Maelstrom Chapter 28
Fracture Part A
Author's note: This story is part of a LONG series called Maelstrom. It is strictly Gen. 1 - sorry, but that was all that was out when I started writing back in the late 1980's. It began as a fan-publication so the first chapters are in the form of a comic book! If you have not read the nine original Maelstrom Comics and the preceding text stories, I strongly suggest you do. This is a complex universe. They can be found at http// illmatar. deviantart. com (I have put double spaces between the URL here or FF . Net eats the link.) The comics and art which accompanies this series are there...and believe me I am a better artist than writer.
Most chapters of this series contain strong language and violence. Rated M for adult themes! Really! Transformers characters belong to Hasbro. Critiques adored! This scene contains strong language, violence, and sex. Rated M for adult themes! Rated B for BAD HUMOR and F for FLUFF! If you are following Maelstrom for it's gory nasty bits you can skip this one completely and avoid inebriated Transformers getting into all kinds of trouble you've seen done before, and better, in other fan-ficts. This will do no harm to your ability to follow the soon to come, apocalyptic type stuff which is to follow, and probably will save a few of your brain cells. Transformers characters belong to Hasbro. Story and OC characters are mine. Critiques adored!
Fracture - PART A
Arcee and Springer met in their usual place in the fields behind Metroplex. They used this small hill on the edge of the woods pretty often when they wanted to be alone or alone together. It overlooked a quiet field of flowers and long grasses, although the place they usually sat was bare of growth because it was where they usually sat.
Arcee had arrived early on purpose. She wanted to collect her thoughts and settle herself before Springer got there. She was worried, and she wanted some quiet time. Sighing tiredly, she thought about her concerns. Things were hectic at Metroplex. It seemed like it'd been hectic forever. Years ago, she'd been used to a more orderly routine punctuated by brief frenzies of activity surrounding Decepticon attacks, ambassadorial visits and the like. These days it seemed like the lulls were more harried than the frenzies of the old days.
Without really realizing what was happening, Arcee had found herself being given more responsibility around Metroplex than she ever imagined. Springer too. It had started with random "favors' for Ultra Magnus and Rodimus when "something came up" they needed to attend to. The "something" was rarely specific, but at first neither she nor Springer had questioned helping out with the inspections, greeting visitors, dealing with local officials, or the endless paperwork. It wasn't until Arcee realized that some of their human suppliers sought her out first automatically that she realized some of them had never even dealt with Ultra Magnus directly.
That the City Commander was too busy to deal with the merchants who stocked the vending machines in the human cafeteria Arcee had no doubt. She just didn't know WHY or what he was doing. What Rodi and Optimus were up to was an even bigger mystery - they almost never showed their faces around Metroplex anymore.
Arcee picked up a branch and idly drew patterns in the dirt with it. She wondered when her circle of friends had gotten so small. These days it was mostly just her and Springer, with Blurr popping in and out now and then. When she had first been assigned to Metroplex Kup and Hot Rod had often come to join them in this field for conversation and silly games. Spike and Carly had brought Daniel around after he was born. Jazz frequently brought music and chaos to the mix, and even Prime and Magnus had descended from on high to watch and talk at the very least now and then.
Rodimus only showed up as duty demanded these days, and Jazz was so rarely spotted he was becoming a mythological figure people had heard of but didn't really believe existed.
What had happened to her friends? Why were they only her co-workers and superiors now? And now something had happened to Kup.....
Springer's rotors announced him several moments before he appeared over the trees. Once over the clearing he transformed and landed neatly in front of her with a solid thud. His expression did not sing of success.
"Well?" she asked.
Springer shook his head and sat down beside her. "I didn't find out much," he said, sounding as tired as she felt. That in itself told her how concerned he was.
"Didn't you talk to Kup?" Arcee asked.
"Yeah, but whatever has gotten into the others has him too apparently. It must be contagious. He wouldn't tell me any details. All he said was he had a fight with Rodimus."
"A fight? Over what?" Arcee asked.
"Take a wild guess," Springer said.
"Lancer? Did they FINALLY have that one out?" Arcee asked hopefully.
Springer nodded, but his expression only darkened. "Yeah. Apparently Rodimus finally blew his top but it didn't clear the air like we hoped it would Arcee. Kup...Kup isn't OK Arcee. He said it was all his fault, that he was totally wrong about Lancer and admitted to it, but that Rodimus would never forgive him. I guess they aren't speaking."
