Chapter 19: The Greatest Crime
The decepticons stood at one end of the ruined theatre. The autobots ran up, and gathered on the other end.
Both had their guns ready, staring across the ruin at each other, as the smoke swirled in the sky.
Hatred in their optics. Both sides. Some hatred for themselves, for their war had caused this.
But far more hatred for the other side.
And beneath them, in the middle of the ruin, Optimus and Megatron stood, battered, frames crumpled from a day of brutal battle.
Optimus raised his helm, and glared at Megatron.
"What did you say?" He demanded.
Megatron glared back.
"Look what you've done." Megatron replied. "You...you could've avoided this Prime. If you didn't overthrow us...this never would have happened!" He shouted.
A low roar leapt forward from Optimus's voicebox, and it grew in force as he threw himself at Megatron.
Fists pounding into the sides of the mech's frame.
"YOU RAISED THIS BEAST, MEGATRON!" Optimus shouted, ripping off one of the mech's side panels. "YOU DESTROYED OUR HOME!" He grabbed Megatron's helmet and brought his fist crashing down on it, buckling it under his knuckles.
Megatron punched him in the chest, then kicked him back.
"This was always our path. This is the end of the path you Primes took us through." He snarled, deploying his energon flail. "Sentinel, Zeta, now you, you divided our world, now you will pay for it!" He shouted, smashing Prime across the face.
The spikes tore into Optimus's face, shattering half of his faceplate, sending shards of it flying off his face.
He fell back, spitting out energon, as he held his wounded face.
"Look at me." Megatron hissed, as he stepped toward the fallen mech. "Look at me Orion. I wish to see your face. Your true face."
Optimus turned to him, optics full of rage.
He tilted his head up.
The left side of his mouth was exposed, the other half of the faceplate clung loosely.
"Oh Orion..." Megatron said, his voice softening as he looked at the mech's partially exposed face. "I never thought I would have to save this world from you. I knew I had to save it but...not from Orion Pax."
Optimus's optics widened as he stared in disbelief at the mech.
He was in denial. Full on denial about what he had just unleashed. Optimus could see it in his face. That he had refused to register what he had done to his own homeworld.
Optimus felt a slight sense of pity.
Slight.
But he didn't care anymore. He didn't care what was broken in his former friend.
After all that had happened on this dark day, it just didn't matter anymore. Too many people had died. Too much of Cybertron burned and broken. Too much energon spilt.
It just didn't matter anymore. Rage consumed Optimus's frame. Sadness and rage combined.
"Saved?" Optimus asked, gritting his teeth as he glared up at Megatron.
His fists clenching.
"SAVED?!" He repeated louder.
Megatron backed away, surprised at the outburst.
Optimus leapt to his feet, and charged at the mech.
He grabbed his tank tread, and pulled him down, bringing his knee up under the warlord's chin.
"IS THIS THE SALVATION YOU WISHED TO DELIVER, MEGATRON?!" Optimus demanded, punching Megatron across the face over and over, energon pouring from both their wounds, as the smoke caused their vents to cough and seize. "IS THIS THE GOLDEN AGE YOU WISHED TO BRING FORTH?!"
Megatron tried to fight back, but the attacks were too quick, and too vicious.
He brought back his energon flail, and tried to swing it at Optimus in desperation.
Optimus grabbed the chain, the flail spiking him in the arm, cracking his metals and spilling more energon.
He barely felt it.
He let out a roar as he ripped the flail painfully from Megatron's arm socket, tearing off chunks of grey metal.
Megatron fell back, and tried to raise his fusion cannon.
Optimus grabbed it, bringing his foot crushing down on Megatron's arm, breaking the joint.
Megatron let out a groan of pain, as he tried to fire the fusion cannon the two mechs were grappling over. It glowed purple as it charged slowly.
Optimus put his full force toward the fusion cannon, pushing the barrel towards Megatron, he tried with futility to push back.
Optimus pressed it against Megatron's helmet. Megatron let out a cry of frustration.
It fired, blasting apart half of Megatron's helmet, sending grey shards flying.
Optimus kicked the fusion cannon down, then grabbed the remaining half of the helmet and tore it away, exposing Megatron's head circuitry. The mech weakly held up a hand.
Optimus didn't even think, and the hand didn't even register. Rage consumed him now.
He took the broken half of Megatron's helmet, and smashed it against his face, again and again.
Then he hurled it away in disgust, and lifted Megatron up, hurling him at a pile of debris.
Megatron slammed into the pile, and stared blankly back at Optimus. His red optics flickering.
"You...you can't beat me..." he whispered in disbelief. "Not again..."
Optimus stood up, his frame ruined, parts of it hanging off his body. He let his vents catch up to him, trying to dissipate the anger.
The decepticons watched in shock.
The autobots watched, with solemn, angry optics.
"You...can't win...now..." Megatron wheezed. "You can't save Cybertron...without me, Pax."
Optimus turned and looked to him, optics suddenly saddened.
"I once truly believed that." He said, shoulders slumped. "I truly believed you were the best thing for Cybertron." He looked away, and let out a sigh.
"I have never been more wrong."
He turned and began to walk away, as Megatron tried to sit up.
"Don't you dare walk away from me, Pax. YOU NEED ME TO FIX THIS WORLD! WE WILL DO THIS TOGETHER! WE WILL SAVE CYBERTRON!"
Optimus felt a lump in his vocal processor as he walked away.
"No one needs you, Megatron. Cybertron will be better off without you." He looked up at Metroplex, as he towered over the ruin.
Metroplex's optics were determined. He knew what Optimus was going to command before the mech even said it.
"Metroplex...avenge Cybertron." He commanded quietly.
Metroplex nodded.
"As you command, Optimus Prime."
Megatron looked up at the Titan, and gritted his teeth.
"Go on then, monster. Try it."
Metroplex brought his fist back, as Megatron yelled up at him, and weakly began to lift his broken arm, trying to aim his fusion cannon at the Titan.
"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME! I AM GOING TO SAVE THIS WORLD! I AM MEGATRON, AND I SHALL NOT BE..."
Metroplex brought his fist crashing down into the ruin, crushing Megatron, and the pile of debris, and sending smoke and fragments of metal flying.
Optimus continued walking. He never looked back.
Metroplex brought his fist back, and slammed it down again.
Just to be sure.
The decepticons stared down at the ruin in shock.
"Megatron..." Soundwave breathed, as Metroplex retracted his fist, and stood tall above them.
Optimus walked up to his autobots, as they looked at his battered frame with concern.
Ratchet ran over to the mech, but Optimus walked past him.
"Optimus, what about the cons?" Ironhide asked.
"Let them go." Optimus replied. "Enough energon has been shed today."
Starscream looked down at the ruins, for any sign of life from his master.
Then he narrowed his optics, a grin spreading on his face.
"Decepticons!" He shouted, turning to face them. "Megatron has tragically fallen. But this war is not yet over!" He declared. "I, Starscream, hereby assume command of the decepticons! We will avenge our fallen leader."
He turned, optics glistening as he looked at the autobots.
They stared back at him, rifles and guns at the ready. Steely optics glaring at the ambitious seeker.
"Decepticons...fall back to Darkmount!" He commanded. "So we may properly mourn our fallen leader...and properly usher in this new era!"
The decepticons looked at one another, then back at him.
Then Astrotrain transformed up, and the shell shocked decepticons slowly shuffled inside.
Starscream glared back at Optimus, as the decepticons boarded.
"Enjoy your hollow victory, Optimus." He sneered. "Our time has only just begun."
He turned, and walked into Astrotrain, who lifted off, and streaked toward Kaon.