MissCHSparkles: You're welcome.
Igeegeei: Yes, it takes place before the destruction of the omega lock
DEVINE.L: They can't be physically hurt, but they can be mentally.
QuantumSheep: No, not like Morpheus. The council's plan was more to trap Megatron's consciousness in Optimus' processor.
5 ways: Liked your idea, here's hoping I do it justice.
Chapter Summary: A Long Night
{Nemesis – Medical Bay – Inside Prime's Mind}
A blade shot out and halted the progress of Halogen's sword. The blue shimmering form of Optimus Prime pushed the high councilmember away from Megatron and swiped at the forms holding the Decepticon down. Megatron was quickly on his feet and two friends back to back against the horde.
"Knockout! How do we do this?"
"Both of you must attack the virus together," the medic replied. "There is very little I can do from out here, I'm sorry my lord. The council's imprints can only be destroyed by joint power, that is all I can tell you."
Optimus and Megatron looked at one another. "It is enough." Together they raised their cannons side by side and blew a Halogen to pieces. Then, remaining with their backs to one another, they held their arms raised, side-by-side, and shot their cannons in sync. The blasts hit their targets together, smashing into the council's duplicates and sending the frames crashing to the ground.
Spinning in a circle, Megatron and Optimus continued to fire at the encroaching enemy. The pile of bodies around them increased with each falling frame, and Megatron was pleased to see that no more duplicates appeared to take the place of the fallen. The only thing that kept this battle from being real was the lack of energon being splattered about.
Finally the last councilmember fell, a Traachan, and there were no more. For a moment Optimus and Megatron stood at the ready, waiting with primed cannons for any sign of movement but there was none. Slowly they straightened up and moved away from one another.
"Knockout, report."
"All systems are clean, Lord Megatron. There is no sign of the virus and with the removal of the council's imprints I have been able to delete several hundred unnecessary strings of code."
"Very good." Megatron turned to Optimus, who was gazing about him with a stunned expression.
"This is my mindscape," Optimus murmured, "and I do not like it." Without another word the scene shifted around them to be replaced by an image from Earth. Megatron did not recognize it but he admitted, silently to himself, that it was pleasant. They were both standing on a grassy hill, warmed by the sun while wind swept through the trees nearby.
"My friend," Optimus turned to Megatron, "are you ready to wake up?"
A small smiled graced Optimus' lips, "Yes."
{Nemesis – Medical Bay)
Megatron opened his optics and carefully detached the cable from his medical port. He looked over with some slight trepidation as Knockout disconnected the other end of the cable from Optimus Prime. There was an interesting thing, with his processor restored who was it really on the medical berth, Orion Pax or Optimus Prime?
Blue optics came online and Megatron undid the restraints. The helm turned to him, regarding him for a moment before his friend spoke. "Megatron?"
"Yes."
An intake of air, cycled, and then vented. "You shot me."
Megatron smiled, "It was necessary, my friend. You would not have been cooperative otherwise."
Sitting up, the red and blue mech stared at his servos and frame with widened optics. "Is something wrong?"
"I do not know. I feel like myself, but then I do not." He looked up at Megatron, "It is as though two processors have shared my frame, leading two entirely different lives. I can hardly make sense of all the memories I'm reviewing."
"As your attending physician," Knockout stepped in, "I recommend a full night's recharge in order for your memory banks to be put into order, once you come back online tomorrow morning everything should have sorted itself out."
"An excellent suggestion, Knockout," Megatron steadied Optimus on his pedes, who acted like a sparkling receiving his youngling frame and wobbled fearfully.
It took no time at all to steer his old friend to the recharging berths behind the medical bay. Finding the largest berth possible, Megatron got Optimus situated and only breathed a sigh of relief once he saw the prime's systems shut down for recharge. Trying very hard not to skip with glee on his way out, Megatron exited the medical bay and made his way down the hallway to the nearest elevator.
For a moment the deck swayed beneath him, making Megatron grab hold of the wall for support. He waited until the spell passed before he straightened and continued on, hoping that Soundwave had been too busy with something else to see his leader's moment of weakness. He would have to recharge soon before Knockout got on his case about irresponsibility in maintaining his health after strenuous mental activity. No, he definitely did not need Knockout's nagging at a time like this.
First, though, he had to check on what had happened on the battlefield. By now it must be over yet he must still know the outcome, see the list of wounded, if there were injured, and check on the condition of the Autobots. It was good that Cybertronians could not get headaches that the humans complained about getting so much, otherwise his life would be that much more difficult.