Arcee just gaped at him for a while. "What about Rodi? Did you talk to him? Springer...this is... wrong! They were such good friends....and it isn't like Rodi to hold a grudge this way!"
"Talk to Rodi? Could I even FIND Rodi? Arcee, Elita wouldn't even tell me where he was! It's just like always. He's 'away', he'll be 'back in a few days', and he'll 'be in touch as soon as possible'. And here I was deluding myself into thinking I was friends with that guy!"
Arcee was a bit taken aback by the anger in Springer's tone, although she was beginning to share his bitterness. She had been so close to Hot Rod once and this Rodimus creature seemed like a poor replacement.
"But why isn't Kup here Springer? With Ultra Magnus on disability leave Kup should be running Metroplex, not us!"
"It shouldn't even be Kup Arcee. What in the hell do we have TWO Primes for anyway? Kup's sure not up to it though! That's the thing. I could tell just by LOOKING at him that he's not up to it. I've never seen him looking so....depressed before. Kup said Lancer told him what happened to Rodimus while he was away and that he finally understood why Rodimus has been acting so strangely. He wouldn't tell me ANYTHING about it though. Arcee...after all Kup's been through, after all he's seen...I think this...broke him. He's in no shape to run a pocket calculator, let alone Metroplex!"
"Springer...I can't believe there's anything Kup can't cope with! He's such a tough old buzzard! He's seen and done stuff I don't even want to THINK about! What can have him so upset?"
"I don't know, but he's not talking. I'll tell you something else Arcee. Kup may be a tough old buzzard but whatever this is it was not only strong enough to come between him and Rodi, it's got him scared out of what remains of his wits!"
"What are we going to do? Springer....Our friends! We HAVE to help them! Why won't they let us help?"
"I don't know," Springer said in a tight voice that told Arcee he was offended and angry, "but I'm planning on finding out."
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Magnus flopped himself face first on the couch with a groan. He'd never been in so much pain in his life. He needed a shower but going the distance between the living room and the bathroom was simply not possible. Having been in Lancer's gentle hands for all of three days now Magnus was ready to never move again.
He was certain she was a sadist and that only someone like Rodimus who had been brutally tortured could hope to endure what she was trying to teach him.
She wanted him to do splits. SPLITS! Well. He was fairly certain something in his body WAS split! Permanently!
The door beeped.
"GO AWAY! I'M DYING!" Magnus bellowed.
The door beeped. Oh right...sound-proofed quarters. Security and all. Fuck it!
Magnus rolled over and VERY gingerly sat up. Standing took a while too, and by the time he made it to the door his annoyances...er...visitors were half-way down the hall.
"SPRINGER! ARCEE! Get your butts back here! I did NOT get off the couch for nothing!"
At the sound of his voice (still resonant in spite of his current human condition) Arcee and Springer turned around in surprise. They saw him gesturing impatiently and then turn to go back inside. He left the door open for them and went back to the couch as quickly as he could shuffle.
"Ultra Magnus?" Arcee asked with concern as she poked her head into the doorway. "Are you alright?"
"NO! What do you want?" Magnus snapped, more testily than usual.
"We came to see you! What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I've been training with Lancer. She's only trying to kill me, that's all," Magnus snarled. By this time Springer had joined Arcee in gawking at him from the doorway. They seemed genuinely distressed and Magnus forced himself to take a deep breath and tried to forget he was in agony from head to toe. "I've just got some muscle strain and it hurts. Lancer assures me that it's normal and that I will actually live and get used to it but I figure anyone who is in love with Rodimus has to be more than a little insane. We will have to wait and see if I live or die. What can I do for you?"
"We just wanted to ask you some questions about Metroplex but if you aren't up to it...." Arcee began. At least they could tell it was still THEIR Ultra Magnus from the way they suddenly had his completely attention at the mention of "his" city. They actually DID have a number of legitimate concerns about how to handle Metroplex, but those questions were not the pair's ultimate reason for this visit. They had decided that of all their superiors, Magnus would be the most accessible to them right now. Rodimus was "away" again and Optimus was holed up in Central like a monk. They doubted they could get a straight answer out of Optimus anyway. By the time the senior Prime got done expounding on some vague philosophical point they knew they would leave more confused than before. Rodimus wasn't much better except that instead of inspirational speeches he always took complete control of the conversation and turned it to HIS advantage. Ten minutes alone with him and you always ended up giving HIM information while your own questions were not only neglected, they were often forgotten. It always made Arcee a bit sick with nostalgia for guileless little Hot Rod. Magnus at least could usually be counted on to get to the point.
