Hunger Pains

All around him were bots sitting in tense silence as yet another attack was launched on the base. Optimus has lost count of how many days it had been since the start of it all, but the bombing had not let up for more than a few minutes every dozen hours or so. Supplies had run out nearly thirty-six hours previously and now all he and the others still alive could do was wait for backup that may or may not be coming and try to stave off starvation for as long as possible.

Most bots had opted to power down and huddle together so as to not waste so much energon on managing their internal temperatures. The few that remained alert were exhausted and only up and moving because they were required to. Or in Optimus’s case, because others needed to see that their leader was still functional.

It was difficult for Optimus to move around on such low energon levels, but his large frame had some reserves, even though most of it had been emptied to extend the time before their supplies were completely used up. Everything he had left was going into keeping up appearances, however, it would not last much longer. If Ultra Magnus and his team did not arrive to put an end to the unceasing attack then those in the base would be forced to attempt to retreat, an act that would likely kill them all.

It was a last resort, one Optimus was reluctant to enact even in these dire straits, especially considering just who was stuck with him.

“Optimus, my tanks hurt” His precious sparkling muttered from his place tucked within a pile of thermoplastic blankets against the wall.

“I know little one” It took all of his self-control to keep his voice from wavering as he knelt in front of his charge. The sparkling’s optics were dull and his movements were lethargic, they had done all they could to at least keep Bumblebee fueled but there was simply nothing left to give. It hurt Optimus’s spark to see his little one in such a state, he and everyone else in base knew that Bumblebee would be one of the first to offline if they were not resupplied soon. Already the sparkling was showing signs of impending system shutdown, a process that if allowed to continue, would send him into a permanent stasis lock, never to awaken and destined to slowly have his spark flicker and fade.

“I’m so tired” Optimus could feel his entire frame shake subtly as he gathered himself and brought Bumblebee into a hug.

“It may be hard right now, but soon we will be resupplied and you will have all the energon you could ever want” The words sounded hollow even in Optimus’s own audio receptors, but he continued, all the same, rocking his sparkling back and forth as he spoke.

“Ultra Magnus is a brave mech, and his team is made up of great warriors. I am sure that he and his Wreckers are already on their way, and when they arrive they will defeat the Decepticons above and get us out of here” Bumblebee’s optics flickered as he leaned against Optimus’s chassis, his venting becoming softer by the moment.

“Little warrior, I need you to stay awake, you can’t fall into recharge just yet” Optimus felt his voice break as he brought up a digit and lightly stoked Bumblebee’s helm in a desperate attempt to keep him from slipping into a possibly fatal recharge.

“Too tired” Bumblebee practically whispered as his frame went limp in Optimus’s hold. Panic immediately struck Optimus’s spark, very nearly sending him spiraling. Not knowing what else to do Optimus carried his sparkling to the once mech who he trusted above all others.

“Ratchet, please, can you help him?” The medic was slumped over his desk in the half-collapsed medical wing. His plating was covered in dried energon, scorch marks, and countless scuffs and scratches. Strewn about him were his tools which he had not bothered to put away, a testament to his exhaustion.

“Let me see” Ratchet, at last, replied as he lethargically lifted himself from his slouched position, sitting upright in his chair. Optimus handed his charge over to the medic without a second thought and waited anxiously as Ratchet scanned over Bumblebee’s limp, but still thankfully awake form.

“Impending system shut down from lack of energon” Ratchet concluded with sorrowful optics as he finished his examination.

“Without any energon, there is nothing I can do for him” Optimus felt his expression shift into one of desperation as coolant gathered in his optics and his processing units flew into overdrive. He couldn’t lose Bumblebee, there had to be something he could do.

“I am so sorry Optimus” It felt like a weight had been dropped into his spark chamber as the finality and pure despair in Ratchet’s tone hit him. He was hardly aware of the world around him as the medic passed Bumblebee back into his arms.

“Stay with him until the end, make sure his passing is as comfortable as possible, that is all you can do for him now” Unable to keep his composure any longer Optimus let out a choked sob, coolant trickled down his face as he held Bumblebee close. Ratchet reached out and pulled him into a hug but he hardly noticed as he tore his databanks apart, searching for something, anything that could save his sparkling.

Then almost as though a switch had been flicked, he came to a solution. Slowly he stood and gazed at Bumblebee before turning his sight to his medic, or more specifically, the scalpel that was on his desk. Ratchet followed his gaze and as if able to read his mind, turned to him sharply.

“Optimus, you can’t seriously be considering…” Optimus did not say anything and instead returned Bumblebee to Ratchet’s cautious hold before reaching out and grabbing the blade. After also grabbing an empty cube, Optimus turned to Ratchet and held out his arm.

“Where would be least harmful?” Ratchet looked at him with confusion, horror, and then understanding. After a moment of tense silence, he pointed to an exposed cable on his forearm.

“As long as the incision is small, here would be acceptable” Resolving himself, Optimus nodded once more and carefully slid the blade across the cable Ratchet pointed out. He held back a frown as warnings came to the forefront of his processors in response to the pain, he dismissed them without hesitation. It took a moment but the energon from his frame began to well up through the wound, giving off an eerie glow.

Optimus held his arm out over the cube and kept his self-repair systems firmly offline until the cube was sufficiently full. Once he was finished he knelt down, feeling a little lightheaded from the sudden loss of energon, and passed the cube to Ratchet. The medic took the cube with a shaky servo and after shuttering his optics in an attempt to compose himself, brought the cube to Bumblebee’s mouth.

Optimus watched in quiet joy as Bumblebee seemed to brighten, eventually becoming aware enough to consume the energon given. When the cube was fully drained Optimus allowed himself to smile and slide down against the wall, his reserves thoroughly exhausted. He knew that soon his systems would begin to eat away at parts of his frame to sustain him, but none of that mattered to him at that moment. As long as Bumblebee was alive he could care less about what happened to him.

As his systems began to slow in an attempt to conserve what little energon he had left, Optimus was dimly aware of the sounds of conflict above him coming to an end. He could hear the voices of his Autobots cry out in relief as new mechs, likely the backup that had been delayed up until that point, came into the base. The last thing he saw before recharge claimed him was the familiar blue and red form of Ultra Magnus crouched in front of him and carefully lifting him.

Ultra Magnus had saved his life on many occasions, and Optimus had saved him in return. His second in command was the closest bot he had to a brother after the loss of Megatronous. They had gone through thick and thin together. By Primus, Optimus had trained and practically raised the mech after he began showing promise in the army.

They both knew that war came with consequences, and the threat of death was an eternal one. Optimus knew that as the leader of the Autobots he was supposed to be strong, an entity near untouchable, a symbol for his people to look up to. He wasn’t supposed to have attachments, he wasn’t supposed to care so much, especially considering the stakes.

Despite all that, Optimus still found himself sitting by Ultra Magnus’s side, holding his servo as he waited to hear the medic’s verdict.

“We don’t have enough energon to repair these wounds, Prime. Even if we used everything currently available it wouldn’t be enough” Optimus held his comatose brother’s servo a little tighter as he considered the situation. Energon had become scarcer since Cybertron was poisoned and Primus fell into stasis. With Megatron and his Decepticons ravaging the surface and having complete control over many of the remaining mines, rations had only become smaller. They barely had enough energon to keep operating, much less deal with injuries as severe as Ultra Magnus’s.

It wasn’t just Ultra Magnus either, all around the medical bay were other mechs with similar injuries of varying severity. They all needed energon, and they needed it soon.

“I understand, keep him on life support for now” Optimus replied after a moment of silence as he gazed over the mess that was Ultra Magnus’s torso. Much of his internal systems were exposed and his protoform was shredded. Even before the war such injuries would require extensive surgery to even begin to repair, the energon requirements alone would have been enormous. Even more so with the war going on and the lackluster equipment available to the medical staff.

“By your will, Prime” The medic gave a curt nod as Optimus stood and made his way out of the medical bay. He would find a way to get the energon required to save his brother, there was no other choice, he wouldn't allow Ultra Magnus or the others to offline, not as long as he still functioned.

As Optimus walked, the inklings of a plan formed in his mind. It would be risky and if any of his inner circle found out about what he planned to do then he would be stopped. However there was one mech who he could trust to accept his plan of action no matter how high the possibility of death.

“Jazz, gather your squad and meet me outside base, we have a mission to accomplish” Optimus ordered as he made his way towards the front of the base. The guards on duty gave him odd looks but did not stand in his way as he strode towards the gates separating Autobot command from the hellscape that was the surface of Cybertron.

“Tell high command that I will be absent for up to forty eight hours, any more than that and they are to send reinforcements to these coordinates” Optimus sent a message containing the mentioned coordinates via comm link to one of the guards by the gates. The mech, who couldn’t have been older than a dozen vorns, looked surprised but accepted the order giddily.

Not wasting any more time, Optimus exited through the gates. Waiting for him outside and only looking slightly winded were Jazz and his infiltration unit which numbered about a dozen mechs.

“What’s the mission Boss? It must be important for you to want to handle it personally” Jazz questioned in his usual playful tone. Optimus met Jazz’s inquisitive gaze with his determined one. He knew his plan had a high likelihood of failure, but if they were successful then they would have the energon needed to repair Ultra Magnus and keep the army fueled for at least a few weeks. Considering the circumstances, Optimus was willing to take his chances.

“We are going to infiltrate Decepticon mine c38406 and retrieve as much energon as possible, preferably destroying any resources we are unable to take” Jazz and many of his team looked shocked as Optimus gave the mission. He knew what they were thinking, they believed that the mission was suicidal at best and that Optimus of all mechs stood no chance of being stealthy.

“Boss, I mean no disrespect or anything, but you are a bit big to be doing any snooping around” Jazz’s smile was strained as he pointed out Optimus’s frame size. Optimus simply raised a brow and activated a set of long dormant programs. Immediately Optimus’s center of weight shifted and his plating rearranged itself so that anything that could get caught in tight spaces was pushed somewhere less cumbersome. His pedes swiftly realigned their stabilizers to accept his shifting mass and allow him to move with the least amount of noise possible. And lastly his paint darkened until it was within acceptable stealth parameters, leaving him looking slightly more feral than he originally intended.

“Whoa, alright then Boss. I don’t know how well this is going to pan out, but I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge” Jazz muttered looking even more shocked than before but evidently decided to not to think too hard on Optimus’s new look. His team did not fare much better, most being too wrapped up in figuring out what just happened to say anything. Seeing the opportunity, Optimus took the moment to elaborate on his rather spontaneous plan.

“We will head through the docking bay of the mine after eliminating the enemy guards, there we will split into three teams. One will get rid of any possible resistance, another will clear our escape, and the third will be responsible for collecting the energon. Understood?” Nods accompanied his explanation and Jazz and his team moved to follow him as he transformed and began to long drive out of Autobot territory.

By around the twelve hour mark the first signs of Decepticon activity could be seen, at which point Optimus and his team were forced to abandon their vehicle modes in favor of traveling by pede to remain under the radar. Things only became more difficult the further they went into neutral territory and then Decepticon controlled lands. Four bots ended up splitting off from the group at around hour fifteen in order to begin securing a somewhat stable escape route. Optimus did not know what they planned to do, but they were Jazz’s mechs, he had no doubt that they would make it work.

Optimus’s comms started alerting him constantly until he turned them off, only leaving his link with Jazz and his team open. He knew that Autobot high command were likely having a fit trying to figure out where he and Jazz wandered off to. Prowl was probably tearing the base apart in an attempt to piece together what had happened. Optimus almost felt bad, but he pushed those feelings aside as he focused on his purpose for heading so far into Decepticon lands.

Ultra Magnus needed energon, and Optimus would stop at nothing to get it for him.

“Sir, we will be coming up on the mine in around six kliks” One of Jazz’s mechs informed him sixteen hours into their mission. Optimus sent a ping of confirmation over the comm link and focused his attention on remaining unseen to the increasing number of patrolling Decpticons, a feat that remained difficult despite his shifted frame.

Shortly afterwards, another four of Jazz’s mechs split off from the group and made their way ahead of Optimus and his remaining teammates. If everything went according to plan then they would eliminate a large portion of the guards and make it difficult for reinforcements to be called when Optimus and his team arrived. Everything about Optimus’s plan hung on the capabilities of Jazz’s infiltration units, if even one team should fail then the entire mission would be doomed .

“Target sighted” One of the forward units sent over the comm link an hour or so later. In response Optimus and his team moved with even more care until they too got a visual of the mine. The Vehicons patrolling and moving energon around were few and far between, even from a distance Optimus could see several openings within the patrol that would allow him and his team to enter the mine unseen. The forward team had done well, if it weren’t for them then Optimus and his team would have likely had an infinitely harder time getting into the mine, maybe even having to engage in combat.

Despite the lessened guard numbers they still couldn’t let themselves get comfortable, it was only a matter of time before the remaining Vehicons realized something was wrong. They would need to get in and get out quickly if they were to avoid possible casualties.

“Remain radio silent until we are out of the mine, we cannot afford any of our signals being picked up” Optimus whispered as he tensed up, preparing for the opening he knew was coming.

“Yes Sir” His team replied before falling into concentrated silence. One minute, two minutes, and then at last the opening came and Optimus did not hesitate to sprint out of his cover and into the cargo bay. He leapt behind a pile of empty energon cubes as a guard passed by, eliciting a shiver in the guard as he felt Optimus’s gaze settle on him. Thankfully the guard brushed it off and moved on, allowing Optimus the chance to move further into the mine.

As Optimus rushed down the halls searching for the energon stores he could sense both the forward team and his own fall into line behind him, each mech taking the time to quickly search the rooms they passed for anything that could be useful besides energon. The few guards they ran into that couldn’t be avoided were taken out swiftly and silently. It made him feel guilty driving a blade through the neck of an unsuspecting Vehicon but there was no other choice. The safety of his Autobots and the success of his mission were the priority.

“Boss! I Found it!” Jazz whisper yelled as he pointed towards a room ahead of him energetically. Optimus needed no further prompting and followed behind Jazz and he readied his blaster outside the door. The door in question was reinforced and made of heavy metal, it had a passcode activation system as well. There was no way they were sneaking into such a fortified position, and there were doubtless guards on the other side to protect the valuable energon.

“Prepare to engage enemy combatants” Optimus ordered while keeping his voice low as he lined his blaster up with the door, ready to shoot down the enemy as soon as it opened. His team quickly followed his lead and prepared their blasters while Jazz worked at cracking open the lock on the door.

After an agonizing moment, the door slid open with a hiss. Immediately Optimus rushed into the room and shot down the nearest guard before the rest of the Vehicons could process what was happening. Jazz and his mechs filed in after and took their own shots, each taking extra care to avoid hitting the energon lest they cause an explosion.

“AUTOBOTS!” A Vehicon cried out in alarm before wildly firing on them. The Vehicons left standing, grouped together and fired almost at random, each being too panicked to do anything else. One of Jazz’s mechs took a nasty hit to the shoulder and another was hit solidly in the torso, however they managed to eliminate the guards quickly enough.

“Quickly! Grab what you can and load it onto me!” The sounds of their engagement would certainly bring more guards to them, and eventually one of the Vehicons would raise the alarm. Preferably they would be on their way out before it happened, but Optimus was in no mood to test Primus’s generosity.

“Sir!” Jazz and his mechs replied before hurting to grab as much energon as they could. Optimus took the opportunity to transform into his vehicle mode and revv his engines in preparation for the mad dash out of the mine he had a feeling would be required.

He could feel Jazz’s mechs begin to load up the cubes onto him, taking care to tie them down tight with cables they must have picked up from either the docking bay or from one of the rooms they passed. It was a bit heavy by the time they put the last few cubes on but it was thankfully still within acceptable parameters.

However around the same time Jazz’s mechs finished up, one of the downed Vehicons who was just barely clinging to life, managed to haul himself over to the emergency alarm and activate it. Optimus wanted to curse his own incompetence as the blaring sound of the alarm assaulted his audio receptors. Any mech with even basic military training knew to check and ensure the enemy was offline. He and the others must have been too wrapped up in the mission to notice the Vehicon before it was too late.

Subtlety was no longer an option.

“Prepare for combat mechs! Looks like we’re gonna be fighting our way out of this one!” Jazz yelled over the alarm.

“Reinforcements will be arriving in approximately five minutes!” One of Jazz’s mechs yelled as he helped one of his injured comrades to his pedes.

“Then we need to get out of here immediately. Now hurry, load that mech onto me and lets roll out!” Optimus ordered as he shifted gears. It took only a moment for the injured mech to get settled on top of the cargo and Optimus did not wait a moment longer. Surging forward he barreled through the door which was thankfully large enough for him to squeeze through. His tires squealed as he raced through the hall, running over any Vehicons unfortunate enough to stand in his way.

He heard an earthshaking explosion behind him as the mech he was farrying sent a shot careening into the energon storage room. Blue fire filled the hall behind them as they drove for their lives. Against his better judgment Optimus allowed his field to flare as he felt a brief spark of satisfaction prick at his consciousness. If nothing else the Decepticons would gain no more energon from this mine for quite some time.

“There they are! Shoot them down!” A squadron of Vehicons stood with blasters raised as Optimus and his team hurtled into the docking bay.

“Don’t stop! Keep moving!” Optimus shouted as he pushed his engine into overdrive. Shots fired from the Vehicons as he rolled over them tore his front to shreds and Optimus could hear at least one of Jazz’s mechs fall to the ground with a scream of agony. Looking through his rearview mirror Optimus watched as another of Jazz’s mechs, likely a friend of the fallen one, turned and disobeyed orders. The mech stood over his fallen friend and desperately tried to resuscitate him. Optimus quickly turned his sights to the path ahead of him as the crying mech cradled his fallen comrade to his chassis and looked down the barrel of a blaster with a broken expression.

The sound of the blaster going off and the sickening shriek of tearing metal echoed in his audio receptors as he swerved out of the docking bay and into the open. He knew that during recharge the sound would haunt him.

“Drive! Frag it all DRIVE!” Optimus screamed as yet another of Jazz’s mechs fell to enemy fire mid transformation. The mech closest to the fallen had his helm blown off in a moment of hesitation, the energon from the wound and pieces of his processors being sent flying, some of which splattered all over Optimus and the poor mech riding on top of his cargo.

Optimus did not stop, not even when his frame was wracked with pain from his wounds and his processors plagued with guilt. He couldn’t stop, not when so much depended on the success of his mission, not when they had lost so many good mechs already.

He knew he wasn’t thinking straight, the Matrix was sure to pound that into his helm. However he pushed the fact aside, he was desperate, Ultra Magnus needed energon, many others besides him needed energon. In the end the sacrifice would be worth it. At least, he hoped it would be worth it.

“The Vanguard unit has cleared us a path through sector B-34!” Jazz shouted over the screeching of their tires and the increasingly loud engines from their pursuers.

“Understood” Optimus replied as he did his best not to let his increasingly painful wounds slow him down. He ended up following behind Jazz as they flew across Decepticon owned territory. Three hours into their escape, two more of Jazz’s mechs fell to the enemy when they turned back to buy Optimus and his remaining team mates more time to escape

Optimus did his best to engrave their appearances into his memory as they drove off. He would look them up upon his return to base and give them and the rest of the fallen the respect they deserved. It was the least he could do for them.

“S*r! *e ca*t ho*d the* ba*k m*ch lon*er!” A staticy and near painful message through the comm link assaulted Optimus’s audio receptors.

“Can you get to our position?” Optimus questioned as he struggled to keep his voice even and listened to what sounded like a cough travel through the link.

“We w*ll t*y” The Vanguard team member replied through the static before the comm link went quiet.

