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When Megatron first stepped pede in Iacon, he thought he was dreaming. He gaped in awe as he wandered around the city with Orion, dazed by the glitz around him. Tall, ornate buildings rose into the clear azure sky, sunlight glinting off their golden surfaces. There were shops, pubs, oil bathhouses, buffing stations, museums, art galleries, theaters…places Megatron had never seen in his life. Well-kept bots milled around on the walkways, carrying data pads, communication devices, and other shiny technology. Others rolled down the clean streets in their alt-modes. Everything was so different from the infernal metropolis he called home.
He couldn’t believe he was here, standing in the legendary, beating spark of Cybertronian culture. Home of groundbreaking scientific achievement and remarkable feats of engineering that once sent their civilization across the stars. The entire city was a work of art, but sadly, it was only a beautiful relic of a time long gone. There were no dreams anymore. Only the caste system.
Megatronus’ elation ebbed when his thoughts returned to the harrowing story that had recently been passed along to him. A story about a darkness seeping through certain areas of Iacon. A horrific product of the system that not many were privy to. He was still haunted by what he read, the images he saw.
“And then we can go to the park after this. You’ll want to see the statues of….” Orion had been excitedly talking about something, but now he stopped. “Megatronus?”
Megatronus looked down at the archivist, blinking in confusion. He’d travelled so deep into his worries that he’d missed most of what Orion was saying. They’d been sightseeing for the past two hours since Megatronus arrived and were now on their way to a fancy establishment called the Iaconian Star (Orion had been dying to take Megatron there).
“I….umm…” Megatronus said, embarrassed. “I apologize, I was distracted. What were you saying?”
“That’s alright,” Orion said, giving him a warm smile. “It’s a lot to take in.”
“Yes, this place is incredible, my friend” Megatronus said, spark clenching. He imagined what it would’ve been like to be born into a higher caste. To live here and have a comfortable job like Orion’s, far away from the misery of Kaon.
As they passed a storefront, Megatronus noticed a small group of bots standing near a lamppost, observing them with narrowed optics. Megatronus was at least twice the size of them (and everyone else he’d seen around the city), but the way they stared with such contempt gave Megatronus pause, his tanks churning and his spark beating faster.
He’d seen curious, fearful, and excited stares everywhere they went today, but no hostility. It had lulled him into a false sense of security. Now, the open looks of disgust and outright anger from these bots cut like a knife. And they weren’t only directed at him, which filled him with so much dread that he wanted to grab Orion's arm and run somewhere safe.
Maybe this entire trip had been a mistake. He shouldn’t have come at all, just like he’d feared.
Megatronus moved away from Orion, leaving sizeable distance between them as they continued down the street. A wave of guilt crashed into him when he saw the flash of hurt on Orion’s face.
“Are—are we almost there? I can’t wait to see this place you speak so highly of,” Megatronus tried to sound relaxed and conversational, but it came out stilted.
Orion nodded, pointing at a large, ornate building up ahead. “Just there,” he said. “Normally bots in my caste aren’t allowed in these types of places, but the owner recently opened it to everyone. Things are changing. Although some are still reluctant.”
***
Megatronus’ optics widened when he walked into the dining hall. It was by far the most grand, opulent place he’d seen in his life. There were high ceilings covered in murals of Cybertronian history, polished floors, gold trimming, and tables made of glass and crystal that sparkled in the sunlight streaming through enormous windows.
“Welcome to the Iaconian Star,” the host said.
“Hello, I hope you’re having a pleasant day,” Orion said, “My friend here is visiting from Kaon.”
Orion handed a data chip to the host at the front desk. The bot scanned it, optics flicking up to Megatronus a few times, visibly nervous. He gave the chip back to Orion, grabbed a couple of data pads, and motioned for them to follow him.
They were led up a winding staircase and through the upper level of the restaurant to a small table by a window. Megatronus quickly scanned the wonderful view of the city and filed it away in his memory bank.
“Your server will be with you shortly,” the bot said, giving a small bow and departing.
Ever the endless source of information, Orion continued to enthusiastically tell Megatronus about Iaconian history, including when this building was built and how Sentinel Prime used to hold events in the banquet hall.