However there was still the unresolved matter about how best to approach the issues concerning them with him. They didn't expect he would be too thrilled about being questioned anyway, but they hadn't counted on his mood being sour before they even asked him. All of Arcee's rehearsed ideas fled her mind like rats off a sinking ship and her attempts to keep hold of any of them proved futile. Even as a seven-foot fleshling she still responded to the glare of her direct superior with a fit of nervousness.
"Um...well. Um. You see Ultra Magnus....." she began, and then sort of faded off. She had all kinds of BEGINNINGS for the question she wanted to ask. It was the last part she was stuck on.
"We want to know what the hell is going on around here! What in Vector's Sigma's name are WE doing in charge of YOUR precious city? What's the matter with Optimus? Where the hell IS Rodimus?" Springer snapped in a rush.
"Oh great!" Arcee cried. "REALLY diplomatic Springer!"
"Well since you seemed like you were going to take ALL day if figured I'd better get it over with. After all, Magnus is too busy to run Metroplex, so he can't wait ALL day while you ask a simple question."
They bickered over it for a few minutes which was just fine with Ultra Magnus who was sitting there in such a haze of pure panic he wondered seriously if his heart would ever slow down. It wasn't just that they had noticed - although that was bad enough. The command staff was desperate to keep up appearances and if Arcee and Springer had noticed something was amiss...so could other, less friendly minds. That wasn't the worst of it though. The worst of it was not only couldn't he tell them what was "going on" he didn't want them to know what was going on, and once again sympathized with what Rodimus had felt when Magnus had been the one with the questions.
He cursed Rodi a little for not being there. The young Prime was currently hardwiring Vector Sigma to one of the old body-shell production factories. Cybertron was about to rediscover its old purpose...the creation of robotic life. Vector Sigma would no longer be producing personalities oriented towards one faction or another though. Characteristics would be assigned at random and the new generation of Transformers would be unique, surprising individuals who would have to discover their loyalties for themselves. The only specification Rodimus had assigned "Fucking Shit" was that it was to do what it could to balance the incredible discrepancy between the sexes.
Magnus decided to curse Vector Sigma too for its eons of manipulation and deceit which landed Magnus in this uncomfortable situation. Then he got around to cursing the Jabez and the Quints too. His mind might not have any solution for his current dilemma but it had lots of really good curses to go around today. He got really into them and therefore it took him a moment to realize silence had fallen and Arcee and Springer were staring at him worriedly. Apparently they had been waiting for him to say something for some time.
He let them wait a moment more while he cursed himself. If he hadn't been so obsessed with Metroplex, the city he almost never saw anymore, he might be there right now. Yes. He could picture himself working away in happy ignorance but NO! He had to be so in-tune that he noticed the tiniest shifts in his workroom. He had noticed the slightest change in the hum of the power lines which told him more power was being used than the day before. Naturally once these things were noted he couldn't have just let them slide. Oh no! Not him! Mr. City Commander just HAD to hunt and hunt until he got to the bottom of things in his precious city, which was now being run by two overly smart young officers who very logically wanted to know WHY!
What was he going to say to them? He thought up wild lies and was about to start spilling them when he realized it wasn't going to help. He just wasn't that good of a liar and Springer and Arcee knew him too well. They had been under his command for far too long.
They were still looking at him while he fought for a solution. He didn't have one.
"I can't tell you..." he finally whispered.
"What?!" Springer cried.
"I can't tell you," Magnus repeated. Great! He even SOUNDED guilty!
"Why the hell not?!" Springer said indignantly. Magnus could see the triple changer was offended and hurt not to be "trusted" with this information, exactly as Magnus had been. Arcee was just looking more frightened by the second.
"I'm not authorized to," Magnus said.
That stopped them for a second. Optimus' and Rodimus' trust in Magnus judgment was legendary. They had given him free rein in nearly every aspect of the Autobot's military presence on Earth. Anything he wasn't permitted to handle had to be more classified than Springer even thought possible. He started to share Arcee's fear, but if anything it only fueled his anger. As far as Springer was concerned if it was that critical then he and Arcee should have been helping as much as they could - not waiting in confusion on the sidelines. In his ire, he sort of forgot who he was confronting. Intellectually he knew he was talking to Ultra Magnus but Springer wasn't much impressed by Magnus' seven-foot bulk.
