Chapter 74 - The deepest cut
Phoenix P.O.V
'Hide, you've known Prime the longest, has he always been so stubborn and pigheaded?'' I threw my servos up in frustration as I paced the Rec room back in NEST HQ. Ironhide stood opposite me, his arms folded over his chest as he considered my question. The others had been called away to assist Sam and Simmons with some reconnaissance in connection to the dark side of the moon and some Russian Cosmonauts or some such thing, so it was just the two of us.
''Phoenix, I sense a growing irritation within you.'' 'Hide had a small smile on his dermas.
''Ya think Captain Obvious!'' I all but growled at him. ''I mean, I always considered Prime to be fair minded and wise, incredibly wise in fact. He always seemed to be able to read everyone else so quickly and put 2 and 2 together before most others.'' I continued to pace.
''Except when it came to the both of you,'' Ironhide interjected.
''Right, except… HEY!'' I stopped pacing and glared at him. ''Watch it,'' I warned. I was in no mood for cute antics.
Ironhide held up his servos in mock surrender, ''What? It's true. You both were guilty of that. Jazz, Rachet and I even commented on it. For two individuals who were so astute in many things, you were both incredibly slow on the uptake in matters of your own sparks.'' He smiled warmly at me, a fact that disarmed me as it was so unlike the fierce warrior to do so. ''But, in the end you worked it out, didn't you?''
I stared at him for a moment, ''Well, I guess so. I mean we have told each other we have feelings for each other beyond friendship, have had for some time. But we have not had a chance to say or do much else.'' I felt my dermas clench in frustration. ''In fact, we have hardly had a moment to ourselves! From bloody Chernobyl to the moon and now Sentinel comes along, it seems like Prime and I are destined to never be together or, lately, even on the same page.'' I ex-vented deeply and sat down on one of the large Transformer sized benches. I hid my helm in my servos as I tried to contain all the emotions swirling within me. I heard Ironhide's heavy pedes walk towards me and a large servo came to rest on my shoulder.
''Phoenix, Prime has indeed always been stubborn. Even when he was Orion Pax, when he got a notion in his head that he believed to be true and fair, he would doggedly follow it and see it through. It's part of how he came to be our Prime, that stubborn commitment to what is just and right, seeing something through no matter the personal cost, has earned him a respect and allegiance that few Primes, if any, have ever come close to emulating. While it can be beyond frustrating, and I should know having served him for over 7 million years, it is also one of his greatest qualities.'' He paused for a moment as if considering his own advice, ''You know you are similar in that respect Phoenix.'' and I looked up towards him preparing to stubbornly refute his comment when I noticed he seemed lost in thought for a moment.
''Irondhide?'' I asked quietly, ''you okay?''
He shook his helm a moment and looked down at me with a sad smile, ''I was just thinking of a femme I used to know back on Cybertron,'' his voice dropped lower as he recalled this femme. I gave him my full attention. Ironhide never spoke of such things.
''What was her name?'' I asked him tentatively.
He smiled, ''Chromia. Her name was Chromia. She was sort of my spark mate.'' I felt my dermas fly open in shock.
''Ironhide! I had no idea you had a spark mate; you never speak of her.'' I felt such a sense of sorrow for Ironhide and what he had lost, that I reached out and grasped his servo.
Ironhide gave it a quick squeeze before shaking it off. ''Yeah well, I guess I never felt the need to. Besides, talking about her won't bring her back,'' he shrugged his shoulders dismissively. ''She fought with Elita 1 and the other femmes,'' he gave a quick laugh, ''she was also stubborn as a mule as you'd say here on Earth, was one of the best shots in the team, tough as iron and enjoyed a good fight almost as much as I did.''
I smiled at him, ''Wow Ironhide! She seems like the perfect femme for you! You must have made quite the team.''
Ironhide's optics shone brightly as he recalled his mate, ''Yeah, we did. We balanced each other out. When one of us became overwhelmed with all that was going on, the other served as an anchor. When one of us became so filled with rage and frustration at the futility of war, the other served as sparring partner and a sounding board. When one of us became lost in darkness, the other was there to guide them back to the light. And when one of us became too stubborn to listen to reason, the other would swallow their pride and support them come what may.'' Ironhide's optics seemed to pierce right through me as he drove his point home.
I returned his gaze, ''And when that stubbornness brought pain and suffering or trouble? What then Ironhide?''
He allowed a rueful smile to grace his dermas, ''then the other would be there to pick up the pieces, rebuild and move forward.''
I closed my optics and nodded. /Ironhide was right/. Prime and I had to balance each other out. We had to give and take, agree and disagree but always support each other regardless of what came our way. We were a team. Right now, Prime needed me to support him and even though I had misgivings, I would give him that because it was what he needed from me. I just hoped I would not need to pick up any pieces and that Prime was right – Sentinel could be trusted.
