Water was running, children were running
You were running out of time
Under the mountain, a golden fountain
Were you praying at the Lares shrine?
Optimus swayed, coughing and gagging softly. He had been attacked, forced into the ground by Shockwave, his former friend. The word former carved deeper in his spark than he expected it would have and he glanced at the mech. What had he done to him?
Shockwave stood off to the side, his single optic glaring at Optimus. One servo was curled into a fist, the other was a gun. It was impossible to tell what the mech was feeling, even when he spoke. "I have brought him to you, Megatron, the mech you requested."
Optimus flinched and looked at the throne he was set in front of. Megatron smirked down at him.
"How does it feel, librarian? How does it feel knowing that you are the cause of all of this."
Images flew in front of Optimus' optics, holograms of bots exploding, his friends dying in his arms, his friends crying out in agony when a Decepticon offlined them...it was all his fault.
Optimus remained silent, which proved to be better and would probably allow him to live a little longer. Megatron was in no mood. He was peeved at...something.
A blue energy surged up from the floor, wrapping around Optimus' wrists and keeping the mech pinned on his knees with no escape. He looked up at Megatron, who began to croon as he walked down the steps towards the prisoner:
But ohh, oh your city lies in dust, my friend
Ohh, oh, your city lies in dust, my friend
Optimus shuddered and closed his optics, looking away when he felt claws on his cheek, claws caressing his battlemask. He forced his body to stop quivering, to stop betraying his fear. Megatron laughed at him, raising his servo. Optimus expected a slap, and he got one.
The back of the mech's servo struck his face, making his helm twist to the left so fast Optimus saw blurred images of Starscream and Soundwave watching until his optics refocused. He dared to look at Megatron.
The warlord stared at him expectantly, half wanting the Prime to cry and half begging the mech to growl, but the Prime did neither. He just watched him with curious optics. Those optics were always curious. Curiosity killed the cyber-cat and curiosity slaughtered Megatronus and gave way to the phoenix-rebirth of Megatron. Curiosity also landed him a nemesis, a librarian of all mechs! Megatron laughed suddenly, making every bystander in the room flinch save Shockwave, who was surprised by nothing. Not anymore.
"He is not to be refueled," he growled. "Not while he stays with us." He began to sing again, making his way back up to his throne. Optimus squinted and saw familiar Autobot chassis and faces forming the warlord's throne. He kept staring.
Megatron kept singing:
We found you hiding, we found you lying
Choking on the dirt and sand
Your former glories and all the stories
Dragged and washed with eager hands
Optimus shivered and arched his back, lifting his arms. He tested the strength of the bounds. Megatron watched with amusement, snapped his digits for another High Grade cube. He was enjoying the show. Starscream brought him the cube, and was given the empty cube roughly, making the Seeker stumble back down the steps before landing on his back and laying there dazed.
The Prime didn't give the Seeker any attention. He had to get free.
But ohh, oh your city lies in dust, my friend
Ohh, oh your city lies in dust, my friend
Your city lies in dust
Megatron was coaching him. "Try it with your right servo. Try overpowering the bounds. Maybe if you stood up."
He was enjoying watching the Prime attempt to get free, and the High Grade went straight to his helm. He was laughing in a giddy way that made everyone but Shockwave shudder in fear. He threw the now-empty cube down at Starscream, cursing at the Seeker. Then he went back to watching Optimus struggle.
Water was running, children were running
We found you hiding, we found you lying
Water was running, children were running
We found you hiding, we found you lying
"How does it feel, Optimus?" The warlord drawled, standing slowly and working his way down to the mech. "You killed innocent mechs and femmes...you allowed this to happen. How does it feel knowing that?"
Your city lies in dust, my friend
Ohh, oh, your city lies in dust, my friend
Optimus refused to be talked down to, but he couldn't bring his legs forward to kick Megatron where it counted, so he was frozen there, listening.
Hot and burning in your nostrils
Pouring down your gaping mouth
Your molten bodies, blanket of cinders
Caught in the throes
"You are a murderer, no better than I..."
"That is a lie," Optimus snarled. The words slipped out, four innocent little words that resulted in another backservo that made his optics shutter offline for several moments.
"Look, Optimus...is that...Iacon?"
The Prime went rigid.
And ohh, oh, your city lies in dust, my friend
Ohh, oh, your city lies in dust, my friend
Ohh, oh, your city lies in dust, my friend
Ohh, oh, your city lies in dust, my friend
Your city lies in dust, my friend
Ohh, oh, your city lies in dust, my friend
Ohh, oh, your city
Iacon was beautiful, silver, and shining. But now it was dark, soot-crusted. Bots were down below, trying to save others, restore the beauty...and Seekers were flying over it, one of them weighed down with...
...a bomb.
"Your poor city," Megatron whispered into Optimus' audio. The holograms changed, showing the Prime a Seeker's-eye view of what was happening.
Iacon, that strong city Optimus knew as home, was destroyed. It erupted into fire and shrapnel. No one could have survived that, Optimus thought sadly, and the thought was confirmed by one of the Seekers flying around
"No survivors," he reported and the trine circled around back to Megatron's location on his command.
Megatron snapped his digits and Soundwave and Shockwave moved forward to take the Prime away. He stopped them, waved them forward to the viewing window where they could clearly see Iacon burning.
"Watch your home burn, Brother," he hissed into the Prime's audio.
