AS - As the Stories Go

[ArtisticVicu]

Hi everyone.

So, yeah, I have little idea of how things work here so I'm going to start learning. I have a few writings I want to post so I'm just making an all encompassing thread for them all.

If what I'm doing isn't working, please let me know. I will adjust what I'm doing as requested.

Have a fun and wonderful day,
AsharaSahara


.:~@~:.

[ArtisticVicu]

Sanity Virus
Transformers Movie Verse AU
Megatron X Optimus Prime
Rating: PG-13
Horror/Suspense
Rated for plot, character death, and violence.
Complete
He leaned heavily on the balcony's railing, heaving a sigh. It had been a long day and the following were to only get longer. His dim blue optics drifted over the growing city with little more than weariness and defeat dancing in them. Try as they might, Cybertron would never be what it once was. Not in any of their lifetimes, nor in those of the next generations. He wasn't sure if he was content with how humble his race had become or sad that it had come to this. He shifted his stance, from forearm to elbow so he could bury his face into his hand. A hand stroked up from the base of his shoulder blade to nape of his neck, a thumb stroking the strained wires there. Optimus Prime pushed off the balcony's railing in favor of leaning into both the hand on his neck and the chest behind him.

"You need to quit doing this to yourself, Beloved," a deep, rumbling voice spoke softly from behind him as an arm wrapped around his chest and a face pressed into his shoulder. Optimus reached up, placing a hand on Megatron's faceplate. "You'll run yourself into an early grave."

Optimus gave a soft huff in amusement, relishing in the unconditional love he could feel surging over the abused sparkbond. They each had died once and had made it back before the other could truly lose their mind. The war had finally ended and all Cybertronians were now focused on repairing what had been thought to be unrepairable. A bite on his neck - hard enough to cause pain but gentle enough not to mark - brought Optimus from his thoughts and back to Megatron. He shifted enough to look into his sparkmate's optics, curious. His spark seized at the look in Megatron's red optics.

Concern and worry both dominated the larger mech's unwavering gaze. Optimus found himself trying to slow his venting. He wasn't sure what had caused the reaction but he knew it hadn't been a good emotion. He gave a weak smile, returning his hand to Megatron's faceplate. "I am sorry, Megatron. It has just been a long day."

Megatron kissed Optimus's temple, the kiss lingering for comfort being sought from both parties. When Megatron pulled away, he offered, "It has been for both of us. Let's go recharge."

Megatron stepped back and to the side. He kept an arm around Optimus's waist as he led the red and blue mech back into their quarters. It was simplistic, small. Megatron remembered a time when he had wanted elegance, the largest place Cybertron had to offer, but, when the war had finally ended and the rebuilding of Cybertron had started, he had found the smaller quarters had been much more pleasurable. The greatest factor had been how much it had put both veteran mechs at ease. Sometimes it was hard to push aside war taught habits and paranoias.

The berth was soft and warm. Optimus climbed in first, his systems already shutting down to rest. Megatron helped the sleepy mech settle before going around and climbing in on the other side. Optimus rolled over and pressed his faceplate over Megatron's spark chamber. Megatron wrapped his arms securely around Optimus, humming a tone that seemed to gently vibrate his entire being. It was something they had both discovered had helped a peaceful recharge after so long in war. Soon Optimus was in a deep recharge and Megatron finally gave in to the need to recharge as well.




"The attacks are getting more frequent," Sideswipe commented, leaning heavily on the table covered in datapads and holocubs. "Do we even know where they're coming from?"

Optimus sighed, rubbing at his optics as Ratchet replied, "No. From what we can tell, it's some kind of virus. There hasn't been enough time to analyze the compound fully to tell what the full effects are."

Sunstreaker huffed, pushing off the wall. "I can tell you the effects, Doc. They turn good bots bad. Make them do things they would never do."

"We don't know that for sure," Ratchet countered but Sunstreaker barked back, "I watched Arcee get her spark ripped out by her own sparkmate! I know for a fact that that would never happen! Their bond was too strong!"

"And yet that only restates what little we already know!" Ratchet shouted back. "We need time to know the true effects of-"

"Enough." Megatron stepped forward, glaring at the two mechs. Both silenced immediately, though Sunstreaker still glared at Ratchet. "Whether or not we know the true effects, we do know how it's being transferred."

Ratchet nodded, meeting Megatron's gaze. "As of right now, it's only through fluid. Fresh fluid. Give it a few hours outside of a system and it dies. There's no telling if it'll go air born."

Megatron nodded. "Then we work to contain the infected. Ironhide, work with Soundwave to set up teams and quadrants to patrol. Starscream, take your Trine and another and patrol the skies till the ground teams and quadrants have been set up. Then follow Soundwave and Ironhide's schedule as they need you."

All mechs nodded their acknowledgement before leaving. Megatron looked over to Optimus and knew the other wasn't reading the data pad in his hand. He dismissed the rest with the flick of his wrist and waited for them to leave. As the door clicked shut, Megatron pulled the datapad out of Optimus's loose grip before engulfing Optimus in his arms. He more felt then heard the sigh that escaped from Optimus's vents as his frame relaxed. Megatron placed a chaste kiss on Optimus's temple, offering, "You could have stayed home today. I can hand this."

Optimus shook his head. "I am losing many friends, both old and new. If I can aid in stopping this virus, then I will."

Megatron stole a kiss before he pulled away. "I'm going to visit the building sites. Stay here and go through some of these. I want you to take it easy today. Nothing more strenuous than reading useless information."

Optimus laughed weakly and Megatron took it. Kissing Optimus one last time, he left the room. Optimus sighed and picked up the datapad Megatron had pulled from his grip. He scrolled back to the top, intent on truly understanding what he had been reading but he had barely read the first line when he was interrupted.

The screech was the only warning he got as the windows shattered. His head whipped around and he engaged his cannon without even thinking. A Cybertronian mass collided with his side and his hip caught the edge of the table, both of them sliding across the tabletop and over the other side. Datapads and holocubes scattered in every direction as the table tipped and collapsed overtop them. Optimus's left shoulder burned but he ignored it in favor of dealing with the attacking Cybertronian mass. Optimus managed to land a right hook to the side of the mech's face, giving him enough of an opening to kick the form off and take aim. The door burst open, drawing the assailant's attention away from Optimus for the millisecond it took to register what he was seeing.

The Cybertronian was Soundwave, but he looked damaged, frozen in the middle of withering in pain. Limbs were twisted in painful directions and broken in others. Energon dripped from the wounds that grew with each movement. The worse part of it all was Soundwave's face.

The mech never had much in the way for expressions but the way his face was distorted...Optimus had to look away before he purged his tanks. Even after all that he had seen, it was a gruesome sight.

"Optimus!"

Optimus cursed himself as Soundwave collided with him, slamming him into the floor again. Optimus was able to get an arm free to keep Soundwave from ripping into his throat with serrated teeth. A shadow covered them both and suddenly, Soundwave was crashing into the opposite wall.

Megatron fired at Soundwave. It was a direct hit to the spark and Soundwave crumbled. Tension seemed to escape the room as Megatron lowered his cannon and turned to Optimus. "Are you-"

Megatron was tackled by Soundwave and the sound was excruciating. Megatron was able to throw Soundwave off as his back hit the floor before the infected mech could scratch or bite him and promptly decapitated Soundwave. The frame crashed to the floor unceremoniously as Megatron straightened up. He retracted his blade and turned to Optimus, offering the mech a hand. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe came rushing in. Sunstreaker went directly to Soundwave and Sideswipe walked over as Megatron pulled Optimus to his feet.

"Ironhide's in pretty bad shape," Sideswipe stated without prompt. Optimus gently gripped his burning shoulder. "He's in medical right now, getting cleaned and patched up by Ratchet. He said Soundwave just snapped and attacked him. Rachet said that Ironhide hadn't gotten infect."

Megatron nodded, his gaze going to Optimus. He placed a hand on the small of Optimus's back, offering when dim blue optics looked up at him, "Let's get you to medic."

Optimus nodded.




"You're clear as well," Ratchet stated, reading the scanner in his hand. "The energon that had splattered you was merely surface exposure. Nothing to worry about."

Optimus sighed, relief flooding his spark and mingling with the relief Megatron was feeling. Megatron slid off the medical berth. "How much longer till you have a way to counteract the virus."

Ratchet shook his head. "Until I figure out what caused it, there's no telling on when I'll come up with a way to counteract it."

"We will need to keep everyone on high alert," Optimus voiced. "We cannot allow this to become wide spread nor can we allow it to pull us apart."

"Agreed." Megatron turned to Ratchet. "How long till Ironhide is ready for a debrief?"

Ratchet shook his head. "Soundwave had done some serious damage. It was a miracle Ironhide was conscious when he was brought in and still clean of the virus."

Megatron nodded. He turned to Optimus. The red and blue mech met his gaze with a tired one. Megatron cupped Optimus's faceplate. "I'll be back when things settle. Get some rest."

