AN: Credit goes to Karategal, TheMoonlessNight, Hearts of Eternity, and Landray Depth Charge for letting me borrow a couple of their ideas. Also, this chapter is going to be just on the short and sweet side, I ran into some difficulty with this and I wanted to get it out and up before I lost the momentum.

Open Wounds

It had worked for him when he'd been younger. Sheepishly, Bumblebee blinked his blue optics into the face of Optimus, his frame going limp from when he'd been picked up by the back of his neck armor.

"Don't even try that." The Autobot leader rumbled. A muffled roar had them both looking at the door, Wheeljack and Perceptor both trying to calm Ironhide and Ratchet down. "Would you like to deal with them instead?"

"No!"

"Then how did Nightfire learn that word?" To this Bumblebee deactivated his voice processor, no way was he going to give Sam up! "Logic dictates that it was only you and Sam watching her. And since that word is human…"

"IT WAS HIM? I'M GONNA BLAST HIM INTO PIECES!" Ironhide had somehow gotten though the door and was staring at the duo. "WITWICKY!"

"Ironhide, no!" Optimus barked, suddenly releasing Bumblebee. The yellow spy was quick to rebound, tucking and rolling away before making a beeline out the door. The weapons specialist roared, images of making Sam nothing more than a smear dancing though his processor.

"Yumyumyumyum!" Barricade groaned, shifting on his wheels.

Primus blast me to Pit, why did I introduce him to coffee? Now the silver 'bot would be literally bouncing off the walls for the next several cycles…or in this case, bouncing off Barricade's interior.

"Are we all settled now?" He asked dryly. The response was Frenzy tossing the empty Starbucks cup out of the window.

"Whatwedononow?" The Saleen pondered this question, pausing only to make a turn and head out onto the interstate.

"Well, you know what we will eventually have to do." He replied, wincing slightly as Frenzy started to screech and jabber insanely, poking at his dashboard and computer console. "Stop that! I don't like it either, but there is no other choice now is there?"

"Don'twannateamwithstupidAutobots!"

"We're not going to have a choice." Barricade repeated, his tone getting testy. "Not for this. Not for what our so-called leader got us into."

"Isthatwhywhyyouwantbodyback? And callcallShockwave?"

"Shockwave is to cover our afts respectively." The Decepticon rumbled. He'd played two sides before, but nothing like this. It was going to take every single scrap of knowledge he'd collected over the countless vorns and then some to make sure both he and Frenzy got out of this with their sparks intact. "If anything, we at least have a good couple of vorns to prepare adequately. If the Autobots only knew half the story…"

It had been the destruction of Floatila that had given Barricade pause. Murder of Autobots-femme or mech- was one thing, Neutrals another. But sparklings…younglings…even the femmes of their own faction? Wisely, Barricade kept his vocal processor quiet on the matter, a move that saved his own armor when Megatron again turned on his allies, wiping out nearly all of the mechs that had served as the 'death-squads' for Floatila…the only one left alive was Shockwave. Now even the most hardened of Decepticons were in fear of the former Lord Protector, and if the Autobots only knew how high the Decepticon body count was internally following Floatila's destruction, Barricade knew that the Autobots would have capitalized on it to force an end to the Great War.

Maybe he should have said something. Maybe he shouldn't have gone to the medical wing that orn. Pit, maybe he shouldn't have left the Decepticon base camp outside of Iacon, period. But he had, and as a result…

"UUUWAAAAGGGGGG!!"

Seeing the Decepticon leader rolling around and screaming on the floor, black energy crackling around him as it forced the wounds inflicted on his armor to heal…

Do what we tell you!

"NO! I REFUSE!"

Have we not given you what you wanted?!

"NOT AT THE COST OF ALL THOSE INNOCENT LIVES! YOU USED ME TO-"

The city needed to be destroyed.

Even in memory, the sound of that flat voice still caused Barricade to shudder. Nor had the image of Megatron had faded with time…the great Decepticon Lord, weeping like a sparkling on his knees…

"Primus…I'm sorry…I didn't…it wasn't me! Damn you, you made me do this! You made me kill…ARRGGGHHHH!!" This had been too much for Barricade, and he turned tailpipe, running as fast and as far away as he could.

"Waswasgettingtimeoffagoodidea?"

"At the time, it Pit was." Barricade rumbled. "Gave me a chance to think things over as well."

Laying low at Kaon had given the younger Decepticon time to process what he had seen and also to start searching for information. There had been an old rumor amongst the Decepticons that at the beginning of the Great War, something had happened to a team being lead by Megatron in the Forbidden Zone. Barricade was willing to bet his spark that the rumor was true, and whatever happened had a very close relation to what he had witnessed. But first, he needed to confirm just one thing, and for that, he'd need the help of the Autobots.

"Ohh! Youtheonewhosetthatup!" Frenzy cackled. "Smartsmartsmart!"

"Not really." Barricade answered. "The security was lax; Optimus was bound to find out at some point anyway."

