Delphian

Summary: Secrets can come to haunt those who try to destroy the path of light, even if you are watching them. Megatron made a big mistake in letting three sparks live.

Genre – Action/adventure/angst

Disclaimer: Transformers don't belong to me, it belongs to Hasbro and Paramount and all the associates. Not making any money from this, just hoping to get people interested in my story. The three sparks, Proma, Accel and Stuntz are mind so no touchy!

Authors Note: This is a bit of a strange concept I've got and deals with my first OC's being in a really bad situation. Hopefully it'll have a bit of humour in it but I warn you now this will be quite dark, rather horrible and a bit on the nasty side – please don't hurt me in any way shape or form. Also forgive any inaccuracies that come up, I've only seen the movie and some of G1 – cause I myself was only a sparkling at the time the series was out – so I don't remember everything.

This is set in the future to, so that should explain why there are a mix of Autobots there, oh and have fun with the new Decepticon's, hopefully I won't mangle them too much.

All I ask is that you read, enjoy, review and give me a hint or two when I ask for them. Anyway time for Walnut to shut up and let you get on with the reading.

--

Prologue

There was only the slightest of sounds in the barracks to indicate that anyone was actually within them. It was the sound of something shifting quietly, not wishing to disturb the harrowing silence that seemed to linger all too loudly around the gunmetal grey room that had unfortunately become home. Prime would have snorted at the thought bar the fact he knew it would only bring the worthless guard and the last thing he needed was anymore unwanted attention. It had been nearly twenty-five years since the attack, though it felt more like five hundred. Dismissing the thoughts, the blue optic on the left hand side swivelled around to check that none of the others were going to try anything as stupid as he was and then with as much care and attention as possible the heavily scared and battered mech leaned down to check on how Bumblebee was doing.

It was highly strange seeing the great Optimus Prime with only one functioning optic, half his armour tainted and ruined and a distinct weary look of some old piece of metal that you would find in the scrap yard under several sheets of aluminium. Not that anyone commentated on it, Prime refused any help and was stubbornly more worried about his comrades than he was about himself. True it hurt and there were times when he just wanted to collapse and let it all go but he was still their Prime and Megatron or whatever stupid fraggin name he was going by now had yet to lay his hands on the Matrix though Primus knew he had tried on more than one occasion.

The Autobots were in a real sorry state these days, ever since the city had been invaded, destroyed and all of them had been captured, tortured, broken and slowly withered down to nothing more than slaves and servants for the ruthless, power mad Decepticon's or more rightly the Ameliorate as they now called themselves. It had been a final time of peace once the Allspark was gone, everyone had been reunited slowly but surely and finally it was all beginning to work out. The Autobots had a new home, were building a city and exchanging technology with the humans. Cybertron was gone but Earth could become a beautiful world for both the species. There had been many reunions with friends from far and wide reaching the solar system and responding, including Elita1 and her forces who were received with a little more than just a friendly hug he remembered but that was all that he needed.

Banishing the thoughts, Prime felt his spark sadden at seeing Bumblebee curled up in as tight a ball as could possibly be conceived but with frightened eyes jumping about from place to place in a constant movement of fear and panic that made Prime more determined to hurt the filthy Orate who had done this. "Bee?" he said as loudly as he dared which only caused a whimper from the small scout.

Bee knew that it was Optimus, he could feel that warmth and knew that he would be safe to go to him but he couldn't risk the trick again. Couldn't risk getting hurt and didn't want to go back to that dark world where they could control his thoughts and emotions. The scout wanted out, wanted it to end but couldn't bring himself to ask anyone. Pit he couldn't even look them in the face or allow them to touch him, even though he knew they were friends. It was a vicious cycle, one that Bee would have given anything to get out of but couldn't find a way at all. He wanted to cry, but simply couldn't.

After trying a few more times, Prime had to accept that Bee wasn't going to come out. Not tonight and with an exhale of his rather rusted vents, the old weary leader looked up at the ceiling and noticed something strange. Blinking the optic to ensure that it wasn't a trick of the light, Prime found himself staring at what could only be described as a sort of mechanical lizard with wings. Quite obviously a rather young cassette by it's sheer tiny size and thinness but he hadn't noticed it there before and knew that all the autobot cassette's had been destroyed to prevent any message getting out.

The creature tilted it's little head towards him and then unexpectedly dropped before opening it's wings and spiralling down onto Optimus's outstretched hand. It clicked a greeting, getting a cybertronian phrase horrible wrong but he let it slip. After all, this little creature was definitely not of Orate design, "Hello little one, who are you?" he asked in a tiny click whistle to ensure that the guard just presumed that one of the slaves was muttering in his sleep. Had Prime checked he would have realised that the guard was actually lying face down with a piece of jagged pipe sticking out of his back but Prime didn't know this.