Optimus nodded, accepting the kiss before watching Megatron leave. With a sigh, he settled back onto the medical berth, rolling onto his good shoulder. Ratchet walked over and stated, "If you need anything, just call."

Optimus nodded, already halfway into recharge.

He woke with a start, feeling as if he had only drifted into recharge. He sat up, wincing as his healing shoulder and hip protested to the movement but didn't hinder him. He looked around the dim medic bay trying to decipher what woke him. He turned his head to the door and saw that it was partially open and harsh whispers were emanating from the hallway. Sliding off the berth, he rubbed his sore shoulder briefly before dropping his hand to the side.

The closer he got, the more he could make out and he recognized his sparkmate's voice long before the words made sense.

"-ther time," Megatron was growling, sounding as if he was trying very hard to keep his voice down. "I won't repeat myself."

"Well, that attitude will get you nowhere," Ratchet replied. Optimus reached out to pulled the door open as the medic commented, "You have to come back in the-"

The door opened and Optimus stepped back. Ratchet jerked back at the sudden appearance of Optimus standing before him. He frowned. "You should be in a deep recharge."

Optimus gave a half shrug, feeling like a youngling getting reprimanded. "I woke up."

Megatron chuckled and Optimus looked at him, smiling gentle. But the smile faltered. Something was off with Megatron but he wasn't sure what. Megatron held out his hand to Optimus and Optimus took it as Megatron offered, "Let's go home."

"Optimus should-"

"We're going home," Megatron growled.

Optimus frowned, retorting, "Megatron."

Megatron looked at him and he seemed to calm instantly. He gave a tired smile. "Sorry, Beloved. It's just been a hard day."

"Then you should be home."

Megatron shook his head. "Not without you."

Optimus looked to Ratchet, the question in his optics. Ratchet sighed, waving the pair off. "Fine. But Optimus is to rest. Nothing till past mid day."

"Nothing till past mid day," Optimus agreed.

Megatron jerked his hand gentle, urging Optimus to follow. Optimus fell into step beside Megatron. Megatron gave Optimus's hand a gentle squeeze and started on the path home. Optimus was pleasantly surprised when they continued walking. It had been a long time since he had walked home with Megatron. Most of the time, they were too exhausted to think of covering the distance by foot. The distance would tax his hip but it would be gentler than shifting forms. Optimus wondered if that was why they were walking.

They reached their apartment half an hour later. Optimus was exhausted, limping, and already slipping in and out of recharge. Megatron had, somewhere along their walk, wrapped his arm around Optimus's waist to support him. The room lit up in a gentle glow when they entered. The pair was silent as Megatron led the way to the bedroom. He turned the lights on before taking Optimus over to the berth. Vents hissed as Optimus cringed from the pain in his hip. Megatron placed a gentle hand over the ache, catching Optimus's dim gaze. Optimus couldn't focus enough through the partial recharge to read the emotions flickering through Megatron's gaze. He reached out, cupping Megatron's cheek. Megatron leaned into it, covering Optimus's hand with his own.

"No matter what happens, you know that I'll always love you?" Megatron asked, his voice soft.

Optimus frowned, forcing himself out of his haze as best he could. He had little success. The fog of exhaustion was winning. "Of course. You would never do anything that states others."

Megatron dropped his gaze to Optimus's spark and Optimus looked over the crouching mech, wondering where this had come from. He must have voiced his concern because Megatron breathed, "The virus is spreading."

Optimus's hand clenched on Megatron's cheek subconsciously as Optimus tensed. Megatron looked up at him with sorrow filled optics. As a sense of foreboding settled in his spark, Optimus snapped, "We will get through this, Megatron. We have made it out alive from much worse."

Megatron gave a faint smile as he captured a kiss. Optimus felt himself being pulled back into recharge as the kiss continued soft and gentle. Megatron broke the kiss and Optimus wasn't quite sure when the larger mech had laid him down. Megatron kissed over Optimus's spark, muttering, "Sleep well, my Beloved."

Optimus gave the hand he still held a squeeze. It was a weak one but Megatron seemed to understand as he squeezed back gently. As Megatron's hand left his, Optimus fought the recharge urging him to sleep, watching as his sparkmate looked back in the doorway, before completely leaving.

His recharge was restless. He became fully aware with a start, feeling completely worn and sore. He sat up stiffly, careful of his right shoulder and left hip as both complained. He froze.

Something was off.

He looked around, his optics taking in the still dark window, the closed door, and the empty berth beside him. It took him a moment to figure the time and yet he didn't trust that it was just before the sun rose. He shifted so his feet hung over the edge of the berth and waited for the strain to subside.

He focused on the closed door, the sound of something breaking muffled by the solid door and good seal. Optimus stood up, favoring his right leg more than his left as he hobbled over to the door and opened it. Something flew at him and he ducked, automatically engaging his canon. He would have raised it too if he hadn't caught sight of Megatron first.

The red optic mech was furious, trashing the sitting area in a rage. Most things were overturned, sliced into multiple pieces, and smashed underfoot. Optimus had to his cannon to disengage. It was a rage he hadn't seen since the war and it honestly scared the Prime. Taking the courage that most Autobots still remember him harboring, he stepped out into the chaos, ignoring the twinge in his hip and the fear in his spark.

Megatron threw something at the far wall that shattered, peppering both their forms in debris. Optimus reached out, clasping a hand on Megatron's arm as he choked, "Megatron."

The blade was at his throat before either of them could fully process it but the manic in Megatron's gaze had been there long enough for Optimus to see it. Recognition and guilt quickly overtook the manic, burying it as the blade disengaged.

"Optimus," came the strangled apology. The red and blue mech found himself being engulfed by Megatron's arms and he wrapped his own arms around Megatron's slightly larger form, his face buried into Megatron's neck. "I'm so sorry, Beloved. I was-it's-I don't know what came over me."

Optimus tightened his grip. "Have you slept, Megatron?"

"I..."

Optimus sighed, pulling back. "Is there anything you have to do first thing?"

Megatron had already given in before he had even answered the question. It wasn't hard to see where this was going as he gave Optimus a gentle smile. "No. And I believe a decent recharge will help."

Optimus accepted the kiss before pulling away and towards the bedroom. Megatron followed without a word, closing the door behind them both. They settled down to recharge but Optimus found recharging on his hip was much more painful than on his shoulder. Megatron didn't seem to mind that the positions had changed slightly. He still wrapped an arm around Optimus and fell into a deep recharge almost instantly. Optimus hadn't been sure if he could even make it into a deep enough recharge to rest fully. Still, he found himself waking without remembering when he had fallen asleep. The berth beside him was empty but still warm. He smiled gently and got up.

His shoulder and hip were still sore but the strained joints were getting better. He walked without any trouble. He entered the sitting room and had to pause in the doorway as the fear from just a few hours ago gripped him again. His hand latched onto the doorframe and cracked the paint. The room was clean, spotless, and repaired. A spike of fear shot through Optimus as he wondered frantically if the previous night had occurred.

Movement drew his attention elsewhere and he smiled gently to Megatron. The mech was leaning against a doorframe, arms crossed and smirking. Optimus released the doorframe with some difficulty and walked over. The fear was still there, still just as strong, even though he knew it was irrational. Megatron wouldn't hurt him, wouldn't harm him. He knew that in his spark. Megatron seemed to have known the turmoil in his spark and captured a chaste kiss briefly as the smirk fell. "I'm needed back at HQ. You're welcome to tag along but, if Ratchet gets wind you left this place, it'll be your own aft."

Optimus chuckled, accepting the chance to be playful. It aided in ignoring the fear. "I thought you liked my aft to be exclusive."

The grin on Megatron's face shouldn't have scared him, shouldn't have reminded him of the times of war. He shouldn't have even made it to the other side of the room as quickly as he had while tripping over the furniture. None the less, he found him back crashing with the far wall as he tried desperately to stop the hyperventing and to disengage the cannon beamed to Megatron's spark. Fear and concern were clear on Megatron's expression as he moved forward slowly. He stopped at the end of Optimus's charged cannon and slowly forced it to lower. His expression never changed as he reached up with his other hand to cup Optimus's cheek.
"Beloved, what happened?" Megatron asked, his voice breaking on the pet name. That did it. That simple break broke through the fear and Optimus lunged at Megatron, burrowing into the other in fear of the memories and of the fear itself. Megatron held on tight. He soothed his sparkmate as best he could without knowing what had caused the episode and Optimus fought to calm down to explain. He owed Megatron that much.

"I apologize," Optimus wheezed.

Megatron bristled at the soft spoken apology and moved back to look at Optimus fully. "Don't even, Optimus. Just tell me what happened. What triggered this? Neither of us have had such strong episodes before."

Opimus shook his head, elbows on bent knees and gaze to the floor. "I do not know."

Megatron gripped his chin forcefully. Probably more forcefully then the mech had intended but Optimus flinched regardless, his head jerking back to connect sharply with the wall behind it and bright blue optics focused on regretful red ones. Megatron cupped the back of Optimus's head, offering, "I'll try and be more careful, Beloved. I don't want to cause such turmoil." Megatron kissed Optimus's forehead, offering, "I'll be back after the meeting."