Barricade's plan had been simple. Inform the Autobots of a route the Decepticons were using to transport energon to their bases, and the Decepticons were informed that the Autobots had discovered one of their energon supply lines. Both Prime and Megatron were leaders of their teams, at that point the fighting had been over a new source of energon just recently discovered. And as Barricade had hoped, Prime was able to inflict several serious wounds on his brother, forcing the Decepticons to retreat…and Megatron landing in the medical bay once again. This time he was ready, sneaking in while the Decepticon Lord was in deep recharge and pulling gently away at the temp-plating that covered the most severe gash in his chest chassis. What he saw beneath Megatron's spark…had been rather unnerving.

Frenzy chittered at the display Barricade was showing on his laptop.

"Weird!" The picture was of a black ball, roughly the size of a Cybertronian's fist, with strange glyphs inscribed all over the surface. "Thisthisitit?"

"Yes."

"Fffreaky."

"You can say that again." The Saleen muttered. "Anyway, it wasn't too hard to draw a conclusion. Megatron…or at least when it came to Floatila, was being controlled by someone using that thing."

"Herehereheretoo?" Barricade considered this for a moment.

"I don't think so." He finally replied. "Whatever it was…it seemed to be based on Cybertron. Megatron leaving Cybertron might have broken the hold, but the fact still remains…whatever it is, it's still doing its programming."

Optimus sighed. Sam and Bumblebee had made tracks out of the Ark shortly after Ironhide had attempted to squish the human underneath one of his massive feet…but not because of that. He only wished it had been because of that.

Chromia had returned. And upon seeing her mother, Nightfire had squeaked out her new word. Prime was certain that nothing…including Unicron…had nothing on an angry femme. Especially Ironhide's femme…who was just as trigger and weapons-happy as he was. The Autobot leader barely had the time to snatch the crazily-giggling Nightfire and run for it before the explosion. Now he and Nightfire were in the rec room…the door locked, of course.

"Your mother…" He murmured, gently running a hand over the clicking sparkling's head. "And your father. In this case little one, discretion is the better part of valor." Nightfire squeaked, liking the deep baritone of the Autobot leader's voice. And his spark was so warm and bright! Content in this situation, she snuggled into Prime's chest chassis, seeking the sound of his pump. It wasn't as good as her father's or her mother's, but it would do for now. Optimus felt his spark ache, memories of Bumblebee when he was newly sparked flooding back into his processor.

"You know…" He rumbled gently. It couldn't hurt, could it? Nightfire was just a sparkling, if anything the drone of his voice would lull her into a recharge. And…Optimus didn't know who else he could talk to…who would understand. At least with Nightfire, she wouldn't judge him…and it would count for getting things off his chest. So preoccupied was he with his thoughts that he didn't notice the recreation room door-now unlocked- open and close. "I had…well, still have, a sparkling too, you know. And you know him very well." Nightfire clicked in response, looking up at the Autobot leader with bright optics. "Yes you do. Bumblebee is my sparkling." At the familiar name Nightfire squeaked with delight, and Optimus smiled. Shifting position, he leaned back into the couch, allowing the dark-blue bundle of wires to curl up even more into him.

"I made him a long time ago." He murmured. "I didn't know…if I'd be allowed to even create a sparkling, didn't know if I could use the power, but the Matrix let me. I created him, and I've loved him ever since…he's my baby brother." Nightfire looked up at him, blinking her optics. "It was hard having to pass him off though…I told your father and the others that I'd found him outside Iacon. But really, did it matter? He represented hope for us back then, just as you represent hope for us now." Absentmindedly he started to rub Nightfire's back. "All that mattered was that he was online, and that we weren't lonely…I wasn't lonely. I didn't even tell Elita and she is my sparkmate." Optimus fell silent, shuttering his optics against the pain and guilt that threatened to overload his spark. So many mistakes he'd made…how had Elita chosen to stay with him? How had he somehow managed to make sure Bumblebee had matured into the responsible and steady 'bot that he was today…despite all that had happened?

"It was my fault." He whispered. "But I didn't have any choice in the matter, Nightfire. I took an oath, and I must uphold it. But because of that, Bumblebee's been…" He trailed off, guilt now a living, breathing monster ripping deep into his spark. Hearing the hitch in his voice, Nightfire looked up, clicking in curiosity.

"Opti?" Prime smiled sadly, and pulled the little 'bot closer.

"It's nothing, little one." Nightfire squeaked and snuggled back into his chest chassis. Her optics drooped, soon shuttering closed as she entered recharge. Optimus looked down at the purring bundle of wires and slowly stood up, wanting to put her in the playpen…

"Optimus!" The familiar voice had the Autobot leader freezing, dread sinking into his spark. Turning his head slightly, his optics met the shocked blue ones of Ratchet, who was standing in front of the door. The CMO was staring at his old friend in shock, processor trying to understand what he had just heard.

"Optimus…you…" To this Prime had no response, staring at Ratchet as if he were Unicron himself. Fear was plainly written all over the red and blue mech's faceplates, his frame trembling from tension. Blue optics pinned Ratchet, begging him not to say it, but the yellow Autobot forced the words to come out.

"You're Bumblebee's creator?!"