I smiled at Ironhide, ''Thanks 'Hide, I needed to hear that. You know, you actually are pretty wise yourself.''
Ironhide shuffled on his pedes in embarrassment, ''Well, you don't get to live to be my age and not learn a few things about life and yourself.''
I nodded, ''Indeed. I hope I can grow to be as wise as you one day.''
He smiled at me, ''I hope you should live so long to have that opportunity Phoenix.''
I laughed out loud, ''And why wouldn't I when I have you to keep me safe,'' I stood to my pedes and quickly reached out to give him a quick hug. Shock flowed through me when I realised, he was returning it.
''Always,'' the rough mech gruffly replied. If I was able to cry, I would have felt tears flowing down my cheeks. I squeezed him tighter as I did not have the words.
''We have an energon alert! Energon readings detected on the DC parkway. Currently tracking three black Suburbans,'' the announcement came blaring over the PA system in the hanger. Ironhide and I quickly stepped back from each other, the tender moment between two friends shattered by reality.
A moment later our comms went off and Prime's deep voice rolled through our audials, ''Phoenix, Ironhide. I have just received word from Sam. It appears Simmons and he have discovered a link between the pillars, the moon, Sentinel and the Decepticons. Sentinel is the key, the Decepticons are coming for him. We must protect him! Sam, Bumblebee, Dino, Sideswipe and Jazz are enroute back to base with Sentinel. I am not far behind, we got separated. Be prepared for an imminent attack, be on alert. Phoenix, please, be safe. Ironhide, look after her. Prime out''. I felt my spark ache for him. /You too Prime/.
Ironhide turned to start heading for the exit. ''Where are you going?'' I yelled after him.
He turned back briefly, ''Preparing for an imminent attack.''
I snorted, ''Hide there is nothing..''
Ironhide's comms went off and the sound of Bee whirring frantically floated through the air. ''I'm on my way Bee, hang in there.'' He turned to me with a smile on his face, ''You were saying? Bee has requested backup with those SUV's, it's the Dreads.'' He went to race off.
''Ironhide!'' I called out. He turned back. ''Thank you for sharing with me, I am honoured that you trusted me enough to let me hear that. I will not forget your advice.''
He nodded at me, ''You're welcome Phoenix. Now, stay put and stay safe. I'll be back in a minute after I see to these punks.'' With that he turned and transformed, speeding out the exit.
I felt my spark twist for him too. /You better come back in one piece or I'll kill you myself!/. Despite having gotten off on the wrong pede, Ironhide and I had become good friends and I cared deeply for the old mech. If anything happened to him…
I began to pace nervously and helplessly. Everyone I cared for was not here! I could hear car types screeching in the distance and cannon fire. The fight was drawing closer. /Prime said to prepare for imminent attack/. With that I raced out of the exit in the same direction I had seen Ironhide disappear minutes ago.
As I arrived at the front gates of NEST HQ, I noticed Sentinel drive in, followed by Bumblebee, Dino, Sides, Jazz and Ironhide! /They're all safe/. I felt my spark pulse in relief at the sight of most of my family appearing to be well and unharmed. Lennox was also there directing them all to safety.
''Get inside! Let's go! Move.. Keep moving!'' he waved the cars on.
Something still did not sit right with me, a sick and worrying feeling gnawed at me. I came to stand in the loading bay amongst the trucks. Sentinel pulled up just before me and I felt my whole-body tense at the sight of him. /I know that Prime said to give him a chance, but I know how I feel/. Sentinel began to transform and as he did so, his optics briefly rested on me and he gave a malicious smile. My energon seemed to stop flowing. I trained my optics on him and watched him like a hawk.
Sam jumped out of Bumblebee and ran towards Lennox, ''Lennox!''
Lennox continued to wave the Autobots in, ''Go, go, go!''
Sam yelled at Lennox, ''We got Decepticons everywhere!''
Lennox turned to Sam and replied, ''I've got my whole team deployed looking for them.'' He turned to Ironhide, ''Ironhide! Protect Sentinel, get him locked up inside.''
Ironhide had transformed back into his robot mode, called out to Lennox, ''Consider it done!'' Ironhide came to stand before Sentinel and me, and he seemed to prepare to usher Sentinel inside. Though Sentinel made no move to do as he was asked.
Sam continued to explain to Lennox, ''You've got to guard him, 'cause he is the key to the whole thing!'' Lennox listened carefully even as he continued to wave everyone back towards the building.
At that moment Sentinel spoke, a warning tone in his voice, ''Indeed I am. What you must realise my Autobot brothers is we were never going to win the war.''
I tensed. His tone, his stance, his arrogance, his treats. It was as though he was not himself. No longer an Autobot but a…
''For the sake of our planet's survival, a deal had to be made. With Megatron.'' My dermas flew open as the dots were finally connected in my processor. Even as I heard Sentinel's cannon power up and he went to fire it at Ironhide's unsuspecting form, I was moving.
