questioning his decision to upgrade it. But he had, and he was now out in the Wastes, the remains of his equipment scattered as he’d sought cover from the acid storm that had blown in.
Only, he wasn’t the only mech in the Wastes to be seeking cover.
He hated to admit that he’d actually squeaked when Megatron stepped into the shallow cave he’d managed to find. The crystals within shone an eerie glow on the Decepticon warlord’s plating, and his face plates as he sneered.
“Autobot.”
“Decepticon.” He retorted, finger firm on the trigger of his gun.
“Put your weapon away.” Megatron waved one hand. “If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done that already.” He stepped closer to Red Alert, forcing him to reflexively step back.
“What? You’re proposing we wait out the storm like two civilised mechs?” Red Alert couldn’t help but scoff.
“Why not?” Megatron shrugged, placing his hand on Red Alert’s gun and pushing it down. “We have no need of weapons.” Red Alert lowered his gun, even as his systems screamed at him that it was a bad idea.
“You’re Prime’s security director.” Megatron’s voice almost demanded an answer, and Red Alert nodded.
“Just what were you doing out here?”
“I could ask the same of you!” Red Alert snapped.
“Ah ah, civilised mechs remember? I’m just making conversation.”
“I was upgrading a security system.”
“And your range extends out here?” Megatron looked surprised. “No wonder we can’t get close to your bases without detection.” Red Alert smiled proudly.
“My security systems are the best on Cybertron.
After that, the conversation flowed more easily, both of them trading information about themselves - nothing about the war or their factions plans - just tidbits of information about themselves; their hobbies, their interests, their annoyances.
How it had gone from conversation to him lying flat on his back with Megatron looming over him, Red Alert wasn’t quite sure. He protested, but he was nowhere near strong enough to fight off Megatron. And his rifle wasn’t close at hand; propped up in a corner with Megatron’s fusion cannon as a sign of their mutual trust.
A trust that was broken as Megatron’s hands strayed across Red Alert’s chest plating, forcing them open to reveal the spark nestling within.
Red Alert remembered crying out, gripping Megatron’s arms, and then nothing as white heat spread across his systems.
He onlined to see Megatron reaffixing his cannon.
“What…?” He pulled himself up to a seated position.
“You offlined.” Megatron sounded… and felt… smug. That sent a frisson of fear through Red Alert’s systems. He shouldn’t be able to feel things like that, surely it was just his processor assigning an emotion based on Megatron’s words?
“Oh no, my dear Autobot.” Megatron knelt down in front of Red Alert. “You’re not imagining it. You can feel me, just as I can feel you.” The grin on his face was doing nothing to assuage Red Alert’s fears.
“You didn’t…” Realisation dawned and Red Alert recoiled, scrambling backwards to try and put as much space as possible between himself and Megatron, despite the small confines of the cave.
“Oh, we did.” Megatron sought to place the blame equally.
“You can’t… I can’t…”
“Things will go on normally, my dear Red Alert.” Megatron reached and cupped Red Alert’s cheek almost tenderly. “You will return to your Autobots, and I to my Decepticons. When I have need of you, you shall know.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He had returned to the base in Kaon, not saying a word of what had happened. If he was a little more jumpy than normal, mechs just put it down to his paranoid disposition. If his paranoia had increased… well… few mechs knew him well enough to realise.
Megatron rarely called on him - something that he was eternally grateful for. Yet he could still feel the warlord, his very presence pervading every system. And when Megatron wanted something, he found himself hard-pressed to resist. It felt like he was two different mechs; one eager to do his mate’s bidding, and the other trying to stop it from happening. Yet going against his spark hurt; sending charge flooding through his systems and making him tense up.
But sometimes he managed it, and the teams that came back from the missions (those that had previously called him paranoid and unadventurous) apologised because he had been right.
Yet still, he always ended up betraying them. Lying without meaning to. If only to ease the pain in his spark.