"THIS IS CRAZY! WHY HAVE WE BEEN EXCLUDED?! WHAT'S THE MATTER? ALL THESE YEARS OF HARD WORK AND SUDDENLY WE AREN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU ANYMORE?!" Springer delivered this diatribe by leaning over the tired, bruised little man on the couch and pointing at him. Arcee's mouth was hanging open in horror. She knew the look on Magnus' face too well. So did Springer, and he felt a brief moment of regret but decided not to worry too much about it. He might be punished later but at least the terrible pressure in his chest would be relieved.
Magnus too was staring with his mouth open. He couldn't remember the last time anyone under his command (with the exception of that idiot Neon) had spoken to him with such flagrant insubordination. His mouth snapped closed and his eyes narrowed. He understood Springer's hurt feelings but that was no excuse to get rude. Magnus' people knew if they had concerns, great or small, that he would listen if they presented their views in a clear, rational fashion and accepted his judgment without quarrel even if he disagreed. Magnus had no problem with differing opinions, but once a decision was made he tolerated no dissension.
He glared silently at Springer who suddenly found he had nothing more to say. Magnus got to his feet and approached the triple-changer who backed up slightly on instinct. Then Magnus confirmed Springer's rising conviction he was in deep, deep trouble by morphing. Seven feet of human flesh suddenly became one very banged up, angry Autobot. The bruises Lancer had inflicted on his human body translated into numerous dents the likes of which were seldom seen on the City Commander even after a long fight with the Cons. Somehow, seeing him in such a condition made things worse.
Springer went from looking down at a measly human to looking up into Magnus' fuming face-plate. The triple-changer was fairly certain he was dead.
Magnus scowled silently a long time - far longer than his usual "glare of doom" that proceeded his every verbal eruption. Arcee could see he was battling for control. He was furious...but he was also somehow sympathetic. When he finally spoke it wasn't the cataclysmic roar they were expecting. Instead he ground out every word through a tightly clenched jaw that told them he was just barely containing rage like they'd never seen.
"Not long ago..." he grated, "I approached Rodimus with accusations I thought I understood. I was furious with him and believe me, I had better reason to be than you think you have to be angry with us. If I had been right, I would have killed him then and there if I could and he knew it. Even so, he gave me a chance. He gave me a choice. He told me to drop it and that I was better off without an explanation. I didn't listen to him and let me tell you Springer not a day goes by that I don't regret it. If you think you have any concept at all of what is going on you're an idiot. You have no basis at all for that assumption and assumptions like that are what got us into this mess in the first place! I will bring your concerns up to the Primes, but I seriously doubt they will consent and you must accept their decision! That's an order! And I resent having to point that out to you! You are not in command around here! Be glad! You don't want to know what they know! How dare you question their decision to leave you out of it!? It's not a question of your competence! They are doing their jobs...protecting YOU!"
"But Ultra Magnus!" Arcee cried, "They are our friends! You are our friend! We want to help!"
Magnus' grim stare softened just a little, "I know....and you are helping Arcee. Taking care of Metroplex is the best you can do for us and making it business as usual is helping. I need you to do this for me! Do you think I would have asked if I didn't? I'm not Rodimus and I know better than to work myself to death trying to do it all on my own."
They stared at him and he sighed, once again cursing and feeling compassion for Rodimus.
"Do I need to remind you two of your rank and your oaths again? No? Are you going to follow orders and for Cybertron's sake keep your mouths shut?!"
"Yes," Arcee whispered while Springer nodded mutely - silenced for once by fear and surprise.
"Yes what...?" Magnus rumbled dangerously.
"Yes Sir!" they said in sharp unison.
"Right. Get your butts back to my city and so help me when I get back to it I'd better find it the way I left it! I suggest you worry about that! Dismissed!"
They practically fled Marissa's (his) quarters which was good because they barely got out before Magnus had his nervous breakdown. He wasted a good thirty seconds selfishly panicking all by himself. Then he contacted Optimus to share the joy.
The last time the council had been assembled that fast had ended with the total annihilation of the Quintisson race.
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Arcee and Springer made it all the way back to Metroplex in silence. Both were overwhelmed by what Magnus had said and refused to say, although Arcee did take a moment to reflect that this was the longest she'd ever seen Springer pass in silence since she'd known him.