Optimus frowned as Megatron stood. He took the offered hand and got up. "Is a compromise possible?"

Megatron smirked, but it was guarded this time, sharper almost. "Depends."

"I go with you but the only strenuous thing I do is read useless information."

Megatron laughed, accepting that as a good compromise. "Alright."

They left a bit after midday, walking hand in hand for most of the way. As they got closer, though, Optimus realized this was the third time Megatron had rubbed his temples. He frowned, asking, "Are you alright, Megatron?"

Megatron looked at him, an optic ridge raised in question. "I'm fine. I'll stop by medic on the way to take care of this. It's nothing. Don't worry."

Optimus didn't believe him but let it slide. Others greeted them, though most sounded hollow. Megatron seemed to have noticed as well because he wrapped an arm around Optimus's shoulders and sped up the pace. They entered the same room as last time. The room had been repaired in their absence and looked exactly the same. There was nothing to reveal what had happened less than a day ago. The same bots were in the room – excluding Ironhide and Soundwave – and the table was covered in datapads and holocubes ones more. Optimus picked up a datapad with a sigh and started skimming, not really registering the words he was reading.

"The attacks are getting more frequent," Sideswipe commented, leaning heavily on the table covered in datapads and holocubs. "Do we even know where they're coming from?"

Optimus rubbed at his optics as Ratchet replied, "No. From what we can tell, it's some kind of virus. There hasn't enough time to analyze the compound fully to tell what the effects are."

Optimus's hand froze as he tensed. Sunstreaker huffed, pushing off the wall. "I can tell you the effects, Doc. They turn good bots bad. Make them do things they would never do."

Optimus's head snapped up and his gaze locked onto Sunstreaker.

"We don't know that for sure," Ratchet countered but Sunstreaker barked back, "I watched Arcee get her spark ripped out by her own sparkmate! I know for a fact that would never happen! Their bond was too strong!"

"And yet that only restates what little we already know!" Ratchet shouted back. "We need time to know the true effects of-"

"Optimus?"

Optimus flinched, blinking as he found himself face to face with his sparkmate. Optimus looked to the others and saw them watching him, mixed expressions among the crowd. Megatron gripped his arms tighter, drawing Optimus's attention back to Megatron and to the fact that his entire form was shaking. He sank to his knees and Megatron went with him, keeping him upright. Optimus rubbed at his head as he tried to force his body to stop shaking, blinking at the shattered datapad under his knee.

"Optimus." Optimus looked up into red optics. He reached up and placed a hand over Megatron's spark, his fingers curling into the metal in an attempt to redirect his thoughts. "What's wrong?"

Optimus slowly calmed down as he spoke softly. "I...Things had been so similar. It felt as if there would be a repeat of what had happened."

Megatron frowned and, for a fleeting moment, Optimus thought he had seen confusion, as if Megatron hadn't known what he was talking about. But it was there and gone so quickly, Optimus just brushed it off to a trick of the light. Megatron tightened his grip gently, briefly, asking, "Can you stand?"

Optimus hesitated before he nodded. Megatron hauled him gently to his feet, turning to the others. "We'll continue this later."

"Megatron," Ratchet started, gaze on Optimus.

"I said later!" Megatron shouted, suddenly furious. It was either great self control or a miracle that his grip on Optimus hadn't tightened. Sunstreaker opened his mouth but Megatron overrode him. "OUT!"

Everyone scattered. Megatron turned to Optimus, working desperately to suppress the sudden rage. He rubbed where he had been holding Optimus, asking, "I didn't harm you, did I?"

Optimus shook his head, doing his best to keep the onslaught of fear back. So many years out of war and the Last Prime was going soft. But, then again, his sparkmate was the notorious Megatron, Ruthless Leader of the Decepticons. No one ever loses that large of a part of themself, after all. Megatron didn't seem to notice the turmoil within his sparkmate and Optimus sighed inwardly. He didn't need to worry Megatron with this. There was enough to do already that he didn't need to add his sudden onslaughts of day terrors. Megatron kissed his forehead, breathing, "Good."

Megatron turned to the table and rubbed at his head, running the hand from his temple to the base of his neck where he worked on soothing whatever pain was ailing him. Optimus frowned. "You were going to go take care of that, Megatron."

Megatron look up, arching an optic ridge. He smiled gently. "I will. But I need to make sure you're ok first."

Primes don't pout. At least, not in public. But around their sparkmates, they seem to pout all the time and this was one of those times. Optimus crossed his arms and pouted at Megatron. "I am fine, Megatron. Just a day terror that has passed."

Megatron chuckled, standing, once more, before his sparkmate. A stolen kiss from a pouting Prime and Megatron replied airily, "I know, Beloved. Just humor me. Just this once."

Optimus's resolve deflated and Megatron stole another kiss. Optimus gently pushed Megatron and the other laughed, shoving back in retaliation. Optimus chuckled, staggering the two steps it took in exaggeration of compensating the weak shove in. Returning to the table, Optimus started collecting the datapads and holocubs.

As he picked one off the floor, Optimus straightened with a frown. He started stacking his armful neatly on the table. "There was no need to snap at them."

Megatron sighed, rubbing at his head as he leaned on the table. "Can we not do this, Optimus?"

"Megatron."

"No!" The table jumped and cracked from the impact of Megatron's fist on its surface. Red optics upturned to glare at the Prime. "I do not have to justify myself to you, Optimus. Nor do I have to listen to your lecture."

With the fear that had yet to leave him since last night, Optimus took a step forward with anger and hurt driving him forward, refusing to back down as he countered, "I had no intentions of lecturing you, Megatron. I was merely stating you did not have to act that way with our friends, regardless."

Megatron gave a barking laugh and Optimus was proud that he hadn't visibly flinched. "Friends? Last time I check, Optimus, they were your friends. Not mine."

"They are your friends, Megatron. They have been since the day we started rebuilding Cybertron."

The table shattered and Optimus leapt back, unable to stop the cannon from engaging, charging, and targeting Megatron. Megatron stood over the shattered table, fist still where it had stopped. Slowly, Megatron pulled out of the stance, almost like he was coming out of a daze and not quite sure what had happened. He looked at his hand briefly before looking up at Optimus. Optimus watched as Megatron took in the stance and the cannon pointed at him. Megatron took a step back, shaking his head slowly. His clenched his hands, ripping his gaze from Optimus as his vents hissed. He reached up and pressed his palm to his temple, offering weakly, "I'm sorry, Beloved. I shouldn't...I just..."

He sighed, his frame relaxing. He looked to Optimus and Optimus was startled out of his stance by how guarded Megatron's gaze was. "I'm going to go blow some steam. I'll see you back home."

Optimus gave a tentative nod and watched as Megatron left without looking back. Optimus looked back at the table and overrode the cannon, disengaging it and smothering the fear with routine. He cleaned up the mess of datapads and datacubes before heading home.

He stopped walking when he received an urgent ping. He frowned. It was an old frequency from back during the war. Activating it, he didn't have a chance to get a sound out before an onslaught of noise was unleashed.

"Any available warriors, come in! We need help! Headquarters is being attacked and we've got two other assaults going on at North Point and Iacon Records! Any available warriors within these areas, please give aid! I repeat! Any available warriors, come in! We need help! Headquarters is being attacked and we've got two other assaults going on at..."

Optimus shifted forms and raced back through the streets. He transformed just outside the doors to Headquarters and found the telltale signs of an assault. Mechs and femmes scattered the grounds and Optimus engaged both a blade and a cannon as his battle mask locked into place. With this many offlined, it was a large scale assault. Which meant –

"Megatron!"

Optimus made his way through halls lit with emergency lights as quickly as he could, barely feeling his sparkmate at the end of their abused link. He rounded a corner and staggered to a stop over a small squad barely holding up against an assailant. Optimus opened fire over their heads, his optics quickly confirming that the assailant and the small squad was not who he was looking for. Optimus was both surprised and pleased to see a familiar face among the strangers.

"Bumblebee."

"Nice timing, Optimus. I was worried we were going to get scrapped," the little yellow ex-scout chimed happily. "This is what I get for teaming with rookies."

The only femme in the group smacked Bumblebee upside the head, snapping, "Don't blame us for your mistake, Commander."

Bumbebee laughed, not taking his attention off their target.

"These things are resilient!" one of the remaining anonymous mechs commented. He sat back, hiding behind his comrades to recuperate. Optimus could hear his vents working overtime to keep his system cooled. The purple and red frame was shaking. Optimus met the blue optic gaze that looked up at him as the mech asked, "How do we kill these things, Optimus Prime, Sir?"

Optimus looked back at their target. "Decapitation."

"Seriously?" the mech asked, the fear of the moment growing a bit much for him.

"Great," one of the other mechs grumbled. Optimus didn't bother looking at which as he ducked the wall panel that had been thrown at them. The panel embedded itself into the wall behind them. The grumble, though, seemed to settle the purple and red mech a bit. At least his frame had stopped shaking.

