Don't mess with the DW!Matrix

[3-not-overkill.livejournal.com]

"--your luck won't last forever!" With that, Megatron charged at the annoying whelp of a Prime again, intending to clock him. But the mech fizzled out, glyphs rising around them as the Prime faded, both out of view and physical grasp.

"No... Not again!" Megatron managed to keep his frustration to a shout, instead of an unbecoming static-laced roar, even as he registered a difference from the other two earlier visions. The glyphs didn't fade out immediately with Optimus Prime, instead they flared, along with light, and they almost made sense---

"No... Too muc---" He couldn't even hear himself finish the sentence, hands now clutching his helm, as the earlier precense rose, pressing in, crushing... And then it was over.

Megatron stumbled over - embarrassingly - nothing, visual field briefly filled with static before it cleared and he narrowly avoided crashing into a wall.

A wall that looked nothing like the walls had done in the inside of Cybertron. In fact... Dragging a hand over his faceplates and subduing a growl, Megatron's first thought was that he was still within a Matrix vision...

But something seemed off.

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[matrixvisions.livejournal.com]

Their resistance was in tatters, and the small Autobot forces had no choice but to fall back and regroup. Omega Supreme had been captured. Cybertron itself bristled with dark energon infection. Zeta Prime had fallen. Hope had dwindled.

And his own 'brother', his friend at the spark of it all. The betrayal cut deep; deeper than most knew.

But now, yet another swerve in fate... Now, he was a Prime?

He wasn't worthy. He didn't want it. It felt like a betrayal to those ideals he'd once held so dear-

The streets were not safe, but still he wandered within their small, secured area, desperate to think alone and uninterrupted. Hours later, and he was no closer to a resolution to his internal conflicts, with only antsy lieutenant comms to show for it.

Disgusted at both himself and the waste of time, Optimus had finally made to return, only for a pulse from the Matrix to catch him unaware and off-guard. He gasped, stumbling, a sudden light blinding his optics and reducing his vision to mere static. Instinctively, he dove for cover, expecting Decepticon EMP pulses and bombs falling on his helm.

But no, the skies were quiet...and there was only one lone mech, there, off the road stumbling against a wall. The shape and color both of the mech sent a eerie tingle up his struts, and he pulled out the handle for his axe, leaving it momentarily unignited as he moved to investigate.

I am HONOURED!

[3-not-overkill.livejournal.com]

He hadn't survived this long - from the arenas through the war - to not notice when he was being stalked upon... even though the mech wasn't making any particular effort of being too quiet. Vision resetting and smoothing out, Megatron pushed away from the wall, getting ready checks from all three cannons; the only problem being that the big one on his shoulder had a weakened support.

Whirling around, Megatron remembered with an annoyed grumble that he did not have his sword. Which was especially frustrating as he could see the mech carrying something that was - even if unlit - supposed to be a melee weapon. His sword, though, had been lost in the fall.

Starscream...

That thought was quickly discarded as he picked up the shape of the mech approaching, and then the colours.

"Prime. Decided to stop avoiding the inevitable, finally?" But even as he slid into a ready stance, Megatron realized that that... Wasn't Optimus Prime. It ought to be, because in these visions the two of them had only been visible to each other. A quick look around confirmed there was no one else on this worse-for-wear street which, while decidedly Cybertron, looked... off. At least to Megatron.

So how could this not be the Optimus Prime he'd been attempting to kill? He wasn't unobservant, after all, and the chestplates were all wrong, even if two wheels were still at the shoulders.

"... No. Who are you?" Megatron already knew the answer, though, and readied to spring at... the very wrong Prime.

What had the Matrix done?

|D

[matrixvisions.livejournal.com]

"Megatron."

He knew that voice. But it was still... off, somehow. Like the frame, like the face of the mech; too rounded and dull, with no light glowing out from seams. No life showing through, even if it was dark frame-light tainted purple with corruption.

A familiar-yet-not frame, clearly intending to leap in to attack.

He slid into a battle stance, the massive blade of his energon axe igniting and held at the ready. If Megatron attacked first, he would meet it in kind. But something was off here...

"Clearly the corruption has done more than warp your frame, if you don't recall me. Or are you just here to taunt me further, brother?"

c:

[3-not-overkill.livejournal.com]

This did not make sense. How could this very... hmm, glowy version of what nearly looked like the usual Optimus Prime even see him? He did not like it when things didn't go according to plan.

When the axe ignited, Megatron wished for his sword again. You didn't parry energy weapons with a cannon, after all. That was just asking for trouble.

So despite the fact that he just wanted to launch forward and beat some of his frustration out on this strange Prime, Megatron darted to the side and picked up a heavy piece of scrap metal; it would hardly stand the axe for long, but would serve as a makeshift shield. He had fought in the arena long enough to know when to use a defensive weapon instead of a offensive one, no matter that he was certain he could take this Prime as he had the usual one.