They got back to the quarters they had just recently started sharing. Their relationship was tried and true, but it took Springer a while to admit it. To be honest, he still really hadn't acknowledged the fact that they were living together and were technically bonded mates. His things had just sort of slowly materialized in Arcee's quarters a piece at a time until his own rooms were down to the bare walls. Arcee had smiled to herself the day he had "lent" them to Sandstorm, and other Bots had given her knowing smiles and covert messages of congratulations. Blaster had thrown a party that week which Springer had boisterously participated in - all the while pretending it was merely a party like any other. All the usual tokens of good-will had been presented under other pretenses as well. "I don't need this old (brand new) thing any more Arcee. Can you use it?"
Arcee didn't care that something in Springer's pride wouldn't allow him to admit he was settled and mated....she knew she had him, heart and spark, the day his precious weapons had moved onto the gun rack next to hers. She had long since decided that if she held out for anything but sarcasm to fall out of Springer's mouth she'd wait forever. His behavior...that's what you had to watch. He had never told her he was attracted to her when they had first started spending off-time together, but he had always been around. He had finally admitted to loving her once after a particularly intense joining, but she had known long, long before he actually said it. He had to love her. No one would hold her that way if they didn't. Arcee was a practical person. She wouldn't insist on trivial things like words when he wasn't really capable of them. He loved her, he was good to her, and she was more than content. After all, she knew what to look for.
Like now for instance. Springer was pacing "her" quarters and saying things about most of his superiors that could easily get him court-martialed. Magnus and Rodimus got the worst slandering but Optimus, Jazz, and even Elita were also described in less than flattering terms in regards to everything from their appearance to their intelligence. This just told Arcee how worried he was about them. The more insulting he did - the more worried he was about the person in question.
Not that she blamed him. She was frightened too, maybe more than she'd ever been. She liked to face her fears directly and all the shadow-boxing she sensed in her leaders made her very worried. Even the fact that Magnus was training with Lancer suddenly became a point of concern. Even as a human Magnus tended to stand out in a crowd and Arcee had never known him to be anything less than too forthright both on and off the battlefield. What could they be facing that would make Magnus abandon both Metroplex and his own direct-approach mentality to even consider practicing Lancer's silent skills?
When she thought Springer had vented enough to actually think, she tried talking to him.
"Springer...." she said.
He went right on pacing and inventing ever-more creative slurs for their friends.
"SPRINGER!" she cried. Her own fear was plainly evident in her voice and Springer froze and gave her his full, concerned attention. "What do you think is going on?" she asked.
He didn't try to get cute for once and she loved him for it.
"I don't know, but it sure isn't the 'Cons, I know that much. No 'Con was ever built that could spook Magnus that way."
"Do you suppose maybe it has something to do with the Quintissons...with what happened to them?" Arcee asked.
"Arcee, those are just rumors...." Springer said, but even he didn't look convinced. New rumors came around about the Quints all the time and most of them were too outrageous to be believed. Even the reports from reliable sources were disturbing though. Quint bases full of corpses. Ghost ships with bodies blasted, mangled. Signs that some of the dead had been tortured before they were killed. It all gave Springer the surges and reminded him of the ship full of human corpses they'd found that day on Skylynx. Surely there was no connection though. Was there...?
The Junkions were often the suppliers of these reports since they enthusiastically scoured the quadrant for derelicts to salvage. The Autobots trusted their strange allies but often had a hard time sorting fact from TV-inspired embellishment. The Junkions went on about everything from ghosts and vengeful spirits to The Terminator to something called the Borg. Springer knew most of what they reported was dismissed out of hand by most of those that heard them even if the person in question understood what was being said. Springer wasn't so quick to dismiss them. The Junkions might be an eccentric species but they weren't cowards and Springer could tell they were genuinely disturbed. Springer had tried, once, to talk to Wreck-gar about it and didn't get very far even though he knew Wreck-gar considered him a friend. The Junkion leader was unusually evasive. All he would admit was that he had cut his patrols for space-trash in half by partnering up his scout ships. Whatever they had found was disturbing the Junkion leader enough to insure none of his ships went out alone.
Springer had tried to get Wreck-gar to speculate or give him more details but Wreck-gar seemed almost superstitiously afraid to talk. Given the way things were going these days, Springer supposed he should be getting used to evasiveness from nearly every friend. Friends...HAH! He bet the Primes didn't even know that he and Arcee had officially ma....moved in together. Come to think of it, Magnus probably didn't know either. Not that it was a big deal. No. Why should they care he had lent his quarters to Sandstorm for a little while?
Springer ground his jaw. Why indeed? The jerks.