“FLIERS!” The mech on top of Optimus’s cargo cried out as the familiar sound of jets echoed across the landscape. The seekers flew overhead and began to shoot at Optimus and his team. Optimus began to drive in zigzagging patterns to avoid the worst of it while the mech he was ferrying tried to get a few shots in. By some miracle the mech managed to shoot down one of the three seekers, causing the remaining two to retreat with their injured partner in tow.

“Scrap” Optimus muttered to himself as his frame began to seize up, nearly causing him to swerve out of control. His wounds were getting worse.

They couldn’t afford to request a ground bridge, the energon drain would be too severe. But as Optimus’s shredded armor continued to weep energon he wished he could call for aid. It hurt, it hurt so much.

“Boss! Two Vanguard units incoming!” Jazz informed him as they neared the edge of Decepticon territory. Optimus did not reply, his focus entirely on keeping his wheels spinning and his engine running.

However shortly after the matter, two very injured mechs could be seen making their way towards Optimus and his team. He didn’t want to stop, he wasn’t sure if he could force himself to move again if he did, but Optimus slowed as he neared the mechs anyway. He would not allow anyone else to die during this mission.

“Get on” Optimus managed to choke out as his frame continued to fail him. The two mechs followed the order immediately and hopped onto the energon cubes alongside the other mech Optimus was already ferrying. Combined with the energon cubes, the weight was almost painful.

“Jazz, I require assistance” Optimus practically growled as he struggled to regain his momentum. The fields of the mechs he was carrying radiated guilt as Jazz and the remaining mechs gave him enough of a push to get going again.

The rest of the journey was a blur for Optimus. The energon loss made him delirious and he was unable to maintain his higher processing capabilities due to the pain. All he could focus on was getting back to base with his precious cargo. If it weren’t for the constant presence of the Matrix in his spark chamber Optimus likely would have passed out.

He remembered outmaneuvering a few Vehicons that managed to catch up to him and his team. But beyond that his memories were fuzzy, his only other clear recollection being his arrival at base and the sheer relief he felt as his cargo was removed and as he was coaxed back into root mode. When he came back to himself again he was on a medical berth with a great number of aching welds all across his chassis.

Looking around with bleary optics he could see Prowl, Ratchet, and Jazz at his bedside. They looked relieved but also sorrowful.

“Is everyone alright now?” Optimus slurred and he struggled to come to himself. He was only dimly aware of how high on medication he must have been to be having trouble speaking.

“Yes Optimus, Ultra Magnus and the others are repaired and well on their way to be fully recovered” Ratchet replied as he grasped Optimus servo and held it tight. His field was tight against his frame and his optics looked tired. Optimus hoped that he wasn’t the cause of Ratchet’s worry and exhaustion but he had a feeling that was unlikely.

“You brought back enough energon to not only repair our wounded but also keep our mechs fully fueled for the next orbital cycle, possibly even longer” Prowl added with a slightly less stern expression than normal. Optimus in his dazed state couldn’t help but smile at the news, he had been successful and that was what mattered.

“How many dead?” Optimus questioned as his data banks came back online, reminding him of just how many of Jazz’s mechs went down during the mission.

“Eight, but thanks to your efforts we didn’t lose even more” Jazz answered, reminding Optimus of the three mechs he had carried.

“Are those three well?” Jazz nodded once and patted Optimus on his shoulder plating, earning a glare from Ratchet.

“They will be alright after a few days of rest” Optimus hummed his understanding, exhaustion suddenly overwhelming him.

“Take your time and rest Sir, you saved more lives than you know today” Prowl spoke softly as he took note of Optimus’s rapidly shuttering optics.

“Don’t worry old friend, everything is going to be alright, rest now” Ratchet soothed as he rubbed comforting circles on Optimus’s servo.

“Alright…” Optimus couldn’t finish his sentence as he allowed himself to fall into recharge, safe in the knowledge that his people were going to survive for at least one more day.

“Is this it?” Ironhide grumbled as he took his meager sliver of unprocessed energon. The weapons specialist’s disappointment and agitation were obvious in his field, even to Optimus who sat leaning against some rubble several feet away.

“It’s all we can spare if we intend to extend our rations until we reach the new Autobot command center” Hound stated with no small amount of exasperation as he collected his own similarly sized sliver from their supplies.

“How are we supposed to make it to the new base if we barely have enough energon to transform!” Ironhide exclaimed as he bit into his energon sliver. The weapon specialist grimaced as he finished his ration, he had never been fond of the unprocessed stuff. Optimus could only sigh from his place leaning against the rubble of a collapsed building.

It had been a difficult few orns. With the previous Autobot command center getting overrun and Optimus, Hound, Ironhide, and Bumblebee getting separated from the main group in the chaos, no bot was particularly happy. They had to sneak out of the rubble of their own base and travel across hundreds of miles of untamed wilderness in order to avoid capture while attempting to locate where the rest of the Autobots had gone.

Thankfully with Hound’s expertise in tracking they had a general idea of where the Autobots had decided to set up camp, however, it did not make the journey itself any easier. Bumblebee, bless his spark, had managed to snag a few emergency survival kits from the remnants of the base before they had set off. It bought them several days' worth of precious energon, but no matter how well they rationed, they were doomed to run out long before they reached Autobot territory if Hound’s estimates were correct.

Already tensions were rising in their small group. Ironhide had never handled low fuel levels well, he was a heavy hitter and used to receiving larger rations due to how much energon he generally used in combat. Hound was in a similar situation, he was not fond of having to split their already lackluster rations between all four of them. As for Bumblebee, he refused to say anything but Optimus could tell that his sparkling was just as agitated as the others. If he still had his voice Bumblebee would likely be involved in the mutterings of the rest of the team. However, due to his lack of vocal capabilities, the yellow scout instead pressed up against Optimus’s side, seeking comfort and totally exhausted from their day of harsh travel.

Normally Optimus would try to keep public displays of affection to a minimum, he did not want anyone to have a reason to target Bumblebee. But in this situation Optimus refused to leave his charge without comfort, especially considering that he was still getting used to communicating without his voice box.

“This slag tastes awful, how am I supposed to do anything with this!” Ironhide continued to ramble in anger. Bumblebee leaned into Optimus’s side even more as Hound’s field started to grow erratic and uncomfortable. The group’s other scout was not pleased, if the situation did not solve itself Optimus had a feeling he would need to step in.

“I know our situation isn’t great but you don’t see the rest of us complaining do you?” Hound remarked with no small amount of snark. Optimus could feel his optic twitch in irritation as Ironhide got up, looking far too eager for a fight.

“Well maybe if you led us somewhere not in the middle of the fragging wilderness, things would be a little better!” Ironhide shouted, his plating flaring in response to his heightened emotions. Optimus quickly made to stand after carefully maneuvering Bumblebee off of him.

“And have us be captured by Decepticons? We can’t fight off a whole army, Ironhide!” Hound retorted with equal aggression.

“Enough” Optimus commanded cooly as he strode forward. Hound and Ironhide didn’t acknowledge him and instead became more and more focused on their quarrel.

“I would prefer to fight Megatron than be stuck out here in the fragging wilds with next to no rations, especially with an organic lover like you!” Ironhide roared as he punched Hound in the face.

“You cheap cold constructed glitch!” Hound cried in outrage before throwing a punch of his own. Optimus hurried to pull them apart as they tussled on the ground trying their hardest to beat the other into scrap.

“I SAID ENOUGH!” Optimus at last caught their attention as he pulled them apart by the back of their neck guards. Their optics were wide and they looked like they had just been doused with hot oil as Optimus put them on their pedes.

“I understand that our situation is less than optimal, but your behavior is unfitting of two fully framed Autobots” Ironhide kicked at the ground and refused to meet Optimus’s reprimanding gaze. Hound laced his digits together and fidgeted in mixed embarrassment and regret as Optimus gave him a stern look.

“Go recharge and clear your processors, I will stand watch” Both nodded and said nothing as they found decent spots to settle down in. Optimus sighed and shuttered his optics for a moment while he composed himself.

Rations had not even been depleted and already Hound and Ironhide were getting into all-out brawls. There was no way they were making it to the new Autobot headquarters before they killed each other in a fit of hunger-induced rage. Not only that but Bumblebee was getting weaker by the orn, he still wasn’t fully grown and the lack of energon meant he tired far quicker than Optimus and the others. He wouldn’t make it if things continued as they were.

After humming a song to ease Bumblebee into recharge, Optimus took his place on top of part of the collapsed building. The area had long since been reclaimed by nature, crystals could already be seen peeking up out of the ground around the building and young spires had begun to grow in the immediate area. Given enough time, the spires would grow into towering structures with large energon veins flowing through them and out into their silvery wires. It brought back memories from his early years when he lived within great forests of spires and was surrounded by countless other lifeforms.

Despite how many fond memories he had of the wilds, they were by no means safe. He and his group were lucky to have found the ruined remains of the building to take shelter in. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was far better than taking their chances out in the true wilds where mechanimals lurked and hidden acid pits were commonplace.

Optimus could survive, he had been raised in the wilds, and he had the build, coding, and knowledge needed to make due on his own for as long as he desired. Hound could do it for a limited amount of time, he knew how to find surface-level energon deposits, but he was not at home in it as Optimus was. As for Ironhide and Bumblebee, once they ran out of energon they wouldn’t last, they had no idea where to get more, or how to get it for that matter.

If they didn’t reach some form of civilization soon, then it was quite likely that their group would fall apart one way or another.

It was a grim train of thought, but it gave Optimus an idea. It had been millennia since he had last hunted and his frame was far different, no longer perfectly suited to weave through dense collections of spires in silence or traverse great distances unseen. His claws were dulled and his fangs were blunted, not only that, but potential prey had become almost as scarce as energon itself after Primus’s fall into stasis. Nevertheless, it seemed to be worth the attempt. In the event of his success then his group would have energon, and in the event of his failure, they would never know what he did.

Secure in his plan of action, Optimus scanned their makeshift camp and checked to see if all three of his traveling companions were in recharge. Once their statuses were confirmed, Optimus quietly made his way out of camp and out into the wilds.

His pace increased slowly as the foliage grew thicker and the remnants of civilization faded away entirely. After a while he found his old protocols and programs coming online, subtly adjusting his senses to better suit his purposes and shifting his plating to grant him the superior agility that had been stripped from him upon his integration into society. He wasn’t as quiet or as swift as he once was, but what he lost with his upgrades he made up for in sheer power.

Soon enough he was bounding through the wilds, making his way between spires and other flora with more freedom than he had experienced in millennia. He quickly found himself slipping into long-suppressed habits, his higher processing slowing and in some places shutting off entirely as he searched for potential prey. Primal joy flooded his spark as he enjoyed the wilds without fear and caught onto the trail of what appeared to be a Cyber-deer.

His battle mask slid away as a large smile made its way onto his face. He did not hesitate to crouch down stride as quickly as possible along the trail, keeping watch for his prey. After what could have been minutes or hours, he finally caught sight of his target. His digits twitched reflexivity as he watched the Cyber-deer pad within the clearing ahead of him without a care in the world. From a distance he could see that its hind leg was damaged, severely limiting its range of movement and speed. With it being such an easy target it was somewhat surprising that it hadn’t been picked off already. But Optimus wasn’t one to complain, not when he needed the energon more than whatever predators lived within this territory.

His optics shrunk as his vision focused on his prey and the gears within his jaw loosened to increase the width of his bite. He felt himself sinking down to stalk, his finals perking up as he slowly but surely began to make his way towards the Cyber-deer, taking great care not to alert the creature to his presence.

The shadows obscured him as he took tentative steps closer, sometimes pausing if the Cyber-deer appeared to be startled and then moving again as soon as it calmed. Waiting too long would allow the creature to escape and being too hasty would only bring a similar result. It was a delicate balance, he needed to be careful.

After what felt like a short eternity Optimus was finally within striking distance. Tensing up and preparing himself Optimus leaned forward, and in one swift motion pounced. The Cyber-deer had no time to react as Optimus pinned it to the ground and dug his dulled fangs into its neck. While he was not fond of dragging out the creature’s suffering he couldn’t afford to lose any energon during his hunt. This meant that he would have to wait for the creature to die from lack of energon to the processor, an event that could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to occur.

The Cyber-deer struggled pitifully for over half an hour before it finally succumbed to the lack of energon in its processor. Optimus offered up a silent prayer for the creature’s spark as he pulled away and slung the body over his shoulder before standing up again. The Cyber-deer had enough energon in it to fuel his entire group, and while the guilt of letting the creature suffer so long was still present, it was lessened by this fact.

Over the next few hours, Optimus made his way back towards camp, retracing his steps and slowly re-suppressing his old instincts and protocols. By the time the camp came into sight, he appeared completely normal, as though nothing had ever happened. However, as he approached he realized just how long he had been gone and how startling his sudden disappearance was to his companions.

“What do you mean you don’t know?! You are the tracker Hound!” Ironhide growled as he pointed an accusing digit at Hound. The veteran scout did not appear at all pleased.

“There are little to no tracks, no signs of a struggle, and not a peep of suspicious activity! How in the Pits am I supposed to find Prime without anything to go off of?!” Hound retorted as he smacked the offending servo away.

*Stop it! We need to focus on finding Optimus, not fighting amongst ourselves!* Bumblebee stepped in as Optimus, at last, emerged from the shadows of the encroaching wilds.

Suddenly all optics were on him. Mixed sighs of relief and agitation echoed in the area as he drew closer with his prize.

“By Primus! You can’t just go wandering off like that!” Ironhide chastised as he rubbed at his optics in exhaustion. It seemed he hadn’t recharged well, it was not a surprise considering his lackluster ration and poor shelter.

“You had us all really worried Prime” Hound sighed, the tension that had been building during his argument with Ironhide leaving his shoulders. Optimus gave a small smile to his group and dropped the body of the Cyber-deer to the floor.

“I did not leave without reason Ironhide” Optimus reported as he knelt and allowed his in-built blade to extend.

*Optimus? What are you doing?* Bumblebee inquired somewhat nervously as Optimus cleanly cut off one of the Cyber-deer’s legs and tossed it to Ironhide unceremoniously.

“Drink, you need it” Was all Optimus said as he went about cutting up the rest of the Cyber-deer for the others.

“Prime you can’t be serious! Drinking the energon on another lifeform…” Ironhide trailed off as he held the limb which was practically weeping energon. His hunger was obvious, but he was far too sophisticated of a mech to drink anything not taken from Cybertron itself. Hound looked slightly less hesitant but still in agreement with Ironhide’s assessment. Optimus sighed and handed Bumblebee a large portion of the Cyber-deer’s torso.

“Drink or starve, it’s your choice. But be warned, another chance like this may not come for quite some time” Optimus stressed as he gave both Ironhide and Prowl a withering glare. They couldn’t afford to be picky when no other options were available.

“I… I understand” Hound stammered as he lifted his portion of the Cyber-deer towards his mouth. He grimaced and bit into the creature’s corpse, doing his best to drain it as quickly as possible. Despite his best efforts, he still ended up making quite a mess and getting energon all over himself.

Ironhide looked ready to purge as he watched Hound struggle to drain his portion of the Cyber-deer. Optimus could understand his point of view, only ghouls and mechanimals drained energon from other organisms, and it was taboo for civilized mechs to even consider the concept. However, beggars can’t be choosers. If Ironhide wanted to survive the journey he would need to discard a few of his inhibitions.

A part of Optimus feared that his friend would be unable to push past his disgust and would endure until the bitter end. But thankfully after a moment of composing himself, the weapons specialist followed Hound’s lead, making an equally large mess.

*I, I don’t know how to…* Bumblebee started while holding his portion with shaky servos. Optimus gave a small smile and helped him sit and calm himself before speaking.

“Retract your battle mask” He ordered soothingly as he rubbed circles between Bumblebee’s door wings. His sparkling hesitated briefly but ultimately did as he was told, revealing the vast array of scars covering his mouth from Megatron’s ruthless attack. Optimus knew Bumblebee wasn’t comfortable going without his mask, but it was necessary for the task ahead.

“Examine the corpse for large cables and sink your denta into the easiest one to access” Optimus guided as he pointed out a particularly large set of exposed cabling on the Cyber-deer’s torso. Bumblebee looked at him nervously, but upon seeing Optimus’s calm and collected expression he brought his portion to his mouth and sunk his denta into the cabling Optimus revealed.

“Slowly tear the cabling and let the energon trickle into your mouth. But don’t do too much at once or you will lose energon unnecessarily” Optimus explained as he watched Bumblebee’s movements. It took a moment, and Optimus could tell his sparkling was trying hard not to jag as he followed his directions, but soon enough Optimus could see energon welling up around where Bumblebee’s denta were planted.

“I know it is difficult, but you are doing well little warrior” Optimus praised as Bumblebee, at last, relaxed and focused and savoring every last drop of energon.

His group had energon. So long as Optimus could find more prey over the remainder of their journey, everything would be alright. He could come up with a reasonable excuse explaining their fueled status when they got to safety. But until then all that mattered was that his group was alive, and under his care, hopefully, they would remain so.

“Until all are one” Optimus declared the ancient blessing before the few of his commanding officers that remained. After Optimus and his team departed, they would also leave Cybertron, spreading out amongst the stars in search of a way to repair their homeworld. There would be next to no contact with one another after embarking on their respective vessels, as such it could be centuries before they would meet again. That is if they met again at all.

“Primus be with you” Ultra Magnus, Prowl, Jazz, and the other officers saluted as Optimus turned to board the Ark. Jazz looked like he wanted to come along as well, but unfortunately energon supply aboard the Ark simply did not allow for it. Optimus already had a medic in Ratchet, a heavy hitter in Bulkhead, and a scout in Bumblebee. And while Bumblebee was old enough to go off on his own, Optimus didn't think he could bear the thought of being so far from his sparkling.

While it hurt him to part with his officers, especially after going through so much together, Optimus could not afford to bring anyone else with him. And so with one final regretful glance and a smile, Optimus boarded the Ark and allowed the doors to close behind him.

“Buckle down and prepare for launch” Optimus ordered, trying his best to maintain his stoic persona as he passed by his three waiting companions. They nodded and moved to strap themselves down into their seats as Optimus took up his place in the captain's chair. Briefly, Optimus allowed himself to feel relief that his best friend and his sparkling were the ones coming with him on the journey before settling in and preparing himself as the Ark shook and its engines came online.

“Launch at 10… 9… 8…” Teletraan 1 rattled off as the Ark rumbled to life and the shuttle bay covers retracted leaving the starry sky visible. It looked cold to Optimus, so very cold and lonely.

“7… 6… 5…” The countdown continued and Optimus took one last deep vent before looking back at his companions. Bumblebee looked nervous but determined, Ratchet seemed to be trying hard to not think about the situation too hard, and Bulkhead just seemed concerned about the launch. Optimus gave them all a small smile from over the edge of his seat and turned his gaze back toward the emptiness of space awaiting them.

“4… 3… 2…” The Ark screeched as the clamps holding it in place lifted, allowing the Ark to hover in place momentarily. Before he ran out of time Optimus sent one last message over the comm link to his commanding officers and friends waiting outside.

“Stay safe my friends, may Primus guide your path” He muttered over the link before the roaring of the engine became near deafening.

“1… 0” The last few seconds ticked off the timer and Optimus shuttered his optics as the Ark surged into action, sending them careening off Cybertron and into the vastness of space. He was forced back into his seat as they were sent hurtling out of Cybertron’s atmosphere, but he refused to unshutter his optics until the ship stabilized and the space bridge appeared in the distance.

“Well, that was something” Bulkhead remarked, his relief evident in his tone. He had never been fond of ships or being off the ground in general due to his size.