The creature skittered around, firing a tiny lazar beam into the leaders hand to fix a broken ligament between two fingers. You are in need of serious repair and recharge the tiny little voice came back chirpily I am called Gogo

Flexing his hand properly for the first time in a good few years, Prime wondered what Ratchet would think of this but felt saddened that his CMO was locked up in one of the pit cells because he had tried to fix Sunstreaker against all orders to not help anyone or anything. "Where do you come from?" he whistled back quietly and noted that a pair of blue optics was staring out at him quietly.

Outside this place…the bunker they refer to it as came the reply as Gogo shifted about a bit and then jumped to the floor as if scanning for something.

"They?" enquired Prime with a frown but before he could think on it any further a rattling sound came from somewhere nearby. With quick movements, Prime grabbed the tiny Gogo and hid him within his hand, indicating to Bee with the other one to get back to his hiding place. Not that the little scout needed any telling.

Closing the optic to appear to be asleep, memories began to play themselves from the depths of his storage banks. Ones he thought had been deleted a long time ago.

--

BANG!

The explosion ripped through the city wall and smashed into the as of yet uncompleted central hub, which promptly began to fold in on itself as the lower structure was ripped apart. "Damn and slag it all to the pit!" came the gruff voice of Ironhide as Prime looked up from his rather un-leader like position on the floor, "Just what are these freaks! They ain't no decepticon mark my words on it!"

Prime pushed himself up and looked around the total destruction that was being caused by wave upon wave of what appeared to be Con's but there was something different. They weren't bigger, brighter or shinier in any form but there was just something different. The weapons were higher, their power was mightier and nothing seemed to stop them. Lennox's was not responding on the radio, Sam had been knocked unconscious but falling debris and already there were bodies lining the streets of the yet uncompleted Autocity that had been a joint project.

"We have to keep fighting, it's our only chance" he shot at Ironhide, throwing a few blasts off to knock back something that looked like Shockwave from getting anywhere near Elita. The blast was enough to force the other mech back for a few seconds but then it turned and promptly fired up at him with an almost devastating attack. Diving out of harms way, Prime was horrified to see that his old friend had gotten caught up in the blast and was now vainly struggling with a seeker whose red eyes bore into his with such a frightening darkness that it was amazing and terrifying all in one go.

This battle was not going their way at all, hopefully the city defence systems were fully functional. "Jazz! Call a retreat! Get back into the city!" he yelled as the smaller re-built mech lunged to the help of his comrade and promptly got the familiar response, "No problemo chief! Jes let me deal with square here and I'll be right there"

The order got out thankfully and many began returning, firing off weapons and yelling at others. A scream went up from one of the strange looking seekers and Prime looked up to see a group of Fem's working together in synch to fire simultaneously. One waved at him with a crafty wink and Prime got the message, yelling instantly at his men to get back into the city and get to their posts. Then a heavy dread came over him and time slowed down to nothing more than movements in nanoseconds, each one lasting what felt like an orn.

Megatron had that effect on most bots and people but as he rose up from the midst of the new ranks it was clear that he had been completely rebuilt and upgraded into a monster that saw no rival. Without so much as a element of the manic power mad laughter that usually gave him away, Megatron raised his arm, the whole thing a long black cannon which rippled with several thousand jolts of separate energon lines that were interwoven between the intricate layers.

The resulting explosion was similar to that of a nuclear explosion and Autocity didn't stand a chance of surviving. The rubble crashed over the top of him and Prime felt as though the whole world had suddenly turned and crashed down to ensure that his life was now a living nightmare. But for a brief second, in the darkness that threatened to consume him, a tiny light brought back his life and made his resolve to continue fighting even stronger. Three tiny sets of optics stared up at him in the darkness, their light blue easy enough to identify even in this bitter darkness. "Don't give up" came a voice, tiny and small but determined to keep on going.

"Get out, run, before he comes again!" said another, more defiant but strong and determined than every.

"Don't worry about us, stop him!" came the final voice, sounding way to old for the years that held it.

Prime couldn't believe what he was hearing, they were telling him to get out of harms way? What about them? Prime couldn't leave them and tried to push himself up in order to reach out, "Proma! Come on, we need to get you out of here!" he said.

The last speaker slowly shook his head, "No…he'll kill her. Not going to allow that…get out of here. Protect the city, please!"