He had actually not gone that far from the medical bay when he had company. [Lord Megatron?] The little scout, Bumblebee, was nervously standing before him.
"Ah, little scout," Megatron took advantage of the situation, not really caring at the moment if it upset the youngling but, by the AllSpark, he could not continue the pretense that everything was all right. Before Bumblebee had a chance to understand what was happening, Megatron settled a hand on his shoulder and tried his best not to lean too much of his greater bulk on the smaller mech.
No one could accuse Bumblebee of being slow on his pedes. While the situation was far from ideal, after all, who wanted to be this close to Megatron?, Bumblebee nevertheless did not shirk his duty. He tucked himself under the Decepticon's arm, and wrapped one of his own around Megatron's waist, or at least half way round anyway. While the Decepticon leader's optics showed surprise, Megatron nevertheless leaned gratefully on the little 'bot. Neither of them said anything as they progressed down the hallway.
Megatron was all for using the scout's assistance to the elevator and parting ways there with an unspoken agreement never to speak of this incident. The writer will allow Megatron a few minutes to believe that he could get away with this plan.
…
…
…
"Lord Megatron," Dreadwing greeted them, his optics betraying nothing of what he thought at seeing his surrogate father requiring assistance from the little Autobot. Megatron, on the other hand, mentally groaned, as he knew Dreadwing would later inquire about his health. Then there were also the score of Vehicons following Dreadwing, with the cuffed Autobots in tow. He would never get to live this down.
"Dreadwing," Megatron dearly wanted to let go of Bumblebee and stand up tall but he knew his frame would not handle the strain. The scout had come along at the right time, Knockout, blast him, would probably cackle with glee once he found out. "Report."
Dreadwing stepped aside so that both Megatron and Bumblebee could see his entourage. Arcee was in front, firmly clasped in the servos of one Vehicon and, thankfully, in stasis. The next was one of the Twins, the red one, and Megatron felt Bumblebee shift next to him.
It was that shift that distracted Megatron, that made him look down and fail to see in time what Bumblebee was able to. [No!] Bumblebee pushed Megatron towards the wall, a usually impossible feat for one his size but a key factor that helped him was that the Decepticon leader had been leaning on him. It was really quite simple just to shift that weight away from him, and that was what Bumblebee did.
Megatron, not expecting this sudden movement, went against the wall. Bumblebee thought the target was Megatron, but Sideswipe was not even aiming for the Deception leader. The Twin had seen Bumblebee and acted, breaking one arm free from his cuffs, and the grip of a Vehicon, to launch a blaster bolt at the scout.
By the time Megatron had gotten his pedes back under him it was all over. Sideswipe was down on the deck; Dreadwing had smashed the Twin repeatedly and then cuffed his servos and pedes. Bumblebee was lying beside Megatron, a hole near his spark chamber and energon leaking from the wound.
"Get them to the brig, Knockout can scrub them of their codes later!" Megatron, processor threatening to black out on him, bent down and hefted up Bumblebee in his arms.
"Lord Megatron!" Dreadwing protested, "Let me or one of the Vehicons take him!"
"You'll do as you're ordered!" Megatron snapped, before running back the way he had come with the wounded Bumblebee.
Knockout was definitely unprepared for Megatron's entrance into the medical bay and nearly fell down. However, he was able to quickly hook up life support to Bumblebee and begin working on the wound. Of course he would have liked to have known what had happened but questions could come later, anything could come after he had made sure Bumblebee was out of danger.
Or so he thought.
A crash made Knockout jump and turn around. Megatron had lost his balance and was leaning against the wall, optics blinking in weariness. Knockout needed only a second to think of what could have happened to cause this collapse.
"Of all the irresponsible—" Knockout could not finish, he just gave up. Making sure Bumblebee was stable for the moment; Knockout grabbed hold of Megatron and led him back to the emergency recharging berths. The only other large berth was next to where Optimus Prime was still deeply recharging, so Knockout set Megatron down there with firm orders to recharge immediately. "Honestly, call me a reckless, racing junky and what does he do? Go under two cortical psychic patches in less than five days and hardly let himself recover from either."
AN: *head thumps on the keyboard* It's over! Optimus Prime is saved and the other Autobots will soon be cleaned of the bad codes. I can take a break now. Maybe sleep for a week and not worry about anything… Oh wait, there's still Smokescreen and Wheeljack, they're about due back soon I think. *facepalm*