“If you thought that was bad, just wait until we get to the space bridge” Ratchet snarked halfheartedly. Optimus frowned at the tone, he knew that leaving their home was especially hard on the medic.

“Hold up, we have a space bridge? And we have to go through it?” Bulkhead whirled around in surprise, looking at Ratchet like scraplets had started crawling out from beneath his plating.

*It was kept secret and built a ways off world so the Decepticons wouldn’t find out about it and sabotage our efforts* Bumblebee explained from his place opposite Bulkhead. The wrecker sat in silence for a moment before turning to Bumblebee questioningly.

“If it was secret, how would you and Ratchet know about it?” It was an innocent question, but one that earned Bulkhead two disappointed stares. It took a moment but the wrecker caught on.

“Ah right. You two are close with Prime” The ship fell into a tense silence, no bot daring to say anything else as the gravity of their situation weighed on them.

“We are approaching the space bridge, brace yourselves” Optimus broke the silence with his warning as the space bridge came into view. Already he could see it begin to whirl to life, the green and blue hues of the waking device visible even from a distance.

“We aren’t going to be torn to pieces or anything, right?” Bulkhead asked as he fidgeted nervously in his seat. Normally Optimus would feel obliged to comfort him, but he couldn’t bring himself to even look at his companions for too long lest he lose his composure. He had to be strong, he couldn’t afford to appear weak to his team, not when things were so dire.

“As long as the bridge is at full functionality, the likelihood of being shredded is around 3.44%” Ratchet deadpanned, completely uncaring of Bulkhead’s nervousness. Silence once again consumed the ship as Optimus steered the Ark towards the swirling vortex generated within the space bridge. He could hear Bulkhead's cooling systems kick on as his anxiety consumed him but other than that no bot moved or spoke as the Ark entered the bridge.

The Ark shook violently as they were sent hurtling through the tear in space. Optimus held onto his armrests for dear life and couldn’t do anything else except wait for it to be over. Bulkhead whimpered quietly as he too gripped onto his chair as though it would save him should the ship be destroyed. Ratchet opted to lean back, shutter his optics, and grit his denta as the ship continued to creak and shudder. Bumblebee looked downright terrified but was doing well keeping himself calm. Optimus kept his optics trained on the space in front of them, praying to Primus that nothing would happen and that everything would work out.

Finally, after an agonizingly long moment, the Ark came to a stop. The navigation systems alerted Optimus to the fact that they were on the edge of Cybertronian space, far from their homeworld but not nearly close enough to their target. He sighed, knowing that he was going to have to make a decision that no bot on board was going to like as he maneuvered the Ark out of the rapidly closing ground bridge.

“Phew! I am glad that’s over!” Bulkhead exclaimed as he released his iron grip on his chair and moved to begin unstrapping himself. Optimus’s two other companions looked equally relieved but said nothing as they followed Bulkhead’s lead. Optimus however did not move from his place and determinedly continued managing the course of the Ark, refusing to look up from his console until he had a moment to ready himself.

*Hey Optimus, what are you…?* Bumblebee began before trailing off as he watched Optimus input a command into the Ark’s systems, causing several pods lining the side of the ark to begin coming online.

“We are still far from our target world and we do not have the supplies necessary to complete the journey as we are” After inputting another set of commands which caused the pods to open, Optimus stood and faced his companions.

“In order to ensure we survive and make it to the planet safely, you three will be put into stasis while I guide the Ark” Optimus shuttered his optics and took another deep vent as the information sunk into his companions' helms.

“Optimus you can’t be serious! You would be left alone for a vorn at minimum and centuries at max! Even if you put us into stasis our rations would still only last you a vorn and a half!” Ratchet retorted in concern. They both knew this had to be done, but it didn’t stop the medic from worrying.

“Prime, are you sure you can do this? Not even most wreckers can go so long by themselves” Bulkhead added with a troubled expression. The wrecker had a kind spark, Optimus was grateful for his concern but merely nodded in response.

*That’s so long! Optimus, you could go mad!* Bumblebee added, his door wings twitching in distress. Optimus gave a small sad smile and pulled Bumblebee in for a brief hug to calm him.

“I will survive, little warrior. I always have, and so long as I have you to protect, I always will” Gently touching his helm to Bumblebee’s, Optimus savored the moment. It would be many long orbital cycles before he would feel his sparkling’s warmth again.

“Now go, get into the pod, and let me fulfill my duty” Placing a gentle kiss on his sparkling’s helm he ushered him toward the nearest pod. Ratchet met his gaze for a moment, seemingly torn.

“Optimus, please, let me do it instead. I have more experience than you when it comes to handling starvation” Ratchet pleaded, his optics shaky as he reached out and gently grabbed Optimus’s servo. It was comforting to feel the presence of his old friend. Optimus stored the memory in his long-term databanks. He had a feeling it would help get him through some of the more difficult days ahead.

“While you may handle starvation better, you know that I am the best suited to handle long-term isolation” Optimus held Ratchet’s servo and gave it a light squeeze.

“But…” Ratchet began before trailing off. Optimus pulled him in for a light hug and held him for a moment as his friend seemed to go through all five stages of grief at once.

“I would not see you lose your mind when I can endure in your stead” Releasing his hold, Optimus watched Ratchet step into the pod next to Bumblebee who was fidgeting nervously.

“I trust you Prime, but you are positively sure you can do this? I have some training in long-term space travel and I coul-” Optimus raised a servo to stop Bulkhead from continuing.

“By Primus’s grace and the Matrix’s guidance I will endure” Silenced, Bulkhead nodded and gave a salute before entering his own pod. Optimus then checked each of their pods, ensuring the systems were functional and that they would be kept in stasis without any long-term side effects. One by one he checked their straps and ensured that everything was hooked up correctly. After a few minutes of solemn silence, Optimus returned to the console and activated their pods.

“Rest assured, I will be here when you wake” Optimus soothed as the pods closed and the occupants swiftly fell into stasis, their bodies locked in a timeless slumber. Optimus stood watching for a long moment, he rationalized that it was to make sure that the process went smoothly but internally he knew it was because he wasn’t ready to face the reality.

However, after taking yet another deep vent to collect himself, Optimus turned and sat in the captain’s chair, observing the emptiness of space while he steeled himself. He would endure, and he would get his people to the planet earth safely. And when all was said and done, they would be reunited.

“I shall endure” Optimus chanted to himself a few times before taking control of the Ark again. He sighed and began the process of shutting down all non-essential systems. If the Decepticons attacked he would be defenseless, but he couldn’t afford to have battle protocols running in his subsystems all the time if he intended to survive this journey without falling into stasis himself.

He checked the navigation systems and leaned back in his chair, allowing the Autopilot to guide the ship for the most part. It was going to be a long ride.

—----

The first few months alone were tolerable. He had spent longer times alone on missions before. Rations were well within acceptable parameters and he was careful to only consume enough to keep himself online and capable of moving himself enough to guide the ship.

The hunger hurt, but it was better that he trained his frame to withstand starvation early rather than suffer through it when his rations were at critical levels. He could already feel the beginnings of first-degree energon deficiency settling in. He felt weak, tired, lethargic, and most noticeably irritable. He nearly ended up slamming his fist down on the console in rage after the Ark ended up getting grazed by a stray asteroid.

Thankfully the only damage sustained was to the paint job of the Ark and not to the ship itself. However, that did not make him any less irritable and he found himself talking to Teletraan 1 more than he would have preferred. The Ark’s AI, while highly capable, was not sentient. It began repeating the same things over and over again after a while. This led Optimus to instead devote his time to reading through the Autobot database to pass the time.

It was lonely by himself on the Ark, but he would endure.

—----

Three years into his isolation, Optimus took it upon himself to begin keeping a log. With nothing better to do and not having nearly enough energy to exercise or even move from his chair for anything other than energon, it seemed like the best way to keep his mind active. By that point, he had already read through the Autobot database enough times to have memorized half of it and know nearly every soldier in their ranks by ID number alone. As such, it felt good to have something slightly more interactive to do.

He took to cataloging his daily life and writing down the changes to his frame and mental state. If nothing else perhaps his writing would add to their medical knowledge should he end up failing to survive the journey. Knowing the effects of extreme energon deficiency and long-term isolation together would be rather informative.

So far his plating had begun to thin, he could already see his internal systems begin to become prominent through his more flexible plating. It was somewhat disturbing to watch his body cannibalize itself but he had yet to experience anything that could harm his frame permanently. Given enough time and energon, his frame would bulk up again and all would be well.

Optimus tried hard not to look at the stasis pods too often, it usually only made his day infinitely worse. He hated being reminded of the fact that he was so alone and yet had his loved ones so close. All it would take was a push of a button and they would wake, but Optimus restrained himself from considering that possibility lest he give in to his desires.

—----

A decade into his isolation, Optimus was fairly certain he had cataloged nearly everything that could be cataloged. He had rewritten the entire Autobot database and meticulously organized it to be easier to find relevant data. He had even added his own comments to every section in order to quash his boredom. He was sure that some bot would find it entertaining in the future if they ever came across his edited version of the database. Prowl would be both proud of his work and appalled.

“Yes, Prowl would find this humorous wouldn’t he” Optimus’s long unused vocalizer ached with only a single sentence. He rubbed at his neck in disappointment, he knew he should have been trying harder to keep his body in good condition but he simply couldn’t afford to do anything that required energy unnecessarily. His dietary plan ensured that his rations would last him at least two vorns, but that didn’t stop him from being stingy about what he allowed and didn’t allow himself to do.

His frame had long since shown signs of second-degree energon deficiency and begun to cannibalize itself even more than before. His armor had been eaten away to the point where he only had some thin remnants covering his vitals. His plating had also lost most of its color, leaving him a dull gray with only the blue of the energon running through him to differentiate himself from the deceased. His cabling had gone through atrophy as well, granting him greater dexterity and speed at the cost of strength. All in all, he had begun to look emaciated, a bit like a metal beam if he had to make a comparison.

He prayed it would be over soon. It was maddening to be so alone for so long.

—----

Half a vorn into his isolation Optimus had been forced to leave the ship temporarily to extract resources needed to fuel the Ark from an uninhabited world. It was the most exciting thing he had done since the beginning of his voyage and he was ecstatic. The lethargy that came with his starved state had faded long ago, instead leaving him constantly in a state of hyper-awareness. He knew that nearly anything could send him into a frenzy by that point, so he made it his mission to take the opportunity to get a grip on his deteriorating mental state and enjoy his time off the ship for as long as he could.

He spent nearly a week reveling in the glory that was anywhere outside the Ark. He only needed a few days to refuel the ship but he took an extra few to unwind and release some of his pent-up stress. Despite knowing he needed to conserve energon, Optimus let himself run wild for a little bit. He explored and feverishly cataloged the planet he had stopped at until he once again felt mentally stable enough to return to the Ark.

He took a few geological samples back with him when he returned in order to give himself something new to look at for a while.

After that, whenever Optimus felt his more feral nature begin to resurface he would make a stop at the nearest uninhabited world or asteroid to give himself a chance to vent. He could still sense his mental state deteriorating but at least the process was slowed. He made sure to document everything that occurred, Ratchet might like to read his documentation later.

—----

A vorn into his isolation Optimus could no longer afford to do anything but sit in his chair and do menial tasks. He had ended up moving all the remaining energon rations to right next to his chair in order to conserve his strength. Most of the time he spent was in recharge, a dangerous decision on his part considering the possible threats, but one he needed to make. His frame had deteriorated as much as it could while still remaining functional. He was sure he looked terrifying to any healthy Cybertronian.

His protoform was completely exposed and much weaker than it would normally be due to his third-degree energon deficiency. He had no armor so to speak, and his internal systems were pressed up so close against his surface-level protoform that he could almost touch his own T-cog. His face plates had gone through a similar thinning, allowing far more of the internal parts of his optics to become visible and making him look totally feral.

The darker part of his mind found it intriguing to see the changes to his own frame when he compared his current notes to his older ones from the beginning of the voyage. He had stopped feeling hunger long ago, for a normal mech this would mean they would devolve into an animalistic state, hunting for any and all sources of energon, no matter the source. But for Optimus, the Matrix refused to allow such behavior. And so instead he was left teetering on the edge of feralness, hyper-aware and highly protective, his emotions towards everything not related to the welfare of himself or his stasis-locked comrades suppressed and put aside.

This left him feeling cold, logical, and contemplative when he wasn’t checking on the status of his comrades or allowing himself a part of his meager rations. He didn’t have the physical or emotional energy to feel lonely anymore, instead, he only felt a sense of duty. He reckoned it was the Matrix helping him adapt, amping up his Prime programming to keep him focused and sane. He appreciated it.

It was rather odd, but when he recharged he also had an easier time connecting to the memories within the Matrix than ever before. It was exciting, new, and something he began to greatly look forward to. While he was sure it wasn’t the best thing for his mental health to constantly bury himself within the memories of his deceased predecessors, it gave him a sense of peace. Not only that, but despite the horrors of some of the memories, they were of home, of Cybertron.

He missed it.

—----

“Finally” Optimus grumbled as the navigation systems alerted him to their close proximity to the planet they had targeted. Earth was its name. Cybertron had little to no information on it, but what was known was that a group of Autobots stationed there disappeared without a trace. Odd, but not improbable considering the planet was of organic origin.

It had been far too long, nearly a vorn and a half. He was beginning to worry about his energon supplies which were quickly becoming scarce. Thankfully he wouldn't have to worry for long, once they landed on planet Earth the Ark would be taken apart and salvaged for energon before being used to construct a base of operations.

Once they got to Earth… he could wake his comrades again. He wouldn’t be alone.

“What a strange feeling” Optimus mused as he maneuvered the Ark to head directly toward their target planet. The Matrix had made him completely apathetic to everything except his mission after a while in an attempt to maintain his sanity. It worked well for the most part. But he was nearly certain that the moment his comrades woke from their slumber he would break down, the stress of his long isolation finally taking its toll. He hoped he wouldn’t make a fool of himself. He wanted to preserve some of his dignity if possible. A Prime couldn’t afford to look weak, not to anyone or anything.

Smiling slightly and bearing his significantly sharper denta, Optimus activated the Ark’s distortion field. It was a one-time use item and it would deplete most of the remaining power in the Ark, but it would be worth it to avoid detection from both the enemy and potential natives. They were so close to the goal that Optimus could almost taste it.

“Soon, very soon” He muttered as he activated the landing protocols within the Ark and began the process of deactivating the stasis lock on his comrades. He could feel the beginnings of giddiness bubbling up inside of him, threatening to escape and send him hurtling into a mad fit of laughter. He refrained from indulging, it wouldn’t be long now before he could finally rest and break from his long vigil.

“Landing sequences activated” Teletraan 1 alerted as they began entering the planet’s atmosphere. Optimus took the moment to admire the planet’s beauty. It was nothing like Cybertron, it did not glow with the light of Primus, nor did it emit the comforting waves that were commonplace for his homeworld. But the planet shone in a different way. Its liquid seas glittered a marvelous blue and its landmasses were so colorful, so full of life.

Organic life was everywhere, and even from a distance, he could see the beginnings of a potentially great race’s civilization. The planet was inhabited, it was alive and serving as a cradle for a newborn race just barely taking their first few steps toward advancement and the stars. It was… inspiring and made an emotion well up within Optimus’s spark that had been absent for a long time.

He felt hopeful. His world was effectively dead, his people were on a long road toward extinction, and because of their war, they could very well meet their end as a race. But these people, this planet’s population, they were so young, so innocent in comparison. Not even having yet breached their own solar system they were little more than sparklings. Briefly, Optimus wondered if the infant race upon the planet would end up on a different path, one free of war and strife like his own had endured. Perhaps with the guidance of an elder race, they would escape the fate his own people faced.

He couldn’t help but hope that if his own people were to be doomed, then maybe he could help prevent this youngling race from meeting the same end.

“Teletraan 1, land on the leftmost landmass” Optimus ordered after pulling up a world map from the planet’s infantile world wide web. It was far different than Cybertron’s, being simultaneously easier to work and far more complex than what he was used to.

“Land on continent ‘North America’ confirm?” Teletraan 1 questioned, the foreign word taking a moment for Optimus to process. He confirmed the command and lay back in his chair, he couldn’t help but feel exhausted as the ship began diving into the ‘North American’ hemisphere. A whole world, a whole new people, a brand new culture. So much to know, so much to learn, Optimus could hardly wait.

“Estimated time until landing: 1 hour and 23 minutes” Teletraan 1 informed him. Optimus only hummed in understanding as he braced for entry into the atmosphere. He was forced back in his chair as the ship careened through the air, pulled in close by the planet’s gravity. He gritted his denta and shuttered his optics as the ship heated up around him, the Ark burning up slightly during entry. While he was confident he still sent a quiet prayer to Primus for the ship to survive and not tear itself apart.

He remained like that for nearly twenty-odd minutes before the ship stabilized and began scouting for an empty area to land, preferably somewhere with sufficient cover if the size of the world’s inhabitants were any indication. They likely wouldn’t take to Cybertronians very well if they were so small and had never interacted with lifeforms of other worlds.

After about an hour the Ark found a nice secluded area in the middle of an open clearing in what the map dictated was ‘Alaska’. Supposedly very few of the native race titled ‘humans’ lived in the area. It wouldn’t be good for a permanent base of operations but it would do for the time being. Optimus vented softly as the ship touched down and the distortion field fell. There would be no leaving Earth now.

“It is time” Optimus nearly whispered as he forced his exhausted frame to function. With a shaky servo, he inputted a set of commands into the console that he had been waiting a long, long time to enter.

“By the Allspark!” Ratchet coughed as he tumbled out of his stasis pod. Optimus looked through the security cameras scattered around the ship as Bumblebee and Bulkhead also pulled themselves out of their pods and joined Ratchet on the ground reawakening their systems. Optimus was too weak to even attempt standing after so long, but he refused to move his optics even an inch away from the console showing his comrades behind him.

*Optimus?* Bumblebee’s binary speech reached Optimus’s audio receptors and he couldn’t stop the coolant from trickling down his faceplates. All the emotions he had left buried to maintain his sanity came rushing back to him all at once. Gently he reached out to the console and touched the screen showing his precious little sparkling.

How had he gone so long without him? How long had it been since he last heard his youngling’s voice?

“Prime, are you here?” Bulkhead looked around in concern before his gaze settled on Optimus’ chair.

“Oh no, please Primus no” Ratchet surged forward, likely fearing the worst. Before Optimus knew it the medic appeared at his side, his optics wide with shock and his plating shaking as he took in Optimus’s condition.

“It has been a while old friend” Optimus choked out with his disused vocalizer as he met his friend’s gaze.

“Oh, Optimus…” Ratchet murmured, completely and totally shell-shocked by what he was seeing. Optimus couldn’t blame him, he knew what he looked like.

“It’s going to be alright now, we are here, you are not alone anymore” Ratchet soothed, almost as though he could hear Optimus’s thoughts as he carefully pulled him up and helped him to stand. The medic likely wanted to carry him, but Optimus was simply too large, even with most of his previous bulk having been eliminated.

*Optimus! What in Primus’s name happened to you!?* Bumblebee cried out as he got a good look at Optimus’s frame as well. Optimus did not even have time to reply before his sparkling’s servo pressed up against his cheek and brushed away a trail of coolant. Optimus broke into quiet sobs as he took in the sight of his sparkling’s face and relished in the feel of his familiar field. His spark ached and cried out in joy at their reunion and thankfully Optimus only had the energy to cry or else he was certain he would have been a babbling mess.

