Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers.
The Greater Good
Chapter Seven: Truth
Blades once again chanced a glance over at Ultra Magnus. He was sat in his cell, barely moving. Unlike humans, Transformers didn't need to move – there was no compulsion to scratch or fidget. Ultra Magnus was particularly good at it, even when he wasn't suspected of murder and shoved into a holding cell.
The Protectobot still couldn't quite believe it. The great City Commander Ultra Magnus… a murderer?
It was impossible. The Ultra Magnus he knew wouldn't do such a thing. Ultra Magnus, who had taught him the meaning of the word 'honour'. The same Autobot commander who kept the Autobot forces together when Optimus Prime and the others disappeared. Blades wanted to talk to him. To make him confirm that he didn't kill Elita One; that it was all some Decepticon trick.
But his orders were to just guard him. Prime had been very specific in his orders; no contact with anyone whatsoever unless he authorised it.
And besides, judging by the look of shame of Magnus' features, Blades didn't want to ask.
He was afraid Ultra Magnus would say yes.
The heavy doors to the brig opened, and Optimus Prime stepped through, accompanied by Kup. The expressions of both were unreadable.
Blades took that as a bad sign.
Kup walked over to the cell next to Ultra Magnus and deactivated the force field, beckoning for Trailbreaker to come out. Silently, the large black Autobot did as he was told, walking with Kup until they were both out of the room. Optimus lingered for a moment longer, looking at Ultra Magnus with the same blank expression, as though studying him.
The Autobot leader turned and left the room.
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His optics flickered online. The room was spinning. Well, not exactly spinning, but more pulsating slightly.
It wasn't pleasant, either way.
Hot Rod slowly began to lever himself up, putting his hand over his sore optics to protect them from the bright light.
"Woah, there. Just lay back down. You need to rest."
The ex-Prime recognised the voice as First Aid, the Autobots chief medic. He groaned as he got off the examination table.
"I'm… fine, First Aid. And I really need to help with the questioning. So if you don't mind-"
First Aid gently pushed him back onto the bed, which was enough to make Hot Rod lose his footing and fall onto it in his weakened state.
"Park before I nail it to the bed."
"I think you're beginning to inherit some of Ratchet's bedside manner," he said wearily, lying back down.
The door to the med bay slid open, and Optimus Prime stepped through. He walked over to Hot Rod and paused to look at First Aid. "I need to talk to Hot Rod."
"As long as you get him to rest, you can do whatever you want with him," the medic replied, turning and making his way over to a control panel in the corner.
Prime turned to look at him. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I was run over by-" his words caught in his processor. "-Ultra Magnus," he finished, letting out an awkward breath from his exhaust port. "How's the questioning going?"
"We've only talked to Trailbreaker so far."
"And?"
Optimus sighed. "He-"
Hot Rod put up a hand to stop him for a moment. "Prime, would you sit down? I'm beginning to feel like you're going to start operating on me."
If he hadn't seen the sheepish look on Optimus' face, Hot Rod wouldn't have believed such an expression possible from the Autobot leader. Optimus pulled up a chair and sat down next to him.
"Now. As you were saying."
Prime nodded. "As you've probably realised by now, Trailbreaker came to me while you and Ultra Magnus were..." the leader turned his head in disgust. "…fighting. He said that Ultra Magnus was protecting a secret, and that he was willing to kill for it. Kup knew where you were, and we headed out."
"Why were you talking to Kup?"
Optimus shifted in his seat. "I had… started to investigate by myself. I'm not sure when I came to the decision to do so, but I did. And so, when I received word that you and Kup had returned to Cybertron, I took advantage of the situation to talk to him about what he's found out."
"…how much do you know?"
"I… I've seen the security footage from the Ark, and studied it. I know those Autobots far better than you or Kup. I hoped that… I would be able to find some clue…"
"…that Ultra Magnus didn't do it," Hot Rod finished.
Prime slowly nodded, refusing to look his one day successor in the optic.
"And?"
"I… had some suspicions, I admit. But… the fact that he covered it up for so long… everything seems to point to Magnus' guilt."
Hot Rod took a moment to digest the information before continuing on. "You've questioned Trailbreaker?"
Prime nodded. "He didn't actually see Ultra Magnus do it, but he says he was there. He was taking cover in the makeshift trench when… it happened."
"You say he didn't see Magnus do it."
"That's right."
"Did… Magnus ever tell him that he did it? Or did Trailbreaker just assume?"
"I…" the Autobot leader paused. "I don't know."
Hot Rod tried to get to his feet once again. "There's our hook. We-"
Optimus pushed him back onto the bed until he was lying down. "I need to study the surveillance videos again. You need to rest. Maybe then you can help."
"I'm feeling a lot better. Seriously."
"I'm sure you are, but how you feel has nothing to do with how you actually are."