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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE ON TO US!?" Rodimus roared so loud that even Elita flinched visibly.
Magnus winced, and stared nervously at Rodimus. Rodi's eyes were green, wild, and fearful. Magnus understood and had expected as much. Telling his young traumatized commander that two more of their friends had stumbled into the web of dark secrets the council shared was one of the hardest things Magnus had ever done. Rodi's response to Marissa being let in on things had been violent and Magnus feared for both Rodimus' fearful heart, and Springer and Arcee's lives. Either Rodimus would have to accept the fact that two more of his friends were now in jeopardy of losing their minds and souls to this mad war or Magnus had just sentenced Springer and Arcee to death. The City Commander knew it was the traumatized assassin that had never wanted anyone to know what he had gone through that Magnus was facing now. If they couldn't find a solution that side of Rodimus could accept then he would kill Arcee and Springer rather than answering their questions. Magnus wondered how he would deal with being the one to bring the killer down on their heads.
"They don't know what we're up to, but they are getting suspicious because...."
"WHAT DID YOU DO MAGNUS?!" Rodimus roared.
Magnus jerked, and got indignantly defensive. "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! They are suspicious of ALL of us! They just know us too damned well! They think Optimus has become a recluse, I'm never in Metroplex, and they can't keep track of you at all! They know they used to know what we were up to and now they don't. Naturally they want to know WHY!"
Rodimus had apparently been spending too much time with Magnus. The young Prime's chair flew across the room with a resounding crash although he was still enough in control to not aim it at anyone. Marissa, sitting on the conference table, watched it fly over her head with just a hint of ironic twinkle in her eye. If things hadn't been so serious she might have teased Rodimus about using Magnus' tricks for stress release. Magnus was quick to pick her up though and shield her with his hands in case Rodimus really did lose control. Then Rodi turned around and pummeled the walls in fury a few moments. The impervious material didn't so much as scratch but Elita got up gracefully to lay a hand on Rodi's shoulder when he started damaging his arms. He stopped at her touch and clunked his head lightly against the wall.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly.
"No," Rodimus said.
Elita smiled a little, "You know, I think that's the first time you've ever given me an honest answer to that question."
Rodimus cocked his head at her and had to smile a little in answer.
"Come sit down," Elita urged. "Let's think about this. It might not be as bad as it seems."
"Yeah right. Sure. No big deal. Two more of my friends are on the brink. Not to mention the fact that our supposed 'business as usual' routine which is SUPPOSED to be flawless is obviously anything but! If they've noticed, others can notice, and I don't know what to do about it! Everything we are doing to prepare for the Jabez is absolutely vital, and yet it draws us away from what we 'should' be doing! I don't know how to solve this! Maybe I should ask Perceptor for a time machine!"
"It couldn't hurt," Elita said with a smile.
Rodimus turned his head back to the wall. "It will hurt if we don't find a way to put a stop to this Elita. It's all.....slipping through our fingers. If we can't stop it...I'm going to have to be the one to put an end to it... to them."
Marissa blanched, and looked down sadly.
Jazz put his head down into his arms.
Magnus just felt his fuel run cold...he hated the pain in Rodi's voice, but he knew Rodimus would go through with killing two of his best friends if he had to. Coming to terms with this side of Rodimus had been the biggest adjustment for the City Commander to make when he had stumbled into the secrets of the inner circle. Knowing that his trusted friend had considered ending both Magnus' (and worse) Marissa's life was the measuring stick by which Magnus judged all the horror the Jabez represented. Adjusting his thinking to envelop that extreme adaption on Rodi's part had taken Magnus a long time and it had been a hard battle with his Autobot training before he'd succeeded.
What Magnus had forgotten, and apparently Rodimus had too, was that Optimus and Elita had never dreamt of such a possibility.
Elita took an appalled step back, and Optimus stiffened in fear and rage.
"Rodimus..." Elita whispered, still backing up, "you can't possibly mean to suggest you'd MURDER Springer and Arcee because of this..."
Rodimus stiffened, and turned away from the wall although he kept his back to it. For a moment, Magnus saw crushing sorrow on Rodimus' face but he doubted Elita and Prime were much comforted by that...especially when the cold assassin's masks fell over Rodi's features. He didn't say anything though and his grim silence was all the answer anyone needed. If he hadn't been serious, he would have (SHOULD have!) been vehemently defending himself against even the possibility that the very thought of killing two friends would ever cross his mind.