*I’m so sorry, I am so so sorry Optimus” Bumblebee lamented. Optimus wanted to tell him it wasn’t his fault, that it would never be his fault, but he only cried harder. Distantly Optimus could hear and feel Bulkhead hurry over and assist in lifting him but he could only focus on the presence of those around him.

Too long. It had been far too long.

“We are going to sort everything out Prime, you just rest now, we’ve got this covered” Bulkhead reassured him as Optimus felt the taxation of his actions catch up to him. As much as he wanted to sob and hold his companions close and never let them go again, he couldn’t stop the lull of recharge from pulling him in. He was exhausted, starved, and emotionally taxed. But he had a feeling that things were going to be alright. They were safe, his family was safe, and he could rest now.

“Hush now Optimus, we will be here when you wake” It was all Optimus needed to hear before he allowed himself to fall into recharge, a small smile on his face.

“Hey Optimus, can we get a ride home? I know you bots are busy, but it’s getting kind of late” Jack inquired as he held up his phone to emphasize the time. Optimus unshuttered his optics with no small amount of effort and slowly began the process of onlining his non-essential systems which he had previously shut off to conserve energon. While he wasn’t particularly fond of being left near defenseless and senseless when in his low-powered state, there was little other option considering the circumstances.

“No, we cannot take you home” Ratchet snapped from his place at the main console. The medic was one of the few bots operating at acceptable levels, but despite that, he still looked exhausted. With Bulkhead and Ultra Magnus stuck in low power mode alongside Optimus, and Ratchet too focused on operating the ground bridge, they couldn’t do anything to help the children. And Arcee, Smokescreen, and Bumblebee couldn’t help either with their mission of finding energon having far more priority.

“Excuse me? How are we supposed to get back without you guys?” Miko flung her arms in the air with an aggravated expression and no small amount of snark. Jack looked ready to reprimand her and Rafael appeared to want to not be involved with Ratchet’s mood being so foul.

“Agent Fowler has a means of transportation doesn’t he?” Ratchet nearly snarled as an error popped up on his console, prompting him to swear and furiously begin typing again to deal with the issue. Optimus couldn’t find it in himself to bother reprimanding his old friend, things had been tight, far more than ever before. Their energon had been exhausted nearly a week ago, they were all running on fumes and what little reserves their frames still had.

“Yeah we could go with him, but we would have to wait HOURS Ratchet!” Miko shouted back, completely unaware of, or choosing to ignore Ratchet’s erratic mood in favor of making her point. As Optimus reset his vocalizer he could see Ratchet’s plating flare in open hostility, the medic wasn’t thinking straight with how much stress was placed on him.

“We do not have the resources to accommodate doing anything unnecessary, as such I ask that you forgive Ratchet’s behavior” Optimus interrupted before the verbal conflict could turn into an attempted murder. The children looked at him with startled expressions, and Optimus could understand why. It wasn’t too obvious when one looked at him from a distance, but as he stood and made his way toward the children’s platform, his weakened state became clear.

“Optimus, what happened to you?” Rafael finally spoke up, breaking the stifling silence. Optimus met the children’s horrified gazes with a solemn one of his own. He knew what he looked like, with his armor thinning and receding, exposing his protoform, and leaving his frame gaunt and emaciated. His health had deteriorated far quicker than the rest of the team due to his previous experience handling a vorn and a half of starvation. The Forge of Solus Prime did upgrade him, but it did not change the way his frame had been trained to work when without energon.

On one hand, his changed coding did make adaptation easier, it only took around two weeks for his frame to revert back to what he looked like about a vorn into his isolation on the Ark. But on the other hand, it also frightened his team and the human children with how rapidly he returned to his near-feral state of frame.

He had done well keeping his frame somewhat normal looking over the past few months, but in order to extend the time before they ran out of energon completely, Optimus had bled his reserves dry, leaving only enough to keep functioning. This in turn meant that when they exhausted their resources, he could no longer maintain his noble appearance and had to allow his frame to revert in order to survive. It was already startling enough for his loved ones to watch him change so rapidly, and it didn’t help that as his frame ate away at itself, his more wild traits became prominent without copious amounts of armor to hide behind.

“Sacrifices had to be made if we were to survive. If we are to continue to survive” Optimus explained, too tired to go into detail and ashamed to have the human children see him in such a state. It was one thing to appear so weak when he was alone on the Ark, but surrounded by others it was merely a grim reminder of the fate that the rest of his team would soon face if they did not receive energon soon. He was supposed to be a beacon, a symbol. His battered frame did nothing to raise the spirits of those around him, it only served to drive home how dire their situation was.

“You mean you have been starving!?” Rafael exclaimed, catching onto the meaning behind Optimus’s words. Miko suddenly looked like she had just been dunked in a bucket of cold water, Optimus could see guilt overwhelm her as she realized the harm that came with her ignorant words. Jack looked equally appalled as the harsh truth of their reality dawned on him.

“Yes, Rafael. Our rations have always been lackluster, but without any new sources of energon and our stores completely depleted we have been living off our inbuilt reserves. But even with our reserves, we will not last much longer” Optimus admitted quietly. He saw no point in hiding the truth, not when death loomed around the corner. Ratchet looked at him with despairing optics as he finished speaking, they both knew the truth, but it didn’t help at all to hear Optimus say it out loud. If it were possible for the children to look even more shocked, then they certainly met the mark. Although they mostly looked sick and upset with themselves.

However, before the children could ask any more questions, Optimus felt his systems heave, the effort of moving taking its toll. His empty tanks churned and pain wracked his frame as Optimus strumbled, unable to maintain his balance. Ratchet rushed forward and caught him before he could fall, but his optics flickered and his sensory systems sputtered, causing his vision to be distorted as Ratchet led him back to his previous place against the wall. He sighed in relief as Ratchet propped him up against the wall, taking a moment to squeeze his servo comfortingly.

“Rest now Optimus, conserve your strength and leave the rest to me. I will wake you when the others return, hopefully with good news” Barely able to keep his optics online, Optimus met Ratchet’s gaze with his tired one and gave a small grim smile in thanks. As he slipped back into partial stasis he could hear Miko crying and Rafael and Jack trying their best to comfort her. Guilt plagued his processors as he slowed his systems, he hated causing others grief.

—----

“What are we supposed to do now? Bulkhead, Ultra Magnus, and Optimus are already…” Optimus came back to awareness slowly as Arcee’s voice reached his audio receptors.

“If we can’t find anything soon, then they will die Arcee, and we will follow soon after” Ratchet’s despairing tone cut through the garbled mess of his sensory systems as he once again began the process of returning to full functionality.

*This can’t be it! There must be something we can do!* Bumblebee cried out in his binary speech. Through blurry optics Optimus could see his sparkling pleading with Ratchet, hoping for some miracle every bot knew was not to come. Primus’s grace had long since left them, his blessings no longer given freely. It was foolish to rely on their god when he was in stasis because of their actions. Still, Optimus wouldn’t deny that deep down he wanted to hope that Primus would answer their prayers and help them in their time of need.

“All options have been exhausted, Bumblebee. I have asked Agent Fowler and the human government for aid, but it is unlikely that they will deliver in time to save us, if they deliver at all” Ratchet looked so defeated, so broken. Optimus couldn’t help but wonder, how did it come to this? How did they fall so far?

“Is there nothing left?” Smokescreen inquired, his tone just as hopeless as Ratchets. His blue plating looked dim, almost frail. Optimus wished he could do something for himself and the others, anything at all. The youngling did not deserve to know the pain of starvation, it was a burden that should be reserved for adults alone.

“No, we have nothing left. At this point all we can do is wait for either death or salvation” Ratchet finished, leaving no room for argument. Arcee, Bumblebee, and Smokescreen looked distraught, Optimus wished for nothing more than to be able to tell them that everything was going to be alright and that they would endure. But deep in his spark, he knew that to tell them that would likely be a lie. Unless he or the others could find energon in the next day or so, Ultra Magnus and Bulkhead were likely to either die or fall into stasis, an event that they might or might not ever wake from.

“Keep faith, we will endure” Optimus rumbled as he once again stood, forcing his exhausted frame to function. His four active companions whipped around to face him in surprise.

“Optimus please, you need to rest” Ratchet pleaded, but Optimus ignored his council and instead made his way toward the ground bridge.

“I will find the energon we need, all I ask is that you remain strong until I return,” Optimus declared. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he refused to sit around and wait hopelessly. If he was going to die anyway, he saw no harm in at least trying to find energon. At least that way his team wouldn’t have to watch him offline.

“Optimus you aren’t thinking straight, we just went scouting, there isn’t anything out there” Arcee tried to deter him, Optimus appreciated the attempt but he was determined.

“I will not wait for the Allspark to claim me while my people starve. As long as I still function, I will not stand idly by” He met the grim and concerned gazes of each of his functional teammates with stoic resolve. He would not back down, and they knew it.

“Where do you want to go?” Smokescreen questioned, his posture indicating understanding. Optimus’s optics cycled in on the youngling in pride, he had grown much during his time with them. It had been difficult for Smokescreen to adjust to their circumstances and integrate into the team, but he had turned into a fine warrior. One which Optimus would gladly fight beside.

“Sector 34, Decepticon mine” Optimus answered after a moment of silence. Ratchet and Arcee looked like they wanted to protest but Bumblebee and Smokescreen quickly silenced them by moving to facilitate his desire. Smokescreen hurriedly began punching the coordinates into the ground bridge controls while Bumblebee manned the switch to shut down the ground bridge after Optimus had arrived at his destination.

*Good luck* Bumblebee saluted as the ground bridge whirled to life. Optimus nodded and made his way towards the ground bridge hunched over to maintain his balance. Despite not wanting to appear weak, he didn’t trust his atrophied cables to hold his full weight.

“Come back to us alive Sir” Smokescreen saluted as well before Optimus entered the glowing vortex.

—----

As Optimus stepped out of the closing ground bridge, he took a moment to adjust to his environment. The earth’s moon was high in the sky and the forest surrounding Optimus was pitch black, with no sign of human civilization anywhere nearby. His optics cycled wide in order to take in more light, and he found himself falling into the position needed to stalk before he even realized it. He momentarily considered returning to his more regal posture but discarded the thought after finding it far easier to move with his weight distributed more evenly along his frame.

Old hunting protocols started to come online without his consent as the sounds of the local wildlife reached his audio receptors. He felt his finals twitch and his senses heighten as he picked up the faint scent of energon. The mine was far closer than he thought.

After taking a moment to silence all comm links, Optimus began making his way toward where he knew the old mine was located. All the resources within the mine had been extracted long ago, but Optimus’s half-baked plan determined that he would check it anyway to see if even a few slivers remained. It brought him no end of humiliation as he caught sight of the mine and realized how ridiculous his plan was. Going to a mine that the Decepticons cleared just to search for a minuscule amount of energon that wouldn’t even make up for the amount he used just to get to the mine was pure foolishness. Despite that, it was the only lifeline he had. Even if it meant he had to dig through rubble and dirt like a mech-animal, he would do whatever it took to ensure his team’s survival.

“Primus give me strength” Optimus muttered to himself as he started to scale the walls leading down into the mine. All around he could see empty energon cubes, abandoned equipment, and even the odd Vehicon corpse. It was… unsettling. But as Optimus reached the mine floor he steeled himself and continued onward.

The scent of energon was faint and stale, too old to be from anything recent. However, Optimus disregarded this and followed whatever scent trails he could find to see if there was anything left. He dug around in the dirt for some time to no avail and was beginning to consider returning despite being empty-handed when suddenly the sound of a ground bridge reached his audio receptors. Not wanting to risk engaging the enemy, Optimus sunk into the shadows deeper in the mine and watched.

“F-47, why do we need to patrol this area again?” One Vehicon complained to his partner. Optimus trained his sight on the two Vehicons and watched for reinforcements. Thankfully there were none and the ground bridge closed swiftly after the pair of Vehicons stepped through it.

“Resources are scarce and Megatron wants to do reassessments of old mines to make sure we haven’t missed anything” The other Vehicon explained to the one designated F-47, sighing as he did so and muttering something about responsibility and paying attention to orders. Optimus wasn’t paying all that much attention to their words, instead, he was focused on one thing, the scent of energon. His wild coding screamed at him, telling him that there was prey right in front of his optics.

Optimus felt his jaw loosen and his frame subtly shift to accommodate the swiftness needed for a hunt. His tanks churned in hunger and he could feel his digits flex, eager to tear into the sensitive protoform of prey. The Matrix sat stone cold in his chassis, completely silent but neither punishing him nor supporting his actions. Optimus acknowledged the Matrix’s input and remained hidden, watching as the two Vehicons began their scans.

He needed energon, his team needed energon. There was none at the mine and no deposits anywhere in Autobot-controlled territory. If nothing changed, if Optimus did not make a move and take the opportunity presented to him, then his family would die. His conscience screamed at him, telling him that what he was considering was wrong, cruel, and immoral. But as Optimus continued to watch, feeling each second elapse and his window of opportunity closing, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

The Matrix sent a suppressing wave through his frame, shoving all of his inhibitions aside upon feeling his certainty. Optimus briefly felt a degree of gratefulness as he was sure that without the Matrix’s aid he would be unable to deal the final blow. However as another moment passed and his coding realigned to allow his wild traits to take over, nothing mattered to Optimus except the hunt.

“Do you feel… watched R-98?” F-47 warily asked his partner as Optimus began to creep out of his hiding place, taking care to remain in the darkest parts of the mine.

“Yeah, a little bit. But it’s probably just a sensory glitch due to just getting out of stasis” R-98 rationalized before a shudder encompassed his whole frame. Optimus’s optics cycled in on R-98 as the Vehicon turned his back to him. He emitted a low growl as he drew closer, the Vehicon was unsuspecting, such prey was always easier to catch.

“Didn’t you hear that? Something is watching us R-98!” F-47 started to panic, his plating flaring out and his gaze drifting frantically around the mine searching for a potential enemy. Unfortunately for the Vehicon, Optimus was no new hunter, he knew better than to be caught so easily. He simply slunk closer to the ground, keeping his optics trained on R-98 as he came increasingly closer to his prey.

“C-Calm down, it’s probably just one of those organic mammals. This mine has been unused for months now, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for something like a ‘bear’ to take up residence here” R-98 once again tried to rationalize, doing his best to calm his rapidly panicking companion. Optimus squinted and allowed a primal smile to spread across his face, how foolish the prey was. Domesticated prey never knew when they were in true danger, they were soft and easy to pick off.

“Please! Can we get out of here? It’s not like there is any energon left in this slagging mine anyway!” F-47 pleaded as he shook, taking steps away from the darker parts of the mine where Optimus lurked. The Vehicon’s partner continued to try and remain calm, attempting to soothe his frantic companion. Optimus could feel the remainder of his higher cognitive capability shut off as the scent of energon became intoxicating. Everything outside of his hunt and his need for fuel became irrelevant as Optimus readied himself, tightening his cabling in preparation.

Before the prey could even get one word out of its intake, Optimus leaped.

His prey screamed in terror and agony as Optimus dragged it to the ground and tore its plating off. Its protoform glistened delectably as energon welled up from where its plating had been torn away. Not thinking about anything besides the feast before him, Optimus sank his clawed digits down into the protoform and tore it, exposing the sweet and tender internal systems beneath. Distantly he could hear the other prey cry out, seemingly frozen in fear for a moment before fleeing the scene. Optimus paid it no mind, he would hunt the other prey down after he finished with the one trapped beneath his claws.

“STOP! PLEASE PRIMUS SAVE M-!” The prey shrieked as Optimus tore it apart, ripping out its insides and sucking as much of the energon from them as he could manage while still holding the struggling prey down. He didn't care if the prey still lived, he was starving, and the prey would die eventually. He dug into his prey without inhibition, slowly but surely working his way through its internals, expertly extracting the precious energon within.

Eventually, the prey stopped struggling, and its feeble attempts to fight back ceased. Somewhere at the back of his mind Optimus recognized that it had died, but he was too caught up in consuming as much of his prize as possible before the energon became too tainted to devour. After cleaning out the prey’s internals, Optimus began tearing into the rest of the prey’s frame, sucking out the remaining energon within its limbs and processing units. And finally, after his main and reserve tanks were bloated with the energon from his kill, Optimus came back to himself partially.

“I-I am so sorry” Optimus muttered as the horrible reality of his actions made its way through the fog of his mind. He made the conscious decision to kill, he knew what he planned to do, but he hadn't intended to make the poor Vehicon beneath him suffer. Not only that, but he had just gorged himself when his team was still back at base starving. Optimus felt another suppressing wave from the Matrix flow through his frame, dampening his guilt but still allowing him to feel just enough to put the ravaged Vehicon’s body in a somewhat respectable position.

After taking a moment to pray for the deceased Vehicon and cement the bot’s name into his memory, Optimus turned toward where the other Vehicon had fled. He had fed, but his team still needed fuel, and whether he liked it or not, the other Vehicon was the only available source of the energon they so desperately needed. One long vent later, Optimus grabbed a few discarded energon cubes and scaled the mine wall with the cubes in tow. He put the cubes down after reaching the top and focused on tracking down the other Vehicon. The terrified bot had left tire tracks leading deeper into the forest, a mistake on his part as the wilds were where Optimus felt most at home.

“Primus have mercy on my spark” Optimus prayed before breaking into a sprint. It was difficult to move as quickly as he would have liked with his tanks so full, but such a small thing would not allow a panicking Vehicon to escape him. It only took him a few moments to pick up on the Vehicon’s scent alongside his trail, the bot had veered into the densest part of the forest and had been forced to return to root mode. It made catching up to the Vehicon easier, but it did not ensure his hunt would be easy by any means. Stealth was no longer an option, the Vehicon knew he was coming, and the bot would fight denta and digit to survive.

“STAY BACK!” The Vehicon screeched from his huddled-up position at the base of a large boulder with his blasters raised as Optimus entered the small clearing. The moonlight glinted off Optimus's remaining armor and his energon-stained frame glowed eerily as he padded toward the Vehicon.

“STOP YOU MONSTER!” The Vehicon continued to scream in terror before he started to frantically shoot at Optimus. It was not hard to evade the Vehicon’s panicky shots but to put a quick end to the suffering the Vehicon was enduring, Optimus broke into a sprint and dragged the Vehicon to the ground before it could flee.

“NO NO NO! PLEASE NO!” F-47 sobbed as Optimus held him against the ground, making sure to keep his arms pinned down. The Vehicon’s visor was cracked and his plating was covered in scuffs and scratches from his desperate attempt to escape. Overwhelming guilt bubbled up in Optimus’s chassis as he gazed down upon the mech he was about to kill and drain. He shuttered his optics in order to keep what little composure he had left and leaned down to the F-47’s neck.

“Forgive me for what I must do” Optimus muttered to the Vehicon pinned beneath him before he sank his denta into F-47’s neck. He kept his optics shuttered so that he didn’t have to watch the life drain out of his victim as he clamped down harder on the Vehicon’s neck. He could feel the Vehicon struggling, gurgling, and desperately kicking in order to escape his hold. But Optimus only bit down on the mech's neck harder.

“PlEaSe, sTo…” The Vehicon choked out before he started to go still. Optimus kept up his grip on the Vehicon’s neck, allowing the mech to pass out from the lack of energon to the processor. Once the Vehicon stopped struggling, Optimus bit down deeper into the Vehicon’s neck, cutting off energon from his processor completely. This way the Vehicon would not be aware enough to feel the pain of death, instead, he would quietly slip into the Allspark. It was the least Optimus could do for the mech.

“Your name shall be engraved into my memory for as long as I function and the body you have left behind will sustain many sparks” Optimus promised the deceased Vehicon as he pulled away from his neck and checked for a spark signature, quickly finding none.