... Wait, what? Corruption? Was Prime seriously insulting him with---

"Brother? I find it strange you'd call a mech you've hardly even met before 'brother', Prime," Megatron snarled and while he slowly circled forward, he did not - despite the clear insult - charge forward as he wanted to.

The Matrix had shown visions of the future, and Prime said it was a window to the past... This, however, seemed to be... neither?

<3~

[matrixvisions.livejournal.com]

The headlights on his chest certainly helped him spot him, for one. The only bits of light, that assured Optimus the mech wasn't dying at first. He watched Megatron circle him, staying wary, but the words nearly broke his guard.

"Haven't met? ...You've lost your mind." He stared for a moment, optics wide, allowing himself one brief pang for his former friend who had fallen so far. His madness had finally taken him.

[3-not-overkill.livejournal.com]

Had this version of Prime and... well, hiw own "alternate" actually been friends? Or closer than that? The thought was... bewildering. When would that even have happened? Megatron stared, but being insulted wasn't one of the things he accepted, even from a mech that probably thought he was someone else.

"My mind, Prime, is in working order. I'd like to question your sanity however, running around with glowing features that'd be enough to spot you from the other side of Iacon!" Megatron snarled, launching forward even as he fired the fusion cannon, intending to catch Optimus off-guard.

And maybe barrel straight into Optimus, shield-first, so he'd have no chance of using the axe at a distance.

He couldn't know if this one had the Matrix (Sentinel hadn't, after all), but at least he didn't find it strange to answer to Prime, so Megatron assumed he would... so, perhaps, if he cracked this Optimus open, he'd find another Matrix that'd put him where he should be.

[matrixvisions.livejournal.com]

Optimus reared back, more confused than ever. Despite the similar look and voice, it was like he didn't know the mech at all-

But his confusion would have to wait. The fusion weapon was certainly familiar enough, and he had to dive to avoid it. Axe retracting swiftly, his forearm transformed into his own, trusty blaster with the same motion.

"As if you don't usually do the same!" He managed, perplexed but opening fire despite it.

[3-not-overkill.livejournal.com]

If Megatron would ever confess to being jealous, the fact that Prime apparently could switch between two in-frame weapons would come close. Weaving away from the blaster fire, Megatron was more intent on getting close and hopefully managing to do some damage.

That would tell him if the vision, if it was one, was just trying to confuse him, since any direct attempt to harm Prime had failed while within the visions. But if it wasn't?

"Mining headlights are hardly the same as... that, and I have never had it---" Well, he hadn't, at any rate. This could get confusing...

Deflecting a shot with his 'shield', Megatron closed the last of the distance and went for a punch. If this actually didn't displace him again, he would probably have to attempt to get to the Matrix itself.

[matrixvisions.livejournal.com]

"Never had-"

Optimus nearly sputtered his words, even as he swung into action; forced to block the punch with his transformed arm when the 'shield' blocked his shots, his free hand swung up to grapple with Megatron directly.

Clearly, this was no vision, as the blow hit cleanly and Optimus did not vanish.

[3-not-overkill.livejournal.com]

The fact that the blow did hit (even as it was blocked) was enough to throw Megatron a bit; no vision, indeed, and that may be enough to guarantee this Matrix didn't work the same.

Not that he wouldn't attempt it, but still. If it didn't work..?

It wasn't enough to make him miss Prime's free hand coming at him and he pressed closer, frustrated; at least this one did have some sort of fight in him, but 'his' Prime had had too, even if it'd been pathetic.

"Honestly, is it so had to figure it out? Like this, I'm going to have to question to the Matrix's choices in Primes," Megatron grunted and ignored the hum of a large screen somewhere off to their sides snapping on.

[matrixvisions.livejournal.com]

"Apparently, since you're not making any damn sense!" Optimus growled right back, straining against the bulk and strength of Megatron's frame. At the mention of the Matrix, just recently gained that very day, he growls, lunging forward, trying to unbalance the bulky mech. How did he know of it?

He paid no mind to the sound of the holoscreen either - until Megatron's voice rang out from the side. He jerked, turning just enough from the battle to gape at the broadcast. Megatron, gloating again over the death of Zeta Prime as he stomped through the ruins of Iacon.

All live.

[3-not-overkill.livejournal.com]

"Wasn't it your job analyzing data?" Megatron smirked, and was almost ready for the lunge and press Optimus' did when the Matrix was mentioned.

So protective, these Primes. It was enough to make one laugh; all that effort over something they probably didn't even understand the full meaning of.

Anything else, however, was derailed when, basically, his own voice came from whatever was recorded, and while he kept the pressure up on the shield he was pushing against Prime's hand to slam it into his face, Megatron also turned to stare.

"... Foolish to be that visible." That was all he could think of to say, staring at what clearly was his alternate in this... universe? despite the differences in design.

(Of course, his own off-white frame wasn't particularly stealthy either.)