Hot Rod paused for a moment. "That doesn't make any sense."
"It's leader logic."
"You can't pull that trick on me."
Prime tilted his head to the side. "No? Then how about Autobot medic logic?" he said, nodding over to First Aid.
Hot Rod looked from his leader, to the medic, and back again. "Maybe I'll just lay back down."
Optimus gave him a small smile. Hot Rod didn't know how he saw it beneath Prime's faceplate, but he did see it.
"Rest. I'll send Kup down to visit later."
"Are you crazy? I'm supposed to be getting better."
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Arcee didn't like the grim look on Springer's face. That face meant he was going to do something angry and crazy, and that usually resulted in several dented and smashed inanimate objects. And, being sat in the cafeteria, there was a lot of inanimate objects to be dented and smashed.
Not that she couldn't understand where the triple changer was coming from. She herself wasn't exactly feeling 'dandy,' as Spike would put it.
She thought she had known Ultra Magnus. They both did. But what they heard…
"They're just rumours, Arcee. We don't know what happened."
She looked over the table at Springer. "Well, all I know is that Blurr saw Ultra Magnus and Trailbreaker being taken into the security sector in Energon chains, and that Highbrow saw Optimus taking Hot Rod to the infirmary. What am I supposed to think?"
"That there's been some kind of misunderstanding. What? You want me to believe that Ultra Magnus did that to Hot Rod?"
"I think you're letting your friendship cloud your judgement."
"And I think you're not. We've worked with Ultra Magnus for as long as I can remember. I know him. He wouldn't do anything like that."
"Unless he had good reason to."
Springer shook his head. "Even then… for him to do something like that, and to Hot Rod of all people… maybe Hot Rod was being controlled. Maybe Ultra Magnus was. We know both the Decepticons and the Quintessons would sink lower than this to hurt us. Hell, they have sunk lower than this before."
Kup walked through the corridor next to the doorway, obviously in a hurry. Springer leapt to his feet and followed, almost knocking over the table. Arcee stumbled after, nearly tripping over her chair.
"Kup! Kup!"
The security Autobot didn't slow down. If anything, he seemed to speed up.
"Kup, wait up," Springer said, easily matching the elder Transformer's pace.
"Haven't got much time to chit-chat, lad."
"What's going on? Arcee saw Ultra Magnus and Trailbreaker being taken to the security sector."
"It's classified. If Optimus decides to let everyone else in on it, trust me, you'll be the first to know."
Arcee leaned forward. "What about Hot Rod?"
"He's okay. He's resting at the moment, but you can visit him later."
Springer grabbed Kup's arm. "Just hold on a second, would you? What happened to Hot Rod that he had to be taken to the infirmary?"
Arcee put a hand on Kup's shoulder. "Talk to us, Kup."
The elder Autobot was silent. A mix of conflict and sadness crossed his face, as though debating what to do.
"I'm sorry."
And with that, he freed himself from their collective grip and continued on down the corridor.
Springer and Arcee watched him go, almost frozen in position.
A low growl from Springer quickly turned into a yell of exasperation and anger. He whirled on his heel and slammed his fist into the wall. Arcee came forward, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Springer-"
He turned around so fast it knocked her back a few steps.
"Don't, all right? Just don't."
He transformed into his car mode and shot off down the corridor, eliciting a few yelps and shouts of protest from several Transformers and humans.
Arcee understood how he felt. For the longest time on Cybertron, it had just been them. Ultra Magnus, Kup, Hot Rod, Springer, Arcee… they were like their own little family, almost akin to the gestalt Transformers. Hot Rod becoming Rodimus Prime had changed the dynamic a little, but it was still… just them. But after Optimus Prime returned and Hot Rod and Kup were promoted… Arcee and Springer began to be left out of the loop.
It was something Springer had been worried about ever since Prime's return. Arcee thought he had been worrying needlessly, that they wouldn't be split up, that Ultra Magnus wouldn't allow it.
Now, even she was worrying.
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Optimus stared at the screen. He had been staring at the screen for the better part of the day. Autobots had come in and out, handing in reports.
He had barely noticed them.
Marissa Faireborn had come in on more than one occasion to ask about the status of some report or other. The only response she got was 'I'll deal with it later'.
She hadn't been particularly happy about that response.
Not that Prime had noticed. It was just the same footage over and over again.
Prowl's talks with Windcharger hadn't yielded any details, but that didn't surprise Optimus in the least. Windcharger was usually unreadable, even at his most jovial.
Trailbreaker wasn't any more forthcoming with Prowl than he had been with Optimus.
And that left Ultra Magnus. Optimus wasn't sure exactly what, but there was something off about the City Commander's responses. Or… something about him when he answered Prowl's questions.
There.
Optimus stopped the recording and rewound it. He played it again.
There it was again.
"Let's start with where you were stood."
"…what's this all about?"