“May you find rest in Primus’s embrace, never to know pain or suffering again” Optimus began to recite the rights of the dead as he checked the body over, ensuring twice more that the Vehicon was deceased and would not suddenly come back to consciousness only to feel the agony of the energon being drained from him.

“I pray that your spark may be at peace, no longer weighed down by the woes of the living realm” Optimus continued as he picked up the Vehicon’s body and made his way back to where he had left the empty energon cubes.

“Until all are one” Optimus finished quietly as he lay the Vehicon’s body down on the ground next to the cubes after a short walk. The sun had begun to turn the sky into a glorious mix of orange, red, pink, and blue. Optimus watched in silence for a moment, enjoying the beauty of the world he and his team currently called home. The Matrix sent yet another suppressing wave through his frame as it felt Optimus’s emotional state take a turn for the worst. Optimus briefly sent the Matrix his gratitude as he once again turned to address his grim task.

He knew he would have to deal with the grief and guilt of his actions. But for the time being there were more important things for him to address. Optimus’s servos may be tainted with the energon of millions and his spark may be burdened with the sins of an entire race, but in his mind, it was better that he carry the burden than any of his Autobots. He was their Prime, for his people he would endure any pain, he would take upon himself every sin, and he would gladly commit a thousand wrongs if it meant survival for his people. Let them remain innocent, let them remain unaware, that was Optimus’s only desire.

“I will take upon the sins of every single one of my Autobots, I will do whatever it takes to ensure their survival, and I will put an end to this ancient war before I allow another of my Autobots to fall” Optimus muttered to himself as he held the body of the Vehicon over and open cube and carefully slit its throat. Energon gushed from the wound, falling like an endless river into the cube below. It took all of Optimus’s willpower and several more suppressing waves from the Matrix to keep his composure and not purge his tanks.

“They will never know what I have done for them” Optimus made his solemn oath as he filled each of the cubes one by one, eventually tearing the Vehicon’s body to pieces in order to get every last drop of energon from it. When he was finished he had three completely full energon cubes ready to be taken back to base.

“Ratchet, this is Optimus” As Optimus opened the comm link between himself and the base again he was immediately assaulted with worried questions and bots clambering for answers. Optimus sighed and waited for things to calm down before he continued.

“I require a ground bridge” Optimus declared through the link as he gazed upon the mangled Vehicon body and the three energon cubes.

“Understood, I am locking onto your coordinates” Ratchet replied before the link went quiet. Taking the opportunity, Optimus pushed the Vehicon’s body down into the mine, if one of his teammates came out to greet him, he did not want them to see the aftermath of his grisly work. He only had to wait a moment afterward for the ground bridge to appear in front of him.

Carefully picking up the cubes, Optimus stared at the open ground bridge for a moment, doing his best to come up with a believable lie, before finally stepping through.

—----

“Optimus, how?” Ratchet stammered slightly as Optimus entered the base, the ground bridge closing behind him. The medic’s gaze was firmly locked onto the three energon cubes in his arms, surprise causing Ratchet’s optics to cycle as wide as they could go. Bumblebee, Smokescreen, and Arcee looked equally surprised, but more so at the faint glow of energon staining his digits and a good portion of his upper body. Optimus did not meet any of their gazes and resolutely looked straight ahead, focusing on the Matrix to keep himself calm.

“The Decepticons were hiding some of their energon supplies in the mine, I gathered what I could before I was discovered by the enemy and forced to retreat” The lie hung heavy in his spark, but Optimus refused to tell them what he had actually done to acquire the energon in his arms. Ratchet looked at him in suspicion, Optimus was sure the rest of the team could see he was keeping something from them but they seemed to be ignoring it in light of the energon he brought back.

“There is no time to waste, give Ultra Magnus and Bulkhead the energon they need, and then the rest of you should refuel as well” Optimus handed one cube to every bot save Ratchet and watched quietly while they began injecting small doses of energon directly into Ultra Magnus’s and Bulkhead’s systems. Once the two low-powered mechs had reached sufficient fuel levels, the remainder of the team began portioning out what remained. Smokescreen tried to give Optimus a portion but he refused silently. The rookie looked confused but ultimately accepted Optimus’s refusal.

As Smokescreen walked away to give the portion to Ratchet instead, Optimus felt his tanks clench in guilt, he had consumed far more than he had given the team. He would have to go and empty his reserve tanks and add what he gathered to the energon stores later. He couldn’t stand to be fully fueled when his team was not.

“I know you aren’t telling the full truth, Optimus, but for now I won’t press” Ratchet quietly alerted Optimus as he side-eyed him with suspicion. If anyone were to notice something was off, it would be Ratchet. Optimus briefly considered telling his old friend the whole truth but he refrained, he didn’t need to know, none of them did. It would be better for them to remain ignorant and continue believing that their Prime had simply been blessed with good fortune.

“I don’t know what you did, but at the moment it doesn’t matter. Thank you, thank you for saving us” Ratchet smiled with true hope in his optics for the first time in months as he held his energon ration. Seeing his cynical old friend gaze at him with such hope, Optimus allowed himself to smile in return. His spark was damned to the Pits, but at least his family would live to see another day. And if keeping them alive meant he needed to hunt down a hundred more enemy soldiers to drain, then Optimus would do it.

He would endure. He would endure everything for his family.

Optimus looked at a live recording of the flourishing city of Iacon from his office in the newly rebuilt hall of records. It was not the city he spent so many vorns of his life in, it was not where he was taught under Alpha Trion, and it was not where he and Megatronous fought for a better society. But no matter how much it had changed with the rebirth of Cybertron, Iacon was still a place that held many memories, good and bad. It was filled with life once again, the city was being restored to its former glory with each passing day, and yet Optimus couldn’t help but feel like a stranger.

All around him were freshly forged younglings, the oldest of which were only around thirty years of age, still sparklings by Optimus’s, and even wartime standards. Everything Optimus had wished for was coming into existence before his very optics. Cybertron was restored and its people were returning and rebuilding their shattered world. Old comrades from the war continued to pour in, Decepticons and Autobots alike.

Based on what Optimus had gathered, Ratchet and the newly formed council were beginning the process of implementing a new, universal insignia for every Cybertronian. Factions were to be cast aside so that the people of Cybertron could once again be unified and create a society that did not repeat the mistakes of the ones that came before it.

Already the younger bots were taking up the new insignia, a mix of Decepticon and Autobot in design, and were opening up their sparks to both old and new thought. It was somewhat startling for Optimus to watch the rapid change in Cybertron’s people. He couldn’t bring himself to give up his own insignia, nor could he bring himself to see the new bots as ‘his’ people yet. Many other veterans that he had met with were having similar thoughts, few were willing to cast aside the insignia, the customs, and the memories that were tied to their faction.

Too many had been lost for the cause they served, too many had suffered to achieve a freedom that had been corrupted by Autobot and Decepticon alike, and far too many still felt the pains and pressures from when the war was at its peak.

Optimus suffered from this more so than others. He felt like an alien on his homeworld like he didn’t belong. He supposed it was partially due to his death and revival at the behest of the Primes, but he was also sure that the bonds and habits he had developed during the war to keep his people alive played some part in his broken worldview.

Sometimes Optimus couldn’t even bring himself to leave the hall of records, not when everything outside was so strange yet so familiar. On those days he preferred to bury himself in the past, to pretend for a moment that he was just Orion Pax, the young and naive Head Archivist. Or when those memories hurt too much, he would skip his meals to feel the familiar ache of hunger and make battle plans for conflicts from earlier in the war just to feel some semblance of normalcy.

It was difficult to adjust, occasionally Optimus wondered if it was worth all the effort when he could instead remain buried within his texts or disappear into the wilderness and simply… exist. But he always pushed those thoughts aside by remembering the reason why he had always endured, the reason why he would continue to endure. His family, while not leaning on him anymore for guidance or support, still needed his presence, they needed the familiarity just as much as he did.

And so Optimus tried, he would smile and wave, greeting bots happily when he left the archives and answer any questions the new bots asked of him. He met with his family regularly, gave advice to them when asked, and trained apprentices to help him manage his archives and retrieve relics from the ruins of old Cybertron. He also stayed out of politics at the behest of Ratchet and the Council and devoted himself to his work of restoring Cybertron’s history and culture. Already his efforts were beginning to bear fruit. All across Cybertron, old traditions and customs that he had personally introduced to the population were taking root. It was somewhat comforting to know that not everything from the old days was to be cast aside and forgotten.

He had a purpose, a vital mission that only he could complete due to his position as the Matrix bearer. He needed to remain strong, to put up a mask just as he had always done.

“How tiresome” Optimus muttered to himself as he finally pulled his gaze away from the bustling city shown on his screen. He could feel the familiar weight of the Matrix within his chassis as it sent a calming wave through his frame. He feared that he would not be able to reclaim the Matrix after he returned it to Primus. But thankfully it had been returned to the living realm alongside him. He had a feeling that if it hadn’t been gifted to him again he wouldn’t have been able to keep himself sane. It was a small mercy.

“One more entry” Optimus sighed as he sat back down at his desk. He picked up his pen and continued the entry he was only about halfway through with. It had become a habit during his time on the Ark to keep a record of his life, and the changes to his frame and mind. As it helped him remain stable enough to function without others growing suspicious of his mental state, he kept up the habit even after the end of his long isolation.

Over the years he had filled in the blanks in his log, eventually writing about his life before he began keeping a record and even before he became Prime. It was his Autobiography of sorts, one which he intended to take with him to the grave and only allow to be revealed after a sufficient amount of time had passed. While he originally intended to give his records over to the medical department or Ratchet for study, it now held too many personal thoughts and feelings. He couldn’t allow anyone to see just how fragile his mind really was.

“Hey, Optimus?” A knock and a voice interrupted Optimus as he finished up his entry. He perked up slightly as he recognized who was speaking, it had been several months since the last time his little warrior had visited him. Bumblebee had been rather wrapped up in dealing with his team and position as liaison to the earth's population.

“Come in” A smile bloomed on Optimus’s face as he slid his log aside and felt genuine joy bubbling up in his spark. It had been too long, at least for him. Optimus hated being away from his family for so long, especially after all they had been through together. He knew it was irrational, but he couldn’t help but fear that when he wasn’t nearby, one of his loved ones would be hurt or even die.

He tried to quash that feeling as best as he could as Bumblebee entered his office. His little warrior did not need to have any incentive to suspect that Optimus was anything less than content.

“It’s been a little while Optimus!” Bumblebee chirped. He always ended up acting a little more his age when it was just him, Optimus, and the team. It never ceased to make Optimus smile knowing that his sparkling felt at ease enough to let go of some of the maturity he was forced to develop during the war.

“That it has, Bumblebee. Now please, what brings you here?” Optimus moved to stand as he asked his question. Bumblebee practically vibrated in place for a moment before dashing forward and grabbing onto Optimus arm eagerly. However, he hit Optimus’s desk in his rush and sent a pile of his datapads tumbling to the floor.

“I’m so sorry! I can clean that up!” Bumblebee hurried to apologize but Optimus stopped him with a gentle pat on his helm.

“Tell me why you came first, and then you can help me clean up the mess” Bumblebee’s frown turned to a smile immediately after Optimus’s words registered. His door wings perked up slightly and he tugged on Optimus’s arm more intently.

“We have a surprise for you, Optimus! Go out to the garden and see, I will clean this up and meet you there” Bumblebee pushed him toward the door and Optimus couldn’t bring himself to fight back. He simply raised a brow in amused confusion before heading off in the direction of the garden. He looked back briefly and saw Bumblebee fumbling on the ground, trying to reach a pad that slid underneath the desk, but Optimus did not allow his gaze to linger long.

Increasing his stride, he made his way through the hall of records. The apprentices bowed in respect as he passed and a few asked him some questions which he gladly answered. But other than that, Optimus was left uninterrupted as he finally made his way out of the deep archives where his office was located. The light of the nearest star made Optimus’s optics shrink for a moment as he was forced to adjust upon stepping out of the archives and into the crystal garden constructed outside. Once he was fully adjusted, Optimus looked around and saw a large table covered in all sorts of energon goodies and other delectable treats. Lights were hanging from the crystal spires and all sorts of random ribbons and streamers. But before Optimus could begin investigating any further he was startled by a loud cry.

“HAPPY CREATION DAY!” Optimus’s battle mask immediately snapped into place and he whipped out his in-built blades in fright and got into a combat stance, fearing a possible attack. His vision cycled in on the closest mech in the vicinity, and for a moment all he could see was an enemy, someone who might hurt him and his family. Before he could even process what he was doing, Optimus held his blade against the neck of a very terrified Wheeljack, only barely being able to stop himself in time to save the wrecker’s helm.

“I knew it was a bad idea to sneak up on you, but how about you lower that thing, alright Prime?” Wheeljack chuckled nervously, quickly bringing Optimus back to reality. He wasn’t fighting a Decepticon, it was just Wheeljack.

“My apologies, Wheeljack… I wasn’t expecting any of you” Optimus began as he stood and shoved his still highly overactive combat protocols back into his secondary priority processing stream. His digits flexed in agitation as he stood and forcefully calmed himself, pushing away the memories of combat that both the Matrix and his databanks were feeding him. He was on the edge of a mental break, but he couldn’t allow himself to falter, not when his team was right in front of him. He needed to vent, to calm himself again.

“It should be us apologizing, we know you aren’t fond of surprises like this” Arcee stepped forward and touched his arm gently, recognizing his state of trauma-induced paranoia and easing him into settling the plating he had no idea he was flaring.

“Yeah, we are sorry, Optimus. We didn’t mean to spook you” Bulkhead rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he also came forward and patted Optimus’s shoulder plating, at least as much of it as he could reach.

“I tried to tell them this was a bad idea. I am also sorry for allowing it to happen Sir” Ultra Magnus lamented quietly, giving Optimus another moment to come to himself. Everything was fine, there was no attack. It was just his family.

In and out, in and out. He needed to vent.

“Enough doom and gloom! Come on! Let’s fuel!” Smokescreen broke the tension with an exuberant cry before running over with a plate of energon goodies. The little treats glittered and Optimus could vaguely recognize that there was powdered metal glaze covering it. It looked delicious, and despite his hesitance, Optimus couldn’t find it in himself to reject one of the treats as it was handed to him by the young elite guardsman.

“The rookie is right! It’s your creation day Prime! So let's get this party started!” Wheeljack shook off his residual fright and began picking up a few other delectable-looking treats. It took Optimus a moment to process the data, but after a moment he recalled the date. It was indeed the day of his creation, at least his creation as Orion Pax. He had stopped caring about the date many millennia ago. Celebrating one’s day of creation was something reserved for younger bots, a way for them to count down the years until they could be welcomed among the adults of society.

It felt odd to suddenly have someone other than Alpha Trion and Ratchet know about, and much less care about his creation day. He was an old bot, he had no real attachment to the day anymore. Especially with his technical death and rebirth as when he received the Matrix, then his restoration via the Forge of Solus Prime, and then finally his most recent return to the living realm in his new frame due to the Primes’ meddling. However he did appreciate the gesture, all the same, any excuses he had to be with his family were well received.

“Thank you for taking the time to prepare this event everyone, please do not let my hesitance stop you from enjoying yourselves” Optimus thanked his team as he noticed their torn expression and fields. He could tell they wanted to dig into the fuel in front of them. But he could also see that the older members of the team were reluctant to consume any energon without permission, a remnant habit from the days of the war.

“Wheeljack and Smokescreen can’t possibly consume all that energon alone, help yourselves” Optimus added just to give the rest of his team a little push. It seemed to work as they soon began meandering their way toward the setup, not fueling yet, but Optimus knew they would as soon as he did.

After his continued mysterious acquisition of energon on earth, his team had taken to not having their rations until they were positively sure he had gotten something as well. They didn’t know that he got his fill during his hunts, and they didn’t know that he bled his reserves after receiving a ration so that they could have more. Optimus could only shake his helm slightly as he picked up a small energon goodie and nibbled on it. Those times were over, his team would never know what he did, and that was for the best.

“Apologies for being late everyone” Ratchet made his way into the garden with his minibot running along next to him carrying a small mountain of datapads. The team gave him various greetings before returning to their activities which mainly consisted of conversing and playing a few card games from the earth. Optimus suppressed the urge to frown as Bulkhead set up a speaker and began blasting loud music in an attempt to hype up the celebration. The wrecker had taken a liking to earth rock music, but to Optimus, it sounded too similar to the sounds of battle for comfort.

“Thank you Undertone” Ratchet sighed in relief as he sat down at the far end of the table, far away enough from Bulkhead’s speaker to have some relative peace with the pile of datapads that Undertone had carried for him. After ensuring Ratchet was settled, the minicon saluted and left the garden silently, leaving Ratchet to groan and grab a bottle of high-grade from the table and begin chugging it.

“It is good to see you again old friend” Optimus tried to start up a conversation as Ratchet began going through his mountain of work with a thousand-yard expression. Optimus held back a wince at the sheer size of the pile, he remembered the pain of dealing with the mess that was the primacy during his early years as Prime. He put a sympathetic servo on Ratchet’s shoulder plating as the medic-turned-council member took another swig of his high grade.

“I could say the same to you if I weren’t being swamped with work” Scribbling down something on one of the datapads before putting it into the depressingly small pile of completed files, Ratchet gave Optimus a weak smile.

“I assume you are the one who orchestrated this event?” Optimus inquired with a quiet rumbling laugh as he nodded towards the team who were quickly getting into the high grade. There was no doubt in Optimus’s mind that at least half of them were going to be completely drunk by the end of the groon.

“Yes, I was the one who let them know the creation date of their Prime. I thought you could use the socialization since you hardly ever leave the hall of records” Optimus suppressed a flinch at the observation. He wasn’t doing as good of a job making himself inconspicuous as he thought.

“In that, you are correct. There has been much work to do in the archives, and many records needing to be restored” Ratchet chuckled into his bottle of high grade and joined Optimus in looking at the rest of the team fondly.

“I don’t doubt you, Optimus. With the number of apprentices you have trained and the rapid restoration of the archives, I am sure you have been busy” Ratchet passed Optimus a cube of pure energon, no additives, just the way Optimus liked it. As Orion, he had different preferences, but after the war and the long dark years of hunger and strife, he had grown to love the taste of pure, simple energon more than anything else.

Still, he couldn’t stop his tanks from churning in well-hidden nausea as he drank. As much as his processors screamed at him to not drink any more than necessary, he could hide nothing from his oldest friend and medic. If he didn’t drink the entire cube and whatever else he was offered, Ratchet would know something was amiss, and that was something Optimus could not allow.

With great reluctance, Optimus accepted a few more treats and cubes of energon from the rest of the team. He did his best to smile and pretend he was enjoying himself as his team laughed and poked fun at one another, discussing old times and generally letting loose. But as the minutes ticked by, he could feel his smile becoming strained, no longer genuine. It was the smile he used for the media before the war when a city full of people about to be attacked needed reassurance even though no help was coming.

His tanks churned and his sensory systems were sending him endless warnings about even the smallest things. The music was too loud, too much like gunfire, and the sound of an oncoming battalion of seekers sweeping through the skies, laden heavy with missiles. The laughter of his family began to be warped into the screams of the dying as the memories of the war started to overwhelm him. All around him the landscape started to shift, from the corner of his optics he could see fire and smoke, blackened ground, and the mangled corpses of the deceased. The energon cube in his servo flickered in and out of his vision, instead being replaced by a severed limb of one of the many Vehicons he had hunted.

