Not quite what they expected

[balrog-roike.livejournal.com]

 

1. The latest weapon of the week sends Megatron and Optimus Prime (and perhaps some other Cybertronians) to the future.
While naturally each side hopes for victory, they soon have to discover that the reality is far off from their dreams. While Megs, Ops and the possible others were away, the Quintessons have attacked and the last remaining (either free or living) Cybertronians are desperatly trying to survive and to reconquer Cybertron/Earth.
While each leader struggles to adapt and to find a way back to their own time, they have some unsettling encounters and can't help but notice some things, either about themselves or about other bots.

a) Optimus Prime has to face the starling truth that not his most trusted officers kept his team together after his disappearance, but the mechs he only knew as miscreants, notorious rule-breakers and who he, admittedly, felt the least respect for, either because their bad attitude or because their personality just wasn't meant for war: Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Cliffjumper, Mirage, Huffer, Gears, Bluestreak, Slingshot, Blades, Fireflight, Beachcomber, Perceptor, etc.
b 1) While Megatron was away, Starscream became the new Decepticon Commander. He did a surprisingly good job and managed to keep the most Cons together and alive - but he suffered for it. The new Starscream has finally grown up, but he has become bitter, cold and ruthless, almost as logical and emotionless as Shockwave with his only goal keeping his mechs alive and trying not to crack because of the pressure before every single Quintesson is dead.
b 2) While Megatron was away, Starscream became the new Decepticon Commander - and he clearly was a good pupil to the Slagmaker. He's as ruthless and sparkless as Megatron, ready to kill any Cybertronian left to further his goals, manipulating, belittling, lying, beating and torturing his troops and the remaining bots left and right.
b conclusion) Megatron is shocked by how his former SIC turned out and is startled that he begins to miss the Starscream of his own time.

2) The latest weapon of the week explodes and sends Megatron in another dimension, the Shattered Glass dimension.
Suddenly the Slagmaker has to face Autobots who are effortlessly more cruel than he could ever dream to be and finds himself as the prisoner of Optimus Prime, a mech who only needs a few hours/days to become his worst nightmare.
He's finally rescued by the good Decepticons and because he and the Shattered Glass Megatron don't look exactly similar (at least in this AU they wouldn't), they treat him like they would treat every former prisoner of the Bots, being nice, trying to help him etc.
Out of options, Megatron grudgingly adopts a new name and stays with the Cons until he finds a way back in his dimension, having a lot of odd encounters on the way, like a hyper Soundwave, a overemotional Shockwave (that's more wrong than any other SG-Cybertronian), a calm and capable Starscream and a nice and altruistic Megatron. And perhaps he will even learn how it is on the other side of the fence and end the war, once he gets back to his own dimension.

3) Starscream has a secret.
A secret that enabled him over and over again to go against Megatron without real fear of repercussion or dead.
The secret is that Starscream can't die.
He is already dead. For a long, long time.
And once every hundreds vorns Primus sends one of his original 12 to catch the wayward Spark and bring him to the Matrix/Allspark.
Until now, Starscream has "survived" every attempt. Perhaps this time it will be different.
Chaos ensues. (Humor version)
b) (drama version) Starscream is a ghost, the ghost of a Seeker Youngling that died millenia ago because of abuse and neglect. Since then he has found out how to become sort of corporal and how to look like and adult when he appears. Unable to overcome his fears of others and scared somebody will hurt him again, he is content to become part of a group over and over again without ever making real friends and becoming really close to them. That's what happened with the Cons.
He even has a reason why he irritates Megatron over and over again. He can't feel anything anymore beside really strong pain and so he uses Megatron to keep himself from going completely mad from some sort of sensory deprivation.
Primus and the original 12 know his story and that Starscream is afraid of returning to the Matrix because he fears to be lonely there again, so they try to be gentle and coax him back home. How will the Bots and Cons react if they find out?

4) After one terrible battle and lots of human casualities, the Autobots decide that they need a way to get more intel on the Decepticons.
After some Bot jokes about using Starscream as a way in, mentioning how the Seeker likes to boast and how you only have to stroke his ego enough to get information about "his" plans and Megatron's "shortcomings", a volunteer is decided upon who has to befriend the jetformer.
At first Starscream is highly suspicious, but over time he warms up to his admirer and apparently jumps at the chance to have somebody to talk to and to be liked. While at the beginning the "friend" jokes about all the information Starscream willingly gives him and how the Seeker does practically everything to please him, after some time the Autobot begins to feel uncomfortable and finally downright sick and guilty at what he does and how he's using a mech who's desperate to have a friend, somebody who's nice to him and accepts him, and really would do everything for him.
Now, how to explain this change in situation to Optimus and his officers - and how to break to Starscream that everything was just a ploy?