"I just need to verify some facts before I make my report to Optimus."
Ultra Magnus paused before speaking. "I see."
"There!" Optimus said aloud, almost jumping out of his seat. Ultra Magnus continued.
"I was stood on the left, and Windcharger and Trailbreaker were on my right."
"In that order?"
"In that exact order."
Prime turned off the monitor and sat back in his chair. He knotted his finger together while tapping his two forefingers together thoughtfully. There was something in how he replied to Prowl… as if he knew what he was doing…
His optics widened as he realised the answer. He pushed himself out of his chair, thundering out of his office and down to the security block.
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Ultra Magnus heard the doors to the brig open, but didn't bother looking up. He hadn't moved since he was brought here.
What had he done?
It was important to cover up the facts of what happened, but what he did to Hot Rod…
He hated himself for he it. He just wished they would pronounce sentence and stop all this investigative nonsense.
"Magnus."
He didn't respond.
"Ultra Magnus."
"We both know I don't deserve that title anymore, Kup."
"You haven't deserved it for four years! Now look me in the optics."
Slowly and reluctantly, Ultra Magnus brought his head up to look at Kup.
His former ally.
His former friend.
"Where's Trailbreaker?"
"Shut up. You don't ask questions."
Magnus closed his mouth. "What do you want to know?"
"Why."
"What?"
"Why'd you kill her?"
"Is this on the record?"
"Does it matter?"
Magnus paused. "I suppose not."
"Well, then?"
"It was for the good of the Autobots."
"How? How in the name of Primus was this for the good of the Autobots?"
"You saw how it affected Prime. He… turned the tide of the war after her death."
"Very nice. Now how about the real reason?"
Magnus head whipped up to look at him. "What?"
"You don't believe a word you just said."
"I-"
The doors to the brig slid open again, and Ultra Magnus heard the familiar heavy footsteps of Optimus Prime.
"Kup. Would you mind giving us a minute?"
"Prime, I-"
"Now, Kup. I'll talk to you about this later."
The elder Autobot seemed ready to protest, but then thought better of it upon seeing Optimus' disposition. After one more angry glance at Ultra Magnus, he stormed out.
The two stared at each other in silence.
"Have you come to berate me as well?"
Optimus shook his head. "If I know you, you've been doing that to yourself enough." He tilted his head to the side. "But then again, you're not the Ultra Magnus I knew. Perhaps you're proud of what you've done."
"No. Never."
After pausing for a moment, Optimus sighed. "I'm glad to see at least some semblance of the Magnus I know."
"I'm still here, Prime. I haven't changed."
An optic ridge rose. "Really? You've always been a murderer?"
Ultra Magnus opened his mouth, but then looked away.
"But we both know that's not the truth, don't we?"
The City Commander froze. Slowly, he looked up at the Autobot leader who stood before him, his arms crossed expectantly.
"Well?"
"Prime… I… it…"
"Don't make your situation any worse than it already is, Magnus."
Ultra Magnus closed his mouth, as though afraid of what he might say. Optimus sighed.
"All right. If you won't tell me, I'll find the concrete evidence to prove it. I'll continue this investigation for as long as I need to."
He turned to leave. Ultra Magnus leapt up, putting his hands against the force field.
"Prime… don't."
Optimus froze at the door before slowly turning around. "Are you going to tell me what I want to know?"
"Will you believe a word I say?"
"We'll see."
Magnus sighed. "Prime… Optimus. Face it. No matter what I tell you now, you'll have no way of knowing whether I'm lying. If I say I killed Elita, I'm trying to protect someone else. If I tell you that someone else did it, I've changed so much that I'm trying to protect myself."
After an agonising silence, Prime spoke.
"Then let me fill in the blanks. You had an argument with Elita. You wanted her to leave me so I would become more ruthless." The words left a bitter taste on his sensors. "But she refused. And then, in battle, you saw your chance and killed her."
Ultra Magnus remained silent.
"But that's not what happened. You were frustrated by her refusal, yes, but even you wouldn't resort to murdering her. I doubt the thought even crossed your processor."
"Are you saying that the Decepticons did it?"
Optimus shook his head. "No. The scans Ratchet took confirm it came from an Autobot weapon. But I also know the kind of laser rifle you use. It would have ripped through Elita's chassis like tin foil."
"Maybe I picked up another weapon."
"Perhaps, but you forget that I was also present during that battle, as were quite a few Autobots. After enquiring to each of them about it, every one said that you used your own rifle for the entirety of the battle."
"But their optics weren't on me the entire time. How can you be sure-"
"Because I know you, Magnus! I saw the security footage of Prowl talking to you about the battle. You gave Prowl, Kup and Hot Rod a reason to suspect you – you made yourself the most obvious target!"
"Maybe it's a double bluff to protect myself."
"Damn it Magnus, stop it."