Using all of his self-control he put the cube down rather harshly and sat next to Ratchet, focusing all of his attention on the medic and the sound of his rhythmic venting. He slipped his battle mask back into place and covered his shuttered optics with his servos, doing his best to block out all sensation. He could feel the concern of Ratchet and the rest of the team as they came to check on him. It took everything he had to not snap at them and instead grind out a simple sentence.

“I am fine, do not concern yourselves with me” He didn’t need to look to know that the team didn’t believe him, but that was fine. He focused on venting, in and out, in and out. Once he was calm and the visions had faded he would come up with a reasonable excuse.

After a few moments of concentrating on his venting, Optimus unshuttered his optics and retracted his battle mask again.

Next to him, he could feel Ratchet’s field suddenly flare, tension, fear, and concern bleeding into each other before the medic tucked his field in close once more. Ratchet’s optics were wide and Optimus could only assume he had received a message via private comm link. Before Optimus could finish stabilizing himself or even ask what the issue was, Ratchet suddenly stood, abandoning his work to hurry toward the archives.

“Something urgent came up” Was all the medic called out before breaking into a sprint and disappearing into the hall of records. Optimus sat, looking like a frightened cat with his plating flared in concern and mild terror as he stared in the direction Ratchet had bolted off in. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to chase after Ratchet, to protect his friend from whatever was frightening him. He could feel his jetpack warm as it tried to sputter to life in response to his emotional turmoil and his wings quivered as they threatened to unfold.

“Optimus, are you alright?” Arcee came over and waved a servo in front of his face, breaking his concentration on where Ratchet had gone. He suddenly became aware of how frightening he looked. His servos were clenched hard enough to draw energon and all of his plating had begun to silently shift away to allow him to break into a sprint as if he were on a hunt. He could even feel his cables tightening up to the point that he was sure others feared they would snap from the tension.

“I… I need to go” Optimus ground out before slowly and very deliberately rising from his seat, putting all of his concentration on not purging.

“Sir, if something is wrong I can call First Aid, or Rung if need be” Ultra Magnus dropped what he was doing and pulled Arcee back harshly. The commander had been one of the few bots to see Optimus during one of his low points, while it had been centuries, Ultra Magnus had not forgotten just how dangerous he was. The singular time he had found Optimus breaking down nearly ended with him being torn to pieces as Optimus was unable to discern whether he was a friend or foe. He had apologized later and neither had spoken of it since, but Ultra Magnus seemed to recall quite vividly what had occurred.

“Optimus, you need to calm down” Ultra Magnus attempted to soothe as he made motions for the others to back away. Optimus tried to focus on his second in-command’s voice, trying desperately to control himself and push away the visions and the increasing disgust he felt toward himself. He needed to vent, in and out, in and out.

“Leave. Me. Alone” Optimus practically growled as he methodically stepped away from the garden, heading toward the one place he felt truly safe. Thankfully no bot followed him or even talked to him as he entered the hall of records and made his way toward the deepest part of it. Focusing on the sounds of his pede steps and the familiar sight of the deep archives, Optimus managed to make it to his destination without losing control.

He punched in the code to the heart of the archives and pushed himself forward until he collapsed in the center of the room. The heart of the archives was the singular room that had survived the war, it was filled with all of the oldest, most prized, and thankfully still untouched records on Cybertron. It was a place only he, Alpha Trion, and the Primes long past had been able to enter. It was safe, familiar.

Finally away from prying optics, Optimus broke down. Visions assaulted him, the sounds, sights, and smell of war plaguing him. He clawed at his face and helm as he endured the torment, his frame shaking and overheating, leaving his protoform and inner cabling exposed, and vulnerable. He sobbed and begged for it to stop quietly, shuttering his optics and curling up on the floor in a vain attempt to protect himself from the past.

His memories from his time alone on the Ark ran on a loop in his mind. He felt so cold, so alone. He could feel his venting hitch and his optics leak coolant in a never-ending stream as he struggled to endure. He needed a way out, a way to distract himself from the pain.

His tanks churned yet again in nausea, reminding Optimus of the hatred he felt toward himself. His frame was too large and consumed far too much energon. He had done despicable things to fuel his worthless frame, he had killed and drained others to maintain it. His people and his family needed the energon far more than he did.

“I will endure” Optimus chanted to himself as he hauled himself up from his place huddled on the floor and toward a stash of empty energon cubes he kept in the corner for this very purpose. Falling to his knees, Optimus grabbed a small scalpel and cut a long line on his arm, watching in relief as the energon welled up and fell into the cube below. He hated being fully fueled, he hated himself when he was fully fueled. He didn’t need or deserve the energon after all he had done.

He shuddered as the pain of his wound pushed some of the visions away. Distantly he could feel the Matrix struggling and desperately trying to calm him, but Optimus paid it no heed. All of his attention was focused on draining as much of the energon in his systems as possible. He filled cube after cube, not stopping even when his systems began warning him about the lack of energon. He couldn’t stop, not when the visions were so strong. Draining was the only way to keep them away and to help himself calm down.

Before long he felt his vision flicker and his frame heave in protest. He wasn’t able to do anything as he fell to the ground unceremoniously, his systems drained to the point of shutting down to preserve him. And yet all he could feel as his consciousness faded was a relief. His mind was clear and everything was quiet, no visions assaulted him as the darkness claimed him. And Optimus, despite knowing that his actions could be fatal, could only smile as he allowed himself to be consumed by the darkness.

—----

“Thank Primus!” Optimus came back to awareness slowly, his optics shuttered and unshuttered slowly in an attempt to get used to the brightness of his environment. He felt the careful grasp of another bot holding his servo and a comforting weight on his torso. Finally looking around he could see his entire team gathered around him, most with sorrowful smiles and others with trails of coolant on their faces.

“We thought we lost you” Turning his helm he could see Ratchet was the one holding his servo. The medic’s grasp was shaky and overly gentle, almost as though he feared Optimus would break if he held him too hard. Ratchet’s smile was grim and his face was covered with both old and new trails of coolant.

“Don’t ever do that again Sire, please, don’t leave me, not again” Shifting his gaze with still adjusting optics, Optimus saw that the weight on his torso was none other than Bumblebee. His sparkling looked distraught but also relieved beyond measure. Optimus couldn’t help but wonder what had upset him so much. Bumblebee was not one to cry, or even whine for that matter. And yet his sparkling was holding onto Optimus as if he would disappear if he so much as moved an inch.

“Why are you crying, my little warrior?” Optimus tried to lift his arm and rub between his youngling’s door wings just as he always did when he was upset, but was forced to stop as pain assaulted his senses. He winced and lowered his arm immediately. Looking at the offending limb he was shocked. His arm was completely covered in welds, not even the joints and hydraulics were spared. Looking at his other arm he saw that it did not fare much better.

“You saw what I did” Optimus murmured as memories began to resurface. In his maddened state he had forgotten everything that he stood for and had unintentionally tried to end his own life. Guilt immediately overwhelmed him as he began to come to terms with his predicament. His team must have come to look for him eventually and found him on death’s door surrounded by cubes of his drained energon.

“Yes Sir. We know that you have been draining your reserves and adding them to the energon stores for centuries” Optimus felt his optics widen in shock as Ultra Magnus spoke. There was no way the commander could have known the extent of his actions, he had always been incredibly careful about his draining during the war. And while it wasn’t reasonable for Ultra Magnus to assume that Optimus had been draining himself for a while, centuries felt a little extreme without anything to rouse suspicions.

“We also know that you dislike loud music because it reminds you of the war” Bulkhead added with his gaze turned toward the ground guiltily.

“And that you are terrified of leaving the archives because of how different Cybertron is” Arcee continued, only shocking Optimus even more.

“You also made it pretty clear that you hate the thought of being alone after your little trip on the Ark” Wheeljack piped in, his tone for once not laced with humor, sarcasm, or aggression. Optimus couldn’t help but scream internally as he wondered how in the pits Wheeljack of all mechs knew his deepest set fear.

“It was pretty obvious looking back… but we know what you did to keep us alive on earth” Smokescreen commented, leaving a tense silence in his wake as Optimus processed what they had said. There should have been no way for his team to know all that. He had never told them, and he never intended to tell them. The only place he ever voiced his darker thoughts was in…

Oh no…

His log. They had read his log.

“Optimus! Calm down! It’s alright, you are safe, no bot is angry or upset with you” Ratchet gently cradled Optimus’s face in his servos, bringing him out of the panic he suddenly became aware he was falling into.

“You did what you had to do, you saved us Sire” Bumblebee squeezed Optimus’s torso harder, his embrace also serving to break Optimus out of his rapidly spiraling mental state.

“You aren’t… horrified?” Optimus looked around at his team, he was sure that if his optics could widen any more then they certainly would have, considering how stunned he was. The team shifted a little bit and looked at each other as if trying to figure out who should speak first.

“We are horrified, but only because you felt the need to hide this from us for so long” Ratchet spoke, breaking the silence. Optimus lay still on his berth, taking a moment to absorb everything that had been said.

They had read his logs.

They knew everything that he had done and just how fragile he truly was. And yet they were still present, at his bedside even after learning of the atrocities he had committed in the name of survival. They knew his darkest thoughts and the pains he never dared to voice, and still, they remained, undeterred and loyal despite it all.

The Matrix pulsed comfortingly within his chassis, urging him to calm himself, to rely on those around him. It amplified the love he felt and the joy welling up within his spark. It had been so long since he last relied on another. With the Matrix’s prodding and the comforting words and fields of his family, Optimus found himself wanting to rely on them. He was tired of being strong, he was so so tired of continuing down his road alone.

“We are going to help you Optimus, we are going to help you get through this” Ratchet removed his servos from Optimus’s face and met his torn expression with a comforting one. The team smiled as well, their agreement obvious to even the dimmest of mechs.

“Why?” Optimus questioned, his voice wavering and his optics blurring with coolant.

“Because we care about you, Optimus!” Smokescreen exclaimed, his door wings flaring in exuberance. His gaze was determined and Optimus felt his usually tightly controlled emotions begin to slip out of his grasp.

“You have done so much for us, it is only fair we do something for you in return” Arcee added, reaching out to touch Optimus’s arm in a comforting, understanding manner. She knew the pain he was faced with, at least partially. It made Optimus’s spark pulse in quiet joy at her acceptance of his weakness.

The rest of the team made similar comments, each reaching out to touch some part of Optimus’s frame in support. Each of their fields radiated understanding, hope, love, acceptance, and pleading. There was not even an ounce of hesitance, disgust, or hatred in their fields. It was enough to make Optimus shudder in silent sobs.

He wasn’t hated. No, he was loved.

“You aren’t alone anymore Optimus” Ratchet gripped his servo and wiped away a stray tear from Optimus’s face.

“We are going to make sure you get better, Sire. All of us, together” Bumblebee leaned against him, hugging him and making Optimus think that perhaps, things were going to be alright.

He wasn’t alone anymore.

And if everything went right, he would get better, and maybe, just maybe, he would learn to live in this new world.

Even after everything, it wasn’t enough. Optimus wasn’t enough.

Megatron had swiftly picked up on the increasing loss of his Vehicons and pulled them back entirely, leaving groundwork for his lieutenants and other foes too powerful for Optimus to reasonably take down and drain. If they had a little more time, if Megatron were a little less aware, and if Optimus could have just drained a few more Vehicons, they could have ended the war. But it was too late now, they were truly out of options, and all they could do was struggle bitterly against the ever-increasing pull of starvation, desperate to live but a few days longer.

“S…ir?” Ultra Magnus slurred as his optics began to flicker, the life fading from his frame. A choked sob came from one of the other members of the team and the children cried quietly from their platform, the two grown humans trying vainly to comfort them as they watched the proceedings. But Optimus did not pay them any heed, Ultra Magnus needed his undivided attention. He did not have long left and it was the least Optimus could give him in his dying moments.

“I am here brother” Optimus felt coolant gathering in his optics as he embraced his second in command. He held Ultra Magnus’s helm against his chassis, caressing his face while quietly muttering assurances to the dying mech. The last sense to fade for Cybertronians was touch, and so Optimus wanted to ensure that Ultra Magnus felt the thrum of his spark until he passed.

“I… am… sorry” Ultra Magnus muttered, his voice growing weaker with every word. The proud commander’s frame shook slightly as he softly leaned against Optimus’s chassis. Coolant dripped down Ultra Magnus’s face and Optimus could only wipe them away with a quivering servo.

“You have no reason to be sorry brother. Rest, you have earned it” It took every ounce of control Optimus possessed to not break down as he shakily leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his brother’s helm. Already he could feel Ultra Magnus’s frame turning cold as his spark flickered, desperately clinging to life.

“It… is… getting… dark” Ultra Magnus’s words were barely above a whisper, his voice soft and echoey like the wind through the forest. Optimus held Ultra Magnus even tighter as he suppressed his erratic venting as much as possible. He could barely see through the coolant blurring his vision as the Matrix thrummed within his chassis, quietly offering him comfort and warming his frame to give Ultra Magnus something to cling to as he became one with the Allspark.

“I know little brother, it will all be over soon” Optimus soothed as his voice broke, his servos shaking as he continued to caress his dying brother’s face. His field wrapped around Ultra Magnus comfortingly, completely swaddling him in love, warmth, and comfort. He hoped it would ease his passing if only a little.

“I… am… frightened” Ultra Magnus breathed as his internal systems failed him. The commander’s optics flickered once more before going dark and his cabling started to loosen, a telltale sign of his imminent offlining. Optimus smiled sorrowfully as he held his brother even as the mech in question started to go limp in his hold. He wasn't even sure Ultra Magnus could hear him anymore, but still, he muttered sweet nothings to him.

“Hush brother, it will be alright. I am here… I will always be here” Optimus sobbed quietly as Ultra Magnus’s spark flickered one final time before going out, returning to Primus’s embrace. The lifeless frame within his hold quickly turned cold, but Optimus did not move an inch. He gazed down at the body with blurry optics expressionlessly as the Matrix suppressed his turbulent emotions. He was unsure of how long he remained to hold his brother’s corpse, but at some point a gentle servo rested on his shoulder, breaking him out of his grieving trance.

“Optimus, he needs to be laid to rest” Ratchet somberly stated, his field tucked close against his frame and his expression just as blank as Optimus’s. The medic gently pried Optimus’s servos away from Ultra Magnus’s frame and guided the body to the ground. Optimus could only feel eerily blank as he forced his starving frame to function and assist in covering his brother’s body with a tarp.

If it were possible he would have liked to give Ultra Magnus’s frame a proper resting place, preferably in the hall of heroes on Cybertron. But being in a foreign world and incredibly weak, he could not even melt his brother’s frame down to be used for the war effort as the commander had originally wanted.

“May Primus accept your spark” Ratchet put a servo on the covered body as he recited the old blessing. Optimus simply stood and watched emotionlessly as the rest of the team, all of whom were in various states of grief, came and placed their servos on the body as well.

“May you find peace as one with the Allspark” Bumblebee and Smokescreen chanted together, both only holding back complete breakdowns through sheer force of will.

“May the pains of this realm elude you in your eternal rest” Arcee added quietly. She was quiet, but it was obvious that she was suffering. She had seen too much death and she had lost far too many loved ones. Already Optimus could see her will to live fading. He prayed that she would not die feeling such hopelessness.

“May your life be glorified and your feats remembered” Wheeljack muttered as he wiped at his optics and looked at Bulkhead. Optimus could tell that the wrecker knew that it would not be long before he would need to recite the same words again for his partner.

“Until all are one” Optimus finished, ending the ceremony. The team shifted, some staying by Ultra Magnus’s body to pay further, more private respects. A few tried to comfort the humans, and others went their own way, off to grieve privately, or in Wheeljack’s case, to sit next to Bulkhead whose health was rapidly deteriorating.

Optimus for his part did not move. He watched as the others paid their respects but he did not so much as shift. The Matrix was keeping his emotions suppressed, but he knew it was a delicate balance. Even the smallest things could set him off, and Optimus couldn’t bring himself to look away from the body of his brother. He wanted to pretend, if only for a moment, that nothing was wrong and that it was all some bad dream.

“Optimus, you need rest” Eventually Ratchet grabbed his servo softly and led him back to his place against the wall, and helped him get settled. Optimus barely reacted and Ratchet cupped his face and met his empty gaze.

“I’ve got you, Orion, you aren’t alone” The familiar name and Ratchet’s tender touch broke down the wall that the Matrix had built up blocking Optimus’s emotions. Everything from that point on was a blur as he sobbed, choking on his lubricants, and sputtering out a thousand apologies and pleas all while Ratchet held him.

He did not know when, but at some point, he fell into recharge with his helm resting against the chassis of his oldest friend.

—----

Optimus looked at the scene before him in Matrix-induced apathy. His digits flexed slightly and his optics widened a fraction as he stared, the only indicator that he was feeling even the slightest emotion. It had been less than a week since Ultra Magnus’s death, and since then Bulkhead and Wheeljack had both met their ends.

Bulkhead had succumbed to starvation less than a day after Ultra Magnus. He passed quietly in the arms of Wheeljack while Miko reassured her favored Autobot that all would be well. The very next morning Wheeljack left base and disappeared for two days. Cameras and stolen Decepticon surveillance data later revealed that he had made a suicidal charge against the Decepticons. It appeared that he intended to get energon or die trying, and unfortunately for him, the latter happened instead of the former.

He had been shot down while he was fleeing the nemesis with a stolen cube of energon. The blast caused the cube to explode and the subsequent detonation tore Wheeljack to shreds. Optimus retrieved his charred remains the night previous and laid him to rest alongside Bulkhead and Ultra Magnus.

However, as Optimus had been so wrapped up in keeping himself controlled and stable enough to try and find a desperate solution to their starvation, he had been unable to see how another of his teammates had been suffering. And now it was too late for him to do anything.

“Oh, Arcee…” Optimus sighed sadly as he, at last, reacted to the scene.

Laying on her berth was Arcee, her frame lifeless and an empty container of medical grade paralytic chips strewn on the floor. Her body appeared to have been cold for quite some time and a quick scan showed that her cause of death was system shutdown from organ failure, likely largely due to the paralytics.

“I am so sorry” Optimus muttered as the faintest inklings of grief broke through the Matrix’s solid grip on his emotions. His barely functional frame creaked as he approached her berth and with utmost gentleness picked up her body and held it against his chassis. He ran one digit along the crest of her helm before touching his helm to hers.

“Forgive me for failing to save you” Optimus took a shuddering vent as he composed himself, shoving his overwhelming despair back into the Matrix’s hold. After a moment of gazing at her lightless optics, Optimus turned and made his way back into the main part of the base, Arcee’s body held softly against his own.

“No…” Ratchet gaped, his optics wide with renewed sorrow. They had lost half their team in less than a week, and now they had lost Arcee too. Ratchet was barely holding himself together, even from a distance Optimus could see how his plating shook and how coolant gathered in his optics. The medic had been so strong at first, but as more and more of their comrades fell, so too did Ratchet’s mental stability.

“No no no no, not Arcee too” Ratchet started to ramble, his self-control shattering as Optimus lay Arcee’s body next to the others and covered her.

“By Primus why? WHY?!” Ratchet wailed as he collapsed on the floor, the weight of everything breaking him.

From the corner of his, optic Optimus could see Bumblebee and Smokescreen standing nearby in complete shock, watching the proceedings in despair. The most stable mech in their team was sobbing on the floor screaming obscenities and the Prime which they were supposed to look up to was apathetic, cold, and distant. Half the team was dead and those that remained were mere shadows of their former selves. Optimus could not blame the younglings for their fear.