"Any ideas?" Bumblebee asked.

Optimus frowned. "Just one."

"Good enough for me," the ex-scout announced, happily agreeing. He stood up, offering cover fire as Optimus raced forward.

The fight was over in a matter of seconds. The once whole Cybertronian collapsed in a heap of metal at Optimus's feet, the head rolling down the hall somewhere. Optimus looked at the squad as it approached cautiously, ordering, "Keep your weapons out."

The blue and green mech that had been ready to disengage his weapon jumped, meeting Optimus's gaze. He nodded and hurried to take up the rear. Bumblebee nudged the mass with his food. "None I recognize."

"I know him." Optimus looked at the remaining mech of black and red, recognizing the voice as the one that had grumbled earlier. The mech looked too seasoned to be a rookie. "Lived next door. Good mech. Vet, if I remember correctly. Autobot."

"Frag," Bumblebee cussed, looking away. "It's not like we needed another one lost."

"There are no more factions, Bumblebee. Any we lose now is one of ours, no matter past alliances."

"Yes, Sir," Bumblebee accepted with a not.

Optimus nodded in recognition, asking, "Have you seen Megatron?"

"Last I heard, he was up aiding Ratchet in keeping the medic clear. He may have moved on."

Optimus nodded. "Sweep this floor. Aid anyone you come across."

"We'll be here if you need us," Bumblebee agreed, saluting. He turned to his team as Optimus started down the hall again. "Alright, troops. I want an open commlink at all times. If there's any trouble or if you find..."

Silence was only cut by what noise Optimus made. It was eerie trotting through hallways he knew should be bustling at this time of day. Twice he came across deserted battlefields in those tight hallways. The second one had been the worst yet.

Parts and spilt energon splattered the hallway for the entire length and Optimus couldn't distinguish features enough to know if anyone he knew was dead now. The carnage continued along the path he took and, while there were other ways of getting to medic located on the third floor, Optimus was going for the shortest route. He could hear shouts and weapon fire as he approached the stairs. He hugged the wall, raising his cannon as he tried to decipher what was happening. He flinched when the corner beside his face shattered from a shot. Swallowing his fear, Optimus stepped out.

He was racing towards fire without really processing anything, blade scraping the floor every so often. His body moved on instinct alone, falling back on training he had long since thought rust. He was upon the assailant and had it decapitated before those fighting to stay alive even registered what had happened. Someone was shouting a cease fire as Optimus ducked one shot and sidestepped another. Optimus looked to the rag tag team of Cybertronians and was pleased to see another familiar face. "Barricade."

"Prime," the once Decepticon responded, nodding. "Lucky you showed up. We were being picked off faster than we could have anticipated."

Optimus returned the nod. "Bumblebee is with a squad near the entrance. Retrace my steps and see if you can offer some aid. They had an open commlink. See if you can contact them."

Barricade nodded as those with him started past Optimus. Barricade studied the Prime before offering, "Megatron was alive last I saw him. Up on the third floor. They were holding their own when I left."

Optimus nodded and moved to go up the stairs. A hand stopped him. He looked back at Barricade but the mech didn't release his grip. "I'm sending one of mine with you."

Optimus shook his head. "If there is a chance of getting everyone out, I will take it. Clearing this floor is our only option without Seekers or more information."

"Megatron ordered me to send one of mine with you."

Optimus gave a gentle smile, though the battle mask hid it. "I will deal with Megatron. Take care of your squad, Commander."

Barricade released Optimus's arm with a sharp nod. The mech saluted before following his team. Optimus watched them till they all disappeared around the last corner before he started to climb the stairs. The emergency lights flicker briefly before going completely dark, leaving Optimus in a pitch black stairwell. He took a moment to adjust to the new development before moving on, knowing full well he was at a disadvantage in this dark. He pressed against the wall beside the exit and charged his cannon. With a steady hand, he opened the door.

Silence.

Optimus kept his weapon to his chest as he looked around the edge of the door. Nothing. Stepping out, he raised his weapon, taking careful steps. He sent a comm ping from where he stood before hurrying down the wall. It was unclear if the infected bots were still sane enough to understand a ping like that but anything could draw their attention as well as nothing.

He sent another ping as he rounded a corner, listening for anything. The farther he moved, though, the more he was certain no one was there. The medic bay was 3 minutes away and that was without any complications. He rounded the next corner only to backpedal, raising his weapon. He was instantly grateful he wasn't trigger happy like a few bots he knew because he had just stumbled upon three sleeping infected. He shuddered, thanking Primus for the steady hand. He ignored the gore in the hall around the three sleeping infected and continued down the hallway he had been traveling. There was always another way.

The next turn had been impassible. The roof had caved in from something and Optimus wasn't about to take the chance to blast his way through. Sadly, that had been his last short route option. The hallway he was now in continued on for a good 3 minutes on its own before anything opened up to allow him to go right. He just hoped it would be clear.

When he came to the turn, he found it dark and empty. Neither of these boded well with him. Clenching his free hand, he started down the hall, foot fall as quiet as possible. He had a rough idea on the floor plan but it had been some time since he had been in this part of the building. The back of the building still had large areas of construction. This building was to become the central hub of activity, creating a place for Cybertronians to mingle and learn. But, for now, it was merely Headquarters.

The floor panel he stepped on gave way and Optimus staggered away. He cringed at the sound of the floor panel clattering off of the support struts and other panels on its way down. He looked to his left and saw that the wall was still there, still solid, but the floor and the lowest part of the wall had been taken out as something had come through at an angle, heading for the ground floor. Optimus placed his foot down carefully, testing the floor panel as he moved forward. It was slow, tedious, but he made it through the damaged area without another incident. Hurrying along, Optimus rounded the next corner and started to hear noises. Noises he wasn't too sure he was grateful to hear.

Shouts and weapon fire echoes off the walls as screeches and screams mingled with the chaos. Optimus rounded the corner to find himself a good distance behind a squad. The medic bay was in between Optimus and the squad, holding the middle line. Optimus ran forward only to stop at the medic bay.

The place was organized chaos. Most of the medical berths were occupied and any trained medic was running between patients, trying their best to take care of what they could. Ratchet was near the door, thankfully, and had seen Optimus before the Prime could fine him.

"He's with the squad keeping the infected at bay!" Ratchet barked, stopping a sudden gush of energon. Optimus was gone before he could become a hindrance.

The first mechs he ran into of the squad were Starscream and one of his trine. Starscream had a nasty gash on his wing and a burn from a gun on his opposite side. His trinemate was working on stilling the flow of energon enough to get Starscream the short distance to the medic bay without Starscream falling into stasis lock. Starscream's trinemate nodded in welcome as Starscream onlined one dim optic before offlining it quickly. He rasped out, "He's been waiting for you, Prime."

Optimus nodded, clasping the trinemate on the back before moving on. He hugged the corner to get a look at who else was there. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were working together to take down one of the four infected trying to get past the blockade Optimus was standing beside. Several other mechs and femmes were among the infected fighting but not many were getting close enough to do much. It was clear it was a suicidal mission going in like that, getting close like that. The infected were all leaking energon and the hall was covered in it. Optimus added cover fire with the barricade, finding himself standing side by side with his sparkmate.

"Beloved." A strong arm wrapped around his waist, pulling his back flush with Megatron's chest. Megatron brushed a kiss on the top of Optimus's helm, questioning over the noise, "You're unharmed?"

Optimus clung to Megatron's hand as he continued to fire at the infected. It was hard, especially with friendlies among them. "Yes. I ran into Bumblebee and Barricade. They and their squads appeared to be holding their own for now."

Optimus felt Megatron's nod against the back of his helm. One of the infected went down and didn't come up. "I've lost 12 so far and more are going to fall before these three are taken out."

"How many infected were in the initial attack?" Optimus ducked, stepping out of Megatron's hold as a piece of Cybertronian went flying through where they had been standing. They returned to the other's side but didn't return to the embrace.

"20, from what I was told."

Optimus tensed. "20?"

"20."

Optimus got a lucky shot in, catching an infected in the face. It opened up the opportunity for those in the brawl to get the upper hand. Another infected fell and didn't get back up.

"We've been at this for nearly an hour. If we don't finish this now, we'll start losing more mechs."

Optimus nodded.

A half an hour later, the last of the infected fell. They had lost 8 more mechs in the brawl but, thankfully, things had quieted. As Optimus knelt to aid Sideswipe with his injured twin, Megatron ordered, "Back to med bay. Two mechs at point at either end. Interchange every 15 minutes. No point should be left unattended."

Sunstreaker gave a strangled scream as he was moved. Sideswipe seemed lost, trying to aid his brother as best he could as they moved him to medic. It was worse in there than the first time Optimus had hurried in there less than an hour ago. Ratchet came over almost immediately, directing, "Bed 13. Get the energon loss to stop."