Megatronus looked around at all the high-caste bots enjoying their meals, immediately feeling conspicuous. A bot seated at the bar glared in his direction and leaned over to his partner, whispering something into their audial. Megatronus scowled back at them before grabbing a datapad and scrolling through the menu, desperate for a distraction from the hurt and anger rising within him. Oil cake, greased turbofox, grated gears, mercury soup, a whole section for different varieties of energon drinks.
“Amazing,” Megatronus said, “I was barely surviving in the mines on a half tank of fuel most days. Meanwhile, Iaconians are enjoying…what’s this…high grade energon enhanced with minerals from the Manganese Mountains?”
Orion looked up at him, optics bright with concern. “I’m…I’m sorry. This whole place is so extravagant…I know how you feel about these things. Perhaps we should’ve gone to Maccadams Old Oil House.”
“No, no,” Megatronus said quickly, cursing himself for not keeping his intake shut. “This was very thoughtful of you.”
In truth, he just wanted to go back to Orion’s apartment where they could enjoy eachother’s company in peace and talk about politics. He couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort all throughout their meal. It pained him to see Orion so happy, so oblivious to the secrets Megatronus kept. Should he tell him? Tell him what had happened in this very city not so long ago?
No, he couldn’t. Not when Orion practically glowed with excitement just because Megatronus was there spending time with his dear friend. Not when he spoke about the movement and future of Cybertron with so much optimism and energy.
Another time. He didn’t want to ruin this experience.
When they finished their food and lavish drinks, Megatronus followed Orion down the stairway. He was halfway to the bottom when he felt a servo on his arm. Startled, he turned around and faced the bot from the bar.
“Don’t touch me,” Megatronus growled, resisting the urge to take a swing.
The bot leaned in close. “If I were you, I’d stay away from that data monitor,” he whispered. “Even if he’s below my caste, I still have standards for what goes on around here. For your sake, and his, go back to your scrapyard and stop trying to cause trouble.”
The energon in Megatronus’ lines ran cold. His mind flashed to the event that had given him nightmares for the past few cycles. The secret he kept from Orion.
He saw images of the dead factory workers from Kaon who’d dared to move to Iacon to be with their friends and start a new life. They’d all met a grisly end, found dead in their apartment with a warning scribbled on the wall, killed by bots who were threatened by their bond. Their murders were swept away by the powers that be, a new story created to explain the tragedy.
A brave forensic scientist in Iacon who was sympathetic to Megatronus’ burgeoning cause had leaked the information directly to Megatronus. Since going through the net would’ve been too risky, the informant disguised himself and journeyed to Kaon to hand off a datapad full of damning evidence. Megatronus was planning to release the details to his followers soon during a major rally. It was sure to galvanize the movement even more.
There was always tension between the classes all over Cybertron, some escalating into violence. But this was particularly horrific. And the first time something hit so close to home.
Without another word, Megatronus turned around and walked down to Orion, who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with a puzzled look on his face.
“Is everything okay?” Orion asked.
“Yes…no. Well, it’s complicated,” he said, heading for the door, eager to get far away from the stranger. “Thank you for bringing me here. It was incredible.” In that moment, he made up his mind. He knew what he had to do.
As soon as they stepped outside, he guided Orion into a narrow backstreet and broke the news.
***
“What do you mean you’re leaving?” The distress in Orion’s voice was sparkbreaking. “You–you were going to stay until tomorrow evening.”
“I received an urgent memo from Soundwave,” Megatronus said, praying to Primus that the pathetic lie was convincing enough. “We have a serious situation back in Kaon that I must attend to. I..I truly hate to do this.” He was blinking back washer fluid at this point.
Was his fear causing him to overreact? Possibly. But, he couldn’t put Orion in danger. Ever. The thought of losing him was too much to handle. He needed to depart as soon as possible. Perhaps he’d return when things were safer. If his movement succeeded, and it would, he’d never have to worry about things like this anymore. The cruel system would be a thing of the past.
“Please don’t go,” Orion said, voice shaking.
Megatronus pulled the archivist into a hug. Orion held onto him, pressing his face against his chassis. “I’m so sorry,” Megatronus said softly. “Someday, this will be over. We’ll live in a Cybertron where everyone is free. I promise.”