“Arcee, is she?” Jack and the other children rushed toward the edge of their platform, watching everything in horror. Optimus did not meet their gazes, instead laying a servo on Arcee’s body and reciting the rights of the dead by himself. Arcee deserved at least that much.

“H-How? Why?” Jack stepped back stumbling slightly as everything hit him. Miko and Rafael were not much better off and soon the children disappeared, likely off to grieve on their own.

“Optimus, are we going to die too?” Bumblebee asked hesitantly, his newly restored voice shaking as the lingering threads of hope vanished right before his optics with Ratchet’s total mental collapse.

“Optimus?” Bumblebee pressed as Optimus kept his gaze firmly locked on the bodies of their dead. Optimus’s finals twitched slightly and his digits flexed as he thought about his answer. He could tell them a lie and give them false hope. But what good would that do? If things continued as they were, then the younglings would die soon after Optimus succumbed to the effects of starvation. Even if they were put into stasis, when they woke there would be nothing left for them to consume, leaving them to die anyway.

And yet… Optimus could not look into his sparkling and his student’s optics and tell them such an ugly truth. They did not deserve such a fate. He would give anything to change it for them, to save them from such a disgraceful end.

“We will endure… until the end” Optimus proclaimed solemnly as he, at last, stepped away from the bodies, instead bringing his younglings into a hug.

“We must endure… there is no other choice” Optimus continued quietly as he held his two younglings close, both of them breaking down into sobs after a few moments. The wails of his oldest friend and the muffled weeping of his two charges filled Optimus's audio receptors as minutes turned into hours, his younglings eventually falling into uneasy recharge.

“Rest my little ones” Optimus whispered to his younglings as he tucked them in with thermoplastic blankets on the ground. It was likely not comfortable, but he did not wish to wake them. A dark corner of his mind insisted that it would be best if they passed during recharge, that way they would not have to endure the pain of death by starvation.

“Come now old friend, rest, all will be well” Optimus soothed, humming a comforting tune as he carefully carried his mentally broken friend to the medical berth and laid him there. He tucked the medic in as he had with his younglings and sang to him quietly until Ratchet finally fell into recharge as well.

When all was said and done, Optimus stood and looked over all that remained of his family. He watched his younglings vent weakly in recharge and listened to the quiet whimpers of his oldest friend as he suffered even while unconscious. He did not move for what could have been hours as the last of his restraint, the few lingering reservations he had, snapped all at once.

The war was lost, there was nothing he could do to change that now. But by Primus, he would save what little of his family remained, no matter the cost.

—----

While Ratchet and his younglings slumbered, Optimus went to their emergency stores. There was no energon there, they had used it long ago. However, that was not what Optimus was searching for. His frame heaved in protest as he dug through their lingering supplies until he found what he was looking for. Stasis inducers of the highest quality, designed for medical purposes but capable of being used for what Optimus had planned.

His venting sputtered and he nearly collapsed as he made his way out of the storage room and back to the main part of the base. He could tell his time was running out. If he was to succeed, he would need to be quick.

“Forgive me old friend, but I would not lose you as well” Optimus prayed as he put one of the stasis inducers into the injector. He steadied himself on the medical berth before plunging the needle into Ratchet’s neck, startling the medic awake. Optimus did not hesitate to pull the trigger, sending the stasis inducer straight into Ratchet’s systems.

“oPtiMus…?” The medic could only gape like a fish with his optics blown wide as the inducers did their work. It took only moments before the medic’s systems slowed and fell silent, not quite dead, but not quite alive either. Ratchet had survived stasis before, and that alone nearly guaranteed that he would wake again with no issue once energon was reintroduced to his systems. He could only pray that his younglings would survive the process as well.

“Please Primus, ensure they wake” Optimus prayed again, begging his creator god with every fiber of his being as he repeated the process with his younglings. They barely stirred as the inducers were injected, only Bumblebee woke briefly and all Optimus had to do was sing to him softly before he fell into stasis without issue.

“I love you my dearest ones” Optimus whispered as he pressed a soft kiss to both of his youngling’s helms. He may not have known Smokescreen for nearly as long as he had known Bumblebee, but he still considered the rookie one of his.

“In this life or the next, we will meet again” Optimus promised his stasis-locked charges as he magnetized two small holographic discs onto their armor. He had prepared them both in advance, the discs containing instructions for his younglings and a message from him. He hoped it would ease the pain of what he intended to do.

Standing on shaky pedes that could barely support his weight, Optimus shambled toward the main console, using it to support himself once he arrived at it. Pain wracked his frame as his organs started to shut down, he could feel his time running out.

“Agent Fowler, I need you and the children here immediately” Optimus sent out the message from the console. It only took half a second for the human agent to respond.

“I understand Prime” Agent Fowler replied curtly before going silent. Optimus collapsed onto the console, his legs giving out as another wave of pain overwhelmed him. He grit his denta in defiance as he pushed himself to continue his work. There was one more thing he needed to do.

“This is Optimus Prime sending a message to Megatron, leader of the Decepticons” Optimus started recording the message, his venting sputtering and his words harsh and uneven as he forced himself to look into the camera.

“We surrender. You have won Megatron” Optimus choked out the words, the very concept of surrender leaving a sour taste in his intake.

“Come to these coordinates to discuss the terms of our surrender… bring your medic and please be swift with your arrival” Optimus’s entire frame shook violently as he collapsed onto the console again, only barely being able to reach the button to send the message before his arm went limp. He stayed locked in his collapsed position for a moment before making one last move with his rapidly fading strength.

He pushed himself off the console and swayed his way toward where his younglings lay in stasis. Then he slid down the wall nearest to them and leaned against it, totally exhausted and in pain. He looked toward the children’s platform and saw that they were staring at him, his younglings, and Ratchet wide-eyed.

“They are not dead” Optimus alerted them through gasping vents. The children, Agent Fowler, and June seemed relieved but still concerned.

“Why did you call us here and why did you tell Megatron you are surrendering?” Jack stepped forward, speaking for all of his fellow humans. Optimus allowed a brief smile to grace his features. Jack was such a bright child, all of the children were. He wished he could have watched them grow up.

“I surrendered because there is no other choice, I refuse to watch the rest of my people die meaningless deaths. As such, I need you here as witnesses to ensure that Megatron does all that is agreed upon” Optimus explained slowly, taking time between each word to gather his strength. In response to his rapidly deteriorating state, the Matrix sent a shock through his frame, extending his dying moments to allow him to complete his final task.

“What are we supposed to do? We are just humans” Rafael questioned timidly. Optimus’s optics cycled in on the human child as he considered his answer. After a moment of silence, he spoke, startling all the humans with his words.

“You may not be able to do much now, nor are you wreathed in living metal or gifted with an ageless frame, but your people are strong, adaptable, and cunning. Already I can see the boundless potential of your infant race. Given enough time, I have no doubt your kind will rise to join the elder races in the galaxy” The children looked at him in awe as Optimus continued.

“I would have you watch the fall of an entire people, the death of a Prime, and the dawn of a new age all in the hopes that you will learn from us, and not make the same mistakes we did” Another shock from the Matrix rattled his frame as Optimus took another deep vent, determined to finish his speech.

“Bear witness to this moment and remember us, keep our memories alive, and be there to remind Megatron to keep the promises I will bind him to. That is all I ask of you little ones” The children nodded solemnly with tears in their eyes as June ushered them away from the edge. Agent Fowler stood a moment longer and saluted.

“Thank you for your service Optimus Prime. I promise you that you shall be remembered and honored for all you and your bots have done” Optimus smiled as he struggled to keep his optics from shuttering. He couldn’t perish yet, he still had one last task ahead of him.

The minutes ticked by as Optimus’s systems continued to fail, the Matrix shocking him occasionally to extend his time in the living realm. And after a while of waiting, a ground bridge finally opened in the base, signaling the arrival of his nemesis and once-brother.

“Prime” Megatron called out, his optics scanning the base with mild shock as he caught sight of the bodies of the fallen and then Optimus himself. Soundwave, Starscream, and Knockout stepped through the ground bridge after the Warlord and stopped, looking equally if not more shocked at what they were seeing.

“What in Unicron’s name happened to all of you” Knockout gasped, his plating shaking and his expression haunted. Soundwave and Starscream said nothing but Optimus could tell they had similar thoughts.

“We had nothing left, and so to save those that remain, I offer you our surrender and my life” Optimus started, breaking the atmosphere. He tried to force himself to stand, to maintain some dignity as a Prime, but he simply couldn’t.

“In return for rulership of Cybertron and the location of the Allspark from my successor, I have three things I would ask of you” Oddly quiet, Megatron knelt in front of him, his expression still harsh, but the barest inklings of pity visible past all the hatred. The Warlord waited patiently as Optimus drew in a gasping vent, struggling to continue speaking.

“Forgive my Autobots, allow their sins from the war to be purged. If they break your laws after Cybertron’s restoration I will not fault you for punishing them, but please, grant them mercy” Megatron hesitated briefly, then nodded and reached out to hold Optimus’s servo. His once brother’s grasp was soft and careful, and for a moment Optimus could imagine that it was Megatronous holding him, not the nemesis he had grown to hate.

“Leave Earth in peace. Rule Cybertron as you wish, but please, do not subject this infant race to the horrors of our reality. They are not ready for such a burden” Optimus’s optics started to flicker, his vision fading in and out and he struggled to focus on his words and not the growing cold spreading through his limbs.

“It will be done” Megatron answered without even an inkling of hatred or anger in his voice. If Optimus didn’t know any better he might even think that his once brother was sad.

“And lastly, Megatron, promise me this” Optimus gripped the Warlord’s servo with all the strength he could muster and met his saddened gaze with determination.

“I care not what you do with my frame or my memory, but do not stop my successor from continuing the work of the Primes. Let him protect our people and advise you, let him share his wisdom and help you build a better society for our kind. And let him teach the new sparks that will come from the well so that never again may such a war ravage our homeworld” Optimus poured all of his conviction into his words as he finished, praying that Megatron would understand. Thankfully after a moment of tense silence, his once brother nodded once more.

“Thank you… Megatron” Optimus sighed as he at last relaxed, comforted in the fact that the future of his people would be somewhat assured. He could feel his consciousness slipping as the constant pain from his systems started to ebb.

“My sparklings…. will they live?” Optimus whispered as he watched Knockout begin combing through the bodies, determining who was among the dead and who remained among the living.

“Yes Optimus, I promise you, they will live” Megatron replied quietly yet firmly, still holding his servo. With his fading senses Optimus could feel a slight shake in the Warlord’s grip, he wondered if it was real or a hallucination.

“And… Ratchet?” Optimus breathed so quietly that he wondered if the Warlord could even hear him.

“Yes, he will live” His once brother’s voice was soft, soothing almost. Optimus couldn’t help but relish in the sound as his optics flickered again, this time going out for longer before onlining again desperately.

“I… am… sorry… for… fighting… against… you… brother” Optimus murmured, trying his best to cling to life for a moment longer. His work was done, but still, he was frightened of what may await him in death’s embrace. He had seen a glimpse of what comes after once before, after the attack on the old base, but that was different.

“It’s alright Orion, we have both made mistakes. I should have at least listened to you all those vorns ago during the peace talks on Cybertron” Megatron, no, Megatronous pulled him into a hug, allowing Optimus’s helm to rest against his chassis and feel the thrum of his spark.

“Your Autobots will be taken care of, Cybertron will be restored, and our people will flourish once more” Megatronous ran a digit along the crest of his helm, humming slightly as he spoke. The rumble of his chassis and the thrum of his spark was comforting as Optimus’s optics at last shut off. He clung to the slight warmth emanating through Megatronous’s many layers of armor as he faded.

“Hush now Orion, you have done more than enough. Rest now” Megatronous’s words echoed in his audio receptors as his hearing failed him, leaving him only with the comforting warmth of his brother.

“th…ank… you” Optimus gasped as he at last faded into oblivion, the feeling of his brother’s warmth and gentle touches following him as he stepped into the light. The familiar faces of all those he had lost surrounded him as he abandoned the living realm and passed into the next.

Megatron passed through the halls of the citadel silently, none daring to even speak to him. They knew what day it was, and not a spark would dare interrupt him as he performed his vornly ritual. It was a special day, one that only came after the last newsparks of the vorn had emerged from the well, signaling the start of a new Cybertronian ‘year’ if one were to use human terms.

All across Cybertron, the people were mourning. The old Autobot war veterans tended to spend the day bound to a vow of silence, wearing their usually outlawed Autobot insignias for the duration of the day and remaining separate from the rest of the population as they honored the fallen and grieved the loss of their Prime. The Decepticon war veterans, while not fond of the deceased Prime, recognized his honor, courage, wisdom, and sacrifice. And most, save a few vengeful sparks among them, gladly accepted the day of rest and kept their activities quiet so that those who truly loved the Prime could grieve in peace.

The new Cybertronians, those born of the well, saw the fallen Prime as an icon, and a mech worthy of being admired and emulated. And after having been taught all about Optimus and the trials he faced and overcame during the war, they created a holiday out of the day, calling it the day of new dawns. During the holiday there was a planet-wide peace, for twenty-four hours, not a spark would lift a weapon or raise a fist. No bot, save the needy, would consume any energon as a way of remembering the suffering and loss from the long years of hunger. All would remain quiet and spend time with loved ones, reaffirming bonds and appreciating the sacrifices both the Autobots and Deceptions made to revive Cybertron and rebuild their shattered world.

Megatron, for his part, did not do any of these things during the day of mourning. He had his own ritual, one which he and three others engaged in every vorn without fail.

Donning a black cloak, Megatron passed his guards without so much as a murmur. He passed through the gates of the citadel without incident and marched with grim determination as he made his way toward the one place where he and his compatriots would never dare fight. The few citizens in the streets who recognized him as he passed, gasped and backed away. Megatron for once was not polished to perfection, wearing his ceremonial armor, or showing an expression of controlled determination as he usually did.

No, never would he dare do anything so glamorous on the day of new dawns. Not when Optimus and the rest of the fallen had never been afforded such a luxury or the chance to see their world filled with life again.

Megatron went out of his way weeks before the day of new dawns to prepare himself. He fasted, only consuming enough energon to appear reasonable before denying himself anything a few days before the event. He did not polish himself, indulge in luxuries afforded to him due to his position as Emperor of Cybertron, or do anything else that could qualify as a form of relaxation. He stepped away from his duties temporarily and focused on remembering, lamenting his sins, and looking back on all he had done to question himself and see if he had fulfilled Optimus’s terms and dying wishes.

It wasn’t healthy. Soundwave and the other members of his inner circle always reminded him of this fact. However, after several vorns of him continuing his ritual, they instead spent their time ensuring that he did not go too far in his fasting. Megatron appreciated their concern, but he could not bring himself to accept anything they brought him or any suggestions they gave to him during his preparations. It wouldn’t be right, not when he was supposed to be honoring Optimus, or more specifically, his brother Orion.

Megatron sighed as the sky darkened, the light of the nearest star fading as Cybertron continued its orbit. It would be some time before natural light graced the skies of Cybertron again. Briefly, he thought that The gloomy atmosphere seemed fitting, although he couldn’t help but imagine how dreary everything would be if there were rain clouds in the sky like on earth.

“Megatron” An oddly deep voice greeted him as he, at last, approached the meeting place. He had barely been paying any attention as he walked, being too wrapped up in his thoughts and familiar enough with the path due to his frequent visits to make it there without thinking about it. Looking around he could see the small shrine dedicated to the deceased Prime, his image molded out of stone taken from Earth.

There was a larger, much more grandiose statue of the Prime in the rebuilt Iacon hall of records, and a stained glass image of him in the Primal Citadel. Most went to either of those works of art to remember, or some strange cases, even worship. But Megatron, the mech before him, and two others did not, they preferred a more private setting, and so had spent numerous years creating the small shrine. It was a secret place that they kept to themselves, each coming by to clean up the shrine and occasionally leave small things at its base. Oddly there were instances where some of the items left either disappeared or were rearranged, but as there seemed to be no intruders on the sacred ground, Megatron and the others chalked it up to turbulent winds or perhaps a mech-animal.

Megatron sighed as he shifted his gaze to the other notable thing in the area, that being the mech calling his name. Next to the shrine stood a mech clad in a cloak, his blue, gold, and white plating visible even from a distance. Despite being cloaked the mech held himself with regal grace and an aura of control, completely and totally composed. But past that hardened exterior, Megatron could feel the weight that rested in the mech’s field, the emptiness, spark-crushing grief, and all-encompassing sense of duty that consumed him.

“Nebulous” Megatron answered with equal neutrality as he met the young Prime’s surprisingly emotionless gaze. It always startled Megatron whenever he met with the young Prime, Nebulous was incredibly similar to Optimus and grew more so with every passing day. When the Matrix chose and reforged him, Nebulous was made taller, reaching Megatron’s shoulder in height. He was made stronger, more regal, and most notably, his very being seemed to shift. When the process was complete it felt as though the youngling who stood in his place had aged drastically, his spark and field suddenly gaining an undeniable weight of wisdom and something more divine.

“Did you bring the items?” Nebulous questioned, his expression blank and his piercing blue optics glowing eerily from beneath the hood of his black cloak.

“I did, as always” Megatron answered stoically as he pulled a small bag out from beneath his cloak. He passed the bag to the young Prime and watched as he pulled out three candles, each one engraved with Optimus’s personal signature. They were meant to represent the three promises that Megatron had made the dying Prime all those vorns ago on earth. Megatron couldn’t help the small sad frown that crept up his face as he watched Nebulous linger on the last candle, running his digits along the signature before placing it down with the others.

“What of you, Nebulous?” Megatron asked quietly, not wanting to draw the ire of the young Prime. He watched as Nebulous shifted, carefully organizing the candles at the foot of the small shrine for which they were intended before pulling out a singular energon cube. It was tiny, hardly containing enough energon to fuel even the youngest of sparklings. But it was a grim reminder of all Optimus suffered during the years of hunger, all to fight a war that had lost its meaning long ago and to protect his family.

“Never would I dare to forget” Nebulous replied, his tone finally gaining a soft undertone of grief. Megatron observed silently as the young Prime ran his digits along a necklace that he always wore, the pendant of which was the holographic disk Optimus had left for him before his passing.

Megatron had never been allowed to see what message Optimus had left his younglings, but he had never cared to try forcing the issue. The messages were not meant for him, and never would he allow himself to dishonor his deceased brother by so much as daring to consider asking about the disks.

“Nebulous… Megatron” The familiar voice of Optimus’s other youngling rang in Megatron’s audio receptors. He did not turn to look at the approaching set of figures as they came near, their pede steps striking amidst the relative silence.

Moments later Bumblebee and the silent Autobot medic appeared at Megatron’s side. Ratchet resolutely kept his gaze fixed on the shrine, refusing to so much as acknowledge Megatron’s existence. Bumblebee, for his part, gave Megatron a small nod as he examined the setup at the base of the shrine before moving to place a small scalpel amongst the other items. The blade was old, very old, and the grip was misshapen from many long years of abuse. Megatron could see places where rust had once begun to creep on the blade but had long since been removed.

He had never been made aware of the particular details regarding the blade, but Nebulous had shared its true nature with his two surviving teammates, and while Megatron may have been left in the dark, he had guesses regarding its importance. Optimus had always been self-sacrificing, to the point of it being detrimental to himself, and it wouldn’t have surprised Megatron at all if Optimus had used the blade to bleed his reserves or something of the like.