Optimus nodded, directing Sideswipe in the right direction. Sunstreaker collapsed onto the medical berth with nothing more than a groan. Sideswipe started fretting over his brother, inhibiting others to give Sunstreaker the medical attention he needed. Optimus gripped Sideswipe's shoulder firmly and directed him back out into the hall where he was pleased to see those that had minor to no injuries were waiting. Most were silent but a few were talking in hushed voices. Optimus saw Megatron talking with Starscream's trinemate so guided Sideswipe in the opposite direction to the outer edge of the group.

"Sideswipe, your brother will be fine," Optimus tried, watching the smaller mech's reaction.

Sideswipe shook his head, snapping – though softly – "He got infected. I know he got infected. How could he not get infected? There was tainted energon everywhere! Ratchet said–"

"Ratchet had stated that they have had little time to work on an antivirus. Your brother will remain your brother long enough for them to complete it."

Sideswipe looked up at Optimus, his blue optics bright with fear and apprehension. Despite the emotional turmoil raging inside, Sideswipe took those words as truth and nodded. He gave a weak smile and an even weaker, "Thanks, Optimus."

Optimus reached up and gripped Sideswipe's shoulder in a way to offer comfort. "You're welcome."
Optimus left Sideswipe to his thoughts and walked towards his sparkmate. At first, he thought that Megatron was just having a heated discussion with the Seeker before him but as he got closer, it became more and more apparent Megatron was pissed and Optimus had the feeling the Seeker happened to be the outlet. The fist collided with the wall next to the Seeker's head, just inside of the wing. The Seeker flinched. Optimus broke out into a run, closing the distance in three strides. He quickly wrapped a hand around the drawn back wrist, whispering harshly, "Megatron. Enough."

Megatron yanked his wrist from Optimus's hold and stormed down the hall. Optimus hurried after, not about to let his sparkmate do something stupid. They passed the sentries as Megatron worked his way deeper into the building. By the time Megatron had lost whatever rage had overtaken him, they had been speed walking for a good quarter of an hour, if not longer. They had come to a T and Megatron walked up to the wall. He placed both his hands at shoulder level before leaning into the structure, head hanging between his arms. Optimus came up beside him, placing a hand on Megatron's back. He kissed Megatron's neck, asking quietly, "What happened?"

Megatron shook his head, leaning all his weight onto his right hand so that he could rub at his head with his left. "I don't know. I was suddenly engulfed in rage, I didn't really have any control over my actions."

Megatron's frame was shaking beneath Optimus's touch. Optimus wasn't sure if it was because of all the stress or if Megatron was still fighting the rage. Optimus frowned, noticing Megatron's hand had yet to fall from the mech's temple. "It has gotten worse."

Megatron growled, stepping away from Optimus. Optimus met the glare with nothing more than concern. Megatron took a step to the side in an unconscious move that settled him in a battle stance. "Of course it's gotten worse. I haven't had time to take care of it and this situation isn't helping."

Optimus deliberately slowed his venting, fighting against the wave of fear. He took a calculated step forward, raising his hand slowly as he spoke, "I was merely pointing it out, Megatron. I am aware of how hard things have become. That does not mean you can deny yourself medical aid. Let us go back. Ratchet will take the few seconds to take care of you."

Megatron growled, turned, and punched his fist through the wall. Optimus leapt back. His sword engaged out of shear reflex as he fell into a battle stance. Silence fell with Megatron standing there with his hand in the wall and Optimus waiting with baited breath. Slowly, Megatron pulled his fist from the wall. Optimus forced himself out of the stance and retracted the sword. Megatron rubbed at his head again. Optimus stepped forward. He placed a hand on Megatron's arm just to have the larger mech flinch away.

Optimus's hand hung in the air where Megatron's arm had been. Red optics fell onto the outstretched hand before falling to its owner. Megatron entangled their fingers as he rushed, "I'm sorry, Beloved. I'm just on edge."

"You have no need to apologize, Megatron." Optimus stole a kiss before offering, "Let us return to the others and get you some medical treatment."

Megatron nodded and he followed Optimus's lead down the hall. It was quite, dark, and yet neither worked on fixing either fact. They progressed through the halls slower than they had traversed them. There was no hurry. The mechs and femmes at the medic bay were able to hold their own without them. After all, the ultimate goal was to keep the medic bay safe.

Megatron rubbed at his head for the second time in their walk and Optimus watched him, seeing the pain flash across the larger mech's expression. He gave Megatron's hand a gentle squeeze in hopes to convey some comfort. The squeeze was returned but Optimus wasn't sure if there was any emotion behind it.

A sound from behind them stilled their feet. Megatron still had a hand to his head but the pain had long since cleared from the bright optics. Fear coursed through Optimus with every pulse of his spark as he engaged his cannon. They turned as one to look back to where they had come from. Another sound, this one sounding like a screech, echoed off the walls. Optimus listened to Megatron's own cannon engage and charge. There was no comfort in the sound. Instead, it just seemed to intensify the fear. Shoving the useless emotion back as far as it would go, Optimus moved to the wall, pressing himself up against it as he knelt and took aim. Megatron moved in behind him but stayed standing.

The seconds turned into minutes and they waited. Optimus relished the touch of Megatron's hand gripping his shoulder even while it just seemed to add to the fear. Optimus's cannon never wavered and shot straight when the infected they had heard came around the corner.

Optimus wanted to scream as he continued shooting. He knew that bright yellow paintjob. He knew that frame. He knew those bright blue optics were no longer the right blue. Megatron's grip on his shoulder quickly grew painful as Bumblebee came racing towards them, a screech emanating from the distorted form. Fresh energon splattered the walls and floor with every motion and Optimus could see that some of the energon on Bumblebee's frame wasn't even infected. Three strides away and Optimus engaged his sword. Two strides away and he felt Megatron move to the side with his own sword engaged. One stride away and Optimus was standing. Bumblebee collided with Optimus, throwing them both down the hall to impact the floor painfully. Optimus used the momentum to kick Bumblebee off but his foot slipped on the energon covered armor. Bumblebee was so much smaller than him, that he was having a hard time keeping a hold of the yellow scout. Bumblebee scratched at the plating over Optimus's spark. Optimus fought to keep his hold on the scout just so that Bumblebee couldn't get the chance to infect him. A swipe at his face and Optimus could feel four sharp fingers leaving gashes that went through his battle mask and scrapped his cheek. Optimus threw his head back to avoid the next swipe.

Suddenly Bumblebee was off of him and Optimus watched as Megatron threw him against the wall before decapitating him. Optimus rolled onto his side, sitting up. Sad optics took in Bumblebee's limp form as Megatron retracted his blade. Optimus stood as Megatron approached.

"Did he get you?" Megatron asked as Optimus's battle mask slid back. Megatron hissed.

Optimus reached up and touched the four scratches, tracing the longest as it went from his cheek to across his lips. "They are not life threatening, Megatron. The surface is barely scraped."

Megatron ran his own fingers over the marks. "None the less, you're getting checked. You ran into Bumblebee when you entered the building."

Optimus nodded, offering what he had. "He appeared normal to me. As bright as he had always been."

Megatron nodded as he dropped his hand. "Let's hurry back."

They had barely gone two paces when another rounded the corner ahead of them. Megatron attacked first, Optimus right behind him. It was a femme Optimus didn't recognize and she was faster than either of them had been ready for. Optimus was slammed into the wall as he blocked the attack. She landed a knee into his side and he crumbled into the blow, receiving a fist to his temple. Optimus's head snapped back, connecting with the wall. Megatron was there again and her head went flying down the hall. Megatron yanked Optimus from the wall, barking, "Why are you always the target?"

Optimus rubbed his head. "I doubt I could answer that."

Megatron placed a hand over Optimus's, kissing Optimus's temple. "That's the second time you've been the target and I have no idea why. I don't want anything happening to you."

Optimus met Megatron's gaze, offering, "Just as I want nothing happening to you. We must return to the others."

Megatron nodded, ready to reply, when a screech came from either end of the hall. A string of curses came from Megatron as he spun Optimus and pressed back to back. With cannons on one hand and swords on the other, the pair readied.

The infected charging at Optimus was the young mech in Bumblebee's squad, the one of black and red with too much experience to be on Bumblebee's team. Sure enough, the infected mech moved with an experience and unpredictability usually familiar with one of the older infected he had the ill fortune of fighting. He shoved the infected back, taking two shots. The first was dodged, the second was a direct hit to the shoulder. The arm dangled useless from the shoulder but the infected wasn't hindered. The second attack was a low kick and Optimus blocked, countering with a blast to the chest and a swipe at the head. The shot missed the spark chamber by millimeters and the infected dodged the swipe, the blade barely skimming the top of its helm. The infected bounded back a few steps before charging Optimus again. This time a blade was drawn and shoved at Optimus. Optimus felt the blade bury itself into his left side but, this time, he didn't miss his target and the head bounced against the floor.

