Megatron stands in the brig's command center, hands clasped behind his back as he watches the latest attempt to break the Prime-this time, by the Constructicons themselves. It has proven to be an effective tactic against Autobots in the past, using his soldiers as torturers and the 'medical personnel' simply continuing the pressure in-between sessions. The fact that Optimus Prime has been difficult to break in both mind and spirit has only prolonged it.

Soundwave enters the command center with a cube of Energon in one hand, ignoring the scene unfolding beyond the glass. Megatron barely acknowledges him in turn, his gaze not leaving the glass. "Report."

Soundwave takes his usual seat, resting the Energon cube on the desk in front of him. "-Starscream has been released from medical. The cloning machine has been fully disassembled and returned to the Nemesis. Thus far, no incidents of insubordination have been noted.-"

Megatron allows a smirk to tug at the corners of his mouth with a low 'heh'. "Amazing what a little incentive will accomplish in the end." His arms lower to his sides. "And our uninvited Autobot guest?"

Soundwave taps a button, a screen nearby activating and playing security camera footage of Mirage's cell, the subject in question apparently in less-than-restful recharge. "-Initial interrogation yielded little information. Subject has been placed in isolation. Further analysis pending.-"

The Decepticon leader nods an acknowledgement, though scowls as if he had ingested poorly-refined Energon. "If only information was our sole goal." He abruptly turns towards the doors leading out of the command center. "Lock down the brig as soon as the Constructicons depart. I wish to speak to Optimus Prime without interference-" he casts a meaningful look at Soundwave, "-or recordings."

Soundwave bows his head, leaning forwards slightly to accentuate the motion. "-As you command, Megatron.-" Megatron departs without any further words, leaving the Spymaster to his work.

By the time Megatron reaches the double-doors, the Constructicons were long gone and the locks had been reset so only Megatron himself could enter. Satisfied that his orders had been enacted perfectly, he enters the brig and takes his time to appraise the situation as he circles around the pillars.

Optimus Prime's condition is kept artificially stable, thanks in no small part to the network spliced into his back that now acts more like external life-support than operational shackles. The Autobot leader's appearance and stance, however, are anything but what one would expect of his proud and noble reputation. His head is lolled to the side, optics shuttered and facial expression blank, and his legs have almost fully given out on him by now. Only the shackles on his wrists seem to be keeping him upright.

The lack of any reaction to another presence in the room is concerning, but it is not entirely surprising. Bolstered by not only an additional prisoner to threaten by proxy, but also Prime's loss of his faceplate giving the indication of vulnerability, the torture sessions have been continuous with few pauses and new-found purpose. Could it be that the Prime has withdrawn to near-catatonia as an escape mechanism, or is it indicative of cracks beginning to spiderweb through his psyche?

Megatron stands just in front of his Autobot counterpart, red optics narrowing as he analyzes the Prime's rarely-seen face and the scars it bears. Though hardly the first time he has seen Optimus' face, it is the only time he has had enough time to study and memorize the unique features. He can't shake a deeply unsettling feeling that he has seen this face somewhere before...

He cups the Prime's chin in one hand to lift his head up, and the contact plus movement finally pull Optimus out of his mentally-offline state. Optics sluggishly unshutter with a dim grey light flickering at the center of the cracked panes, a far cry from the sky blue light that is so expressive by itself. Optimus Prime attempts to pull his chin free from Megatron's grasp, but the Decepticon instead turns the Prime's face to fully expose the long scar over the optic and along the jawline.

Even in a situation like this, Megatron cannot resist more verbal sparring. "Are you beginning to bend, Optimus?" He smiles unkindly. "Perhaps I should cut you down and let you grovel at my feet for your life."

Optimus almost visibly musters up the strength to wrench his jaw free of Megatron's grasp, straightening yet weaving unsteadily on his feet. "My life... has always been forfeit, Megatron." Weight shifts with an unchecked grimace as Optimus plants his pedes under him, then he meets Megatron's gaze sharply and defiantly. "You saw to that... vorns ago."

One of Megatron's optic-ridges rises to disappear under his 'brow ridge'. "Do tell."

The Prime is silent for a long time, gathering both thoughts and strength. When he does speak, it is haltingly careful. "I... was once an Iaconian archivist. I found the truth... about the Council... about your cause... even concerning history itself. The Council... cast me out... I knew too much... I was a... 'Polyhex sympathizer'..." Megatron's optics flare, but he remains stone-faced. "After that... I became a dockworker... at Storage Yard 67."

The Decepticon tyrant's jaw drops before he could control his reaction. How could he forget that location? It was the place where he and Optimus Prime first fought-first became enemies. "You were there before the battle?"

