"Why are we doing this? This is a horrible idea; I want the dead to stay dead and summoning somebody from the Well of Allsparks may make Primus angry and sick the spirit on us. Just saying," Knockout crooned as he watched seekers navigate through the ever-so-busy city of Kaon.
Megatron, Knockout, Optimus, and a few others sat at a staff table with a Cybertronian modified version of the infamous Ouija board humans love to "play" with. Arcee didn't want to participate in such a risky antic, nor did Elita or Blitzwing, the latter of whom thought it was too crazy for even his random persona to take on.
It was a set-up, that infernal device was. Creatures beyond comprehension lurking in the shadows until a fool, or fools, open a path to the surface which was reality? How can someone not dislike the board's true value?
"I am not touching it," Megatron growled, "you and Knockout are in charge of contacting whatever lies on the other side of this realm, Prime. I'm not going to be on the receiving end of a possession. Mm-mm. Not in my remaining lifetime."
"Fine, I'll do it, but if I get infatuated, I'm going to offer you as a target of the demon!" The medic threatened.
Optimus inserted his face mask out of sheer habit and lightly put his finger tips on the cold metal with Knockout following suit. The others pushed their seats away from the table with metal on metal scraping emitting from their collisions with the ground. The Prime's audial antennas moved slightly back like a pair of hesitant animal ears.
"Alright, let's see if this actually works. Whoever can hear this, I wish to talk to you. I do not want to disturb you but I am very curious to see if you can show us a sign that you exist."
"Really, Optimus?" Megatron snarled.
"What?"
"'I don't wish to disturb you?' You're disturbing them right now by breaching their world with this piece of crap board game."
The Prime raised a brow, "It's not a game, 'Your Highness', and didn't you say you wanted no part in this?"
The warlord didn't respond.
The room stayed dead silent for a few seconds before Arcee muttered something that sounded like, "it must be scared or timid." Suddenly, the planchette jerked to Optimus' right pointing directly at the blue femme which forced most to jolt backward and the Prime to lift his hands away from it.
Knockout had already removed his servos before it jumped because he grew bored of waiting for the spirits to answer. Deep intakes were audible with his mouth gaping wide open in terror. It looked as if he went into shock from somebody scratching the shit out of his paint similarly to the Manhattan Relic incident.
"What the hell did you do, Optimus?!" Elita gasped with her servo over her chest.
"I-I didn't do nothing! I barely was touching it, and I felt a surge of cold, dormant energy flow through me and that happened! I didn't push it but someone yanked it away from me!"
Megatron scoffed, "Yeah, but there's only one problem: no one was near you when it happened. Knockout wasn't touching it and we were all back here so obviously it was either you or you've awoken something that got offended by what Arcee said. Miko told me spirits use the energy from the operator to move the pointer and guess what, you're the host."
Catching a majority of his breath back, Optimus placed the tips of his digits back onto the silver triangular object shakily. "Are you in this room with us now?"
Nothing happened. Everyone was on the verge of stumbling off what they were leaning on when finally the pointer gravitated towards the word "yes".
"O-Optimus," Megatron stuttered, "I also forgot to mention another thing Miko brought up; some powerful spirits don't need you to touch the planchette to move it. They'll suck enough power from the surrounding living beings to manifest itself or manipulate objects on its own will."
Taking the hint, the Prime removed his servos once again and placed the on the table. "What is your name?"
The pointer shifted over several letters that when combined read "Rontori". After spelling its name a second time, it repositioned itself back to the middle of the board.
Wheeljack and Soundwave who sat away from the table with Megatron looked at each other before the silent mech activated the Cybertronian data base to look up "Rontori". The girls just kept at the corner of the room with the tan and purple seeker who's icy persona was unimpressed.
"Rontori," Optimus gulped, "did you used to live here on Cybertron?"
The planchette moved again over the word "yes". Immediately after, strange whispers sounded upon the ceiling and the Prime swore he could hear someone, or something, crawling on it, peering down on them.
"Yes, then. Alright," he muttered as he kept his eyes on the roof of the room, "are you a femme or a mech?"
The swish of the pointer forced him to look down to see it hovering over the letter "M".
I see you. I hear you.
Elita shuttered as the whispers continued, "Optimus, whatever that is, you better get it back to the underworld. W-we don't like this."
He shushed as he listened for anything audible.
Play with me. Laugh with me.
"Rontori, do you know who I am?"
The murmurs shifted to a hiss. You are Optimus Prime.
"Well, it knows who you are. I don't want to stay here to figure out if it knows me. I'm leaving," Megatron grunted as he got up from his seat.