''Ironhide!'' I screamed and shoved him roughly towards the ground and the direction of Bumblebee and the others. At the same time, I grabbed Sentinel's weapon and forced it skywards as it fired, the shot missing its intended mark. Sentinel growled at me, roughly shoving me off and swinging around with a left hook that connected and sent me flying into one of the trucks parked nearby.
''Get back!'' I heard Lennox yell belatedly as he realised Sentinel's betrayal.
Sentinel turned towards me and began to shoot wildly at me. I managed to deflect most but one of the blasts hit me in the left servo. I cried out in pain and a satisfied grin spread across Sentinel's face. He raised his cannon to take aim again, but I sent him stumbling backwards with a ''shove''.
Taking advantage of his temporary distraction, I rolled to my pedes and leapt over the railing onto the road below that lead to the back gate and the main hanger. Torn between staying and helping Lennox and the others and racing ahead to warn the people inside of Sentinel's betrayal, I quickly began sprinting down the road. /The Autobots, Lennox and Sam will have to look after themselves, they are better prepared than those inside/.
As I ran, I glanced down at my left servo and my spark stopped. My servo was being eaten away, rusting before my very optics! It was spreading fast. As I came to a stop before the hanger entrance, I paused for a moment, stealing myself for what I knew I had to do. I unsheathed my energon blade and held it high. With a primal yell of anger, pain and fear I brought the blade down hard, slicing the lower part of my arm off, in a desperate bid to stop the corrosion from advancing. For a moment, I felt myself falter in my steps, shock threatening to overwhelm me.
In the distance I could hear Sentinel, who had clearly regained his footing, blasting away indiscriminately. A feeling of determination and a resolve to try and stop Sentinel tore through me like a wildfire.
I withdrew my energon blade and raced into the hanger, yelling to all the NEST personnel I saw, ''Take cover! Sentinel is in league with the Decepticons. He is coming for the pillars. Get out!'' I was waving my remaining servo about frantically. Some of the soldiers and other military personnel paused momentarily before they began to run out of the building. /Good, they listened/. Even as I finished yelling my warning and some of the people had fled, the sound of explosions and screams tore through the building. Debris flew everywhere as Sentinel charged his way through the hanger.
I watched as some of the brave NEST soldiers, their training taking over, stood their ground, firing upon the rouge Prime as he wrought a path of destruction. /Like mosquito bites to him!/ I thought, even as I tried to contain the blasts and explosions to lessen the impact and save as many lives as possible. Sentinel saw me and began to stride towards me, arrogant rage etched in his visage. I felt myself get into a battle-ready stance.
An angry, authoritative voice rang out over the melee, ''HEY! Sentinel. What is going on? What do you think you are doing?'' I turned abruptly to follow the voice to its source, though I knew whom I would find. Mearing had arrived to bravely, though foolishly, challenge Sentinel on his actions.
She barrelled along the catwalk towards Sentinel, some of her aides cautiously following her and trying unsuccessfully to stop her from addressing the enraged Prime. At that moment a NEST soldier fired Sentinel. He merely turned and deflected the missile with his massive shield. I was able to contain most of the explosion and prevent it from injuring Mearing and the others. I felt myself move into position to defend Mearing and her aides if necessary.
Sentinel turned to arrogantly dismiss Director Mearing, ''I am a Prime! I do not take orders from you!''
I could not help in that moment but draw a comparison between the two Primes – Optimus and Sentinel. How in total contrast they were to each other, amazed me, and I felt grateful that a Prime such as Optimus was on our side. /WHERE ARE YOU OPTIMUS?/.
Lennox, along with Sam and some of the other soldiers from outside had arrived and run up the stairs to intercept Mearing. ''Director Mearing come on. We can't fight him. Let's go. We have to go!'' Lennox urged as he tried to steer and handle her away from the rapidly escalating scene.
Sentinel turned and refocused his attention his primary goal – obtaining the pillars. In a loud and demanding voice Sentinel addressed Mearing and any other person who was able to give him what he wanted, ''Now – return what belongs to me!'' He roared the words in anger, throwing twisted and burning chassis of helicopters into a pile of various destroyed military equipment.
I heard Mearing yell in an uncharacteristically frightened voice, ''Oh. My. God.'' I watched as Lennox ushered her and Sam away, though Sam paused a moment to take in the scene before him, disbelief written all over his face.
My left arm throbbed excruciatingly though I would not be distracted. Lives were at stake – including my own.
Sentinel cast his optics towards me again and they flashed a warning, ''You will do well to stay out of my way you abomination. As you can see, I am willing to injure or kill to obtain what belongs to me,'' he gave a quick nod towards my injured left arm.
I let a small, feral smile spread across my dermas as I engaged my battle mask.
''Make me!''