As the infected frame crashed into the floor, Optimus yanked the blade from his side and moved to aid Megatron. Megatron was farther down the hall, shoving the infected back but never getting a clean slice at the mech's throat. Optimus ran as hard as he could but he felt as if he was moving through mud. He just couldn't get there fast enough, just couldn't get to his sparkmate. As Megatron passed the threshold into where two hallways crossed, a third infected launched itself into Megatron's side. Megatron went down hard but he was able to kill the infected. The first infected was on Megatron before he could recover and Optimus screamed Megatron's name as the infected's blade buried itself into Megatron's abdomen.

Optimus found himself coming to a halt, knees bend and blade scrapping gently against the floor. A battle cry rang through the hall and Optimus watched in horror as his sparkmate retaliated, ripping the infected mech to shreds long after the frame had gone limp. Fear shoved him forward, forced him to race towards the source of his fear. He grabbed Megatron's arm, yanking him away as his other hand went to Megatron's wound. "Megatron! Enough! It is dead!"

Frantic optics locked with Optimus's and Megatron slowly stopped struggling. His vents were on high and his weapons remained active. His entire frame was shaking and pain rippled across Megatron's faceplace. "Optimus."

"I am right here," Optimus assured.

Megatron's frame convulsed and his hands went to his head. A pained scream escaped Megatron as the mech doubled over. Optimus moved to go down with him but Megatron's hand was over Optimus's spark, stopping him. Megatron's bright red optics locked with Optimus's bright blue ones and Optimus could clearly see the fear. "Run."

Optimus placed a hand over Megatron's, shaking his head slowly, but Megatron shoved again, urging, "Beloved, run!"

Optimus felt the shove in his spark across the bond and Optimus stumbled back. Optimus watched in terror as his sparkmate started convulsing, screaming. Optimus could do nothing more than plaster himself to the wall behind him as hot tears streamed down his faceplate. The pain, the anguish, and the fear Megatron was experiencing was flooding the bond, blending with Optimus's own terror. As abruptly as it had started, it stopped, though the period of time it had traversed was so long that Optimus wasn't sure how long they had been missing. Slowly, he extended his sword, watching his sparkmate, frozen in mid convulsion.

Optimus jumped when Megatron's head snapped up. Try as he might, Optimus couldn't bring himself to look away. Megatron's face was twisted into one of pain, fear, and sorrow, places cracking from the severity of the expression. The only thing that just didn't fit with the face, though, was the grin spread across Megatron's face. Sharp teeth glistened in a grin that wasn't happy, or natural. Optimus met the red gaze once more before he ran. A screech alerted him that Megatron was following and Optimus felt fear shoving him harder down the hallway. Optimus skidded as he took the sharp turn, ducking as Megatron flew over his head. He felt Megatron's fingers scrape his back between his shoulders.

Optimus ran for as long as he could, longer than he thought possible. Fear had gripped his spark and refused to let go and he could not, for the life of him, understand where it had come from nor understand why it was affecting him so. He knew fear, knew how to overcome it and fight. His footfall faltered. He didn't want to fight his sparkmate, didn't want to face the fact that he was losing him. And he knew, without a doubt, this was the reason behind his inability to fight this fear.

Optimus cursed under his breath, skidding to a stop where a large chunk of the building had been taken out. By what, Optimus didn't want to know. He turned, ready to back track, but found that he was cornered. Megatron was just on this side of the next hall juncture, his blade out and scrapping the floor as he stepped slowly towards Optimus. Optimus readied his own blade and Megatron attacked.

Optimus met the attack, not wanting to be anywhere near the abrupt end of the hallway. Their blades met with a ringing force and Optimus found himself thrown back. He staggered, mere feet away from the ledge that he had been trying to avoid. He winced, his arm hurting. Megatron was either much stronger or he had forgotten just how strong Megatron had been.

His fear spiked as he blocked another attack. He was shoved to the edge of the gaping hole. Megatron's attack wasn't just a single blow and one slipped past Optimus's defense, catching his left thigh and leaving behind a rather deep gash that damaged the mobility of the limb. Optimus cringed.

Megatron took the opening and kicked Optimus. Optimus tried to grab Megatron as he lost his balance but missed. As he fell, Optimus watched as Megatron stepped to the edge to watch. Something hard and sharp slammed into his right shoulder and spun him in his tumble.

His back slammed into the floor two stories beneath the ledge. The floor was uneven, damaged, and it made the impact all that more painful. Systems were offlining and warnings were blaring. His right shoulder was on fire and his right arm was completely disengaged. He reached over, feeling a limb attached but something was protruding from his shoulder. He gripped what he realized to be a metal rod and yanked it out. Vents hissed but he was able to still the scream before it could erupt from his chest.

His entire system nearly went into stasis lock. He forced himself to stay online, to stay active and, thankfully, pressure over his spark chamber gained his attention. He onlined optics he hadn't realized had flickered off only to look up at Megatron standing over him, a heavy foot on his chest and a cannon charged and ready to fire at his head. Optimus moved his dim blue optics from the cannon in his face to the red optics above him. The cannon fired and Optimus flinched from the sound. He onlined his optics and looked over to see the floor eaten away an inch from his head. He focused back up on Megatron's gaze.

He breathed, "Megatron."

Tears were streaming down Megatron's face, the broken grin still there. The twisted expression had yet to change, to shift to something else. The pressure on his chest grew as Megatron added more weight behind the foot. Optimus grunted, vents hissing.

Time ticked by and all Optimus could do was hold Megatron's gaze. Slowly, the weight shifted and the cannon moved. At first, relief flooded him at the thought that Megatron was regaining control, that Megatron was fighting. But as the cannon rose higher, so did Optimus's fear to where it was aiming.

"Megatron. Megatron, please." The barrel of the cannon settled against Megatron's temple, charging. "No. Megatron. No!"

His spark seemed to scream. The blast resounded through the hallways and it felt like a giant hole was ripped into Optimus's chest. Megatron's dead weight fell onto his legs and the fear was there, driving him to dig his fingers into the floor in a desperate act to get away. A ringing had settled into his mind, clouding it. Scratches lined the floor where his hands hadn't gained real purchase. He caught something solid and pulled. He didn't care what it was. All that mattered was that it held. He pulled himself out from under the mass that had been his sparkmate.

His left foot finally came free. He ran down the hall, stumbling over things his mind wasn't registering. His foot caught on something and, in a brief flick of logic where the ringing in his head died down, he wondered why he hadn't been kissing the floor, why suddenly he had use of his right arm. The fear and the ringing was eating at everything, pushing him forward, keeping logic at bay. If he could just get away, maybe – just maybe – the nightmare would end.

He heard his shoulder collide with the wall, but it was a flicker of registration that vanished the instant it was realized. It wasn't till he felt his foot catch again that he realized he was climbing stairs. As soon as that registered, his footfall was sure and he stopped tripping in his haste. Again, the fleeting moment of clarity vanished as quickly as it had come.

He slammed into a door and the door shattered. He tucked and rolled, coming up only to find himself facing a group of infected. The image before him flicker, as if the over image of the infected wasn't holding to a mirror image of still healthy Cybertronians. He spun around, ready to run in the opposite direction only to find another group of infected blocking his way. He looked to his left and found the hall empty.

He ran.

His shoulder caught something. He wasn't sure what and doubted it really mattered. All that mattered was the sudden, brief moment of clarity as he felt his balance disappear, only to have his body twist to accommodate and keep him running. He should have fallen, should have landed hard. The logic slipped from his grasp as the fear came back in, swallowing the thoughts and leaving his mind with one thought.

Keep running.

He rounded another corner only to find himself slamming into an infected. His body reacted, twisting with a blade out. The infected fell and the ringing in his head grew. A second was on him but his body moved as his mind reeled in pain as the ringing grew progressively louder. Optimus stumbled back a few steps, blade scrapping the floor. Something in his mind was screaming at him, screaming for him to see, but the ringing – no, screaming his mind was engulfed in wasn't allowing him to focus.

The screaming, whether from himself or some outside force, blinded him to his actions, blinded him from the sight before him. If he were to say he knew what he was doing, he would have been lying. A moment, he knew what he was doing, and the next, the memory of it was lost.

A sharp pain cleared most of the fog, bringing into startling focus the fight before him for a brief, spark stopping moment.

He knew now the screams were his.

He knew the infected he was fighting, weren't infected

He had fought alongside those he was now fighting as they protecting the medic bay. Already, a few he had come to know well lay beneath his feet. He watched as his blade sliced through a young feme, severing a limb before taking out a battle aged mech with a stab through the spark. As he turned, blocking another attack, he tried desperately to still his hand, to still his motion. It made no difference. His body parried the attack and took the mech down with a single stroke.

The fog of his own screaming, his own pain filtered over his mind again and he lost the clarity that had been there. He didn't care. He just screamed in pain and in the anguish that had been storming his system since his sparkmate took his own life.
He blinked, touching his raw throat. He couldn't remember but it felt like he had been screaming. Dismissing the odd sensation, he focused on what was around him. He found that he couldn't remember anything and yet he didn't feel a sense of panic like he thought he should. The image before his optics was currently swimming so he turned his focus from the lack of memory to trying to clearly see what was before him.