"No, Prime. You're the one who needs to stop and just accept the fact that I did it. I killed Elita One."
Optimus took a deep breath. "Trailbreaker tells a different story."
Magnus' expression darkened. "What?"
"He says that Windcharger did it, and that you've been covering for him."
The anger on the City Commander's face gave way to despair, an expression Optimus had never seen from him before. It was more than a little disconcerting.
"Primus… it wasn't his fault, Prime. Windcharger didn't know she was there. He was taking aim at Starscream and charged his weapon… she…"
Magnus trailed off, sitting back down on the bench at the other side of his cell.
"Why did you lie?" Optimus asked, his low voice just above a whisper.
"He… Windcharger didn't know what to do. I'm his commanding officer. It's my job to see to the welfare of my troops." He looked up into Prime's optics. "It wasn't his idea, Prime. He wanted to tell you. It was on my insistence that we covered this up. Morale was low enough among the Autobots without them finding out that one of them had murdered another of their own." He looked down at his white hands, which now to him seemed so dirty. "I can't believe Trailbreaker would tell you…"
Something clicked in Ultra Magnus' processor.
He slowly looked up at Prime, who refused to look him in the optics.
"Trailbreaker didn't tell you anything, did he?"
Optimus was silent for the longest time.
"If he hadn't, would you?"
"…what?"
"If Windcharger hadn't killed Elita, would you have?"
Magnus bowed his head. "The fact that you would even ask me that-" he stopped himself and sighed. "No. No Prime. I wouldn't."
He didn't make a sound; he just remained perfectly still, his optics firmly locked on Magnus.
"I'll be back to talk to you later."
He turned and left the room, leaving Ultra Magnus once again, completely and utterly alone. The former City Commander sat and buried his head in his hands.
I'm sorry, Windcharger.
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His footsteps echoed in the Mausoleum for what seemed like an eternity as he made his way over to the Autobot leader. His arms were crossed, although the pose didn't seem as intimidating as it usually did. In fact, Prime seemed… smaller somehow.
Not that Kup could blame him. He felt pretty small right now himself.
"Prime?"
Optimus almost seemed as though he were startled. His optics softened as he recognised Kup.
"Oh. I'm sorry, Kup. I was just…"
Kup put up his hand. "I think I can guess." He looked over at the statue of Elita One stood before them. He turned so that he was facing it, too.
"How's Hot Rod?"
"He's fine. Up and about. Won't be racing around any corridors for awhile, but… he's getting better."
"How is he dealing with… everything?"
"Better than I thought he would."
"Has he been to see Ultra Magnus?"
"Not yet, but… it's only a matter of time. It's still hard to believe Magnus would do so much for one Autobot." Kup paused for a moment. "What are you going to do about Trailbreaker?"
Optimus took a deep breath. "He didn't see anything. He was as shocked as anyone when he found out that Windcharger was responsible. But regardless of who he thought it was, that doesn't discount what he did for all those years, even if Ultra Magnus did force him into it."
"With all sympathy to Trailbreaker, Prime… there's only so much your commanding officer can force you to do."
Prime nodded. "I know," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked up at the statue. "I'm not sure what kind of punishment is appropriate. We don't have any prisons on Cybertron."
"We'll think of something," Kup said, not meaning the sentence to sound like a threat, but realising afterwards that it probably did.
"Perhaps something on a far-off planet."
"Exile?"
Prime nodded. "Not permanent, but… I don't know what else to do. I can't just demote him and put him back in with the rest of the Autobots."
"And… the same for Ultra Magnus?"
Optimus sighed. "I don't know. In any case, there's going to have to be a major shift in the command structure. I'll have to send Jazz to Earth to take over Magnus' position… someone else will need to be promoted as my second in command… not to mention Jazz's second in command…" he shook his head and allowed it to fall, his body finally feeling the consequences of what had happened. He slowly looked back up at Elita's gleaming visage.
"How did this happen, Kup? How did we become… like them? Ultra Magnus was lying for Windcharger, Trailbreaker thought he was lying for Ultra Magnus…" He put his hand over his face. "And I lied to Ultra Magnus to get the truth. Lies and distrust breed lies and distrust. How did this happen?" he said, his voice wrought with frustration and anger.
Kup cautiously stepped over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't honestly know, Prime. I just know that… if we're going to honour her memory," he said, gesturing to Elita's statue, "and all the past Autobot's memories…" he turned Optimus so that he was optic to optic with him. "Even Windcharger… then we're going to have to make sure that this never happens again."
Optimus lay a hand on his shoulder, slowly nodding. "You're right, Kup." He looked up at Elita one last time.
"You're right."
The two transformed and made their way away from the Mausoleum.
As they left, they both hoped they were leaving the past behind them, as well.
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(A/N: Only an epilogue to go, folks.
Reviews, please!)