"But Mega…tron…"
The warlord was already exiting the room. Optimus sighed before an eerie scream came from the halls. He almost fell backwards but leapt to his pedes to see what happened.
Megatron opened the doors before he could get to them and just stared at his brother, who regained his seat casually. "Apparently, I can't leave now. Thanks so much for awakening our 'pleasant guest', brother."
Arcee gasped, "Megatron, your chest is bleeding!"
She wasn't wrong. Three slash marks leaking Energon lay fresh upon his broad chassis. The claw dents were bigger than his own which surprised the rest. "Oh, that. Yeah, like I said, I can't leave now. This happened to me when I tried. No one was in front of me, but I thought a saw a glimpse of something black, red, and big lunge at me before, BAM, I got new wounds that shall become scars in a couple of weeks!"
"Did you see its 'beautiful' face before you yelled like a sparkling?" Wheeljack smirked.
"Oh the only thing I could see that was in a high position of what I assumed was its head were four red eyes flash before me like headlights activated at the last second. Or then again, it could've had your mug plastered on its faceplates and even it didn't want to show your face, for it to felt it was too damn ugly!" Megatron replied in triumph.
The Wrecker gave the bot a harsh stare with a darkened frown visible that would make even a Scraplet cringe.
"Enough, both of you!" Optimus countered. He reluctantly returned to the board but the pointer was beginning to shift repeatedly over "H" and "A". It was laughing at Megatron.
"Rude, son of a bitch, don't you agree, Prime?" The warlord sneered.
He didn't answer that but he did announce another question, "How do you know any of us?"
The reply shocked all of them.
I was with you through countless battles! I know who you are, Orion!
Soundwave grew tense as he continued to listen, recording ever word the now angered spirit was shouting through the walls.
Optimus suddenly felt something wrap around his neck. Whatever it was wasn't happy at all, but looking at his reflection in the window showed nothing but an unusually large shadow looming over him. He then stared at the board's pointer still moving over the same to letters. His servos tried to pull off whatever it was but could only touch himself.
Who you truly are! Betrayer! Liar! You killed ME!
"Optimus!" Elita shouted as she rushed towards her mate. An invisible defense countered her speeding form and used it against her by forcing her to run into an unknown barrier. She slid back a few feet while Blitzwing tried to do the same. The identical resistance stopped him from reaching the struggling Prime.
You betrayed ME! You murdered ME! YOU DID THIS TO ME! TO US!
Out of sheer instinct, Wheeljack grabbed the board and unlocked a grenade from his waist. Using the nearest cables, he strapped both the thin slat and the planchette to the bomb and chucked it out the closest window.
After a few seconds, a bright flash lit up the sky which was none other than his grenade. Almost immediately, Optimus felt the presence vanish like the flash before the visible explosion. He rubbed his neck while he watched the others literally jump to his aid.
"See, I told you that 'thing' was a bad idea. Don't take my advice..."Knockout muttered as he backed away to let a relieved Elita through to hug him.
Megatron help Arcee up on his shoulder before smirking, "You never were a good listener and you were always so curious and full of questions. See where that leads you? Next time, do us a favor and don't kill yourself with these human antics."
Optimus gave his brother a sheepish grin. The smile, however, faded, "Why did Rontori assume I killed him? I don't remember him being an Autobot nor even did I hear about him as a Cybertronian."
Icy Blitzwing responded first, "If I remember correctly, humans say that sometimes bad spirits pose as someone they are not to get to you on an emotional level. Perhaps his name was Rontori but he was just trying to cause chaos and hurt you like any 'demon' usually does whenever a human is dumb enough to contact one."
"That cheeky slagger!" Hothead bellowed as he took over, "I'll tear him to pieces when I finally join the Well of Allsparks!"
Crazy then forced his opinion, "Oh, I wonder if a ghost can kill another ghost? If so, wouldn't he become a ghost of a ghost?"
Rolling his eyes, Megatron put a hand on his brother's shoulder armor. "I say we forget this 'Rontori' and go to the Old Oil House in Downtown Kaon. Soundwave, would you do us the honor of alerting the bartender of our arrival and to prepare his best for the House?"
The silent mech nodded and instantly let information on the Oil House stream across his visor.
"Well, old friend?"
Optimus grunted, "You know I don't like to drink. Fine, but I won't trust you with the steering complex when we have to go home! Primus, will I hurt you if we get caught drunk with your reckless driving!"
Megatron laughed, "Come, brother, I promise nothing will happen."
All the others followed Optimus and the warlord out. As the doors shut, a voice whispered among the walls once more.
Optimus Prime. I see you. I will come for you. Kill you… Murder you…