“Ratchet, it is your turn” Bumblebee gently reminded the medic, breaking him out of his trance. It took a moment, but Ratchet eventually nodded and placed his own offering at the foot of the shrine. From a distance, it looked like nothing more than a broken dataslate, but from what Megatron had been able to gather from his three uneasy companions, the dataslate once contained Optimus’s personal log. The log had since been moved onto a new device, but the broken dataslate remained and served as a reminder of all the sorrow and pain Optimus had endured. A crack in the screen from where the Prime held it too tightly and severe discoloration from its long use only further drove home just how sorrowful Optimus had been during life.

“The war crimes of all Autobots were to be made null and void. Has this promise been fulfilled?” Megatron spoke up after a moment of silence, drawing the attention of his companions. The three former Autobots looked at one another, likely communicating over a private comm link before they replied.

“We agree that this promise has been kept and honored. No Autobot veterans have suffered under the law for their actions during the war” Bumblebee turned to face Megatron properly for the first time since his arrival as he spoke for his companions. The former scout’s expression was carefully kept blank, however from the twitch of his brow and the slight cycling of his optics, it was clear that Bumblebee was still grieving, but more importantly, there was anger in his gaze.

After Optimus’s passing, Megatron had taken care of his remaining Autobots as best as he was able. Ratchet had been… broken after waking from stasis and learning of Optimus’s death. The medic had fallen deep into depression and tried to end his own life on multiple occasions before having some sort of epiphany which he babbled on about for days before falling completely silent. Ratchet had not spoken a word since, his optics had been dull and his movement almost robotic in nature, but he had stopped trying to end himself and so most were content to let him be. Bumblebee had taken to caring for the medic, reminding him to fuel and living with him to keep him from trying anything should his mental state collapse entirely again.

Megatron had a suspicion that Ratchet was waiting for… something. He couldn’t be sure what it was due to how his babbling had been indecipherable before he went completely silent, but he could tell that Ratchet had no interest in life and was only trudging on because he needed to. For what purpose? Megatron had no clue.

Bumblebee had gone through a similar bout of depression upon waking, learning the truth, and listening to Optimus’s message to him. However, instead of remaining lost like Ratchet, the scout had taken to harboring a powerful rage instead. From what Megatron gathered from his personal observations and Soundwave’s spying, Bumblebee seemed to pin all the pains in his life on Megatron. And honestly, Megatron couldn’t bring himself to disagree with the sentiment all that much, he had caused the scout a great deal of pain over the course of his life.

Thankfully Bumblebee hadn’t tried to assassinate him or start up any rebellions, and he seemed to content himself being a law enforcer, maintaining his Sire’s legacy by emulating him. But still, whenever they met Bumblebee’s hatred seemed to bubble to the surface no matter how well the former scout tried to hide it.

As for Smokescreen, or now Nebulous… he was a difficult mech for Megatron, or anyone else for that matter, to read. He had been made Prime mere days after waking from stasis and was still processing everything when the Matrix chose him. He had not been given time to grieve and threw himself into his duties immediately, only ever stopping to comfort his two remaining teammates and occasionally take a moment to offer up a prayer for strength or something of the like.

Since Cybertron’s restoration, he had spent his days busying himself creating alliances, pumping out peace treaties between Autobots and Decepticons, and teaching the newsparks Cybertron’s history. Nebulous was the only mech out of the three surviving members of team Prime that Megatron saw regularly, usually at meetings. However, they did not communicate very often outside of work and Megatron rarely saw him doing anything other than his Primely duties.

When they did talk outside of work, there was an air of indecisiveness. It felt like Nebulous had been testing him, waiting for some reaction for years before finally settling on some form of acceptance. Since that day they had been co-workers in the sense that they both technically held claims of rulership over Cybertron. They had spoken on all sorts of subjects when they did chat, often about politics, philosophy, military actions, education, work ethic, and everything else that could possibly affect Cybertron’s future and structure. Perhaps it was just Megatron’s imagination, but he liked to believe there was a friendship between him and the young Prime, one that was a little too similar to the one he held with Orion before it all fell apart.

“Primus bears witness to this promise and its fulfillment” Nebulous broke the silence as he lit the first candle, giving every mech present the chance to watch it begin melting.

“Earth was to be left in peace and allowed to progress without interference. Has this promise been fulfilled?” Megatron listed the second of the three terms as he watched the candle flame flicker.

“We agree that this promise has been kept and honored. Earth has remained unmolested save for diplomatic meetings and reconnaissance missions since the war came to an end” Bumblebee continued his agreement, his gaze practically burning Megatron’s helm with his intense staring.

“Primus bears witness to this promise and its fulfillment” Nebulous lit the second candle as the melted wax of the first began to cover the engraved signature.

“Optimus’s successor was to be allowed to continue the work of the Primes. Has this promise been fulfilled?” Megatron listed the last promise he had made as chill rattled his frame. He felt the sudden urge to check his surroundings and pull out his blade, the feeling being irritating almost like a piece of misaligned plating that he just couldn’t reach. He heard Bumblebee affirm his statement but Megatron was too focused on the strange sense that something was wrong, or at least off, to notice.

Finally, he gave in to the urge and whipped around with his blade at the ready. He scanned his surroundings, seeing nothing out of the ordinary but still feeling a distinct unsettlement in the very fibers of his being. Nebulous quietly bore his witness to the promise-keeping and lit the candle before standing at the ready, following Megatron’s paranoid gaze.

“What do you sense?” The three former Autobots quickly got into defensive positions, each starting to notice the same unsettling feeling that lingered in the air, almost like a warning. Even Ratchet appeared more aware than usual, although his field indicated a very different set of emotions, he almost looked happy.

“There is something out there… something strange” Megatron’s plating instinctually flared, nearly catching on his cloak as a harsh wind blew over him and the others. The three candles blew out all at once as a strange fog seemed to fall over the landscape. It shouldn’t have been possible considering their location on Cybertron and the lack of an earth-like water cycle, but it happened right before his optics nonetheless.

“Bumblebee to dispatch- come in!” Bumblebee tried sending a message over his commlink, but his suddenly very serious expression told Megatron all he needed to know. Whatever was going on was blocking communications, a small prod at his own links proved it wasn’t just the former scout having issues.

“Calm down, the Matrix is giving me no warnings. Whatever is happening is either not a threat, or something entirely unknown, we must not lose our composure” Nebulous stepped away from the shrine with his in-built blades extended, and after a quick vent seemingly meant to compose himself, he stepped out a few meters into the increasingly dense fog.

The young Prime stood completely still except for his door wings which fluttered briefly, a small indicator of his nervousness. However before the Prime could confirm or deny the danger of the situation, Ratchet suddenly sprinted forward into the fog, ignoring all cries for him to return. Megatron was unable to say or do anything before Bumblebee skidded into the fog as well, chasing after the medic despite Ratchet having already disappeared from view.

Megatron and Nebulous shared a glance and a nod before dashing after their two other companions. Every instinct Megatron had screamed at him to turn back, to find a defensible position and lay low until he could locate whatever was causing the fog or gain access to reinforcements. However, he ignored the feeling and instead kept pace with Nebulous, taking care to not lose sight of him.

It felt like they were running for hours, and yet his frame never tired and every time he was tempted to stop or try to turn back, Megatron felt an undeniable pressure almost forcing him to keep moving. He couldn’t see anything besides the off-white of the fog and Nebulous’s colorful armored plating, but occasionally he would catch a glimpse of yellow armor or Ratchet’s retreating form. Logically he and Nebulous should have caught up to the scout and medic, they weren’t racing models but they were built for endurance, and even if they had only been running for a few minutes they still should have caught up or run into something.

“Nebulous! Does that relic within your spark chamber have anything to say about this!?” Megatron hollered in the strangely echoey void that was the fog.

“No! The Matrix says nothing and only bids that we keep moving!” Nebulous shouted back. Megatron grunted in irritation but kept up his pace. He would have preferred fighting off an entire army alone rather than remaining in a constant march into an endless fog.

“This way!” Nebulous exclaimed after another incalculable amount of time before he suddenly veered hard to the right. Megatron followed with little hesitation and before long found the fog quickly clearing.

“How in the Unmaker’s name…” Megatron gasped as the last of the fog cleared, revealing that he and Nebulous were now standing a few meters away from the well of allsparks.

No city had been built around the well like on old Cybertron, the wounds from the days when Autobots and Decepticons fought over sparklings were too fresh. Sparklings born of the well had to make their way toward civilization on their own, although usually they were picked up by a team of watchers before that became necessary. However the land around the well was unoccupied for miles in every direction, it should have been impossible to end up near the well considering the rebuilt city of Iacon was at least half a day’s journey by pede. And checking his systems, Megatron noted that hardly an hour had passed since they entered the fog, not nearly long enough to get to the well from the shrine or rouse any sort of concern.

“RATCHET! STOP!” Bumblebee’s shrill shriek broke Megatron out of his stupor, suddenly making him aware of the situation unfolding around him.

Ratchet stood teetering at the edge of the well, gazing down with wide optics and a huge smile. The medic was shaking with what looked to be excitement all while Bumblebee hurried to pull him back before he could do anything possibly fatal. Meanwhile, Nebulous stood a ways off, only a few meters away from the edge of the well, but not doing anything to stop Ratchet from whatever he was attempting to do. The young Prime seemed nearly as excited as the medic, his plating shifting slightly and his expression more open than Megatron had seen since he became Prime.

“Ratchet, I need you to step away from the edge! You need to come back, we- no, I- can’t stand to lose you too!” Bumblebee’s voice wavered, dipping in and out of static as he desperately tried to reason with Ratchet. Megatron made his way closer to the edge, stopping next to Nebulous who stood gazing at Ratchet and then at the well, confusion evident on his face alongside a strange elation that it seemed even he did not understand.

“HUSH!” Ratchet snarled with startling volume, disturbing Megatron and everyone else with his sudden speech. The medic’s voice was gravelly and likely quite painful from disuse, but his intent was clear. Whatever was going on required his full attention and he would not tolerate interruption.

“Ratchet pleas-!” Bumblebee was cut off before he could continue.

“QUIET! He is almost here…” Ratchet growled before trailing off, his gaze locked so intently onto something within the well that Megatron couldn’t help but worry that the medic would bust a circuit.

“Soundwave, prepare a ground bridge, I may have need of it shortly” Megatron ordered over his personal comm link to his spymaster as he watched both the Prime and the medic stare down into the well with wide unshuttering optics. It was supposed to be a day of mourning, and yet he had a sinking suspicion that in light of his supernatural experience with the fog that shouldn’t have existed, something was going to happen and it was likely to cause chaos.

“Affirmative” Soundwave replied after a moment, slight surprise evident in his electronic voice. Megatron rubbed at the soft metal underneath his optics in exasperation as he watched Bumblebee begin to spiral into panic. Seeing as both Nebulous and Ratchet were unavailable, Megatron moved and placed a gentle servo on the panicking scout-turned-law enforcer’s shoulder plating.

“Calm yourself little scout, whatever is happening here has not bothered your Prime. Knowing that I doubt that this situation will end in tragedy” Bumblebee stiffened up immediately, likely due to old trauma. The former scout’s optics were cycled wide and Megatron could see him struggling to keep his combat protocols at bay. Seeing as his touch was unwelcome, Megatron removed his servo after he was sure that Bumblebee had pulled himself out of his stupor.

“I will keep that in mind” Bumblebee muttered after a moment before quickly moving to stand near the Prime and medic. Neither was moving, both completely enraptured by whatever, or whoever it was they were waiting for. Megatron could sense that the oddities which were occurring could take some time to come to pass, and so with a sigh, he settled down his systems and locked up his hydraulics, prepared to wait for however long the Prime and medic remained. He couldn’t very well leave them, he had promised Optimus to look after them, and he would not break yet another promise to his brother.

Time passed swiftly and an hour or so after the Prime and medic had fallen into their trance gazing into the well, Megatron, at last, heard something to indicate that there was indeed a purpose to Nebulous and Ratchet’s fascination. It was quiet, hardly noticeable if it weren’t for the suffocating silence. But deep within the well, Megatron could hear a faint scratching and the grinding of gears.

He looked at Bumblebee with rapidly widening optics as he suddenly became aware of what the noise likely was. The scout looked equally shocked as the revelation reached him as well. Both he and Bumblebee were very familiar with the sound after so many vorns of assisting newsparks emerging from the well. There was no doubt in Megatron’s mind as the noise grew louder and faint growls and grunts began to accompany it, there was a newspark emerging. And whoever the newspark was, they had obviously garnered the interest of some form of a higher power if the fog, Ratchet’s behavior, and Nebulous’s reactions were anything to go by.

“Almost little one… almost, come on now!” Ratchet began urging, drawing the attention of Megatron and the others as he knelt, his cables tensed and ready to send him surging into action if required. Nebulous shifted closer, eventually coming to stand by Megatron and Bumblebee’s sides as they watched the proceedings.

“Yes, that’s right! Come here little one!” Ratchet continued to chatter as the growling and scrambling of both servos and pedes became louder. After a few tense moments, Ratchet suddenly reached down and with speed never before seen in the medic, pulled out a flailing and snarling sparkling before it could make a run for it.

“There you are, little one! Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright, Sire has you” Megatron shuttered and unshuttered his optics a few times to process what he was seeing as Ratchet held the feral sparkling against his chassis and stepped away from the well’s edge. Next to him Bumblebee and Nebulous were having similar reactions, partially due to Ratchet’s sudden interest in living and speaking again and mostly due to the painfully familiar finals of the sparkling in Ratchet’s hold.

“Shush now Autoway. I will take care of you this time” Ratchet soothed the sparkling who was rapidly calming as the beginnings of a Caretaker bond started to form. Ignoring Ratchet’s ominous comment and looking at the sparkling closely, Megatron could see it was a long-limbed and gangly little thing, with fangs and claws and a build sturdy enough looking that it appeared likely to survive a hit from a missile. The sparkling’s torso was largely boxy in nature, with its pedes and shoulder plating matching the theme. However, its limbs were long and already Megatron could see small gears needed to heighten agility forming behind the sparkling’s still developing layers of armor.

“Optimus?” Nebulous muttered so quietly that only Bumblebee and Megatron could hear. Megatron and the scout turned to look at Nebulous in shock before shifting their gazes back to the sparkling.

It shouldn’t have been possible. Optimus was dead and gone… and yet, looking at the sparkling again, Megatron couldn’t unsee it. The sparkling had finals on the side of his helm just as Optimus did, although the newly named Autoway’s finals seemed to be thicker, meant to be less fragile. Autoway also had the same notorious grill starting to form on the crest of its helm, although once again it seemed to be sturdier, giving away grace for functionality. Autoway’s boxy frame was not as sleek or curved as Optmus’s, but Megatron could see that a similar waist and leg structure was also present in the sparkling and would likely be quite pleasing to the optics once the little one was grown.

The sparkling was so similar, Megatron almost wanted to deny it… but those optics… spoke for themselves. They were different, not the same type as Optimus’s, but the shape of Autoway’s optics was the same, and the quiet nobility once present in Optimus' face was also gifted to the sparkling.

Megatron wasn’t one to believe in Primus, Unicron, or anything else for that matter. But at that moment as he watched the sparkling so similar to his brother, twist, turn, and eventually settle in Ratchet’s arms quickly falling into deep recharge, he wanted to believe that perhaps Primus was involved somehow. He wanted to believe that through some miracle or twist of fate, his brother had been returned to him, albeit in a different form.

“Soundwave, I require a ground bridge… and supplies for a sparkling” Megatron sent the command out after another moment of watching the new Sire rock Autoway, singing quietly to the sparkling, completely uncaring of everything going on around him.

“Affirmative” Soundwave replied instantly and soon after a whirling vortex of purple, blue, and green appeared not far away. It took some wrangling, but Megatron, Nebulous, and Bumblebee managed to get Ratchet through the ground bridge without irking him too much or waking Autoway. Once through, Soundwave and several Vehicons holding blankets, a carrier, and a few bottles of purified energon quickly acted. The Vehicons, after receiving a nod from Megatron, moved to help the new Sire handle his sparkling, ushering him away to somewhere less likely to wake the sparkling. Bumblebee followed after the old Autobot medic, completely focused on Ratchet and the sparkling.

“I never thought I would see them so happy again” Nebulous exclaimed, relief evident in his voice. Megatron turned to face the young Prime with his brow raised.

“Them?” Megatron emphasized in confusion.

“Yes. I don’t think Ratchet or my predecessor have been so happy and carefree since the days before the war” Nebulous clarified without so much as a stutter as he practically confirmed Megatron’s theory. Sometimes Megatron forgot that Nebulous had access to Optimus’s memories. More often than not it bothered him, but in this instance, Megatron was thankful for the Matrix’s lore-keeping capabilities.

He didn’t know how it had come to be or what forces in the universe had come together to make it happen. But Optimus lived again, in a new frame and with a new name, but alive.

“Will you tell the sparkling when it is old enough?” Megatron questioned quietly as the young Prime met his gaze. Nebulous stood for a long moment, contemplating, before finally seeming to reach a conclusion.

“No. He will not know of his nature until he is required to bear the mantle yet again. He deserves to live a normal life, and so long as I carry the burden of being Prime, he will never be forced to endure this existence. It is the least I can do for him” Nebulous steeled himself more with every word, conviction lacing each syllable of his proclamation. Megatron nodded as the young Prime turned and made to follow after where his two companions had taken the sparkling.

Left with Soundwave, Megatron allowed himself to feel. He wasn’t sure what emotion he was supposed to experience. He hated Optimus Prime, the mech who fought against him at every turn, but he respected him as well for his sacrifice and nobility. He loved his brother Orion Pax and grieved for him even while he lived as Optimus. The sparkling Autoway left Megatron unsure.

For now, at least, he would try and pretend that nothing had changed. Optimus was dead, and if Nebulous’s words rang true, then he would remain dead until the time arrived when Autoway would need to change just as Orion had so long ago. With that in mind, Autoway, at least for now, was just another sparkling, with no special powers or incredible capabilities to set it apart from others save perhaps the indomitable will that Megatron both loathed and loved in his brother.

“Query: Megatron alright?” Soundwave asked, placing a spindly servo on his shoulder plating in a comforting manner. Megatron sighed and answered with a small smile.

“I don’t know Soundwave, but I have a feeling that whatever sorrows plague me will not persist once that sparkling wakes”

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“Megatron, I would like to introduce you to my new apprentice and advisor, Autoway. A law enforcer, tactician, and diplomat from central Iacon. It is my hope that you will assist in his education” Nebulous, now hardened and tempered with age, ushered his ward forward.

Autoway, now grown into a fine young mech, stood before Megatron, nearly matching Nebulous in height despite not being a Prime. He looked like a true warrior, with his frame built for combat and endurance, yet still retaining great agility through his well-structured legs and waist, just as Megatron had predicted long ago. His colors were a near painfully familiar shade of red and blue and his optics were piercing in their intensity. Autoway’s finals were also thicker, stronger, and less sensitive than before, but Megatron could still see them flick slightly in nervousness as he approached and gave a short bow.

“It is an honor to meet you Autoway. I look forward to working with you” Megatron extended a servo in greeting, surprising Autoway slightly but not enough to cause him to do much more than hesitate briefly.

“The honor is mine my Lord” Autoway gripped his servo and gave it a firm shake. Megatron smiled with mixed joy and lingering sorrow as he met Autoway’s gaze. Innocent, yet not inexperienced, wise, yet not cynical, powerful, yet not overwhelming. He was so similar, so familiar.

Already Megatron could see the beginnings of a great Prime blossoming within the youngling before him. And perhaps if he was lucky and happened to live long enough, he would once again be able to shake servos with the mech he once called brother.

But for now, he had a youngling to teach.

“You are a fine mech Autoway, I know that you are destined for greatness” Autoway smiled at the compliment, and for a moment Megatron could imagine that it was Orion Pax standing before him.