Elita's hands came up to shield her chest, and Magnus could see the start of the same horrified realizations taking place in her which had altered Magnus' universe the day Rodimus had crouched on his chest, holding an assassin's needle barely a push from Magnus' brain, and methodically deliberated the pros and cons of murdering Marissa.
The City Commander felt a different kind of terror now when he realized those realizations were not happening in Optimus.
"NO!" the elder Prime roared. "NO! I WON'T ACCEPT THIS! I KNEW YOU HAD GONE OVER THE LINE WITH THE QUINTS! I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED YOU THEN! I'M REMOVING YOU FROM COMMAND RODIMUS!"
Rodimus merely stared coldly at his partner. Some part of him quailed at Optimus' pain. It was the very reason Rodimus had wanted to keep the Jabez and what needed to be done to stop them to himself. The Matrix had destroyed his plans by sharing his torture with Optimus. Optimus had told Jazz before Rodi had even come home. Then Magnus had gotten involved..then Marissa...then Elita..First Aid...Preceptor... KC..... All of them...in this pain...in this danger. It had to stop.
"It has to stop Optimus," Rodimus whispered.
"NO! YOU have to be stopped! You're mad! You're no longer an Autobot! Where are your morals Rodimus? What have you become? Don't you realize anymore there are some things you just CAN'T do?! Going after the Quintissons was bad enough but somehow I let you talk me into it because they were our enemies! Now you're suggesting going after two of our own! They aren't enemies! They aren't Converts! They haven't done anything wrong except be concerned about you! How dare you?! You were chosen to protect the Autobots and there you stand ready to MURDER them!" The elder Prime surged to his feet and stormed up to Rodimus who didn't so much as twitch when Optimus continued his diatribe from only inches from Rodi's set face.
"You've lost yourself Rodimus! You've become as bad as the Jabez!" Optimus accused.
Rodi's eyes flared emerald. "Lost myself? I didn't lose myself! I gave myself away! For you! For the Autobots! I don't get the luxury of morals anymore! I don't get to have lines I won't cross! My life is forfeit! My soul is forfeit! Why is this such a surprise to you Optimus? I'll tell you why! Because you've HAD the luxury of ignorance because on top of everyone else. I've been protecting you! Do you honestly think all the humans I've killed were Converts? Slavers? THEY WEREN'T! There is innocent blood on my hands already! Arcee and Springer are warriors at least! They risk their lives willingly for Earth, and if they were asked to die for this I know they'd do it! What about the kids I couldn't save Optimus!? The truly innocent who died at my hands because I couldn't rescue them without exposing us? You self righteous bastard! How dare you accuse me?! I'm not a god, but I have to play one! The fate of two worlds depends on us but I'M the one who has to do the dirty work! Where were you the nights when Lancer and I had to wash the blood we shed down the drain with a hose? Where were you when we snuck abused, naked 6 year olds into the cargo hold of a freighter so someone would find them and help them? Where were you when we were laying awake thinking about the ones we didn't get to in time? Or worse, the ones we did but couldn't save anyway? HERE! That's where you were! HERE thinking we have the leeway of options YOU are comfortable with! Ignorance is bliss I suppose! It must be fucking nice!"
If Optimus was at all swayed by this outburst (which Rodi was already regretting) it didn't show. The elder Prime seemed ready to lash out at his partner with more than words when Magnus decided to intervene. He set Marissa down out of harm's way and got between his two friends. He didn't want to think of what would happen if it came to blows between the Primes. It was more than just fear for their safety. The foundation of both the Autobots and the inner council was built on the friendship between the partners - their trust and respect for each other that had never before been marred by any difference in opinion. Normally Magnus knew they regarded their disagreements as a useful tool with which to find the best solution and went about debating with cheerful vigor. Insults, if there were any, were always in the form of a joke. No matter how strongly they disagreed on any course of action it was never PERSONAL.
This time though, it wasn't a matter of the next thing they should do - Optimus was attacking Rodimus' fundamental core...and Rodimus was returning the favor. Magnus was afraid if they didn't stop they would destroy their respect for each other and take the council, Cybertron, and Earth down with them.
Elita turned away numbly and sank slowly into her chair. Her optics held a vacant glaze which told Marissa she was probably waging the same exact war internally that Optimus and Rodimus were holding just behind her. The EDC Captain felt terribly for Optimus' mate, but Marissa didn't fear as much for her as she did for Optimus. At her core, Elita was a practical person. One way or another, she would survive this war with herself as Magnus had done. Jazz had managed too, although the wounds still hurt more visibly. The Specialist was still sitting perfectly still with his head in his arms...but he wasn't about to challenge Rodimus...he just hated himself for not having a less brutal solution.