Optimus' unwavering gaze can't hide the painful memories, and he does not attempt to keep it back. "Do you remember... that young guide... a young mech who... all but worshiped the ground... you walked on...?"

Megatron's optics narrow. No, he has not forgotten that naive young mech's face... but the memory superimposes itself over Optimus Prime's face. The familiarity and the resultant shock makes the Decepticon take a step back. "Impossible! You-?!"

The Prime seems to chuckle, but ends up coughing up splatters of congealed Energon and dried oil instead. "Orion Pax died that cycle... by your hand. And by that same hand... you created your own... worst nightmare."

Megatron's hand twitches at the implication, of the memory of the first words exchanged between himself and the then-new Prime. "Alpha Trion." He sneers the name under his breath. "That old mech stole the Matrix of Leadership from Sentinel Prime's twitching corpse before my optics. He must have given it to you when he saved your life-and thus you have been Prime ever since, fighting me every step of the way."

Optimus Prime slowly bobs his head in confirmation. "If only..."

"Enough." Megatron is far too quick in cutting him off, avoiding such a topic before it could be breached further. "Such hypotheticals are useless."

The Prime is not so easily deterred. "Why... continue this war? The Council... virtually gone. The cause... complete... isn't it?"

Megatron scowls, bristling visibly as his shoulders hike. "And you? Certainly the great, selfless Optimus Prime doesn't have a personal vendetta against me." The statement seems to catch the Autobot leader off-guard, and Megatron presses the verbal attack as he steps closer for emphasis. "It all boils down to one universal fact of war, Prime: escalation. One side gets an edge, the other matches or exceeds the show of force, and the vicious cycle continues until one side cannot keep up any longer."

"I know... the definition, Megatron..." Optimus' cold statement is tinged with uncertainty at the edges. "I thought you... 'despise escalation'."

"Ah, I do." Megatron smiles cruelly, circling around the Prime as he gains the advantage. "But it has rarely been I-or even you-who has initiated the escalation. Our soldiers do a well-enough job of that on their own, irregardless of our knowledge or consent. Is that not true?"

The ensuing silence is answer enough.

Megatron surveys his opponent, his wounds and his strength, his expression and weaknesses. "You have the gall to ask /me/ why /I/ continue this war? Why can't /you/, the personification of Primus' will himself, end this conflict?" He stops directly in front of Optimus once again, moving close enough that they nearly touch. "You have sacrificed everything in this war, Optimus Prime. Yourself. Countless lives. Even Cybertron itself. I wonder if this world would be next if its end would guarantee my final defeat?"

Optimus Prime's optics flare with whitish-blue light and he flinches as if about to charge forwards, but Megatron grabs him by the throat and keeps him in place. The grip does not compress his vocalizer nor block anything, but the Prime's retort hisses out as if it does: "Never!"

For now, Megatron simply holds him like that. He has no need to do more. "Then this war will never end. We will simply continue fighting, destroying all we encounter, until there is nothing left. Just as it has always been... and so the cycle will continue." His optics narrow as he gives Prime one last verbal twist of the proverbial knife. "Forever."

The Prime's face betrays him as the words hit home, a mix of dismay, denial, and despair crushing him to the very spark. Megatron can even feel the Prime's body sag from the weight of the inescapable reality of such a scenario, his grip forcing Optimus to tilt his head back and show his throat.

Finally, it is done. Finally, the untouchable Prime will fall and shatter, just like those before him.

Suddenly, the Prime's body seizes and his systems hitch, doubling him over forwards from the force of it. Megatron recoils out of arm's reach, sending a glare up towards the glass behind the Prime on the immediate assumption that Soundwave had tampered with something and had interrupted them accordingly. The thought is discarded almost as quickly as it had come as an odd sound emits from Optimus Prime.

Body shivering uncontrollably, Prime lifts his head even as a shocked but distant expression dawns on his face. "Roller..." Recognition brings new life and focus back to him, his gaze sharpening on Megatron. "My components... you disabled them... but didn't... didn't take them too?"

Megatron is taken back by this turn of events. He was under the impression that the trailer-base and spy-unit had been destroyed outright, but if Optimus has suddenly regained a signal... "The Autobots." His gaze turns towards the ceiling as his fists clench.

"They are searching for us..." The realization draws Optimus' attention away from Megatron, outright ignoring him now. "...They will find us..." His systems hitch again, sending a new shudder through his ruined form as his head bows with a groan. "...They will rescue us..."

The Decepticon leader glowers at the newly-rekindled hope the Prime is exhibiting. He was so close... so /terribly/ close... but he will have to take what he can from it. There are more pressing matters now. "They will try." He spins on his heel and stalks towards the door, the sound of the Prime's broken, coughing laughter following him every step of the way.