The image sharpened into things that he recognized and could name but that didn't mean it made sense. Definitions were not forthcoming with the names. With a groan, he rolled onto his side.

The startled yelp was embarrassing but he was sure anyone would have yelped all the same when coming face to face with a severed head. Actually, now that he looked more closely, he felt he should remember something about said severed head but it was like fishing through air for invisible fish. He stood up. His legs shook but, other than that, he seemed undamaged. Strange. He couldn't shake the feeling that he should be damaged. Dismissing the feeling, he looked around. The place he was in was rundown but he did seem to recognize it. Headquarters came to mind but he had no idea what that meant in relation to himself.

He started down the way he was facing. It was rather fascinating, whatever this place was. There was damage everywhere, like there had been a fight or something. Forms littered the hallway he walked and a sticky substance covered the floor. Energon flittered in to name it but it held no meaning to him. Stepping over a rather large mound of bots, he felt a wave of sadness. He knew what death was. That seemed to be one of the few things he actually knew the meaning of and it was clear that all the bots in the hallway were dead. He wondered what had happened here to cause so many to die such gruesome deaths. He shuddered and quickly changed his mind. Whatever it had been had left him untouched and he was very keen on keeping it that way.

He wandered on, stepping over more dead as he went. The numbers seemed to have steadied out to a constant by the time he reached the first open door. He looked in and frowned. There were dead all over the place, a small handful draped over anything that would support their weight. A few looked like they were lying on the remains of the things that were supporting others. He stepped around one of the dead lying in the doorway, a gaping hole through the chest and an arm missing. Again, a wave of sadness washed through him.

Moving around, he avoided touching any of the dead as best he could. It wasn't so much out of disgust as it was out of some sense of respect. He didn't mind. He could maneuver just fine without needing to disturb any of them.

He came across something that drew his attention instantly. It was an odd metal strip with identical claws coming out of either end. He picked it up, curious. Why would a strangely shaped piece of metal draw his attention? The answer didn't come and he tucked the odd metal strip onto his person, deciding to ponder it later.

Finding nothing more in the room, he maneuvered his way out and farther down the hall. The more distance he covered, the less dead he found till there were no more to be seen. He smiled gently. Maybe that meant he would find some that were actually alive.

He wandered around. At one point, he realized he was going in circles. Though what had prompted this realization, he doubted he would ever figure out. He started marking the wall and, eventually, he found some stairs and went down. A large 2 was on the first door he came to. He frowned. That 2 was important but he didn't know why. He moved to push the door open but stopped before his hand touched the metal. No, he needed to go down. Nodding his head in determination, he continued down the stairs. He wasn't sure why he needed to go down but he went with it. There wasn't a door but an arch way was open to him and he smiled gently. This felt better. He continued his marking as he went, enjoying the walk. He came across some scattered dead, had to even jump over one dead that took up the whole hallway. It was promising that there were so few this way.

A gentle, cool breeze drifted towards him. The air smelt pleasant, sweet even, and he happily followed the breeze. It wasn't like there was anything else to follow. The wall on his right dropped back, formed by windows that had been long since blown in. He walked over to the metal frames, touching the framework tentatively. He wondered what it would have looked like in its prime.

He froze. Prime. Why did that ring through his mind as if he was supposed to remember another meaning? What was so important about the word prime? He tried to think of what was so important but it never came to him. Dejected, he stepped through one of the frames and out into the open. He looked around, seeing more dead. He walked across the way to a pool of water that had a damaged statue in the middle of it. He touched the surface of the water, watching it ripple from the disturbance.

Nothing. He couldn't remember anything about the dead, about what had happened to him, or about either the odd strip of metal on his person or the word prime. He leaned on the edge of the stone pool and looked in. His reflection was distorted a bit by the ripples but he could see clearly enough to know he didn't recognize his own face. Optimus prime filtered through his head but it held no meaning. He wondered if that went with his face but it didn't seem like it was that specifically. He wondered if it was his name and there was a sudden surge of glee. That was right, that rang true. His name was Optimus Prime. The glee didn't stay for too long, though. Prime still had more to it but he couldn't remember. Sighing, he straightened, looking around. It was quiet, besides the soft wind. He turned to his right and started walking, content with the path he had chosen.

He followed the road for just over an hour but all he saw was more dead and dark buildings. It was rather depressing now. He kicked a stone in his path and focused on it till he accidentally kicked it too far out of reach. He looked around.

He stopped walking, his face lighting up.

There was a glow coming from one of the windows in the building beside him. He hurried to the door, found it unlocked, and went in.

"Hello?" he called out, his voice echoing off the walls. The hallway he found himself in was dark but, so far, no one was there, dead or alive. He took that as a partial good sign. He called out again, "Hello."

He walked down the hall, taking the stairs when none of the doors showed signs of light. The window had been on the second floor so he hoped the stairs would bring him close to the light. Sure enough, down a side hallway, he found a door with light streaming from the crack underneath it. He hurried forward and tried the door. It was open.

The room was pleasant, well furnished, and homey. Some of the lights were on, casting the room in a nice, warm yellow light that reflected nicely off the light brown paint of the walls.

"Anyone here?" he asked the empty room. There wasn't a reply. Not ready to give up, he tried the other rooms branching off the main one. There was no one in the kitchen and dining room, nor the bathroom or a bedroom. Going to the last door, he took a deep breath and opened the door.

He sighed happily. It was another bedroom and someone was sitting on the berth with their back to him. He smiled, offering, "I'm so glad there's someone else here."

He waited for a reaction, waited for some sign the bot had heard him, but none came. With a light frown, he moved tentatively forward. "Can you tell me what happened here? Why is everyone dead?"

There was no reply, no sign of life and, for the first time in his awareness, he felt fear coursing through his system. He took slow, measured steps towards the mech sitting on the birth. Even at the little sounds that he created there was no reaction, no stirring of life. Determined to figure this out, to get answers, he stepped around to the mech's front.

He turned away and retched. The mech's head – which he had thought had merely been bowed as if thinking or asleep – was nearly gone. It looked like someone had blasted the head away, leaving nothing more than a battered body and the remaining base of the jaw and scull. He shuddered.

He frowned, thinking back on all he had seen. He had seen so much worse when he had been in that first building. He could remember each and every one of those quite well and yet none of those images made him shake in fear and sick with sadness. That was it. The fear and sadness meant something. He looked back at the mech. He had known this mech and had known him well. The injury the mech had sustained was connected to him, he just didn't know how. Getting up, he walked over, forcing himself to take in all the damage in an attempt to remember who this was.

The grief was nearly overwhelming as he looked over the mech's form. He reached out with a shaking hand and placed it over where the spark should be. The metal was cold beneath his hand and there was no pulsing of life beneath it. He gripped the metal, resting his forehead next to his clenched fist when his legs could no longer hold him.

"Megatron," Optimus choked. And it felt right even though the grief seemed to only increase. A strangled sob escaped him as he sank fully to the floor, still maintaining connection with the lifeless form. His spark ached for knowledge of why this mech had meant so much to him and quivered at knowing how this had happened.

There was a shift beneath him and he froze mid sob. Fear swelled within him as he scrambled back and away, narrowly missing the grasping hand. He collided with the wall behind him as he watched in horror as the lifeless form stumbled slowly to its feet. He scrambled to his feet, ducking under the sweeping arms and leaping out the door.

He didn't take the time to close doors behind him. There was no way that was going to help enough to waist the time. With as much noise as the thing was making behind him, he was sure that a closed door would be the world's smallest obstacle. He stumbled as he reached the street before back pedaling a few steps. The bodies that had littered the streets were rising back to their feet. His body shifted forms automatically but his ill informed mind was startled at the sudden transformation. He found that having wheels on the ground was a rather comforting sensation and he peeled out of there in the opposite direction of Headquarters. He knew that if he started in that direction that he was going to run into the hoard from Headquarters eventually. Hopefully this new direction would be better.

He didn't get very far. Something collided with his side and he was sent rolling. Automatically, he returned to the biped form. He ended up sprawled out at the end of the tumble but at least he was able to handle the attack better. It was someone he didn't recognize, which wasn't much of a surprise. But the headless form of Megatron was one he did recognize and did not like the sight of. He had nearly freed himself of the unknown mech when more appeared. He was restrained in a matter of moments, too overwhelmed with too little knowledge. His fear and panic grew as Megatron came to stand before him.

He jerked against his captors as Megatron reached out. There was no hesitation, no sign of actual life as Megatron dug his fingers into Optimus's chest. Optimus screamed as his spark was ripped out of his chest.

Pain caused his body to shudder and optics he hadn't realized had turned off flickered weakly. The image still registered in his pain-riddled mind. There, standing before him, was a headless Megatron holding a dripping, pulsing spark in his claw like grip. He gave one final, feeble attempt at moving only to find himself flat on his face on the ground. He didn't get back up.