Marissa wasn't so sure about Optimus.
The senior Prime was a warrior sure enough. He had taken lives in conflict, but always in the heat of battle, and even given his millions of year as leader he had still killed far fewer than some of the human soldiers Marissa knew. The deaths still bothered him though, and Marissa was positive that the ONLY thing that allowed him to cope was the firm belief that the Autobot cause was just. No matter what anyone else believed, Optimus believed he fought for the greater good and that belief kept him going. Without that conviction he would be less likely to pick up a weapon than First Aid.
Marissa wondered if she was about to see Rodimus rupture another soul as he had done with Kup....and Kup was dying from those wounds as surely as if Rodimus had cut him in two. Marissa was afraid. They needed Optimus for exactly the reasons he was now vulnerable. They needed his idealism. They needed his morals standing like a lighthouse to bring them all home through the night. If they needed Rodimus to lead them into the heart of the evil they faced, they needed Optimus just as much to see to it they didn't become what they were facing. Rodimus was their harpoon. Optimus was their anchor. Without both, Marissa knew they were lost. No one else had the strength Rodimus had been tempered to in the torture chamber...and no one else held on to unshakable convictions quite the way Optimus did.
Marissa shuddered as she watched Magnus impose his bulk between them just as Optimus got ready to throw the first blow at his assassin partner. The two extremes were now in direct conflict, and Marissa couldn't see any way out without one destroying the other.
"STOP OPTIMUS!" Magnus demanded. The City Commander's interference had somehow unleashed Optimus' rage and he was now flailing unsuccessfully at Rodimus from around Magnus' bulk. Rodimus didn't budge but his silent stare seemed to go right past Magnus as if the huge commander didn't exist. Having seen that look before (mostly when Rodimus had been torturing Quints) Magnus was desperate to get Optimus away from Rodi. Magnus was terrified that if one of Optimus' blows landed on Rodimus (who seemed disinclined to dodge,) then Rodimus would follow with one of his own that would leave Optimus dead.
"NO! Magnus! How dare you defend him?! He's out of control! He going to KILL Springer and Arcee!" Optimus ranted.
"HE'S GOING TO KILL YOU TOO IF YOU DON'T STOP IT!" Magnus roared.
That halted the elder Prime for a second. He looked at Magnus, and then at the entity which had been Hot Rod. It's stare didn't waver, and it didn't disagree. In that moment, Rodimus ceased even being a person in Optimus' mind, and instead became some implacable force of death that Optimus had to fight as surely as he had to fight Megatron.
Forgetting Magnus even existed, Optimus lunged at the thing again....determined to kill it or die trying. At least, if it killed him, he would die on the side of justice and maybe his death would break the hold this thing had on the others.
Fortunately, Prime's attack was every bit as incoherent as his thoughts were, (not to mention the actually were several hundred tons of City Commander between him and his target) and Magnus had no trouble grabbing Prime's shoulders and slamming him into the wall.
"GO SIT DOWN HOT ROD!" Magnus roared over his shoulder at Rodimus.
The assassin didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow, but his head turned slightly so that those emotionless optics met Magnus". He might have been a mantis sizing up a fly, and for a moment Magnus felt the same loathing some people feel when confronted by large, aggressive insects. It was the sense of "Other" which radiated from Rodimus. Alien. Unknowable...and because of that revolting. No wonder Optimus wanted to squash him, but Magnus knew better.
"GO SIT DOWN! THIS ISN'T SOLVING ANYTHING!" Magnus ordered. Optimus tried to push him off and Magnus pushed back. "NO! STOP! If you want to stop him sit down and THINK! We need solutions not this stupid name calling!"
Rodimus turned and went silently to his seat. If he was hurt by the way Elita flinched away from him he gave no sign.
Magnus groaned inwardly and walked Optimus forcibly to his seat. The senior Prime said nothing, did nothing, but the sullen looks he threw his equally unresponsive partner told the others it was only a matter of time before a new eruption took place.
"We have a problem!" Marissa stated. "We have to solve it. Rodimus is right that we have to stop the leak! Now let's figure out how so that no one gets hurt! There is too much riding on the unity of this council! It's more important than either of your damned egos! Now, what are we going to do about Springer and Arcee?"
Continued in Fracture Part B.