Before Optimus could answer, a large hand grabbed him and hoisted him up out of the rubble. "Well well" came the harrowingly dark tones that were unmistakeably Megatron but the upgrades somehow made him appear even more menacing with the blazing red optics and wickedly sharpened teeth, "Look what we have here…Optimus Prime!"

Instinct took over and Optimus's arm reached up to block the attack and force Megatron back a couple of steps, "Megatron" he growled, feeling years of hate and anxiety grow up horribly in his throat, "What have you done?!"

The laugh was cold and pierced his spark, his optics briefly picking up on the three terrified sparklings below as they began to cower at the noise. Their systems would be corrupted by such a sound and Prime knew he was nothing that could be done about it. Primus forgive me he thought silently.

"It's called survival of the fittest and I think you deserve some lessons in that" without even pausing to give Optimus a chance to defend himself, Megatron launched continual attacks from kicks and punches to jolts of electricity and energon straight to vital systems and threatening to overload the others systems.

However before Megatron got the chance to use his mace effectively, a half-startled yelp of fear which was quickly quenched but still hear cut across his audio receptors and the menace turned to see the three sparklings. The youngest of whom was staring directly at him with one of the most horrified looks of terror that Prime had ever seen but he also noticed the determination. "No! Don't do anything!" somewhere a jolt of energon or maybe a distant ignition from his spark made Optimus rush at Megatron with all his might to prevent the inevitable. He knew what she wanted to do, what she was terrified to do but she was so young, so innocent that she didn't understand what it would do.

Even the other two couldn't stop her, they would support her.

The mace went up in slow motion and Prime did the only thing he could do in order to protect them.

He took the full force of the attack straight to the face, feeling his right optic being ripped open and a shower of blue energon go flying. Optimus was falling and felt the gaze of a heavy darkness take him followed by the memory of nothing more. Please be all right, Primus protect those three. They are the future!

--

Donk! Donk

With a start, Optimus woke up at the sound of that accursed bell and looked around a little confused for a moment.

"Hey, Prime, you okay?" came a quiet question from Sideswipe who was trying to wake his brother without getting hit again as the yellow twin happened to do when being awoken to this horrible nightmare that was now their existence. Optimus nodded and pushed himself wearily up in order to help the others who had not stirred as of yet.

No one ever wanted to get up when that accursed bell went but the punishment was far worse than the work that had to be done.

A tiny squeak made Prime look down and he found Gogo still sitting in his palm, yawning slightly as if just waking up. Sides stared at the tiny cassette and moved over, "Where did he come from?"

"Outside somewhere…at least that's what he told me last night" whispered Optimus, allowing Sides to pet him slightly and noticing that the red twin's hand was blackened and some of the wiring was missing to. A sharp glare was enough to shame the younger mech to look away and hide his hand, a slight shudder going through his system, "With Ratchet gone…" he started before Prime straightened and nodded towards the door.

A shadow could just be seen outlining the upgraded form of Barricade striding towards them with a swagger. Looking down at Gogo, Optimus sighed, "Gogo, time to go back to where you came from. May Primus be with you" he said, rubbing the tiny creatures back and neck and watching as it took flight and disappeared through a tiny crack that really nothing should have been able to get through.

Sides glanced at Optimus was a questioning face, "You think?"

There was no response to give, so Prime didn't answer, instead moving around to help Mirage stand up before he fell and damaged his circuits again.

"Right you lazy lot, up the slag or else it won't just be me beating ya" came the sharp voice of Bulwark[1.

The looks he got from the autobot captives instilled the hatred, fear and general discomfort that was going on but he didn't care. They were worthless prisoners now and no threat to anyone.

"Oh and Bumblebee is to stay here" he murmured with an evil glint of satisfaction at the horrified faces and brief thought of resistance. But it really was futile.

--

On the horizon, just at the edge of the Ameliorate factory – or Orate Death Camp as it was officially known to those on the outside – a figure stood silhouetted against the deep red rising sun.

It was sleek, dirty and appeared to darken as the golden red shone across it. Gogo circled and landed on the outstretched palm, clicking away but not getting a response. The purple optics bore across the dangerous equipment, heaps of radioactive waste and the stench of death and decay. A flicker of blue light crept from the figures hand and shot towards the camp, spilling a container of rare oil with ease.

"You're reign of terror is soon going to come crumbling down Recondite[2, even if we have to take it apart piece by piece"

And then it was gone.

TBC

Author's endnotes

Heh the con's get new names, just to stop peeps getting confused I'll translate them here.

[1 aka Barricade

[2 aka Megatron