"Keep him pinned!"

The shout had been out of sheer reflex. As the mech on the berth thrashed, four others tried to keep him from harming himself more. The episode was much longer than the last and all were panting heavily by the time the ordeal was over. Megatron looked up, locking optics with Ratchet as the episode seem to come to an abrupt end. The old mech looked his age as he looked back. Ratchet turned to Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, quickly ushering them to another task.

Megatron, now left alone at his sparkmate's berthside, leaned heavily against the berth. He gently clenched Optimus's hand, breathing in a broken whisper, "What has you so scared, Beloved?"

His grip on Optimus's hand tightened as the fear over the bond spiked. Megatron gave a frustrated roar, slamming his fist into the wall with all the force he could muster. He knew he had scared most of the occupants in the room but he couldn't bring himself to care. He felt useless and that was the worst thing right now. They had already lost Arcee and her bond to this unknown virus and were losing Soundwave, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Starscream, and countless others to it as time ticked on. Megatron couldn't lose Optimus, not like this.

He brought the hand he held to his lips and kissed the appendage, optics never leaving Optimus's face. He ran a hand over Optimus's forehead, trying to send some comfort over their battered bond. He wanted to fix this, wanted to see Optimus look up at him with weary optics and a happy smile. He wanted his sparkmate whole again.

Optimus's lips started moving and Megatron barely heard the words leaving Optimus over the noise in the room. "Megatron. Megatron, please. Don't." Megatron's spark clenched and his breath hitched. What could the virus possibly have him do to have Optimus begging in such a way? "No. Megatron. No!"

Pain shot through Megatron as Optimus screamed the most spark wrenching, fear inducing scream any of the mechs and femmes in the med bay had ever heard. He vaguely felt his knees slam into the floor as his side hit the med berth, his mind dazed. His hand clenched over his spark chamber as he gasped, losing the only thing that had always been there for the second time in his lifespan.

"No," was a strangled whisper past his lips as several pairs of hands pulled him up.

His mind was shutting down out of shock and someone was yelling at him to focus. Their voice was nothing but noise to him. Optimus was thrashing even harder now, energon leaking from new wounds. Ratchet was barking orders for them to keep him pinned long enough to be sedated but no one could get a good enough hold to pin the Prime down fully. None of this registered, none of this computed. Megatron felt as if the world had stopped turning and darkness was returning to swallow him into nothingness.

Suddenly, Barricade was in his face, looking worse for wear but determined. Megatron focused on him briefly, noting that Barricade was talking, before his attention slipped. Optimus had arched off the berth, optics wide but unseeing, mouth wide with his screams. The screaming – that dreadful screaming – didn't stop as Optimus fell back onto the berth, still desperately trying to get away from them all. Barricade shifted, once more, into his line of sight and Megatron finally felt something in the clawing numbness. Annoyance.

"What," he snapped, though it came out breathy and without any heart. He attempted to glare at the mech. Barricade didn't even flinch and that just pissed Megatron off more. Megatron valiantly ignored the voice in the back of his head that commented about how feeble both attempts to gain such a reaction had failed.

"What happened?"

The anger was gone as quickly as it had risen above the numbness and he pressed his hand harder against his spark chamber as his gaze slid back to Optimus. He clenched his jaw, not wanting to share or show his open wound. But a small part of him knew that if he didn't, things were going to get worse. "The connection, our sparkbond, it's gone."

The numbness came back with revenge but Barricade's hand was covering his over his spark in a sudden burst of white hot fire and seemed to keep the numbness back enough for him to register Barricade's words next words. "Don't go deactivating on us before we can save him, Sir. We'll lose him just as we save him if you do."

Megatron locked optics with the mech and saw the understanding and pain in the other's optics. His mind flittered over to Bumblebee. Barricade had grown attached to the little scout after the war but he wasn't sure if they were bonded or not. Megatron sighed, pulling himself from the thoughts and focusing on Optimus as he nodded. Barricade's hand disappeared and the spot he had touched stayed white hot, keeping some of the numbness back. His fist clenched as he saw a mech get thrown by Optimus's fear and pain filled thrashing.

"Make it out of this, Beloved. You have to come back to me," Megatron pleaded too softly to be heard over all the noise. "Please."

Optimus jerked to a stop. For a brief spark beat, it seemed the entire room held its breath. When nothing more seemed to be forthcoming, bots scattered to aid others. In that held breath, Megatron had hoped that his plea had been heard and answered but it was snuffed out as quickly as it had risen. He got up from the berth he was sitting on and stepped to Optimus's side. He ran a hand over Optimus's forehead, watching as his fingers trailed down the Prime's cheek, down his neck, and over his chest to settle over the spark chamber. He leaned over, pressing his forehead over the spark he cherished more than his own. How he wanted to be connected to that spark again.

He wasn't sure how long he was like that. The chaos around him was nothing more than white noise. He buried his fingers into the folds of metal over the spark and gently held on. Optimus twitched under him every so often and Megatron would raise his head to look at his sparkmate each time. When nothing more happened. Megatron returned his forehead Optimus's chest.

Optimus twitched much more violently then the previous times and Megatron pressed down to keep Optimus on the berth. Megatron gritted his teeth, prepared to keep Optimus pinned but the episode didn't start. Megatron stood up. Whether it had been Megatron's pressure or just bad timing, the episode Megatron had thought he had been prepared for lashed out in a fury that was much weaker than the last and Megatron felt a surge of terror at the notion. Bots were there helping pin Optimus down but, as the episode wore on, Optimus thrashed less and less till it dwindled down to the slight twitch of a limb or appendage and then nothing.

This time, there was no hope. They had seen it too many times and the bots around Megatron worked frantically as Optimus's spark faded completely. Megatron's spark seized and he tried to wake his Beloved, tried to get him to look at him once more. He fought the hands that pulled him away others got in his way. He screamed Optimus's name like so many bonded had screamed for their partner and with that scream went all of Megatron's fight and all his will.




The sun was high in the sky, the crisp day pleasant. Mechs and femmes wandered the square, sparklings and younglings playing around the magnificent fountain, some even playing in the cool water. An old mech of grey and black metal smiled gently at the sight of the youngsters playing. He was slightly hunched by age but stood as tall as he could manage. He wandered among the other Cybertronians, returning greetings that were sent his way. He came to a stop at the edge of the fountain and, with some difficulty, sat on the edge. He traced a name in the stone rim of the fountain, memories returning gently with the simple engraving.

"Aren't you supposed to be napping, old mech?" Said old mech looked up to find himself face to face with a grinning little sprite femme in a bright yellow and black paint job that brought back memories. "My dad's not going to be happy with you."

"Honeybee," the old mech offered pleasantly. "I see you have your Grandfather's spirit as well as his paint job."

Honeybee's grin seemed to get larger, though the old mech wasn't sure how that was even possible. "What can I say? He's my idol."

The old mech chuckled, patting the stone wall lacking the name he had been tracing. Honeybee happily plopped down, kicking her legs back and forth in a show of barely contained energy. "Dad says I look more like Grandpa every day."

"Do you believe him?"

Honeybee's grin turned into a sad smile. "I do out of the hopes its true."

The old mech smiled gently. "It is."

Honeybee looked up at him with large optics. It was a brief moment before she grinned again. "I'm glad."

The old mech chuckled, patting the top of her helm. She accepted the affection happily. The old mech moved his hand to her back and gave a gentle shove. Honeybee got to her feet at the prompting, moving a few feet ahead of the old mech before turning to face him. He smiled at her. "Go play while you still can. Once you're an adult, there's no going back."

Honeybee smirked. "That's not what Sunswipe says."

The old mech pointed a menacing finger at her, glaring in good humor. "Do not listen to anything Sunswipe has to say. He is the grandchild of a pair of twins I do not even want to be reminded of."

Honeybee grinned again, bounding off, "Whatever you say, old mech!"

The old mech sighed, before chuckling to himself. A form settled next to the name the old mech had been tracing and the old mech reached out, gently taking hold of a hand he had fought and loved over his too long life. "You're late."

"I got caught up with Blockade."

The old mech arched an opticridge, watching some younglings play tag. "Honeybee's father?"

"Yes." A pleasant silence settled over them briefly. The form beside the old mech shifted closer, leaning against him. "I am pleased we've changed our ways."

The old mech smirked. "Wishing you had a parental bond like the new generations?"

"No," the form stated. The thoughtful frown was audible. "More content with how well the new generations have blossomed with having one."

The old mech shifted enough to look down at the slightly younger mech currently nestled into his side, red and blue paint faded with age. The old mech smiled gently, kissing the other's forehead. "I'm glad we've lived so long to see it."

The other smiled gently, looking down at the stone. He made a face. "If they keep putting my name on memorials, people are going to start thinking I am a figment of their imagination."

Megatron laughed as the image of a smirking Optimus Prime and a perfect world cut to a world of ruin and death for the briefest of spark beats. He pressed his forehead against Optimus's. "We will be with time."

He never noticed the gaping hole in Optimus's chest.